Weather Watch – Grade 5
Name
1. Describe rain. Drops of water that form in the air and fall when moisture condenses.
2. How would you measure rainfall? Use a coffee can and a ruler. Measure the water in mm
3. Describe hail.
Lumps of ice formed high up in thunderheads
4. How would you measure the amount of precipitation of hail?
Use a coffee can, but the hail
must melt before you measure.
5. Describe sleet. Super cooled rain that freezes onto cold surfaces
6. How would you measure the amount of precipitation of sleet? Use a coffee can and a ruler;
melt the sleet to see how many mm of water fell.
7. Describe snow. Crystals of water that form clouds when it is cold. Six-sided crystals.
8. How would you measure the amount of precipitation of snow? Melt the snow to measure the
mm of water. Use a ruler outside for the depth.
9. Describe cirrus clouds. Wispy clouds of ice crystals, high up.
10. How do cirrus clouds relate to weather?
11. Describe stratus clouds.
Signal a weather change.
Flat clouds close to the ground, lots of humidity!
12. How do stratus clouds relate to weather?
Poor weather coming (rain, snow)
13. Describe cumulus clouds. Big, fluffy summer-time clouds. Flat bases.
14. How do cumulus clouds relate to weather? Sign of good weather
15. Describe nimbus clouds. Dark, heavy, low
16. How do nimbus clouds relate to weather? Rain or thunder. Bad news.
17. Describe virga. Nimbus clouds, appears to be falling like a curtain (of rain).
18. How does virga relate to weather?
It’s raining underneath those clouds.
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19. Describe cumulonimbus clouds. Tall clouds with dark bottoms.
20. How do cumulonimbus clouds relate to weather? Storms, thunder, and lightning.
21. What does falling barometric pressure tell you about the weather? The weather is going to
change for the worse.
22. What does high or rising barometric pressure tell you about the weather? Sign of good weather
to come.
23. How would you prove that there is moisture in the air in the classroom? A can of ice water will
have moisture on the outside.
24. Where does dew come from?
Moisture from the air condenses on the cold ground or grass.
25. How would you test a raincoat to see if it would keep you dry? Weigh the wetness, look for
dampness inside, measure how much flows through, etc.
26. How would you test a sweater to see if it would keep you warm? Put a thermometer inside, put
a can of water inside, use a test dummy full of water in a freezer (and control the variables!)
27. How would you test a jacket to see if it would protect you from the wind?
Use a fan and
measure how much air move through; wear the coat and make a chart matching the wind speed
to how cold you feel; use a sensitive anemometer to measure how much wind goes through.
28. Why is it important to forecast the weather? Give three examples or situations in which it would
be important.
a. appropriate and safe choice of clothing, e.g. 40 below and you are cleaning the
sidewalks
b. _in tornado season, we can be alert to forecasts___
c. _When sailing, you need to know the wind and rain coming.
29. How can you protect your skin from the ultraviolet rays of the sun? sunscreen, sunblock, cover
with sun proof clothing
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30. How can you protect your eyes from the ultraviolet rays of the sun?
wear UV protective
sunglasses and wear a hat
31. Name human activities that create greenhouse gases.
a. _____driving, motor exhaust_
b. ______home heating_
c. Burning forests for crops
d. Coal and gas-fired electricity plants
32. Why is it important to keep track of greenhouse gases and to try to reduce them?
a. __We can see changes and make predictions for climate change.______
b. ____Ice caps are melting (sea levels are rising)____
c. ___sea temperatures rising and coral reefs dying______
33. How does the Sun’s energy affect the weather daily?
The sun warms darker areas more, and
the air above these areas warms and rises, causing wind, air currents, and precipitation.
34. How does the Sun’s energy affect the seasonal changes in temperature?
As the earth is
on a tilt, compared to the Sun, we have seasons. The light is more direct at different times.
Note: Go over the study notes already provided on this page. Study:

Cloud types

How to draw land breezes and sea breezes

How to make a fair test

Names of instruments used to measure weather
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