MEDIA ARTS PROJECT
The Weather Experience
Grade
5
Subject
Science
Topic
The Weather
Lesson Description
Students will work in-groups to create a visual journal of the weather as they experienced it during the
time of the project. Still photographs and internet images will be used to show the impact of weather
on their lives and their environment.
The details of weather systems involve such things as rainfall, temp, high and low pressure fronts and
clouds. However, it must be emphasised that the driving force that powers all of these (details) is the
energy from the sun. We have tried to provide opportunities for the students to make this connection
to the sun through the questions and activities through this unit.
Lesson One
Introduction to different aspects of weather and how it affects students personally. Use of film clips
(real, documentary clips as well as dramas) to expand on the idea of the larger impact of weather on
humans and the environment.
• Introduce the concept of how weather affects us emotionally (our moods) and lead a discussion
with the class about how they feel when it is raining, sunny, grey etc.
• Discuss how the weather has often been expressed in literature and poetry (“It’s raining, It’s
pouring, The old man…” or look at the
website:http://www.history.noaa.gov/art/weatherpoems1.html) as well as in music (both in
instrumental compositions and in lyrics), such as "Cloudburst" excerpt from Grand Canyon Suite by
Ferde Grofé.
• Lead a discussion with the class to introduce the various climatic regions on the earth.
• Explain the difference between the terms climate and weather.
• The class will identify what climate they live in and find examples of other climates across the
country and around the world.
• How would you describe today’s weather?
• What factors do we consider? Temperature, cloud cover, wind etc.
• Introduce the vocabulary/definition of temperature, moisture, wind, air pressure and the sun).
• Discuss how these are interconnected.
• The measurement of the forces of weather will also be introduced.
• What features of the weather can be measured ie described by a number and how are they
measured
• Create a word wall to do with weather terms
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• Play a section of a piece of music that could be evocative of a particular form of weather.
• Ask the students to imagine what weather the music evokes and what the day would be like: How
strong would the winds be? How much precipitation would there be? What would the temperature
be? The teacher will list these on the blackboard.
• Ask for the students to help create a list of emotions that they experience when they listen to that
music and write them on the blackboard.
• Then the teacher will have the class listen to the music again and this time, ask the students to list
their emotions as the piece is playing.
• List these emotional states on the board below each of the weather conditions already noted.
• Lead a discussion with the class reflecting on their experience considering the weather as an
inspiration for music and emotions.
• Homework: watch the weather channel and read the weather report in the newspaper
Lesson Two
This lesson is to take place the gym or in a cleared space in the classroom.
• Show visual examples of different images of weather (paintings, photographs, films etc.) and
discuss how effectively these images convey the impact of weather.
• Show visual examples of different images of weather (paintings, photographs, films etc.) and
discuss how effectively these images convey the impact of weather.
• Introduce the concept of being a “collector” of information, both written and visual about the
weather.
• Students will be examining how weather impacts one’s own life on a daily basis as well as how
weather impacts the people, environment and events around them.
• Show an example of a “visual diary” that they have created (using still images, video clips) that will
act as an example of what students themselves will be eventually creating throughout the next
series of lessons.
• Have the students stand and move to an open space in the classroom or the gym or outside and do
a brief movement warm up.
• Use a movement and sound activity to help demonstrate the physical connection of how one set of
weather conditions can transform into different weather and/or affect another geographical area.
Examples: Students represent different weather elements through movements such as hands and
fingers flickering through the air to represent precipitation. They will represent different weather
elements eg movements for wind, clouds, rain. Possibly a day of weather…
• Lead a discussion with the class of what the experience of movement to represent weather was
like.
• Homework: look at the news and how weather impacts it local, national and /or international:
human and environmental link
Lesson Three
• Engage the students in a discussion to review the different aspects of weather. How do you
experience it? What does it feel like? What are the ways in which you can feel it? eg: wind blowing
on your face, rain falling on your hands, sun warming up your cheeks.
MEDIA ARTS PROJECT
• Help to give an appropriate overall technical term to each of the experiences of weather: eg: the
water cycle helps form precipitation, humidity makes the air feel moist as on a hot, muggy,
summer.
• Review the effective use of the internet to gather images and information on the weather (file size
and image appropriateness will be discussed).
• Students are divided into groups that will each research a topic – they have to use resources
available to them (library, internet, textbooks).
Curriculum elements to be researched are grouped here and questions directing them:
1) Air pressure is often described in terms of high and low-pressure systems that move across the
country.
What kind of weather is usually associated with a high and a low-pressure system?
What affect does the sun have on pressure systems?
2) The term water cycle describes the continuous journey of a water drop through evaporation and
precipitation.
List the different forms of precipitation and when they might be observed
Create a labelled diagram to illustrate the stages in the water cycle.
“The sun provides the energy for the water cycle”. What does this statement mean?
3) Patterns in air movement, caused by wind and pressure, move weather systems across the
country.
Watch a weather report on tv or in the newspaper
Show on a map the systems that are affecting weather at the time of their research.
What weather events eg wind and wind direction, precipitation, would we have observed to
indicate that these air movements?
4) Humidity is a term used to describe the percentage of moisture (water) in the air.
Changes in the temperature of the atmosphere affect the ability of the air to hold water
During a cool night, mist often appears over a lake, what is the reason for this?
What role does the sun play in the production of mist?
5) Cloud formations are easily visible signs of the weather.
Research, name, describe and illustrate the common types.
Describe the formation of a thundercloud.
What role does the sun play in the sun play in the creation of clouds?
• Students will visit the library and or the internet with their groups to research their assigned topics.
• Introduce and distribute the weather journal and all the various components that students will be
expected to observe, record, predict, evaluate etc… about the weather on a daily basis.
This journal has been designed by the teacher in prep and will include:
- Next day’s weather prediction that includes all weather elements
- Record today’s weather – compare the observation with the prediction
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-
Where is the weather coming from?
Temperature, precipitation, wind speed any unusual weather approaching
Speculation of why
Comparison of prediction and actual weather
Impact of weather on various aspects of weather on student’s life
Lesson Four
• Lead the class in a discussion of the results from the Weather Journal.
• Students organise their research and deliver a brief report on what they’ve learned. Teacher fills in
the blanks – expanding on concepts that aren’t fully understood.
• Divide students into their same research teams and assigning them the final project: this will take
place over the next five lessons.
• Each group will use be asked to extend their daily weather observation on a certain day to include
more depth. They will be producing a more detailed presentation of one day of weather.
• It will include the following from their weather journal: information on the temperature, wind,
precipitation, air pressure and cloud formations, a comparison of observation with prediction,
impact of weather on their day.
• It will also include:
• an attempt to explain why the observation may have been different from the prediction.
• compare their observations with the weather on that same day at another location in Canada and
its possible impact on their own weather conditions.
• using digital cameras (still or video) to capture images of the weather on their assigned day. (In
the schoolyard)
For the creation of this presentation, the groups will:
1.
use the computers to compile the photos that they have taken
2.
use the internet and other sources to augment their visual “library” of the weather for that
day.
3.
work together using editing skills on the computer (imovie, movie maker or power point) to
use their pictures to create a montage of their “weather impressions” ie of wind blowing
trees, rain falling in puddles for their assigned day.
4.
They will be required to create text on the images to further describe the weather conditions
5.
They will create accompanying verbal report on the weather conditions, the forces creating
those conditions and an assessment of the impact of those conditions on their surrounding
environment. (Note: if students aren’t technically able to lay the voice over on the
computer they can make a group oral presentation to accompany the visuals.)
• Each of the groups will make a plan on how they want to organise their research so that each of
the weather topics will be covered in detail
• Lead the class in a discussion about possible ideas for distributing the necessary jobs and help
problem solve any issues that arise.
Lesson Five
Ideally each group will be able to use the cameras on a different day to record the weather that day
before the visit to the computer lab. This will be the visual foundation for their digital report and all
other weather facts will be researched and presented based on that day’s weather activity.
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ON GOING:
Students will be continuing to keep their weather journals.
• Show examles of strong photographs, both technically and visually.
• The class will discuss what made those photographs successful photograph technically and visually.
• Show examples of technical problems such as images that are out of focus, underexposed (not
enough light), overexposed (too much light), or have camera shake.
• Discuss how to overcome these problems.
• Show examples of visual problems such as images that are not well balanced, too much empty
space around the subject, or cropping off an important element.
• Discuss how to overcome these problems.
• Discuss how important the composition and framing of the photograph is.
• Have the students break into their research groups of five and use digital cameras to take pictures
to test out how they work.
• They will have to consider the visual and technical guidelines that were demonstrated and
discussed.
• It is important to take more than one photo of each situation to allow for technical mistakes.
• Have the class discuss the process of taking the photographs including the challenges and
successes.
Lesson Six
Throughout this process of weather recording, students will be investigating the forces behind the
weather elements of their assigned day – gaining more and more understanding of these forces and
elements. They should follow the weather for a few days previous to their day to see if there are any
patterns (pressure systems, fronts, winds, temperature) developing that would be useful in explaining
the weather for their day.
Note: A structure and schedule will have to be in place to help organise camera use for each group
(so they can effectively record their assigned day of weather).
Students will have created folders for their groups of the weather observations, photographs and
support material for their day before the artist’s next visit.
• Review the information that the students should be looking to research and record for their
Weather Experience presentation.
• Provide a review of the process of researching and saving images from the internet.
• It is be a good source of information to help provide more detail on the local weather and largescale weather.
• This is where students will start to look at other regions of the country to discover what weather
conditions were going on that same day, and then they will need to choose which region to report
on as a comparison point.
• Some students will start shooting, in their groups, their weather impressions while others will start
creating the “script” for their weather report. They will start to decide what text they want to
include in the visual diary and what additional information will be in voice-over or presented orally.
• Lead a discussion about the process of investigating the weather using the digital cameras.
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Lesson Seven
This lesson will take place in the computer lab and it would be helpful to have parent or high
school volunteers who have some computer knowledge.
• Show an example of a finished product of a presentation that tells a weather experience story
• Share effective presentation skills.
• Over the next two lessons, while some groups are working on the computers, other groups will be
sharing their presentation with other groups as a way of practising their presentation skills for the
final group presentations.
• Lead a demonstration about the use of the software for image importing and text creation.
• The students will open their photographs and place them in a new presentation and then add the
text that accompanies each of the photos.
• Give a demonstration on how to revise and edit the type in the software.
• The students will revise and edit their presentations
• Before the end of this lesson each group, will have imported and compiled two images and added
text and if possible, a sound effect and or music.
• Lead the class in a review of the technical aspects of creating the presentation.
Lesson Eight
This lesson will again take place in the computer lab and it would be helpful to have a
parent or high school volunteers who have some computer knowledge.
• In this lesson the students will continue with the basics of turning their story into a digital visual
presentation using the software.
• The students will continue editing their presentations and adding further images and text.
Lesson Nine
• The groups will be sharing their visual diaries (potentially accompanied by an oral presentation)
with the group at large.
• There will be an opportunity for students to see and reflect how different weather patterns
observed over a short period of time differ, varied from original predictions and how large scale
weather patterns affected local conditions.
• Lead a discussion with the class about how to demonstrate that they are effective listeners.
• The class will be given an assessment tool document for them to engage in the presentations.
• The groups will have an opportunity to share their presentations with the rest of the class.
• Lead a discussion with the students on their experience. How has their relationship with, and their
understanding of, the weather been affected by their experience of creating a visual presentation of
it?
• What are they doing differently, if anything, in their daily lives now that they have a greater
understanding of the weather?
• How do they think differently about their inter-connectivity with the rest of the world around
weather?
• What aspect of weather really interests you now and why?
• Was there a part of this project that either visually or technologically really excited you? What
parts were challenging? How did you meet those challenges?