But bad weather doesn’t need to be an impediment to a child’s learning. An impending storm can be the perfect segue into a lesson on weather. The Web has some valuable resources on the subject for teachers and students.
Teachers: Before instructing students on the finer points of weather science, refresh your own understanding with a visit to NASA’s World Book. The NASA entry on “Weather,” written with contributions from the extensively qualified Joseph M. Moran, Ph.D., discusses what causes weather, how it’s measured and how humans impact it.
Once sufficiently refreshed, visit the Discovery Education “Lesson Plan Library” for ideas on how to teach students about weather. You’ll find 12 lesson plans covering topics such as “Understanding the Weather,” “Mountain Barriers,” “Avalanche!” and “Hurricane!”
The BBC offers inquisitive readers a weather center with links to detailed explanations of natural weather phenomena; this is a good place to find answers to specific questions.
Curious how meteorologists generate daily forecasts? Hint: It’s more sophisticated than voodoo or trips to the local psychic. FindingDulcinea’s Nature Wages War series offers a look at how groups such as the World Meteorological Organization and the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration predict both extreme and benign weather events.
Finally, Mark Twain's famous line that "everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it" is no longer completely true. In "Seeding the Clouds for Drought Relief," findingDulcinea discusses efforts to control the weather by Venezuela (to end a drought), China (to ensure clear skies for the Olympics' Opening Ceremonies), and others.
James Sullivan
Editor
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