ALEX | Alabama Learning Exchange

What Makes It Snow?

Classroom Resource Information

Title:

What Makes It Snow?

URL:

https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/inquiryinaction/kindergarten/chapter-1/what-makes-it-snow.html

Content Source:

Other
American Chemical Society

Type:

Lesson/Unit Plan

Overview:

In this lesson, students will be able to explain that snowflakes form from ice crystals in clouds. They will make a model to show the common six-sided structure of a snowflake. Students will also recognize snow as a solid form of water. Students are shown a video of snow falling and discuss their experiences with snow. Students discuss where they think snow comes from and how snowflakes are formed. Students see an animation of ice crystals in a cloud and a snowflake forming. Students see videos of actual snowflakes forming and pictures of snowflakes with six similar branches or “arms.” Students then model the formation of a snowflake using cotton swabs.

Content Standard(s):

Science
SC2015 (2015)
Grade: K

9 ) Observe, record, and share findings of local weather patterns over a period of time (e.g., increase in daily temperature from morning to afternoon, typical rain and storm patterns from season to season).

NAEP Framework

NAEP Statement::
E4.8: Weather changes from day to day and during the seasons.

NAEP Statement::
E4.9: Scientists use tools for observing, recording, and predicting weather changes from day to day and during the seasons.

Unpacked Content

Scientific And Engineering Practices:

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns

Disciplinary Core Idea: Earth's Systems

Evidence Of Student Attainment:

Students:

Observe local weather patterns over a period of time.
Record local weather patterns over a period of time.
Share findings of local weather patterns over a period of time.

Teacher Vocabulary:

Observe
Record
Share
Findings
Weather
Patterns
Period of Time

Knowledge:

Students know:

The number of sunny, cloudy, rainy, windy, cool, or warm days.
The relative temperature at various times of the day (e.g., cooler in the morning, warmer during the day, cooler at night).
The relative number of days of different types of weather conditions in a month.
The change in the relative temperature over the course of the day.
Certain months have more days of some kinds of weather than do other months (e.g., some months have more hot days, some have more rainy days).
The differences in relative temperature over the course of a day (e.g., between early morning and the afternoon, between one day and another) are directly related to the time of day.

Skills:

Students are able to:

Observe weather patterns over a period of time.
Record findings of weather patterns over a period of time.
Share findings of weather patterns over a period of time.
Describe patterns in the weather data.

Understanding:

Students understand that:

Patterns of weather can be observed, used to describe phenomena, and used as evidence.
Whether events have causes that generate observable patterns.

AMSTI Resources:

AMSTI Module:
Weather Walk
*Weather, STC
*Sunny Sandbox, ETA/hand2mind
*Clouds, GLOBE

Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards

AAS Standard:
SCI.AAS.K.9- Participate in daily weather activities with common symbols (e.g., sun, cloud, rain, wind, snowflake).

Tags:

precipitation, snow, snowflake, weather, weather pattern

License Type:

Custom Permission Type
See Terms: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/terms.html
For full descriptions of license types and a guide to usage, visit :
https://creativecommons.org/licenses

Accessibility

Comments

This resource provided by:

Author:

Stephanie Carver

ALEX Classroom Resource

What Makes It Snow?