Grade Level:    Fourth

Subjects:    Science, Language Arts, and Technology

Learner Outcomes:  Students will predict weather. Students will determine what happens when hot air meets cold air through using a model.

Duration of Lesson: 45 minutes

Materials:     2 clear plastic cups, warm water, 3 oz. paper cup, food coloring and ice water.

Technology Tools/Courseware: Internet.

Teacher Notes:    Permission slips to access the Internet must be obtained from each student according to school's acceptable use policy.

Procedures:
1.    Work in pairs.
2.    Each pair receives a clear plastic cup half filled with warm water.
3.    Make a hole with a pencil near the bottom of a 3 oz. paper cup.
4.    In the other plastic cup, add a drop of food coloring and very cold water.
5.    Hold the 3 oz. cup in the hot water with the hole under the water and pour the cold colored water into the 3 oz. cup.
6.    Record what happens.
7.    Do the opposite by filling a plastic cup with very cold water.
8.    Put the 3 oz. paper cup with the hole in it in the water, covering the hole.
9.    Pour hot colored water into the 3 oz. cup.
10.  Record what happens as the hot colored water flows into the cold.

Modifications:  Have groups of four students do the experiment and assign jobs to each. One student can be the recorder, one the reporter, one the secretary, and one does the experiment. After all groups are finished, the reporter shares the information with the class.  Check students Individualized Educational Plan for additional modifications.

Enrichment Activities:

•   Research wild types of weather - tsunamis, storm surges or rogue waves.  What are the effects of these waves?  How are they formed?  Where have they done the most damage?  Can they be predicted?

Evaluation/Assessment:  Rubrics (4-excellent, 3-good, 2-fair and 1-poor) and
scientific process experiment form.

State and National Standards:

West Virginia Department of Education, Content Standards and Objectives:
Science (SC):    4.1.1, 4.2.3, 4.2.5, 4.2.6, 4.2.9.
Writing (RLA):    4.2.2, 4.2.3, 4.2.4, 4.2.6.
Language Arts (RLA):    4.1.4, 4.1.6, 4.1.10, 4.1.13.
Technology (TEC): 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.2.1, 4.2.2, 4.5.2

National Standards:
Writing: 3. Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in written compositions.
Science: 12. Understands the nature of scientific inquiry.
Technology: 6. Understands  the nature and uses of different forms of technology.                      

References:

    Resources Cited:

• Harcourt Science.  Harcourt School Publishers. Orlando, FL 2000.

• Harcourt School Web site 
• Weather Web site
  

• AJ Kids Search Engine
  
• Awesome Library Web site
  

Overview	Lesson 1 Waves	Lesson 2 Tornadoes	Lesson 3 Thunderstorms	Lesson 4 Natural Disasters	Lesson 5 Movement of Air