Weather Unit Study
The unit is suitable for grades K–12, with flexibility to adapt based on your learners’ ages and abilities. Please preview links and activities to ensure they are appropriate for your family. New resources will be added as time allows.
Many of the links below lead to printable resources that can be added to a notebook or lapbook for this study.
Learning Objectives
Many parents and teachers will need to create their own goals. You can compare the goals at these sites to create your own goals depending on how stringent your requirements need to be. All links have several suggested activities for different ages.
Suggested Curriculum Standards:
- World Book Scope Basic Course structure https://www.worldbook.com/free-educational-resources#tcos
- Michigan Department of Education https://www.michigan.gov/mde/services/academic-standards
- Maine as an example of state level requirements https://www.maine.gov/doe/ela/standards/index.html
- California state level requirements https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/
- McREL Compendium National Level https://www2.mcrel.org/compendium/
- Ontario Canada K-8 Expectations https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/curriculum#elementary
- Abeka Scope and Sequence https://www.abeka.com/HomeSchool/ScopeAndSequence.aspx
- The series of books called “What your nth Grader needs to know” May also be helpful nth representing the grade your child is in. This series only Goes to grade 8
Appreciate the importance of weather to our daily lives.
Create and present national weather maps showing different conditions.
Create their own terrarium to connect concepts of precipitation, condensation, and evaporation.
Demonstrate ways to avoid injury when conducting science activities.
Explain that water on earth moves in a continuous cycle.
Identify and explain natural cycles of the Earth’s land, water and atmospheric systems (e.g., rock cycle, Water cycle, weather patterns).
Learn about different types of weather maps.
Name and explain the stages of the water cycle.
Understand basic information about weather.
Also includes integrated learning goals:
Ask and respond to questions related to oral presentations and messages in small and large group settings.
Become familiar with terms and procedures related to topic.
Create a notebook to demonstrate organizational skills.
Develop listening skills and demonstrate these skills.
Dramatize information learned about topic.
Evaluate information based on prior experiences and newly acquired knowledge.
Exercise critical thinking skills.
Learn to gather and use research information.
Research a variety of documents to obtain knowledge.
Research to come up with a list specific to your child
Bible References
Look up and compare scriptures at the sites below. In your journal, note how reading different translations and versions can deepen your understanding of each passage.
Bible Tools:
- American Standard Version https://ebible.org/asv/
- King James Bible in Mp3 https://www.audiotreasure.com/indexKJV.htm
- World English Bible in Mp3 https://www.audiotreasure.com/webindex.htm
- World Wide Study Bible https://www.ccel.org/wwsb
- E-Sword Bible Software. Free software that will allow you to compare many translations at the same time https://www.e-sword.net/
- New World Translation https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/
Write each scripture in your journal and reflect on its relevance to this unit.
Psalm 50:3
Matthew 16:2-3
Job 36:29
Ecclesiastes 1:6
Deuteronomy 11:14
1 Samuel 12:18
Jonah 1:4
Mark 4:39
Read the story of Noah and the Ark.
You can also explore a Blue Letter Bible keyword search for “weather” in the King James Version. Verses include:
Job 37:22 – “Fair weather cometh out of the north: with God is terrible majesty.”
Proverbs 25:20
Matthew 16:2–3 (repeated emphasis on discernment of weather)
Timeline
Explore the history of weather research by reviewing important contributors listed by year on
Wikipedia: Meteorology.
Create your own timeline documenting the location, date, and damage of significant weather events or storms.
Vocabulary
| cold | warm | front |
| storm | blizzard | hurricane |
| tornado | twister | atmospheric pressure |
| meteorology | atmosphere | flood |
| drought | water cycle | barometer |
| anemometer | wind vane | hygrometer |
| thermometer | cloud | rainbow |
| rain | lightning | thunder |
| fog | cirrus | volcano |
| forecast | nimbus | monsoon |
| snow | cumulus | avalanche |
| precipitation | stratus | barometric pressure |
| condensation |
Write each word and its definition on a separate sheet and place it in your 3-ring binder. This is a great reference tool to use throughout the unit.
Book Resources
Use these books as primary references, read-alouds, or research materials throughout the unit.
Weather (Wikipedia) – General reference for research and worksheet development.
Weather and the Bible by Donald B. DeYoung
The Handy Weather Answer Book by Walter A. Lyons
Weather Watch: Forecasting the Weather by Jonathan D.W. Kahl
Can It Really Rain Frogs? by Spencer Christian and Antonia Felix
Discovery Channel Weather by H. Michael Mogil
Floods by Michael Allaby
How the Earth Works by John Farndon
The Eyewitness Visual Dictionary of the Earth by Martyn Bramwell
Earth Science for Every Kid by Janice VanCleave
Kipper’s Book of Weather by Mick Inkpen
Rain by Robert Kalan
Weather Games with Blue (Blue’s Clues) by Deborah Reber
A Pair of Red Clogs by Masako Matsuno
Search Amazon: Kids Learn About Weather – Explore more titles by grade level and format.
Poetry + Music
Copy Carl Sandburg’s poem “Fog” into your journal and illustrate it.
Read the poem and analysis
**Weather-Themed Songs with Lyrics or Videos:**
If All the Raindrops – Sing along with Barney.
The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down – By Richard and Robert Sherman.
Little Black Rain Cloud – From Winnie the Pooh.
You Are My Sunshine – Song history.
Watch & sing along
Whistle Down the Wind – Lyrics by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
In the Good Old Summer Time – A Tin Pan Alley classic from 1902.
Singing Science Records – Scroll to find songs specifically about weather.
Video and Software Resources
Documentaries and Educational Programs:
The Wrath of God: Torrents of Death – Historic U.S. floods, including the 1889 Johnstown Flood.
Archived study guide
Perspectives on Ocean Science: California’s Climate and Energy
Watch on YouTube
Newton’s Apple – Episodes on hypothermia and rainbows.
Newton’s Apple website
Lesson Collections and Teaching Tools:
PBS LearningMedia: Weather and Climate
Explore the collection
Great Lakes Regional Meteorology – Weather patterns and regional geography.
Watch the PBS resource
What’s the Weather? – Weather’s effect on daily life.
PBS lesson plan
Additional Resources:
CNN.com – Use their on-demand video weather reports to discuss real-time forecasts.
Clouds
Write a narrative titled “The Life of a Cloud” and add it to your weather journal.
Watch Send In the Clouds (Season 2, Episode 8) from The Magic School Bus Rides Again.
Related Activities:
Magic School Bus Clouds Worksheet – Companion guide from Star Materials
Cloud Clues – Flight and cloud formation from Centennial of Flight
Cloud Identification Lesson – Archived lesson on cloud types and weather prediction
Erosion
The Magic School Bus S03E12 Rocks and Rolls (Water Erosion)
http://www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/games/teacher/erosion/index.htm erosion
Worksheet for The Magic School Bus Rocks and Rolls Episode Differentiated Worksheet Video Guide https://www.starmaterials.com/VideoGuide/MSB/MSB_Earth/Rock_Roll_0312/index.htm
Forecasting
The Weather Forecast A to Z Teacher Stuff
Instead of just graphing daily temperatures, try this activity. They soon see that weather forecasting is not exact.
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/pages/516.shtml
Hurricane
Teach the basics of hurricanes:
Discovery Education Hurricane Lesson Plan
Make a hurricane simulation:
Stir Up a Hurricane – National Geographic Kids activity
Learn about storm tracking:
Hurricane Hunters – Learn how experts gather data inside storms
National Hurricane Center – Real-time forecasts and storm data
Watch Wrath of God: Hurricanes – The impact and intensity of major storms.
Archived History Channel Study Guide
Rain
Try this fun weather experiment:
Shaving Cream Rain Clouds – Explore cloud saturation and rainfall with this visual activity.
Tornado
Make a simple model:
Tornado in a Jar – Swirling water creates a visible vortex.
Discuss tornado safety:
National Geographic Tornado Safety Lesson
Watch Wrath of God: Tornado Alley – Explore tornado science and survival.
Archived History Channel Study Guide
Winter Storm
Try a hands-on experiment:
Snowstorm in a Jar – A fun and simple winter science project.
Snow
Watch The Magic School Bus Lost in the Snow – A lesson on freezing, ice formation, and snowflakes.
Preserve a real snowflake:
Preserve a Snowflake Instructions – EE in Wisconsin
Add themed pages to your journal:
Free Snowflake-Themed Lined Paper – Teachers Pay Teachers
Avalanches
Watch Wrath of God: Avalanche – This episode explores the science and danger behind avalanches.
Archived History Channel Study Guide
Recipes
Snowman Smoothies – A simple, weather-themed drink that kids can help prepare.
Banana Snowman – Healthy, hands-on snack recipe for younger learners.
Rainbow Recipes – Explore colorful food ideas to connect with weather and light.
Sky Jello with Fluffy Clouds – Creative weather-themed dessert using whipped topping.
Field Trips
Walk your neighborhood in various weather conditions. Be mindful of traffic and visibility on dark or rainy days.
Go sledding or sliding in winter.
Visit the beach at least once during each season to observe weather and water changes.
Virtual and Educational Options:
National Weather Service Education: Local Office Programs – Find nearby NWS outreach and virtual field trip options.
NOAA in Your Backyard – Explore NOAA guest speakers, field trips, and education events in your region.
Local TV Station Visit:
Visit or call your local television station. Many meteorologists are happy to talk to students and may offer tours or demos of how forecasts are made.
Art and Craft Ideas
Draw or write about daily weather observations—especially clouds—and include them in your three-ring binder.
Make a paper globe for visualizing weather around the world:
Canon 3D Paper Globe (Archived)
Printable Coloring Pages:
NOAA Student Coloring Resources – Includes cloud and storm safety pages.
Freepik: Weather Coloring Pages – Variety of illustrations for multiple age groups.
Clip Art
Weather Clip Art – Classroom Clipart
Weather Clip Art – A Perfect World
Worksheets
Make your own worksheets with these worksheet creation tools:
- SchoolHouseTech https://www.schoolhousetech.com/ This company gives away two free software worksheet factories one for Basic math and one for wordsearch utility that will make wonderful complements to this unit when you include the clipart listed in the clipart section.
- Start Write – This program makes nice reports and handwriting worksheets for the unit. https://www.startwrite.com/
- TeachNology has several online worksheet makers and a ton of Rubric makers. Rubrics work great with Homeschool Tracker because they give you total points and you count up exactly how many points your child gets. https://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/
- Online Crossword Puzzle Maker to use with your vocabulary words or locations or even dates from the timeline. https://www.happychild.org.uk/wks/english/ssm/crosswords01.htm
Worksheets, Activities, and complete units
Daily Weather Tracking
Use stickers or symbols (sun, rain, clouds, snow) on a calendar each day for a month. Record the temperature too. At the end of the month, create bar graphs, calculate averages, and look for patterns.
A Pair of Red Clogs by Masako Matsuno – Try the weather prediction game from the story by tossing sandals and recording outcomes.
Weather Forecasting & Scientific Tools
6 Tools Meteorologists Use – Learn about forecasting tools like Doppler radar and satellites.
How to Make a Simple Weather Barometer – Step-by-step DIY project with photos.
Understanding How the Weather Works – Great for upper elementary and middle school.
Printable Activities & Ready-to-Go Lessons
Enchanted Learning Weather Theme – Crafts, coloring pages, and basic worksheets.
ThoughtCo Weather Printables – Free worksheets for a variety of grade levels.
Home Science Tools: Weather Science Lessons
Discovery School Stormy Lesson (Archived)
Exploratory Science & Fun Sites
Sky Diary: Kidstorm – Learn about tornadoes, lightning, hurricanes, and storm chasing.
NOAA Education: Weather & Atmosphere – Excellent for middle and high school.
WeatherDude (Archived) – Meteorologist Nick Walker’s fun and informative site.
Weather Wiz Kids – Accessible and engaging explanations for younger students.
UCAR Learning Zone: Storms – Explore different types of severe weather.
Math, Graphing, and Visual Tools
Graphing Weather Data (Archived NASA Lesson)
Sunny Shady Math – From the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
National Geographic MapMaker – Great for practicing forecasting and regional analysis.
National Geographic Kids – Games, quizzes, and rotating seasonal content.
Literature + Unit Integration
Classroom Meteorologists (Kindergarten PDF)
The Seasonal Cycle (2nd Grade PDF)
Four Seasons with Charlotte’s Web (2nd Grade PDF)
First-School Weather Theme – Crafts, stories, and preschool activities including kite-making and wind lessons.
Kite Geometry – Explore shape properties while integrating weather and math.
Encourage students to make their own illustrated book about the weather.
Climate Change
Watch The Magic School Bus Rides Again: The Tales Glaciers Tell (Season 1, Episode 10).
Scholastic Activity Packet (PDF)
Climate Change: A Wisconsin Activity Guide
Information and General Resources
National Weather Service
Weather Underground
AccuWeather
Evaluation Ideas
Assemble a three ring binder and please include:
- A copy of this unit
- Course Description (Highschool Students)
- Write a summary about books read for the unit
- Write an essay on the various topics discussed
- Your Lapbook created for the unit (K-8 Students)
- Any worksheets or activity books created with SchoolhouseTech Software https://www.schoolhousetech.com/
- Your journal and its contents
- Your Log of activities from Homeschool Tracker https://www.homeschooltracker.com/free-homeschool-tracker-basic-edition Its Free!
- Your Timeline
