Weather Worlds Phase One - Plans for Designing for Data

1. Teacher Name: Lucy Marske

2. E-mail address:lcymrsk

3. School Name:Sioux Center Middle School

4. City or Town: Sioux Center

5. State: Iowa

6. Country:USA

7. Class Name (if you are submitting other forms for other classes - i.e. 3rd period Science) Vigdal

8. Grade Level (pick one): Elem (Grades 3-5), Middle (Grades 6-8), High School (9+) Middle

9. Number of students who worked on the plan:21

10. Your plan - describe in as much detail as possible each instrument you have included in your plan. Be sure to include information on why you selected this instrument, how each one will be built, and how you would test its accuracy if you actually were to build it (maximum words: 500)

Dew point is important because it tells how much moisture is in the air and is determined by the temperature and the relative humidity. We will be using a dew point chart that we got on the internet at this web site:

http://www.whnt12.com/kidwx/temperat.htm.

We will also be measuring temp. and relative humidity to be more accurate in figuring dew point. Then we will be measuring them at 7:00 am and 3:45 pm at a student's house. We will call the local radio station to check our accuracy. Fronts are important because they bring warm and cold weather and storms. We will use the internet at this web site to check for fronts in our area: http://www.covis.uiuc.edu/covis/visualizer/cgi-bin/surface.pl

We will also use a thermometer to measure the intensity of the front. We are using the same thermometer as the one used to find temperature. We will also check cloud cover because certain clouds can mean a front is coming or what kind it is. We will trust that the information on the internet is accurate. Temperature is important because when you go outside you need to know what to wear. When we measure temperature we will use a clock thermometer. We will borrow one from a student. We will measure it at 8:00 am, 12:00 noon, and 3:15 pm because temperature changes during the day. We are going to hook it on a tree just outside out classroom. We know this is reliable because we tested it before by comparing the readings to info on TV.

Sky viewing is important because it tells if there are clouds or not. That tells what kind of weather is coming. We will use our eyes and the chart of clouds in a book called Atmosphere by Vincent J. Schaeffer. We will take 2 measurements, one in the morining and one at night. We will call the airport to make sure we are right.

Wind speed is important because it is involved with tornados , hurricanes, thunderstorms, and wind generates energy. We will use the Beaufort Wind Scale because it includes forces and kinds of wind and its speed. We got an idea of how to make an anemometer out of a book called How Weather Works by Michael Allaby. From a picture we could see how to make it. We need 3 dowels, a block of wood, nails, and plastic cups. We will drill a hole the size of the first dowel in the block of wood and put the dowel in the hole. Then drill a little hole in the 2 small dowels criss cross the two dowels so the holes are lined up to each other.. Put a screw in the holes and attach it to the dowel in the board. Stick some washers between them and put some paper cups on the end of the two dowels and glue. Sunrise and sunset times are important because the sun it helps things grow, helps us see, and gives warmth. We will use a clock to tell what time it is when the sun rises and sets. We will do this in the morning and in the evening outside at our houses. We will check for accuracy on our local weather channel.

Precipitation is important because without it nothing could live and it affects our daily lives. We will use a rain gauge because it is accurate and the only form of rain measurement. We will borrow a rain gauge. We will put it in an open field. We will check it at 8:00 am and 3:15 pm. We will check to see the level of the water. We will listen to the local radio station weather report to make sure.

Air pressure is important because it help us breathe and live. We will use a barometer because it measures pressure. We will measure it outside of a student's house. We will borrow the barometer from relatives. We will measure it at night and in the morning. We will put the barometer outside in a tree. We will listen to the local radio and TV station to see if we're right.

Humidity is important because it makes you sweat and gives plants water. We are going to use a hygrometer because it measures the amount of humidity in the air. We will borrow the hygrometer because we couldn't make one. We will put in on the side of someone's house and take readings at 6:00 am and 6:00 pm. We will check accuracy by checking a second hygrometer's readings to see if they are the same.

Wind is very important because it moves weather around. To measure the direction of the wind we will make a weather vane because it is most accurate and reliable. You can tell by matching it with the weather report. Here are the directions for the wind vane: You take a shaft and connect a wooden or strong cardboard arrow and a fan on the opposite end. Then drill a hole in the center of the shaft. After all that put a nail through the hole and nail it to an unprotected spot above the ground. We got these directions in an Eyewitness book titled Weather.

11. How do you know that the cost of the materials to build all of your instruments will be under $100.00 (maximum words: 200)? The estimated cost of the thermometer is $8. We saw one at a store to price it. The cost of the copy of the dew point table was $.10. The clock for sun rise and set is valued at $15. We bought a clock for that amount at a store. The estimated cost of the anemometer is catalog price of $38, but the materials will cost a lot less. The rain gauge will cost $12 according to Becky Caldy catalog. The value of our barometer will be about $18. The hygrometer is worth $13.75. Making the wind vane will cost about $2.