Activity Alternatives

Reporting Alternatives

1. Listen to weather reports for an extended period of time noting the amount of precipitation that has fallen over two (2) areas that are at least 200 miles apart.

                                                     (Auditory)

1. Prepare an oral presentation on the amount of rainfall that your chosen locations have experienced during your observations.

2. Perform an experiment that will demonstrate water droplet size to amount of rainfall.

(materials: shallow pan, flour, sieve, dropper, and water)

1)      Fill pan with flour and place on floor

2)      Fill dropper with water

3)      Squeeze various size droplets of water onto surface of flour noting the amount of water released

4)      Allow wet flour lumps to dry

5)      Pour flour through sieve collecting lumps

6)      Compare size of lumps to amount of water released from dropper

                                                         (Visual)

2. Prepare a chart that illustrates the amount of water released from the dropper to the sizes of the flour lumps that were created.  Present your findings to the class.

3. Make a rain gauge to measure rain amount.

(materials – funnel, glass jar)

1)      Place funnel in glass jar

2)      Place rain gauge outside during rain storm

Calculate the amount of rainfall:

1)      Measure diameter of funnel and square it

2)      Measure diameter of jar and square it

3)      Divide the first square by the second square

4)      To find the actual depth of rain that fell, divide the depth of the water in jar by the ratio from step three (3)

                                                        (Tactile)

3. Report your findings using a felt board that demonstrates the making of the rain gauge and the mathematical procedures used in determining the amount of rainfall.

4. Perform an exercise that demonstrates how rain forms.

(materials: transparent plastic lid, dropper, pencil, and water)

1)      Fill dropper with water and squeeze many separate small drops onto the inside of a transparent plastic lid

2)      Quickly turn lid over, holding it in the air

3)      Using a pencil from underneath the lid, use the point to move the tiny drops of water together

4)      Continue moving the drops together to form larger drops until the larger drops being to fall “like rain”

                                                (Kinesthetic)

4. Prepare a chart that shows the number of initial small drops of water and how many small drops it took to create a large enough droplet of water to fall.  In addition, determine what causes the water drops in clouds to move around and bump into each other so they can merge into larger drops.  Present your findings to the class with demonstration