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Precipitation ExperimentsThe Precipitation Experiments MatchCard provides information and hands-on activities to compare rain, snow, sleet, and hail for 3rd to 5th grade.
PrecipitationObjective: Identify the four types of precipitation.Water particles in the clouds may become too heavy to remain in the air, and are pulled to the earth's surface by gravity as precipitation. The main types of precipitation include rain, snow, hail, and sleet. With this MatchCard, precipitation experiments will be done to investigate the four different types of precipitation: rain, snow, hail, sleet. In this unit, we are considering freezing rain as sleet. Meteorologists may differentiate them, but for our purposes they are combined. RAINRain is liquid precipitation,and the most common and familiar.Before looking at the illustration in the MatchCard, examine the shape of water drops. Have them drop slowly from the faucet or a water dropper. Let the students draw the shape. Buy or make a rain gauge for these precipitation experiments. (See below for instructions to make a rain gauge.) Measure the amount of precipitation that falls in the next rain storm in your area.
SNOWSnow is frozen water vapor. It contains a mixture of H20 and air molecules.Wet SnowWet Snow occurs when the temperature outside is close to freezing. The snow is closer to the consistency of a slushie; particularly as you tramp through it with your winter boots. (Do not recomend you drink it however.)Wet snow has a higher concentration of H20 and a lower concentration of air molecules. The H20 molecules are a little more "melted" than dry snow. Dry SnowDry snow occurs when the temperature is well below freezing. The ice takes on the well known crystal shape.The snow outside is firmer. It weighs less than wet snow because it has more air. It is more crunch and easier to shape. Snow CrystalsUse a magnifying class to examine snow crystals. See how many different types you can identify.Can you measure the snow flakes? If you do not have access to snow, use ice crystals that have formed in your freezer compartment for your precipitation experiments. HAILHail occurs as raindrops freeze in a tall cloud. The frozen rain falls, but an updraft within the cloud sends the raindrop back up. As it moves up, another layer of water forms around the initial piece of hail, and it gets larger.Each time the hail moves rises and falls within the cloud, it becomes larger from another layer of water molecules. Eventually it becomes so heavy that gravity pulls it out of the cloud and it falls to the earth. Hail can cause damage to crops. Large pieces of hail can leave dents in vehicles. If you have a hailstorm in your area, gather pieces of hail after they stop falling. Measure the different pieces. SLEETSleet is frozen water molecules. It causes a sheet of ice to form on roads, vehicles, and tree branches.Depending on the country or region you come from, there may be a technical difference between freezing rain and sleet. Sleet oftens refers to water molecules that freeze before they hit the ground. People might say, "It is sleeting outside." You hear the sleet fall as little pings against a window as the frozen rain drops hit. Freezing rain, on the other hand, often refers to liquid rain that freezes when it hits the surface of the road or other object. This can form a glaze that is dangerous to drive in. Freezing rain may form icicles. How Clean Are the Icicles?Do those icicles outside look like clean pieces of ice you would like to suck on?Icicles can be used for precipitation experiments.
Compare the Amount of PrecipitationThis works best with snow, though in some cases hail or sleet might also be used.
You might want to try the experiment with different types of snow. Make A ChartMake a chart of the amount of precipitation that falls in your geographic area.
Using the Precipitation Experiments MatchcardThis is the second Matchcard of the Weather Unit Study. You can download the Precipitation Experiments Matchcard here.The student matches the descriptions with the boxes with diagrams of the different types of precipitation. The second page is the Instructor's Guide with the correct answers. The third page has the Information Pieces. Student's cut them apart and place them in the correct place on their copy of the Matchcard (first page.) For more information on how to use the Matchcards, see the MatchCard Science Instructor's Guide. MatchCard ScienceThe activities and illustration above are from MatchCard Science, a homeschool science unit study. For the complete Weather Unit Study follow this link. This unit study provides:
Science NotebookIf you are just using this single project, and are not in need of a full unit study, you might want your student to complete a science notebook entry for this project.Return from the Precipitation Experiments to the MatchCard Science Main Page. |
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