Weather Videos for Teachers

Weatherthings.com

Educator's Weather Videos
Each video correlates to NSE standards and comes with written quizzes, exercises, coloring pages and experiments. They are available also by subscription as streaming Internet video. Each is produced by Alan Sealls and distributed exclusively by DiscoveryEducation.com

Click here for video previews of series and programs below

	Weather Start: Weather and Seasons, 15 minutes, grades k-2, animated cartoon, English, Spanish, Canadian French. A little girl and her grandfather spend a summer afternoon fishing on a pond. The conversation changes from how warm the summer day is to how the pond gets cold and icy in the winter. The grandfather helps the girl understand how the sun controls temperature and the seasons while the girl describes how to dress for different weather and seasons. Both discuss how meteorologists predict weather using weather instruments, and how those predictions help people live better. They conclude that all weather has a purpose and can be appreciated and enjoyed if we are prepared for it.
	Weather Start: The Sun, Heat and Air, 15 minutes, grades k-2, animated cartoon, English, Spanish, Canadian French. A curious pre-school child asks questions to a big kid about how weather works. The little child learns that wind is air that moves, that may be gentle or strong and even continue at night. Wind can do work for people, making our lives easier. The big kid explains how our bodies sense wind and how meteorologists use weather instruments to determine wind speed and direction. At the end of the program the pre-school child surprises the big kid by summarizing everything he learned and reciting the principle that the sun sends heat to Earth which makes air move as wind. The moral of the story is asking questions makes kids smarter.
	Weather Start: Clouds, Rain and the Water Cycle, 15 minutes, grades k-2, animated cartoon, English, Spanish, Canadian French. A rainy day spent inside helps a little boy learn about clouds and the water cycle from his mother. He sees the value of rain to plants, animals, people and the planet. As the rain diminishes he and his mother dress properly for the wet weather and go exploring. They find the water cycle in action as creeks flow fast, ponds are full, and clouds continue to make rain in the distance. The boy learns new vocabulary of condensation, precipitation, evaporation, runoff, radar, meteorologist and water cycle. The mother and son apply principles of the water cycle to snow and to cold weather too.
	Weather Start: Storms, 15 minutes, grades k-2, animated cartoon, English, Spanish, Canadian French. Children on a playground use their imaginations to simulate the many different types of storms found on Earth. From Thunderstorms to wind storms, to snow storms, to rain storms, to hurricanes, to tornadoes, the children conclude that storms are a natural part of Earth trying to stay in balance by smoothing out temperature and moisture. They compare and contrast storms in their sizes, locations, strengths and impacts on society. The kids lean that storms are not so scary if we understand and prepare for them. Meteorologists are credited with giving safety information for what to do when storms approach.
	Hands on Weather: Weather Experiments, 19 minutes, grades 4-8 Weather lessons come alive for students in simple experiments. Watch demonstrations of air pressure, dew point, & heat in motion while students learn how to make their own 'cloud in a bottle' & 'tornado in a bottle.' More than 15 experiments are covered, each of which uses everyday items.
	Hands on Weather II: More Weather Experiments, 19 min, grades 4-8 Over a dozen more experiments including making a wind vane, measuring humidity, & "pouring air” underwater. A teacher's guide & 15 worksheet masters are included.
	Weather Smart: Thunderstorms, 15 minutes, grades 3-8 Students learn how convection builds cumulus clouds into cumulonimbus clouds. See spectacular lightning. Animations & experiments illustrate how lightning, thunder, hail, tornadoes, microbursts & flash floods form. Careful attention is given to safety. Benefits of thunderstorms are discussed.
	Weather Smart: Tornadoes, 15 minutes, grades 3-8 Awesome video reveals the sizes, shapes, & colors of tornadoes. Special attention is given to tornado safety. Dangerous myths are addressed. What causes these funnels of wind, how, when & where they form is reviewed. Students learn that most tornadoes are not violent killer storms.
	Weather Smart: Hurricanes, 15 minutes, grades 3-8 Why do hurricanes have names? Do they really have eyes? We explore these huge storms, born over water. Learn to plot hurricane coordinates on (included) tracking maps. Storm surge, flooding, & how storms are ranked are covered along with the the role in the balance of heat & humidity.
	Weather Smart: Climate, 15 minutes, grades 3-8 Is Global Warming or the Greenhouse Effect happening? Is El Nino new? Climate change is a regular cycle, however, the ways in which we influence climate are presented, along with tips for energy conservation. Part of the video examines effects of El Nino & La Nina.
	Weather Smart: Forecasting & Weather Instruments, 15 min, grades 3-8 Through observations, it is clear that math is vital to forecasting. We examine tools used by meteorologists to detect & measure clouds, precipitation, temperature, humidity, wind & pressure. Instruments that kids can build are shown. Worksheets provide practice in reading instruments.
	Weather Smart: Heat, Wind & Pressure, 15 minutes, grades 3-8 Animations show air set into motion as wind when it is heated by the sun. Air with different temperature is related to differences in weight (or pressure), causing circulations (wind). Properties of hot & cold air are contrasted. Wind pushes weather systems around Earth to balance heat.
	Weather Smart: The Water Cycle & Clouds, 15 minutes, grades 3-8 See phases of the water cycle along with beautiful clouds & skies. Cloud types are presented in vivid examples along with sunsets & rainbows. Students learn condensation, evaporation, & precipitation. Too much water causes erosion or flooding & attention is given to flood safety.
	Weather Smart: Ozone & Pollution, 15 minutes, grades 3-8 Ozone is both good & bad. Ozone protects us from ultra violet radiation, but when we create ozone as pollution, it becomes a problem.. Animations show what the “Ozone Hole” is. Pollution is shown to be a by-product of human activities. Tips to reduce air pollution are presented.
	Weather Smart: Winter & Snow, 15 minutes, grades 3-8 Winter can be fun, but also hazardous. With emphasis on proper dress & winter safety, learn the cause of winter & how water takes on a whole different life as ice crystals. Vocabulary such as wind chill, frostbite, hypothermia, & ice storm are covered. A wind chill chart is included.
	Weather Smart: Weather, 15 minutes, grades 3-8 Dazzling video shows a wide variety of weather. Air, water, & heat from the sun generate seasons, gentle clouds, ferocious storms, beautiful sunsets, frost, sweltering heat, & everything else in between. Meteorology is more than the weather forecast on TV. Fun experiments are shown.
	Water Smart: Water on Earth, 15 minutes, grades 3-8 We learn that water is not just liquid and it’s not always surface water. Different phases and properties of water are presented as students compare and contrast glaciers, groundwater, wetlands, aquifers, lakes, estuaries, oceans and streams.
	Water Smart: Water in the Air, 15 minutes, grades 3-8 Water does not just fall in the sky, it floats as clouds, surrounds us as humidity, and it freezes into ice crystals like snowflakes or chunks of ice like hail. Wind, created by the sun, moves water in the air worldwide and provides generally freshwater to locations distant from oceans and lakes.
	Water Smart: The Sun, Water Cycle, & Climate, 15 minutes, grades 3-8 This program goes beyond precipitation, evaporation, and condensation. We recognize how plants assist in evaporation via transpiration. We also see how ice “evaporates” in the process of sublimation. Runoff is presented as a link between precipitation and evaporation.
	Water Smart: Water as a Natural Resource, 15 minutes, grades 3-8 We examine how wetlands, watersheds and ecosystems are affected by poor water quality. Different forms of water pollution are presented. Most importantly, a long list of examples is shown so that kids can take an active role in preserving good water quality and reducing water waste.