Weather...or...Weather Not?

Production Team

Your task:

Your class has been divided into teams each with a different responsibility to reach the final goal. Your task is to create the weather report to be broadcast on your school's morning show.  How you do this is your choice.  Working as a collaborative group will save you time and make your part of the project richer.

All good researchers keep journals or logs of what they do and find out. You are a good researcher and your journal will be a useful tool for you when you begin to finalize your plan and when you are sharing with the class at the end of each period. Here are some questions that you may want to consider as you write in your journal:

• What type of visuals will you include in the report (maps, charts, diagrams)?
• Can you create the visuals?  If not, where will you get them on the Internet?
• How will you arrange the data for presentation?
• Where will you get the graphics for the report?
• What information will go into the script?
• What weather concepts do you want find more information about?
• What questions do you have for the media specialist?
• What resources did you use?

You will also need to assess your work by completing your online Science Journal at the end of the week and by using the Rubrics for the Production Team and the Teamwork Rubric to assess your work during the week.

Creating a  weather report is a complex process.  Together with your team members make a list of the types of graphics and visuals that you will need.  Research the Internet and other media sources such as newspapers for these graphics.  You may want to create your own.  Look at several weather reports on television and online to see how weather is reported.  After doing some research, decide as a group what your presentation will look like.

Important things to consider are:
 

Listen closely to the meteorologist's delivery.

Pay attention to eye contact with the camera, grammar, how fast he/she speaks.

Become familiar with the graphics that you will include in the presentation.

Know where cities and states are located on the map.

When writing the script, make sure it can be delivered in 3 minutes.

Practice reading the script before taping.

Observe how the media specialist operates the camera for the morning show.

Taping for the morning show will be done the day before it airs.

Remember that your audience members are the students and faculty at the school.

Here are some sites that you may use as resources in working with presentation software and in determining the look and feel of the weather report.
 

Presentation Software Help Sites: Power Point in the Classroom http://www.actden.com/pp/ This site explains Power Point from the student's perspective. Microsoft Power Point Tips and Tutorials http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/powerpoint/index.htm Tips and tutorials for creating PowerPoint presentations. Get power tips, sound and animation tutorials, and learn to put your presentation on the Web.

Weather Report Sites: Absolute Weather http://www.absoluteweather.com/ EAS national and local extended weather forecasts for your community or the world. EAS local weather forecast can be e-mailed to you daily, 100% free. Weather Next http://www.weathernext.com This site provide an extensive listing weather maps.  From this site you may obtain forecasts as well as satellite images.

Rubrics

Weekly Science Journal

Production Team

Storm Team

Online Meteorogists

Local Meterologists

Author(s): Wanda McMichael, Linda Payne, Emmie Thirlwell
School: Sheridan Elementary, Orangeburg Consolidated School District #5, Bamberg-Calhoun-Orangeburg Math/Science Hub
Created: March 4, 2001 - Updated: April 17, 2001
URL: /lincon/w01/projects/weather/prodpage.html