Clouds (continued)

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Clouds give us opportunities to observe change. Developing skills in observing changes is an important part of science and mathematics. Documenting changes helps to develop the concept of order and sequence. Documenting changes is also valuable for developing skills in organizing, analyzing, and displaying data through basic charts and graphs. Obviously, these skills are also paramount in developing other basic mathematics skills such as determining length, volume, mass, temperature, and speed.

As you look at the development and understandings of your students, you can select and plan activities from the explorations presented in this chapter that present opportunities for your children to apply specific skill areas.

Science Concepts for Teachers

The science conceptual framework included here is designed to give background information about clouds, their formation, and their effect on climate and the environment. Its purpose is to give you background knowledge to assist you in your teaching. It is not intended as instructional material for the children, but instead to give you a framework to ensure that what you teach is indeed accurate and factual in nature. Having a basic knowledge of how clouds form and change is valuable for you as a teacher. This knowledge will help you recognize opportunities to share with your students about the roles clouds play in many natural processes. Throughout your life, your knowledge will continue to grow. In addition, as scientists uncover new ideas and knowledge, you will be able to better understand these processes and patterns of nature. These developments assist us in communicating ideas to our students.

The concepts and information provided here should only be presented to the children at an introductory level. For example, when a thunderstorm occurs, you might ease the distress of some of the students by pointing out characteristics of the storm clouds. As you and your class observe the development of the storm, you might encourage your children to predict what will happen. However, it would not be appropriate to expect your children to understand the specifics of lightning and thunder.

What Causes Clouds?

Clouds form when there is more water vapor in the air than the air can hold. When this occurs, water molecules will form around hygroscopic particles, forming water droplets or, if it is very cold, ice crystals. Hygroscopic particles are extremely small particles of matter that are suspended in air. Many hygroscopic particles are minute particles of salt that are formed by the evaporation of water sprayed by ocean waves.

The greater the amount of water in the air, the larger the water droplets become. At some stage, the water droplets can no longer be suspended by the air and precipitation occurs.

The larger the cloud, the greater the amount of moisture in the air. It is difficult to imagine how much water is in a cloud until that cloud emits a heavy rain. For example, during a 24-hour period, 43 inches of rain fell over a portion of Texas. If you have ever seen a flash flood caused by the action of a downburst, you can start to visualize the amount of water that is in a cloud.