BEYOND THE WEATHER

Hello everyone,

As we began April, we have continued our exploration of weather, climate, and the world around us! As always, I’m so proud of the creativity and thoughtfulness your students bring to our classroom. Here's a look at what we’ve been up to and what’s coming next in science!

Where We Were

Over the past two weeks, we wrapped up our focus on severe weather. Students learned about hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, droughts, and floods, focusing on how these natural events can impact communities. Students completed their Weather Preparedness PSA projects to bring their learning to life. From engaging video presentations and thoughtful podcasts to vibrant digital flyers and informational slide decks, each student chose their medium to raise awareness and share safety tips for different types of severe weather. Their work was impressive and showed both scientific understanding and creativity!

Below are some video projects:

Where We Are

This week, we shifted gears from weather to climate. We’ve been exploring what climate really means—how it refers to average weather patterns over a long period of time, not just daily conditions. Students have compared the five major climate zones:

• Tropical

• Dry

• Mild (Temperate)

• Cool (Continental)

• Polar (or Alpine)

  
  

We’ve started to analyze how climate affects different regions, ecosystems, and human activity across the globe, but will be exploring this more. Students are beginning to see the connections between their local weather and larger climate patterns.

Where We’re Going

Next week, we’ll begin learning about climate change and the greenhouse effect, just in time for Earth Day! This will lead into a review of everything we’ve learned about weather and climate as we prepare for our upcoming unit test, which will be held after ELA, Math, and Science PSSA testing is complete. During PSSA testing, we’ll keep things light and focus on reinforcing key concepts from the unit.

Looking ahead, we’ll close out the year with Earth’s Resources and Human Impacts on the Environment. This final unit will give students a chance to think critically about sustainability, conservation, and how science can be used to protect our planet.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement with our science classroom! If you have any questions or want to connect further, please don’t hesitate to contact me at curtis_silverwood@conestogavalley.org. You can also follow our journey on Instagram at @classwithcatwood, where I share updates and snapshots of our exciting classroom activities.

Thank you,

Mr. Catwood

THE WONDER OF WEATHER

Hello all,

It's hard to believe how much we’ve covered already in our Weather & Climate Unit. We’ve been having a great time, and I’m excited to share what we’ve been working on and what’s coming up next. Here’s a quick update on our recent and upcoming activities!

Where We Were

We just wrapped up several demonstrations and discussions centered around air pressure & density, global & local winds, and air masses & fronts. Students explored how these elements affect weather patterns and the environment. We also incorporated live data from Earth Nullschool, which allowed students to observe how winds move different pollutants around the globe. This real-time data gave us a hands-on look at how wind currents influence the distribution of materials and how they impact local and global climates (a topic we'll explore in more depth in the coming weeks). These discussions helped students connect the theoretical concepts of atmospheric science with real-world phenomena.

Below is a photo of one of the demos showing the differences in pressure during our Air Pressure & Density station rotations:

Where We Are

Currently, we are diving into weather maps and symbols. We’re learning how meteorologists use forecast maps to predict future weather patterns and how observations of the atmosphere are key to understanding our weather. Students are getting familiar with interpreting weather symbols and learning how to identify different features on a weather map. Additionally, we’re about to wrap up our Watching the Weather project. Students have made weather observations over the past three weeks using their senses and applied everything we've discussed, from clouds and air pressure to fronts. In the final reflection and discussion, we will analyze what patterns we can see in our local weather based on what we've learned.

Note: The Watching the Weather Project and the work from this week will be on Marking Period 4 since Marking Period 3 ends this Friday.

Where We Are Going

Looking ahead, we'll continue to explore severe weather (which we started this week), and next week, students will start working on a Public Service Announcement (PSA) project. The focus will be on tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts, floods, or blizzards. Students will choose one of these events and create a video, podcast, or slide presentation to inform their classmates about their event and the dangers it presents. They'll research the event, learn about trends, and explore how these phenomena impact the areas where they occur. This project will give them a deeper understanding of severe weather events while allowing creative expression. After completing this project, we will move into the final section of our Weather & Climate Unit.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement with our science classroom! If you have any questions or want to connect further, please don’t hesitate to contact me at curtis_silverwood@conestogavalley.org. You can also follow our journey on Instagram at @classwithcatwood, where I share updates and snapshots of our exciting classroom activities.

Thank you,

Mr. Catwood

WEATHER WATCH

Hello everyone!

As always, I’m thrilled to share what we’ve been up to in our science classroom. With spring just around the corner, we’ve been exploring topics in our Weather & Climate Unit, from understanding how clouds form to predicting precipitation.

Where We Were

We recently wrapped up our Heating and Cooling Inquiry, where students investigated how heat moves through the Earth’s atmosphere, land, and water. This concluded our Earth's Waters unit. The students connected these concepts to real-world scenarios, setting a strong foundation for our Weather & Climate Unit.

Below: Images from the Heating & Cooling Inquiry

Where We Are

We have kicked off our Weather & Climate Unit, diving into topics like the atmosphere, clouds, humidity, and precipitation. Students have explored how clouds form and how humidity impacts our daily weather. We recently enjoyed the beautiful weather and conducted our relative humidity lab inside and outside. Plus, we are embarking on our "Watching the Weather" project, where students make daily weather observations without using technology! This project will conclude on March 27th with an in-class roundtable discussion where students will share their findings and reflect on their experiences. The focus will be on weather patterns and trends that students observe over the 3 weeks of the project. We’ll also be wrapping up this week with a quiz on Friday covering the first few topics of the unit.

Below: Relative Humidity Lab photos

Where We Are Going

Looking ahead, we will explore air pressure, wind, air masses, and weather maps and symbols. We aim to help students understand how meteorologists use this information to forecast weather, empowering them to make predictions based on observed data. After these topics, we'll examine severe weather and do a Public Service Announcement project!

Thank you for your continued support and engagement with our science classroom! If you have any questions or want to connect further, please don’t hesitate to contact me at curtis_silverwood@conestogavalley.org. You can also follow our journey on Instagram at @classwithcatwood, where I share updates and snapshots of our exciting classroom activities.

Thank you,

Mr. Catwood