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