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Curriculum Materials

Below are subject-specific experiments and activities designed for students and teachers.

They include interactive animated models, a cloud quiz, teacher lesson plans and student worksheets. Some of the web pages below use javascript computer language. Early web browsers (example Netscape version 2 and earlier) will not run the animations. Go to the Help for Teachers page for more detail.

Brochures

We also have many brochures which are useful for school projects. They may be downloaded directly off the internet or ordered as printed copies. See the Alphabetic List of Topics or Publications to see a listing of the available brochures and how to obtain them.

Visits to the Bureau of Meteorology

The Melbourne exhibition area at 150 Lonsdale Street is now closed due to works associated with the Bureau's move to 700 Collins Street. A new exhibition area in the Docklands building is planned, but no starting date has been decided.

However, if you live in regional or rural Australia, there may be a Bureau office nearby. Our offices welcome school visits, subject to availability of staff and operational requirements. Look for your local office in the telephone book under 'Bureau of Meteorology', or contact the Bureau Regional Office in your state.

Weather-related education programs are offered by some other Melbourne organisations, including:

CSIRO Education Victoria, http://www.csiro.au/melbcsirosec/, based in Highett, tel: (03) 92526387.
The centre hosts science shows and takes shows to Victorian schools. It runs targeted shows on the weather for primary school students.

Monash Science Centre, http://www.sci.monash.edu.au/msc/, based at the university in Clayton, tel: (03) 9905 1370.
The centre's programs can take place at the centre or travel to classrooms. It runs a weather program for early primary students and programs that touch on weather-related phenomena for mid and upper primary students.

Scienceworks & Melbourne Planetarium, http://scienceworks.museum.vic.gov.au/education/index.asp, based at Spotswood, tel: (03) 9392 4800.
The centre caters for excursions by primary and secondary students. Exhibits touch on weather-related themes, such as the "Lightning Room" and "Earth's Fury".

Weather Kits

The Bureau of Meteorology has produced a number of weather kits, available throughout selected Australian states as below. Each kit contains over 30 weather-related instruments, instructions on how to use the equipment, as well as suggestions on activities and other resources. You can also access the resources produced to accompany the weather kits online.

Victoria
The Victorian Department of Education, Employment and Training (DEET) currently have nine weather kits for loan. These kits are available in each of the nine educational regions in Victoria (4 metropolitan and 5 regional). To make a booking, please get in touch with the regional coordinator for your education region.

Tasmania
For schools in Tasmania, the Bureau has three kits available for loan. Please contact Mr Malcolm Riley for further details.

Malcolm can be contacted:
. by e-mail using m.riley@bom.gov.au
. by phone on (03) 6221 2043,
. at Tasmanian Regional Office, Level 5,
  111 Macquarie Street, Hobart TAS 7000.

Queensland
One weather kit is stored in Brisbane and is available for loan. Please contact the relevant office of the Bureau of Meteorology to discuss a loan.

South Australia
One weather kit is stored in Adelaide and is available for loan. Please contact the relevant office of the Bureau of Meteorology to discuss a loan.

Western Australia
In Western Australia, a weather kit is managed by the Western Australia Department of Education. To discuss details on obtaining the kit for a loan period, contact the Regional Technician at Yule Brook College on (08) 9459 5444.

Electronic Weather Monitoring

A weather station is a collection of equipment that measures local weather conditions. All-in-one electronic weather stations are available for purchase through various websites and stores in Australia: a multi-sensor weather station (temperature, humidity, wind, rainfall and atmospheric pressure) may cost from around $500. Some units also come with software that connects the station to a personal computer, so data can be viewed in real time and then stored for later analysis.

Some examples of school projects created using data from a computer-connected weather station are:
· web pages displaying current weather data on the internet or school intranet;
· data analyses such as working out monthly averages and totals; and
· comparison of the data with manual observations, taken using thermometers, rain gauges and other low-cost instruments. (This could be incorporated with the projects detailed below on measuring pressure and wind speed).

A good example of a website featuring data from an electronic weather station is that of Elliot Levin, a student from Caulfield, Victoria.

External Links

We've also provided links to specially selected external web sites. These web sites relate specifically to learning about meteorology.


SCIENCE

Title
Year
Level
Description and Learning Outcomes
Links
PDF downloads
A PET Cloud  
3/4
Students make their own cloud in a bottle using a plastic PET bottle, water and smoke.
Learning outcome:
describe how weather influences daily life.
Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet
 
Lesson plan

Worksheet
 
Bottled Pressure 
3/4
An activity that graphically shows the force of the air around us. A plastic bottle is crushed due to the difference in air pressure.
Learning outcome:
identify the action of forces in every day situations.
 
Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet
Lesson plan

Worksheet
 
Bottled Up Tornadoes 
5/6
An experiment on making your own tornado in a bottle. Learning outcomes: relate the occurrence of natural events to atmospheric changes and movements of the Earth's crust and mantle. Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet
Lesson plan

Worksheet
 
Clouds that warm, clouds that cool
3/4
An investigation into the effect clouds have on the temperature at the Earth's surface. Learning outcomes: describe weather conditions over a period. Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet
Lesson plan

Worksheet
 
Colours of the sky
3/4
An investigation into why the sky has the colours it has at different times of the day and what causes it. Learning outcomes: Identify a range of visual effects associated with light reflecting from mirrors and passing through different materials. Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet
Lesson plan

Worksheet
 

Dro and the Weather Map

2/3

'Dro' the raindrop learns how to read a typical weather map found in the newspaper. Presented in a storybook method containing 11 pages.
Learning outcomes: identify simple patterns in observations arising from explorations of readily observable phenomena. Includes many small animations.

Teachers' lesson plan

Students' Storybook with exercise.

Lesson plan

 
Eggsperiment
3/4
A teacher demonstration that uses an egg to investigate changes in air pressure.
Learning outcome:
identify the action of forces in every day situations.

Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet

To top

Lesson plan

Worksheet
 
El Niño and Rainfall 
7/8
An activity based on the effect of El Niño on rainfall. Includes the option of downloading and using an interactive animation that highlights the process of El Niño. Some parts require the use of javascript.
Learning outcomes: relate the occurrence of natural events to atmospheric changes and movements of the Earth's crust and mantle.Includes animation (350KB).
Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet
Lesson plan

Worksheet
 
Getting Warmer
5/6
An activity that examines how different materials absorb energy from the sun.
Learning outcome:
relate properties of common substances to their suitability for particular use.
Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet
Lesson plan

Worksheet
 
High and Low Pressure Systems
3/4
An investigation into the characteristics of high and low pressure systems.
Learning outcome:
record ways we monitor and use information about changes to the Earth.
Includes several animations (total size 200KB).
Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet
Lesson plan

Worksheet
 
Homemade Dew and Frost
3/4
An activity that demonstrates that air contains water and shows how to make the water visible.
Learning outcome:
describe weather conditions over a period.
Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet
Lesson plan

Worksheet
 
Measuring Pressure
5/6
An experiment on measuring air pressure. Making your own barometer.
Learning outcomes
: relate the occurrence of natural events to atmospheric changes and movements of the Earth's crust and mantle.
Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet
Lesson plan

Worksheet
 
Measuring Wind Speed 
3/4
An activity that demonstrates that measuring wind speed can be done with minimal equipment and with surprising accuracy. A protractor, ping-pong ball and a piece of string are used to make a simple wind measuring instrument.
Learning outcomes:
describe how weather influences daily life and describe weather conditions over a period of time.

Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet




To top

Lesson plan

Worksheet
 
Meteorology - What is it? 
5/8
A class discussion defining meteorology and its importance. Includes a creative writing exercise asking students to write an imaginary trip as a weather balloon.
Learning outcomes
: relate the occurrence of natural events to atmospheric changes and movements of the Earth's crust and mantle.
Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet  
Lesson plan

Worksheet
 
Modelling Tropical Cyclones 
5/6
An activity that investigates the formation and structure of tropical cyclones. Students make a plasticine model of a cyclone.
Learning outcomes: relate the occurrence of natural events to atmospheric changes and movements of the Earth's crust and mantle.
Includes interactive animation (167KB).
Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet
Lesson plan

Worksheet
 
Mr.McCloud's Cloud Quiz
5/8
This is an animated interactive quiz that covers cloud classification.Uses javascript.
Learning outcome:
classify and identify cloud types.

Includes interactive quiz (100KB)
.
Mr. McCloud's Cloud Quiz
Pushy Air
3/6
An experiment that investigates air and its properties. It demonstrates that air is all around us pushing on everything.
Learning outcome:
identify the action of forces in every day situations.

Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet


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Lesson plan

Worksheet
 
The Ups and Downs of Ozone
7/10

An experiment looking at how the ozone layer has changed over the decades and during a year. Includes an interactive animation that models the destruction of ozone by CFCs. Some parts require the use of javascript.
Learning outcome
: relate the safe use and disposal of common substances to their physical and chemical properties.
Includes animation (120KB).

Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet
Lesson plan

Worksheet
 
Weather 2/3 An activity that investigates the weather and how it affects us.
Learning outcome: Identify simple patterns in observations arising from explorations of readily observable phenomena.
Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet
Lesson plan

Worksheet
 
Wet Air 5/6

An activity that investigates the humidity in the classroom and the school ground.
Learning outcome: describe weather conditions over a period of time.

Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet
Lesson plan

Worksheet
 

HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Title
Year
Level
Description and Learning Outcomes
Links
PDF downloads
The Ups and Downs of Ozone
5/8
An experiment looking at how the ozone layer has changed over the decades and during a year. Includes an interactive animation that models the destruction of ozone by CFCs. Some parts require the use of javascript.
Learning outcome
: relate the safe use and disposal of common substances to their physical and chemical properties. Includes animation (120KB).

Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet




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Lesson plan

Worksheet
 

 

MATHEMATICS

Title
Year
Level
Description and Learning Outcomes
Links
PDF downloads
What's the Chance of Rain? 
5/6
Activities in probability, chance and data. Includes animated interactive pie charts with random number generator.Some parts require the use of javascript.
Learning outcomes
:
examine the outcomes from simple chance experiments and data on familiar events to order outcomes and events from least to most likely; extract and interpret numerical information contained in tables, data displays and databases; interpret, discuss and compare data displays, including how well they communicate information.
Includes animation (300KB).
Teachers' lesson plan 1
Students' worksheet 1 
Lesson plan

Worksheet
 
What's the Chance of Rain?
5/6
Activities in probability, chance and data. Includes animated interactive pie charts with random number generator. Some parts require the use of javascript.
Learning outcomes
:
use and interpret numerical statements which quantify chance; use language of chance in everyday situations; design and prepare surveys and experiments to answer questions or test conjectures and predictions.
Includes animation (300KB).
Teachers' lesson plan 2
Students' worksheet 2
Lesson plan

Worksheet
 
What's the Chance of Rain? 
7/8
Activities in probability, chance and data. Includes animated interactive pie charts with random number generator. Some parts require the use of javascript.
Learning outcomes
:
analyse experiments to determine the theoretical probability of events; carry out experiments involving chance to estimate the probability of events and to simulate situations; interpret and evaluate information contained in tables, visual displays and databases and report on methods of data collection; draw inferences from collected or published data. Includes animation (300KB).

Teachers' lesson plan 3
Students' worksheet 3

 





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Lesson plan

Worksheet
 

 

SOSE (Geography)

Title
Year
Level
Description and Learning Outcomes
Links
PDF downloads
Climate Change
9/10
An investigation into some of the natural processes and human activities which cause climate change.
Learning outcome
:
explain the processes and interactions between people and major natural systems.
Teachers' lesson plan
Students' worksheet 
Lesson plan

Worksheet
 




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