Weather Unit

Students study and identify clouds with a museum educator and a meteorologist in the museum galleries.

In this unit, students will carefully notice the weather in the museum galleries and in the world around them. Through observation, documentation, and research students will learn about clouds, weather systems, and sustainable energy sources derived from nature.

This unit is inspired by the work of students, educators, museum educators, and teaching artists in the Stories of the Land and Its People program.

Curricular Connections:

Sensory Writing
Poetry
Observation + Documentation
Cloud Types
Energy (Solar, Wind + Water Power)
Scientific Illustration

Vocabulary:

Composition
Foreground / Middle-ground / Background
Color
Shape
Vantage Point
Texture

George Bellows, Beating Out to Sea, 1913, 45.567 — George Bellows, *Beating Out to Sea*, 1913, 45.567

Activities:

Notice: Look at signs of weather in works of art. Notice colors and shapes of clouds in the compositions. How does a light source impact color? How many shades of color can you identify?
Notice: Use describing words to journal what you see. Imagine how you may feel if you were inside the painting. Create a sensory poem to accompany the work of art.

Students collaborate with local a local meteorologist to create their “Cloud” video on a green screen.

Expedition: Look out a window or go for a nature walk. Document what you notice in the weather. Sketch what you see and document your findings. As you notice your environment, engage your senses. Include sensory notes in your observations and other important details. Is it windy? What time of day is it?

Curricular Connections: Reflect on your expedition experience and review your observational journal. How many types of clouds did you see? Research types of clouds and see if you can match works of art or your observational drawings to a cloud type.
Connect: Connect with a local meteorologist to learn more about the weather. Visit a news studio or create your own in your classroom to share your own local weather report.

Create + Exhibit: Create a work of art inspired by the weather. Fourth grade students in the Stories program researched types of energy powered by nature. For their project, they created “sustainable” houses. The designs on the exterior are inspired by weather symbols and the colors represent different seasons. They also created a tutorial video teaching the visitors about cloud types. Each cloud connects to a work of art in the museum collection.

Gallery of Student Work:

Farnsworth collection:

Notice these works of art in the Farnsworth Art Museum collection. What cloud types can you identify?

Activity:

Select a work of art to study. Sketch the clouds that you see. How many can you identify?

Fitz Henry Lane, *Owl’s Head Light, Rockland, Maine*, 1856, 97.3.31

Stories of the Land and Its People

The Stories of the Land and Its People program encourages student participants to learn about people and places in their community. For more student project examples, visit our Student Exhibitions page.