Raft Task Card

This RAFT Card is designed for 2nd grade level.

ROLE (student)
A meteorologist from

AUDIENCE
Daily viewers and

FORMAT
A classroom

TOPIC
After creating

a weather station

listeners of the

presentation with a

weather

radio station

few PowerPoint

instruments and

slides that

collecting

accompany the

measurements,

presentation

how can weather

Row 1

affect daily
activities and what
clothing each
person should
Row 2

A journalist that

Parents and new

An interactive and

wear?
Students will be

records and writes

students that are

visually appealing

able to observe

about weather daily.

going to move to

journal.

and identify

the area and

weather by using

should be

weather

informed of local

terminology to

weather.

help benefit and

inform others of
the weather trends
in a particular

Row 3

An artist that is trying

Peer groups

Art work that

location.
After creating a

to mimic what the

throughout the

demonstrates what

3D art model of

clouds look like in a

school that may

the five types of

the five types of

3D art form

view the student

clouds look like

clouds, can the

art work in the

using limited

student properly

hallway

materials

identify how each

cloud is different?

RAFT Row 1
Identified Grade Level: The identified grade level is second grade.
Standards Aligned to Objective: AZ STATE STANDARD- Grade 2: strand six: Earth and
Space Science: concept three: Changes in Earth and Sky
PO 1: Measure weather conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation).
ISTE STANDARD- 1. Creativity and Innovation (b, c, d); 2. Communication and Collaboration
(a).
Objective: The students will be able to construct an instrument for measuring weather, explain
how each instrument is used, observe and record weather, and describe how weather affects daily
activities and what each individual should wear.
Student Role: A meteorologist from a weather station.
Audience: Daily viewers and listeners of the radio station.
Format: A classroom presentation with a few PowerPoint slides that accompany the
presentation.
Topic: After creating weather instruments and collecting measurements, how can weather affect
daily activities and what clothing each person should wear?

Directions:
1. Meteorology is the study of all the changes in the atmosphere. To begin this lesson, start a
classroom discussion about how weather affects daily lives of people. For example, daily
activities or what clothing students should wear. Ask the students what they think about
when they hear the word weather?
2. Explain to the students that they are meteorologist and are responsible for creating an
instrument and recording accurate data to refer to viewers and listeners about the current
days weather.
3. Place students in small groups that work well together.
4. Have students complete the weather journal in small groups
5. After the entire worksheet has been completed by all the groups, gather the classes
attention back together and discuss the answers and their brainstorming ideas.
6. Following the discussion, bring to the students attention that today each group will create
their own weather instruments.
7. Assign each group a weather instrument with instruction and materials and have them
assemble their instrument (barometer- air pressure) (Rain gauge- precipitation)
(thermometer- temperature) (wind vane- wind direction) (anemometer- wind speed).
8. Next, the students should take their instruments outside and test them out. When doing
this they should record their data throughout multiple trials and take the average of all the
trials when they return to the classroom.
9. Once the students return to the classroom, have them add in each trials data and the
average into their weather journal.

Resources:
Kid Meteorologist Video
http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.watcyc.kidmeteor/kid-meteorologist/
Observing Clouds
http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.eiu.clouds/observe-clouds/
Observing Precipitation
http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.watcyc.precipitation/observeprecipitation/
Weather Instruments
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/?page_id=82
Assessment:
1. For an assessment, each group of students create a few PowerPoint slides about their
instrument, the data that was collected and suggestions about daily activities and clothing
that would benefit individuals on that day.
2. Allow each group to show the class their invention and present the material.
3. Give each group no more than ten minutes.
4. Students can receive up to twenty-five points for completing the entire assessment. Ten
points for constructing the instrument appropriately, five points for answering and
completing the weather journal, and ten points for presenting all the information that was
required in the presentation.

RAFT Row 2

Identified Grade Level: The identified grade level is second grade.

Standards Aligned to Objective: AZ STATE STANDARD- Grade 2: strand six: Earth and
Space Science: concept three: Changes in Earth and Sky
PO 2: Record weather conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation).
ISTE STANDARD- 2. Communication and Collaboration (a). 3. Research and Information
Fluency (a, b, c, d). 4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making (d).
Objective: Students will be able to successfully measure, record, and describe weather. In
addition, they will be able to explore common tools and use them to measure weather conditions
that are relevant to their location.
Student Role: A journalist that records and writes about weather daily
Audience: Parents and new students that are going to move to the area and should be informed
of local weather
Format: An interactive and visually appealing journal
Topic: Students will be able to observe and identify weather by using weather terminology to
help benefit and inform others of the weather trends in a particular location

Directions:
1. Start by reading the book by Karen Hesse called, Come on, Rain! The teacher can start
and encourage a classroom discussion about weather and events that was observed
throughout the book. Different seasons, what we see during the different seasons, and
how we feel during the different seasons are also good topics of discussion.

2. The students will then be asked to write weather words that they know on the Smart
Board and discuss what seasons we see these particular weather patterns (most
importantly paying attention to sunset, sunrise, wind, pressure, and precipitation).
3. The class will then take a fieldtrip outside where they will record all weather patterns that
they feel and observe.
4. After coming back into the class, the children will write their observations on the board
which can be further discussed.
5. The idea behind this lesson is to introduce to the students that the observations that they
collected are called data and this can be used to see what the weather is like throughout
the entire year. When introducing the project, the students should realize that they are
creating journals for potential new students that are not aware of the weather trends for
the area.
6. The corresponding textbook chapters can be read to introduce scientific tools like the rain
gauge, thermometer, and barometer while describing their functions.
7. In the students weather journal, they will be asked to answer the following questions:
a. What patterns do you notice?
b. How would you explain the weather patterns?
c. What predictions can you make for weather in the following months?
8. It can then be brought to the students attention, that there will be a thermometer and rain
gauge placed outside the classroom window and a barometer inside the classroom where
daily readings will be taken for the rest of the school year.
9. The students will document in a journal once every week what the rain fall was,
temperature, and barometric pressure for each week. A few weeks from the end of the

school year, the students can organize the data and notice trends that are occurring
throughout different times of the year.
10. The students will then each be asked to make a journal that describes the weather of the
location that they are in. The entire journal will be based off their observations and will
include one page per month with their data and many visuals to support their findings.
Resources:
Interactive Weather Activities
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/activity/weather-and-climate-13-studyjams-interactivescience-activities
Weather Instruments
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/?page_id=82
Temperature, Clouds, Wind & Humidity on the Atmospheric Cycle
http://study.com/academy/lesson/temperature-clouds-wind-humidity-on-the-atmosphericcycle.html
Weather Sing Along
http://www.wxdude.com/singalongcompanion/index.html
Assessment:
1. The teacher will collect a few student notebooks each week to ensure that the students are
keeping up with the correct data collection.
2. It will be checked that the temperature, precipitation, and barometric pressure that have
all been taken are in the approximate range of the accurate records.
3. Each day of the week that the students are collecting data, the class will discuss the
sunset and sunrise that should be recorded.

4. The students will be given class time to check the classroom data with the local weather
agency using the Internet and also check their predictions of weather trends for that time
of the year.
5. Newspaper articles will also be provided from the teacher to further their understanding
of weather in the particular area.
6. Each time that the notebooks are collected, if all the required information is present, five
points will be given.
RAFT Row 3
Identified Grade Level: The identified grade level is second grade.
Standards Aligned to Objective: AZ STATE STANDARD- Grade 2: strand six: Earth and
Space Science: concept three: Changes in Earth and Sky
PO 3: Identify the following types of clouds: cumulus, stratus, cirrus
ISTE STANDARD- 2. Communication and Collaboration (a, b, c, d). 3. Research and
Information Fluency (b, c, d).
Objective: Students will be able to successfully learn the five different types of clouds and be
able to describe the differences of each.
Student Role: An artist that is trying to mimic what the clouds look like in a 3D art form
Audience: Peer groups throughout the school that may view the student art work in the hallway
Format: Art work that demonstrates what the five types of clouds look like using limited
materials
Topic: After creating a 3D art model of the five types of clouds, can the student properly identify
how each cloud is different?

Directions:
1. Explain to the class what exactly a cloud is. Essentially, the idea is that clouds are a
collection of super small water droplets that are carried by the current of the air. They
usually are a prediction of approaching weather.
2. Next, explain to the students the different types of clouds.
a. Cirrus- white, tiny, and wispy.
b. Cumulus- round, white, fluffy.
c. Cumulonimbus- vertical, tall.
d. Stratus- gray, low hanging.
e. Nimbostratus- dark, thick.
3. Have the students access the Internet and create a Word document that has the name and a
picture of the different types of clouds for a reference.
4. The class can then take a fieldtrip outside to look at the clouds and determine what types
of clouds they are.
5. Have the students cut out shapes of clouds using blue construction paper
6.

Next, have the students use glue and cotton balls to place on the colored cloud paper to
demonstrate the different types of clouds. For example, for a cirrus cloud, the students
can stretch out the cotton balls to make them thin and wispy.

7. Have paint available for students as well, in case they choose that coloring a cloud a
different color is appropriate to demonstrate that cloud type. For example, painting the
nimbostratus a dark grey would be appropriate.
8. On a separate piece of all white paper, have the students label each cloud and write one
sentence about that cloud that can be attached to the bottom of the cloud when it is dry.

9. Once the project is complete and dry, the art can be hung in the hallway to show other
students.
Resources:
How are clouds formed?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn3MhQawLpc
All about Clouds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAqeFSa60TE
Clouds and Weather
http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/evscps.sci.life.clouds/clouds-and-weather/
Cloud Matching Game
https://scied.ucar.edu/webweather/clouds/cloud-matching-game
Assessment:
1. To assess the students knowledge of each cloud type, the teacher can begin by reading a
few books about clouds like It Looked like Spilt Milk by Charles Shaw.
2. Then have the students create their own poem that demonstrates their knowledge of each
type of cloud.
3. Have the students read their poems to partners to check for understanding, spelling, and
grammatical errors before the final copy is created.
4. The teacher will assign five points to each type of cloud that is described in the students
creative poem. The total points given can be twenty-five points.