Future generations of scientific experts will discover their passion in today’s middle school classrooms. As science and engineering fields become increasingly important, quality STEM education is needed to foster a passion for inquiry in young students. Including weather curriculum in middle school science classrooms is a great way to inspire curiosity, train critical thinking skills, and ignite an interest in the natural world.
Why Study the Weather?
There’s a reason why weather is a stereotypical conversation starter. It surrounds everyone, influencing daily life in ways that are easy to grasp. This makes it ideal for sparking a thirst to discover. Many children look outside and ask themselves where the wind comes from or what creates a thunderstorm. Providing answers to those questions allows students to use scientific reasoning to understand their own experiences. Students can connect the data from a local weather station to the rain or sun they see out the window or feel on their skin.
 |
| Pexels.com |
Weather in Your Classroom
Here are just a few ways you can incorporate the weather into STEM activities for middle school students:
- Set up a school weather station. Students can learn firsthand how data is collected and explore a set of observations that they experience right outside their classroom door.
- Use an online weather dashboard to view data from around the world. Track severe weather events as they happen and supplement lessons on global weather patterns with real measurements.
- Use weather observations to supplement topics in biology, chemistry, and physical science.
- Challenge students to think about how data is put to practical use in applied fields like meteorology and agriculture.
With a network of weather stations supplying comprehensive data from a local to global scale, Earth Networks can provide an invigorating addition to the science classroom. To learn more about how to enrich your school’s STEM curriculum using weather data, visit Earth Networks online or contact them by phone at 301-250-4000.
