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What do you already know about clouds?
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Press the Right Arrow below to go to the next page.
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4. Choose whether each of these is an example of condensation or evaporation.
Press the Right Arrow below to go to the next page.
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| Press the Submit button when you are done. |
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This unit explores the water cycle. |
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| Use the Cloud Wheel to help you identify, draw and label the clouds that appear in the sky. Use the pencil and text to help draw your clouds. |
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You have completed the Introduction. Click on the UDL HOME button below.
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Why are there clouds?
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Read "Wondering About Clouds" by using the forward and back buttons below. |
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Chapter 1
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"That cloud looks like an elephant!" said Margaret.
"And that one looks like a house!" said Eduardo.
"What are clouds made of?" asked Margaret. Eduardo was her older cousin and Margaret thought he knew just about everything.
"They're made of cotton candy," said Eduardo.
"You mean that stuff we ate at the fair?" asked Margaret.
"Yes," said Eduardo. "That's what they look like, anyway."
Margaret and Eduardo were nearly dry by now.
"Where does the water go?" asked Margaret.
"What water?" asked Eduardo.
"The water when you dry," said Margaret. "Where does it go?"
Can you predict what the story will be about?
Look at the picture for clues about the story. Remember that the
title of the story is "Wondering About Clouds."
I predict the children will learn about clouds.
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"It can't just disappear!" said Margaret. "Things don't just disappear."
"What about that rabbit?" asked Eduardo.
"What rabbit?"
"The one that disappeared when the magician waved his wand at that show."
"That's different," said Margaret. "That was magic."
"Well, maybe the water disappearing is magic, too."
"I don't think so," said Margaret. "My mom says that magic isn't real."
"Your mother is right!" said someone.
Margaret and Eduardo looked up and saw a tall lady standing right next to them.
The lady was dressed very strangely. Instead of a swimsuit she had on a long purple dress that reached all the way down to her ankles. She wore an enormous hat and big, dark sunglasses, and she had a small pack on her back. But the strangest thing of all was her shoes. They were gold, with high heels, and they sparkled in the sun.
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Chapter 2
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"Why aren't you wearing a swimsuit?" asked Margaret. "And how can you walk on the beach in those shoes?"
"Don't you like my shoes?" asked the lady.
"Sure we do," said Eduardo. He didn't want to annoy this strange lady.
"I'm not wearing a swimsuit," the lady said, "because I don't want to swim. And I'm here because you told a fib!" She pointed at Eduardo. "Two fibs, really."
"What fibs?" asked Eduardo.
"You said water disappearing was magic!" said Margaret.
"Well, if it's not magic, what is it?" asked Eduardo.
"The water goes into the air and turns into clouds," said the lady. "That was your other fib. Clouds aren't made of cotton candy. They're made of water."
"They sure don't look it," said Eduardo.
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"And houses," added Eduardo.
"Well, they're not elephants and they're not houses and they're not cotton candy either," said the lady. "They're water. I can prove it to you."
"How?" asked Eduardo.
"I could take you there," said the lady. "We could all go up there and see for ourselves."
"We can't do that," said Margaret. "We can't fly. We're not birds."
"No, you're not birds," said the lady. "My name is Elvira, by the way."
"But Elvira," started Eduardo, "what did you mean about going to visit the clouds? How could we do that?"
"Oh, there are ways," said Elvira. "You could fly! Oh yes, I could teach you how! But you'd have to really, really want to. And you'd have to be very brave, of course."
"We're brave!" said Margaret. "We're brave as anything! Just show us how to fly!"
"All right then, " said Elvira. "Let's get started!"
Flying sounds fun and a little scary.
Why do the children want to fly?
The children want to fly to the clouds to see what they are made of.
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Chapter 3
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Margaret and Eduardo held their arms out and they noticed a curious thing. The sounds of the other children playing on the beach were fading away. So were the voices of the grownups. And as though a cloud were passing in front of the sun, the rest of the beach got darker and darker until it faded away, too, until Margaret and Eduardo and Elvira were left in a little circle of light all their own.
"There, that should do it," said Elvira.
"What's going on?" asked Eduardo. "Where is everybody?"
"Oh they're still there," said Elvira. "They're just not paying attention to us any more. If the other kids saw us flying they'd want to join in and I can't handle more than two at a time."
Eduardo's shoulders were starting to feel itchy. It felt as though ants were crawling all over them. "This is scary!" he thought, but for some reason he didn't feel scared. He looked at Margaret. She didn't look scared, either. She just looked surprised. She was staring at him until her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
"You're sprouting wings!" she said. She craned her neck to look down her back. "And so am I!"
Make a prediction about what will happen next.
A good prediction is based on what you already know and what you read in the story.
I predict the children will grow wings to fly to the clouds.
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Sure enough, two little white wings were popping out from Margaret's shoulders. As Eduardo watched, the wings grew wider and longer. Pretty soon Margaret had the most beautiful wings he had ever seen! They looked like a seagull's wings, only bigger.
Eduardo's wings grew until they were even bigger than Margaret's. When he spread them out he could touch the ground with them. Elvira had sprouted wings, too, while he wasn't watching.
Eduardo tried beating his wings up and down a few times, but his feet stayed on the ground.
"What's the matter, Elvira?" he said. "Why can't I fly? What am I doing wrong?"
"You need to move your wings in little circles, not just up and down," said Elvira. "Like this." She demonstrated. Slowly she rose in the air about ten feet and remained there, beating her wings and smiling down at the kids.
It took a little practice, but pretty soon Eduardo and Margaret could fly, too. They flew over the beach and then out over the ocean. They tried to chase a seagull, but he got away. They flew up high and then came swooping down over the ocean. It felt just like sledding down a hill. They swooped so low that they got their feet wet and then they tilted their wings a little and up they went, laughing and shouting at each other. It was great fun and they would have kept on doing it for a long time if Elvira hadn't reminded them of something.
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Chapter 4
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"Can we really fly that high?" asked Eduardo.
"Sure we can!" said Elvira. She pointed to a small fluffy cloud directly overhead. "I bet that one's not more than a mile up. We can do it easily. Yes, we can!"
A mile sounded like a long way to Eduardo, but before he could say anything Margaret and Elvira started to fly. Eduardo followed them and the three of them flew up and up. The beach below them got smaller and smaller and they could see the houses behind it and a road behind the houses.
As they got closer to the cloud it looked less and less like cotton candy. In fact, it looked vaguely familiar. Eduardo tried to think where he had seen something like this before. Then he remembered.
"It looks like fog!" he said.
"It is fog," said Elvira. "Fog is what we call a cloud when it touches the ground. Fog is made of water, too. Now you two stay real close to me, you hear? We're about to enter the cloud. There's nothing to be afraid of, but it might be a bit bumpy."
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"Grab my hands!" said Elvira. "We're going into the cloud!"
Margaret and Eduardo held very tightly to Elvira's hands. The wind was blowing very hard now and the air was even colder and it was getting really foggy. Margaret and Eduardo could no longer see the beach below them. Everywhere they looked they saw nothing but grey fog.
And then something surprising happened. Margaret and Eduardo could feel their hands and faces getting wet! It felt as though they were taking a cold shower.
"I don't like this cloud!" said Margaret.
What does the story say a cloud is like?
Read this page again and look for clues in the picture that might
help you think about what a cloud is like.
The story says a cloud is foggy, cold, and wet.
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Chapter 5
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"Will we be in this cloud long?" asked Eduardo.
"No," answered Elvira. "This is just a little cloud. We'll be through it in a few minutes."
Margaret was still a little scared, but she had to admit this cloud was pretty interesting! Her curiosity overcame her fear. "Why is everything so wet?" she asked.
"Remember what I told you?" said Elvira. "Well, here's the proof!"
"So clouds really are made of water!" said Margaret. "That's so cool!"
"I knew they weren't really cotton candy," said Eduardo. "I was just fooling. But there's something I don't understand. Where does the water come from?"
"Remember Margaret's first question," said Elvira. "She wanted to know where the water went when you two were drying off."
"And you said it disappeared by magic!" said Margaret.
"And then what did I say?" asked Elvira.
"You said that it went into the air," said Eduardo, "even though we can't see it."
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"But I didn't see any water on the way up," said Margaret.
"That's because water vapor is invisible," said Elvira. "You can't see it, but it's part of the air all around you."
"You mean like steam?" asked Margaret.
"No. You can see steam, but you can't see water vapor. Steam is made of tiny drops of liquid water. Water vapor is what you get when those little drops evaporate and turn into water vapor. There's water vapor in the air all the time, even though you can't see it. So when you were drying off, the water on your body was disappearing, but it wasn't going away – it was turning into water vapor."
The fog that was a cloud seemed to be getting thinner. Looking up, Margaret could see a bit of sunlight peeking through. She was glad that they were almost out of the cloud, but she still had one more question.
"If water vapor is invisible," she asked, "how can we see clouds?"
Eduardo had the answer. "Because clouds aren't made of water vapor!" he said, triumphantly. "They're made of regular liquid water. That's why our faces and hands have been getting wet."
"That's exactly right, Eduardo!" said Elvira. "When the air gets cold, the water vapor condenses back into liquid water. Condensation is the opposite of evaporation."
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"Yes, and sometimes little bits of ice, too," said Elvira. "But I don't see any ice in this cloud. I guess it isn't cold enough."
"It's plenty cold enough for me," said Eduardo.
"Me, too," said Margaret.
Just then they popped out of the cloud. It was quite sudden. The fog lifted and the sun shone brightly. The warmth of the sun felt good on their backs. The cloud was just below them.
"You know what?" said Eduardo. "Even though we've been through it and we know it's made of water, it still looks like cotton candy!"
"How are we going to get back down?" asked Margaret. "I bet Mom and Dad are missing us!"
"Don't worry about them," said Elvira. "They won't notice a thing. As for getting back down," she went on, "we could fly down or if you two are getting bored..."
"Oh, we're not bored!" said Margaret, "It's just that…"
"I understand," said Elvira. "It's been fun, but now you'd like this little adventure to end. Of course, you would! And we can do that, too. Just hold my hands real tight and close your eyes."
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Chapter 6
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"Where is she?" he asked. "What happened to Elvira?"
"I think she's gone," said Margaret, sadly.
Eduardo was staring down. "Look!" he said "She didn't leave any footprints in the sand. It's as though she wasn't real!"
"But we know she was here," said Margaret, "and we know we flew up into that cloud and got water in our faces. We know it really happened, right?"
"Uh, right." said Eduardo. But he sounded a little doubtful.
A drop of water hit Margaret on the shoulder. Then another one hit the other shoulder. "Children," called Margaret's mother, "it's starting to rain. Get your things together, we're going home!"
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Chapter 7
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"I'm sure it was real!" Margaret whispered to Eduardo. "I'm just sure of it!"
"Then how come no one noticed?" asked Eduardo. "We were gone a long time. How come no one missed us?"
"I don't know," said Margaret. "It was magic, I guess."
"You said there was no such thing," Eduardo reminded her.
"But Elvira is different," said Margaret. "She's real magic!"
"If she even exists!" said Eduardo, but he said it so softly that Margaret didn't hear him.
Suddenly Margaret had another question!
"Where does the water go?" she asked.
"What water?"
"The water in the clouds."
"I don't know," said Eduardo. "Maybe it just turns back into water vapor and becomes invisible again."
"But then sooner or later all the water in the world would end up in the air," said Margaret. "I don't get it."
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"It's raining," said Margaret.
"And where do you think all that rain came from?"
Margaret looked at Eduardo and Eduardo looked at Margaret. They smiled. Margaret could tell that Eduardo had heard the voice, too.
"Now I see," said Margaret. "The cloud dumps its water on us and we call it rain!"
"And then the sun heats the water up and it evaporates and turns into water vapor. And then it goes up in the air and condenses and turns back into a cloud," said Eduardo.
"It goes round and round!" said Margaret, happily.
Margaret's mother turned around to look them. "What are you children talking about?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing," said Eduardo. "We were just wondering about clouds."
"Oh," said Margaret's mother. She had a funny expression. She shook her head and turned around to face the front again.
"And we were wondering about Elvira!" whispered Margaret. "She is real, after all!"
"I guess she is," said Eduardo.
Now that you are at the end of the story, think about a summary of the whole story.
A good summary gives the main points of the story. Go back and look
at the pictures to remember what happened.
Eduardo and Margaret learn about the water cycle. They also visit a cloud and learn that clouds are made of water.
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Wondering About Clouds
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In this activity you will explore water moving around the
earth and how clouds are part of water's journey.
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Engage
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Take a snapshot of your drawing.
Take a snapshot of your drawing.
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Take a snapshot of your drawing.
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Explore
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Explain
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Add arrows to the picture below to show how water moves around
the earth. Use the line drawing tool.
When you are done, take a snapshot. |
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Congratulations! You have completed this activity.
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Where on earth does the water go?
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In this activity you will investigate how water gets into the air and creates clouds. |
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Engage
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| If you look up into the sky, there are often clouds. A weather map can show where there are clouds over the United States. |
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Water vapor can go into and out of the air. When liquid water evaporates, it goes into the air as water vapor. When water vapor condenses, it comes back out of the air as liquid water. This in-and-out process is happening constantly.
for
a technical hint.
for
a movie showing how to use the data collection graph.
Then breathe into the bag and measure the humidity again.
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Explore
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- humidity sensor
- warm water
- cold water
- plastic wrap
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two plastic bowls
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plastic bag
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for
a technical hint. Your sensor may look slightly different from the picture
here.
for
a movie showing how to use the data collection graph.
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Explain
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When you are done, take a snapshot of your drawing. This snapshot will be saved in your lab book.
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Congratulations! You have completed this activity.
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Where does the water in the air come from?
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In this activity you will create a cloud in a bottle. |
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Engage
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Explore
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1 or 2-liter clear plastic bottle with cap
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clear plastic wrap
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ice cube
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scissors (for teacher use only)
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warm water
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wooden matches (for teacher use only)
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Your teacher will provide you with a clear plastic bottle that
has its top third separated.
Cut a piece of plastic wrap large enough to cover the bottle. Fill the clear plastic bottle 1/3 full of warm water. |
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| Have your teacher light a match and hold it over the bottle. Blow out the match and drop it into the water. |
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Immediately cover the bottle with the plastic wrap. Make sure
the wrap is snug against the sides of the bottle.
Place an ice cube on top of the plastic wrap. |
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Draw a picture of what happens in the air just below the ice
cube.
When you are finished take a snapshot of your drawing. This snapshot will be saved in your lab book. |
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Explain
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When the droplets become even larger, they are heavy enough to fall down as precipitation.
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Draw a picture of what you think a water droplet looks like. Take a snapshot of your drawing when you're done. |
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If it's cold enough, the water vapor will freeze and make a snowflake instead of liquid water. Draw a picture of what you think a snowflake looks like. Don't forget to take a snapshot. |
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Elaborate
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Congratulations! You have completed this activity.
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What are clouds made of?
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In this activity you will investigate how water in clouds forms rain or snow. |
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Engage
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Click on the word to write your own definition of precipitation. Then look at the standard definition in the glossary.
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Explore
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temperature
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2 clear plastic cups
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ice
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warm and cold water
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Fill one cup with warm water.
Fill a second cup with water and ice. |
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a technical hint.
for
a movie showing how to use the data collection graph.
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Explain
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Elaborate
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Congratulations! You have completed this activity.
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How are rain and snow made?
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In this activity you will determine how much of the earth's surface is water. |
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Engage
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Here is a 10x10 grid of squares (100 squares in all). Suppose
this is the whole surface of the earth. How much of it is
water and how much of it is land?
Color blue the amount of the earth's surface that you think is water. Color brown the amount of the earth's surface that you think is land. When you are done, take a snapshot of your prediction. This snapshot will be saved in your lab book. |
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Explore
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- soft globe of the earth that can be tossed
- paper and pencil for chart (printable version)
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Explore
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Have one member of your group throw the globe into the air and
catch it.
Note where the thumb on your right hand lands on the globe. |
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Make a chart like the one on the right to record the results
of 100 tosses. It will be easier if you group your counting by
fives.
Toss the globe 100 times. Each time record on your chart whether your right thumb landed on water or on land. |
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On the 10 x 10 grid, fill in one square for each toss. Color
it either brown for land or blue for water, using the results
of your experiment.
To be quick, use the pencil with a very wide line. Can you color in groups of 5's and 10's? When you are done, take a snapshot. This snapshot will be saved in your lab book. |
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Compare your results with other teams in the class. Fill in
the chart on the right.
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Explain
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Your 10 x 10 grid has 100 squares. So if you colored 60 squares blue, then 60 out of 100 squares are water. That is, 60 percent of the earth's surface is water.
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Congratulations! You have completed this activity.
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How much water is on the earth?
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Why are there clouds?
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Now it's time to review and summarize what you have learned
about plants. To help, you can show all of your snapshots and
some of your written answers from the activities. They are all
in your lab book.
Review the questions on the following pages. There is a separate page for each activity that you worked on. Be prepared to share your answers with the rest of the class. |
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Story: Wondering About Clouds
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The water cycle
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Water vapor
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Cloud in a bottle
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Precipitation
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Globe toss
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Summary
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We hope you enjoyed sharing what you learned about clouds.
Let your teacher know that you are done. Your teacher will give you a password so you can take a short test.
| Password: |
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Why are there clouds?
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4. Choose whether each of these is an example of condensation or evaporation.
Press the Right Arrow below to go to the next page.
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Press the Right Arrow below to go to the next page.
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Press the Right Arrow below to go to the next page.
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Click the Submit button when you have finished.
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What have you learned about clouds?
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