Snow

Snowmen, skiing, sledding, snowball fights. Help students understand the science behind the fun as they explore wintry weather. Each of these activities meets a variety of state and national standards for technology and core subject areas.

Grades K-2
Discuss with students how snow is made up of individual snowflakes, which are crystals. Show students images of different snowflake images, and then have them create their own snowflake using Graphics software. More advanced students can try creating part of a snowflake, then using copy, rotate and flip features to replicate that portion and complete the snowflake.
EasyTech units: Beginning Graphics

Grades 3-5
Different animals have developed different ways of surviving in wintry weather. Have students select an animal and use the Web to research how the animal’s biology and habits allow it to live through snow and freezing temperatures. Have students create a Multimedia Presentation about their research and then share it with the class. After all the presentations, discuss as a class the many different survival techniques discovered.
EasyTech units: Web Browsing Basics, Presentation Basics

Grades 6-8
There are many different types of snowflake crystals. The weather (particularly temperature and humidity) determines which crystals are formed during a snowfall. In snowy climates, have students use a Spreadsheet to record the temperature and humidity on each snowy day. Then have them head outside with the “Types of Snowflakes” chart to observe snowflakes and note which kinds they can find. Record the information in the Spreadsheet. After a few snows, have students review and graph the results. In climates without snow, have students use the Web for research and create a database of the different kinds of snowflakes, including image, name and weather conditions.
EasyTech units: Web Browsing, Spreadsheet Software, Multimedia and Databases

Reference Sites

• All About Snow: nsidc.org/snow
• Types of Snowflakes: www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/kids/snowtypes.jpg
• Create a Snowflake: www.popularfront.com/snowdays
• Science of Snow: library.thinkquest.org/3876/scienceofsnow.html

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