Weather maps illustrate the current weather using various symbols and colors. Different kinds of weather maps illustrate different aspects of the current weather, such as precipitation, temperature and fronts. Teach children to read weather maps so that they can prepare for the current and approaching weather.
Step 1
Discuss different aspects of weather that change from one day to the next, such as temperature, precipitation, wind speed and cloud cover. Explain any terms that the children do not understand. For example, explain that precipitation can refer to water falling from the sky in a variety of states, including rain, snow and sleet.
Step 2
Explain that weather forecasters, or meteorologists, illustrate different aspects of the weather using different maps. Some maps simply show the temperatures, humidity levels or wind speeds around the country using different colors. Radar maps show the current cloud cover or precipitation in a particular area, and surface maps show fronts. Show children an example of each kind of weather map.
Step 3
Show children the key on a weather map. Explain that they can refer to this key to understand what a certain color or symbol means on a map. For example, a temperature map has a key along the top that shows what the different colors mean. Yellow areas might indicate temperatures in the 70s, while orange areas indicate temperatures in the 80s and red areas indicate temperatures in the 90s. On a surface map, a red line represents a warm front, a blue line represents a cold front, and a red and blue line represents a stationary front.
Step 4
Have children study different weather maps and their keys, and then hand out weather maps with the keys removed. Have children label the different symbols on the map to indicate what each symbol means.
Tips and Warnings
- Divide a large class of children into large groups and have each group create their own example of a particular kind of weather map. Provide large pieces of poster board with an outline of the country on it, and give children markers to use to draw on their maps. Discovery Education suggests this hands-on activity as a way to help children understand weather maps.
Things You'll Need
- Printouts of weather maps
