Education
Guide
History
The VOICES of the pioneers who witnessed the blizzard of 1888 are strong and powerful. The history kiosk will help us share the stories of inspiration that make history come alive. We will take a look at the events of that destructive day. Just as the storm took people off-guard, history proves that weather is not as predictable as we might think. Very few Native Americans died during the storm. How did they know the blizzard was about to hit? A fun look at weather folklore that has been passed on through generations will help to balance the heroic and heartfelt stories we hear from the Schoolchildren’s Blizzard.
Lesson 1 - Folklore
The Native Americans watch not only the skies but paid attention to all nature to help them predict what might happen each season. Throughout history and still today, people try to understand, predict and control weather. Before modern day methods of predicting the weather, other methods were used. The Babylonians predicted weather from cloud patterns in 650 B.C. Aristotle described weather patterns in Meteorologica in 340 B.C. Native Americans tried to control or influence the weather with prayers, incantations, smoking or burning tobacco, using charms or dancing. Most methods of forecasting were based on observation (eyes and senses) and experiences with observing patterns (”If ___ happens, then ___ will happen”). These are not always reliable or true. Farmers, shepherds, sailors and hunters (people whose lives depended on the weather) relied on folklore to predict the weather. Farmers and shepherds watched the animals, clouds and the color of the sky. Sailors observed the wind and the motion of the waves. Hunters observed insects and animal behavior. Folklore was often made into rhymes to make them more memorable as they were passed on over generations.
Discuss these folktales and proverbs with your class. Use the internet and science books to see if you can find out the reasoning behind some of these weather related predictions.
“The higher the clouds, the better the weather.”
“When ants travel in a straight line, expect rain; when they scatter, expect fair weather.”
“Sea gull, sea gull, sit on the sand; It’s a sign of a rain when you are at hand.”
“Flies bite more often before the rain.”
“When squirrels lay in a big store of nuts, look for a hard winter.”
“When leaves show their backs, it will rain.”
“Bees will swarm before a storm.”
“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky in morning, sailors take warning.”
“If spring comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb.”
“A ring around the sun or moon means rain or snow coming soon.”
“Thirty days has September,
April, June and November
From January up to May
The rain it raineth every day
All the rest have thirty-one
Without a blessed gleam of sun
And if any of them have two-and-thirty
They’d be just as wet and twice as dirty.”
Lesson 2 - Timeline
The history kiosk contains a clock that recalls the day of the blizzard. It is a reminder that a warm, calm morning can turn quickly and catch people unprepared for the storm ahead. Discuss the description of the day’s events below and then have children create their own timeline. Ask them if they can recall a life changing event and have them recreate what happened as the day progressed. These can then be written or told through storytelling.
· January 12, 1888
· U.S. Midwest
· Approximately 235 people lost their lives. (This was a large amount in comparison to the amount of people living in the Midwest at the time of the blizzard.)
· Was a warm day that quickly turned into a storm
· Since it came without warning, the amount of devastation was greatly increased (People where not prepared) – Talk about today’s technology that is a help to warn communities of approaching storms.
· Went from 70 F to -10 F (-40 F in some places) in a few hours
· Lasted for only a few hours from the afternoon until early evening (3 – 4 feet of snow in that amount of time)
· Was hard to get around for at least 3 days after the storm was over – compare today’s means of transportation and communication (snow plows, salt trucks, paved roads, rescue vehicles, phones, radio, television, etc.)
· Is called the schoolchildren’s blizzard because in many places, children were trapped in their schoolhouses (in many cases they had to stay overnight)
· Most of the schoolhouses were one-room with wood or coal burning stoves.
· Resulted in the loss of life and the loss of property, travel was severely impeded in the following days (prohibited people from getting home or help)
· The wind was so loud and strong that people who were only 6 feet away from each other could not hear one another talk.
· The snow was so heavy that people who were only 4 ft. away from each other could not see each other.
Science
On January 12, 1888, the storm known as “The Schoolchildren’s Blizzard” caught everyone by surprise. What was happening that day to cause the skies to fill so suddenly with a wall of snow? The science kiosk will examine the phenomena of weather, how weather is predicted today, and what was happening in the earth’s atmosphere to produce the blizzard, which so suddenly struck the Midwest that fateful day.
When the Schoolchildren’s Blizzard hit the Midwest it was difficult for people to communicate. We know that today communication is crucial to saving lives. The modern age of forecasting began with advancements in communication systems (telegraphs, radio, telephone, radar, satellite). As communication systems were invented, better weather prediction systems made it possible to relay information as it occurred. The ability to transport information in real time (at the current moment) helped to improve communication of current data in multiple locations as well as improving communication with the public (warning capabilities).
There are a few methods that meteorologists use to come with their “best guess” to predict the weather. It is a “best guess” because, even with modern day technological advancements, the atmosphere is still a chaotic phenomena and not completely predictable. To help predict the weather, you need to look at three things: temperature, precipitation and cloud coverage. Weather generally travels from west to east in the United States. Meteorologists forecast weather by plotting observations on weather maps every hour to locate warm/cold fronts and areas of high and low pressure to tell where “weather systems” are moving and how fast they are moving. Modern forecasting involves looking at both the ground and space by using computers and weather satellites (which orbit the earth and take photos of clouds from space).
Meteorologists use a combination of different methods to make forecasts:
Persistence Forecasting –
· look at what the weather is doing at the moment to predict what will happen
· plot observations every hour
· observe weather with tools
- thermometer (measure temperature)
- barometer (measure air pressure)
- rain gauge (measure precipitation)
- anemometer (measure wind speed)
- radiosonde (attached to a balloon to measure high atmosphere weather)
- satellite (orbits earth and takes pictures of clouds from space to see where and how fast the clouds are moving)
- radar (shoots a radio signal into a cloud to show where precipitation is falling and how much is occurring) (spots severe storms and how fast they are moving)
- ears and eyes ( observe clouds and precipitation)
Synoptic Forecasting –
· forecast method based on analysis of set and/or series of synoptic charts
Statistical Forecasting –
· looking at previous statistics of what weather is usually like during a certain time of the year
Computer Forecasting –
· plug observation into computers (the computers can compute complicated equations)
· make computer “models” to get forecasts
· different computers give different results; therefore, humane involvement is necessary.
Lesson 1 - Thermometer
You can usually tell what the temperature is like by just walking outside. You may say, “It is so cold today.” or “I can’t believe how hot it is.” A thermometer tells us exactly how hot or cold it is. The temperature goes up and down in steps called degrees. Thermometers measure temperatures in two different scales Fahrenheit and Celsius. On the Fahrenheit scale water boils at 212 degrees and freezes at 32 degrees. On the Celsius scale water boils at 100 degrees and freezes at 0 degrees. A very hot day might be 40 degrees Celsius or 100 degrees Fahrenheit. A very cold day might be -5 degrees Celsius or 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
Using a Thermometer
Supplies:
· indoor/outdoor thermometer
· a stop watch or clock
1. Hold the thermometer so that the bulb is at the bottom, but do not hold the thermometer by the bulb.
2. Turn the thermometer from side to side so that your eyes can find the red line.
3. Find the top of the red line. What is the number next to the mark at the top of the red line? That would be the temperature.
4. Take different readings in your classroom. You should wait about 5 minutes each time you measure. You can use a stop watch or clock to help you.
5. Try these measurements. Keep track on a piece of paper and then compare with other students in the classroom.
· What is the temperature at you desk?
· What is the temperature at your teacher’s desk?
· What is the temperature that the window?
· What is the temperature at the door?
Lesson 2 – Clouds
Meteorologists study the skies to observe cloud cover. Some clouds are light, white and fluffy. This means that they contain very little water and the sun can shine through them. Other clouds are dark. These clouds contain a great deal of water so sunlight can not shine through. Dark clouds usually mean rain is on the way.
There are three main cloud types.
Cumulus clouds are the puffy clouds that look like puffs of cotton. Cumulus clouds that do not get very tall are indicators of fair weather. If they do grow tall, they can turn into thunderstorms.
Stratus clouds look like flat sheets of clouds. These clouds can mean an overcast day or steady rain. They may stay in one place for several days.
Cirrus clouds are high feathery clouds. They are up so high they are actually made up of ice particles. They are indicators of fair weather when they are scattered in a clear blue sky.
Nimbus is another word associated with clouds. Adding "nimbus" means precipitation is falling from the cloud.
Cumulonimbus clouds are the "thunderheads" that can be seen on a warm summer day and can bring strong winds, hail, and rain.
Nimbostratus clouds will bring a long steady rain.
Make a Cloud
Supplies:
· Large empty glass jar
· Metal strainer
· Hot water
· Ice cubes
1. Fill the jar with hot water and leave it there for two minutes. Then pour out most of the water, leaving just an inch or two at the bottom of the jar.
2. Put the strainer over the mouth of the jar.
3. Fill the strainer with ice cubes.
4. Watch what happens.
Some of the hot water at the bottom of the jar turned into hot water vapor. The vapor rose and bumped into the cold air coming off the ice cubes. When the water vapor condenses it forms a cloud.
Hot air raises and contains a great amount of water vapor. As the air rises higher in the sky, it cools down. Soon the cold air can’t hold all the water vapor and it starts turning into a cloud.
Lesson 3 – Fronts
A front is a transition zone between two different air masses with different temperatures and humidity levels. Fronts cause the weather in FRONT of them to change.
Warm Front: An area in which warm, moist air from tropical areas is replacing colder, dryer air from the poles. A warm front is drawn on a weather map as a solid red line with half circles indicating the direction the front is moving. Warm fronts are generally about half the speed of cold air masses.
Cold Fronts: An area in which cold, dry air from the poles is replacing warm, moist tropical air. A cold front is drawn on a weather map as a solid blue line with triangles indicating the direction the front is moving. Cold fronts typically move twice as fast as warm fronts.
Weather Math
Meteorologists calculate the movement of a weather front by using a very simple formula: Multiply the speed of the warm/cold front (mph – miles per hour) by the number of hours in a day (24).
___mph x 24 hrs = ___miles traveled
By using this formula see if you can calculate the movement of the following fronts.
1. You have a cold front moving in an easterly direction at 25 mph. How far will it travel in one day?
2. You have a warm front moving up from the south at 15 mph. How far will it travel in one day?
3. You have a cold front moving from the Midwest to the northeast at 40 mph. How far will it travel in two days?
4. You have a warm front in California moving toward Nebraska at 30 mph. How far will it travel three days?
Lesson 4 – Beaufort Scale
Wind conditions are critical in the development of a blizzard. Wind is AIR moving over the earth’s surface. Most winds are caused by either topography or the movement of high and low pressure systems or fronts.
A Gentle Wind occurs when two fronts come together that are not very different in humidity and temperature.
A High Wind occurs when fronts of very different temperature and humidity come together.
Wind blows because it has weight. Cold air weighs more than warm air so when the sun warms the air, it expands, get lighter and rises. Cooler heavier air blows to where the warmer lighter air was, so wind usually blows from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.