Summary
Students investigate the causes of thunderstorms and create the sounds of a thunderstorm.

Grade level
First grade

Time required
One hour

Materials
Plastic items such as balloons or combs
Student science journals
The Nez Perce story, " Cottontail Boy and Thunder "

Goal
By completing this lesson, students will

1. learn about the formation of thunderstorms, thunder, and lightning and
2. be introduced to the cultural significance of thunder by hearing the Nez Perce story "Cottontail Boy and Thunder."

Science standards addressed
National Science Standards

• Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
• Changes in Earth and sky

American Indian Science Standard

• An awareness that observations and understandings of nature and ecological relationships traditionally formed an essential base of knowledge among American Indian cultures

Teacher tips

• Encourage students to observe and listen carefully to a rain or thunderstorm prior to this activity.   Play a CD of thunderstorm sounds.
• Encourage students to create their own instruments for making thunderstorm sounds, perhaps bringing an item from home to use, such as a cereal box or cup of coins that can be rattled.
• Learn the story "Cottontail Boy and Thunder" so it can be told, rather than read, in keeping with oral tradition.
• Static electricity can be made in a number of ways.   Students can rub a plastic item such as a comb or balloon on the rug, in their hair or on their shirts.   The electrical charge can be demonstrated by placing the charged item near someone's hair or small scraps of paper.   Placing two charged items near each other should create a spark.   The drier the air, the easier it is to create static electricity.
• There are many weather sites on the Internet where students can observe the formation of clouds and storms, through satellite imagery.
• If possible, bring in a native Nez Perce language speaker to teach the weather related words to students.

Background information
Weather is the day to day variation in temperature, winds, precipitation, and other atmospheric conditions.   While weather can range from clear skies and heat waves to blizzards and thunderstorms, weather conditions are determined by just three basic things: heat, air, and water.

Lightning is a form of static electricity.   Just like the friction of dragging your feet across a rug, the friction of air and water particles bumping into each other in a rising cloud creates electric charges.   The negative and positive charges in the cloud separate, but are attracted to each other.   The charges eventually discharge, forming lightning in either a sheet or a bolt.   Thunder is the violent sound wave produced when air suddenly expands due to the heat of lightning.   The delay between seeing lightning and hearing thunder occurs because the speed of light is so much greater than the speed of sound.

Long ago, people had to rely on their observations of Nature to predict upcoming weather.   For example, a misty ring around the moon at night was interpreted as a sign that the weather would be drastically different the next day.   Observations of animal behaviors also helped to predict weather.   People could often tell the direction weather was moving based on the shapes of clouds.

To the Nez Perce, thunder and lightning represent powerful sources of energy.   Nez Perce names or personal powers often reflected this.   For example, Young Chief Joseph's Nez Perce name was Hinmatoolatqit , which can be loosely translated to "Thunder in the Mountains".

Nez Perce Weather Words
Hinmet :   Thunder or making the sound of thunder
'Ipelikt :   Thundercloud
Weqi :   Rain
Cis :   Sprinkling of rain
Teqik :   Downpour of rain

Procedure
Engagement

1. Tell the Nez Perce story "Cottontail Boy and Thunder."   Talk about the events of the story and the lesson learned.
2. Ask students to describe what it would be like to be in the middle of a thunderstorm.   Have them describe the beginning, middle, and end of a thunderstorm.

Exploration

1. Distribute plastic articles (balloons, combs) to student pairs and ask them to rub them, creating static electricity.   Challenge students to use creativity to create the biggest static charge they can.
2. Ask students to write in their journals about what they did and observed in this experiment.

Explanation

1. Ask students to report to the class about what they did and observed in creating static electricity.
2. Ask students to describe lightning.   Help students relate the spark of static electricity they created to lightning.
3. Facilitate a class discussion about what creates lightning and thunder.
4. Ask students to write about what creates thunder and lightning in their journals.

Elaboration

1. Students will use their body parts to simulate a rainstorm.   Divide the class into small groups.   Students will do four different motions to create the storm - rubbing hands, snapping fingers, patting legs and stomping feet.   Each sound will move in a wave across the room.   Students will start the motion when the teacher walks by, and continue it until the teacher walks by again indicating the next motion.
2. Begin the storm by walking by each group, rubbing your hands, and indicating that each group should do the same.   Move back through the groups and snap your fingers in a steady rhythm.   Next, pat your legs and finally, stomp your feet.
3. Go backwards through the motions by patting legs, snapping fingers and then rubbing hands together.   At that time the rainstorm ceases.
4. Now make a thunderstorm!   Go through the rainstorm procedure again, but add thunder and lightening.   Use items such as sandpaper, metal cookie sheets, and rain sticks to make sounds.   Have students observe the differences between a rainstorm and a thunderstorm.

Evaluation

1. Observe student pairs as they perform the experiment to evaluate their proficiency in using skills such as experimental design, observing and recording results, and working together.
2. Evaluate each pair's ability to report their experiment and findings to the class.
3. Review each student's journal writing.

Follow up activities

• Make a rain painting by having students sprinkle tempera paint onto a piece of butcher paper and setting it outside to let the rain make a picture.
• Students can create their own story similar to the one read to them in class.   They can create characters that hear thunder or see lightening for the first time.   Have the students imagine what that character thinks caused the thunder and lightening.   They can tell their stories to the rest of the class.
• The Resources section lists a number of children's book about weather that can be read for literature appreciation.
• Have students create rain sticks out of paper towel rolls and different sizes of beans.   These sticks can be decorated and used in the thunderstorm concert.
• Students can be creative and bring their own musical instrument from home.   For example, a student may put coins in a metal container, or bring a cereal box to shake.    Ask them to explain what sound in nature they resemble.   Videotape or record your classroom concert.

Resources
Felix, M. (1993). The wind . Italy: Mouse Books, American Education Publishing.
Horder Hippely, H. (1998). Adventure on Klickitat Island . New York: Dutton Children's Books.
Polacco, P. (1990). Thunder cakes . New York: PaperStar Putnam & Grosset Group.
Strete, C. K. (1990). Big Thunder magic . New York: Greenwillow Books.