Week 5: Pre-Trip Blog (New Hampshire Edition)
Melinda Fifield
Canaan Elementary
Canaan, NH
Arctic Wednesday Pre-Trip Blog
Is it too honest to admit that I am slightly freaking out about going on this trip? I am afraid of freezing to death. However, at the same time I am so very excited about the adventure. Living in NH (originally a Vermonter, though), I have been in awe of Mount Washington. I have only visited it once, though. The first time was a warm (at the hotel, not so much at the top!) day in July, eleven years ago. This time, I anticipate the temperature to be very different. I have everything on the gear list, so I am sure everything will be fine. {gulp} {nervous giggle}
My third graders have been learning about weather and the tools with which weather can be measured. Our enduring questions are how do weather instruments help predict weather and what is the difference between weather and climate? We also have been learning about extreme weather, and the kids are excited to know that Mount Washington’s wild weather is right in their backyard! There are CRAZY videos on YouTube that show extreme weather on Mount Washington. My students loved the freezing pants video. They are also fascinated by rime ice.
My students were amazed to see the sustained wind speeds and gusts at the summit last week. When they see the pine tree outside our window move in the wind, they automatically ask, ”I wonder how windy it is at the top of Mount Washington?”
We are also learning about Marty the cat, and hoping that he makes an entrance during the live video conference! Reading Eric Pinder’s Cat in the Clouds,was a great way to connect literacy and science. I have also tied writing into this experience by assigning a creative writing prompt, “My Teacher’s Adventure on Top of Mount Washington.” I am sure some of my writers will have me sailing through the air after getting blown off the summit!
My partner in adventure, Joan Newkirk, has shared wonderful ideas and resources in teaching lessons on weather. We even did a “Meet-n-Greet” through Zoom. Our third graders shared cool things about Bath, ME and Canaan, NH, and also about what they thought of Mount Washington. My class was so excited to see the other class on our interactive television!
One final pre-trip experience that my class is excited about is that Will Broussard is coming to my classroom the day before my trip to talk to my class about his experiences at the summit. He will also discuss how “third-grade” weather instruments (anemometer, barometer, wind vane, thermometer, rain gauge, etc.) are used to measure weather conditions on top of Mount Washington.
My hope is, through sharing this experience with my students, that not only a curiosity about how and why we measure weather is developed, but also that they learn to appreciate this treasure that we have in New England.
Mount Washington, here I come!
Canaan Elementary
Canaan, NH
Arctic Wednesday Pre-Trip Blog
Is it too honest to admit that I am slightly freaking out about going on this trip? I am afraid of freezing to death. However, at the same time I am so very excited about the adventure. Living in NH (originally a Vermonter, though), I have been in awe of Mount Washington. I have only visited it once, though. The first time was a warm (at the hotel, not so much at the top!) day in July, eleven years ago. This time, I anticipate the temperature to be very different. I have everything on the gear list, so I am sure everything will be fine. {gulp} {nervous giggle}
My third graders have been learning about weather and the tools with which weather can be measured. Our enduring questions are how do weather instruments help predict weather and what is the difference between weather and climate? We also have been learning about extreme weather, and the kids are excited to know that Mount Washington’s wild weather is right in their backyard! There are CRAZY videos on YouTube that show extreme weather on Mount Washington. My students loved the freezing pants video. They are also fascinated by rime ice.
My students were amazed to see the sustained wind speeds and gusts at the summit last week. When they see the pine tree outside our window move in the wind, they automatically ask, ”I wonder how windy it is at the top of Mount Washington?”
We are also learning about Marty the cat, and hoping that he makes an entrance during the live video conference! Reading Eric Pinder’s Cat in the Clouds,was a great way to connect literacy and science. I have also tied writing into this experience by assigning a creative writing prompt, “My Teacher’s Adventure on Top of Mount Washington.” I am sure some of my writers will have me sailing through the air after getting blown off the summit!
My partner in adventure, Joan Newkirk, has shared wonderful ideas and resources in teaching lessons on weather. We even did a “Meet-n-Greet” through Zoom. Our third graders shared cool things about Bath, ME and Canaan, NH, and also about what they thought of Mount Washington. My class was so excited to see the other class on our interactive television!
One final pre-trip experience that my class is excited about is that Will Broussard is coming to my classroom the day before my trip to talk to my class about his experiences at the summit. He will also discuss how “third-grade” weather instruments (anemometer, barometer, wind vane, thermometer, rain gauge, etc.) are used to measure weather conditions on top of Mount Washington.
My hope is, through sharing this experience with my students, that not only a curiosity about how and why we measure weather is developed, but also that they learn to appreciate this treasure that we have in New England.
Mount Washington, here I come!
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