Precipitation (Weather Update)

Description

Provides an introduction to the different forms of precipitation including rain, snow, sleet, hail, and freezing rain, and explains how rain and snow are measured.

Terri Dougherty has written more than 90 books for children, including 10 weather-related titles. She wrote for newspapers before exploring other writing styles and lives in Appleton, Wisconsin, with her family.

Educators will appreciate this well-organized book when teaching students about precipitation. Rain, snow, sleet, and hail are all different forms of precipitation; young readers will learn how each of these forms of precipitation is created. Precipitation is created from millions of tiny droplets or ice crystals that form in a cloud. These droplets and ice crystals are blown by the wind and connect with other droplets and ice crystals. As they get bigger and bigger they become raindrops or snow. Depending on the temperature, precipitation may start out as snow in the sky, but once it falls to a warmer temperature it may change to rain. The photographs show what the different types of precipitation look like. Readers will learn that precipitation is measured using rain gauges that collect rain or snow. They will also learn that forecasters predict what type of precipitation is going to fall using satellite pictures of clouds taken from space and from radar on the ground.-- "Children's Literature Comprehensive Database" This Weather Update series includes books that are easy to read and provide children with a strong factual background on basic meteorology. Readers explore the effects of weather on people, animals, and their surroundings in a way that beginners can understand. Precipitation is an in-depth source of information about the forms of water that fall through the atmosphere. Not only does the text explain how rain, snow, sleet, and hail form but also it explains how to measure the amount of each that has fallen and how meteorologists forecast which form we can expect. Written at a second- to third-grade reading level, these books can be used by students throughout the elementary grades for gathering research information or just for enjoyment. There are eye-catching photographs, an internet site for students to visit for additional information, a glossary, and diagrams that further illustrate the information for readers. Because of their clear text and simplified design, the books in this series would support class and group discussions. They also lead naturally to opportunities for observation and data collection outside the classroom.-- "NSTA Recommends"