S'COOL Science

Linda Bryson

You’re likely familiar with the fact that NASA conducts many high-tech research projects, such as launching satellites to study Earth’s climate. However, you may be as surprised as I was to find out that “regular” people on Earth are sometimes needed to confirm or help interpret the images satellites actually send back. For example, satellites can’t easily differentiate between cloud cover and snow pack. Observers on the ground—like our students—can supply needed information.

What a perfect opportunity for my fifth-grade class! This year, my students participated in NASA’s S’COOL (Students’ Cloud Observations On-Line) Project, making cloud observations, reporting them online, exploring weather concepts, and gleaning some of the things involved in authentic scientific research. As you will gather from our experience shared in this article, the project is very adaptable and can be integrated into many subject areas and used throughout the school year at any grade level. As a S’COOL enthusiast, I encourage you to try it with your students.

S’COOL Beginnings

S’COOL is part of a real scientific study of the effect of clouds on Earth’s climate. Students from all over the world add to data collected by NASA’s Earth-observing satellites. Matching student observations—called ground truth measurements—with satellite readings helps NASA verify and calibrate their data.

When the orbital path of an Earth-observing satellite—either Aqua or Terra—is over your region of the world (about once a day), students record cloud observations. These observations include cloud level—high, midlevel, or low; cloud type, such as cirrus, stratus, etc.; cloud cover, such as clear, partly cloudy, or overcast; and visual opacity—opaque, translucent, or transparent. See Figure 1 for an overview of cloud types. Students may record some optional data, which includes such surface measurements as temperature, barometric pressure, and relative humidity.

Figure 1. Cloud levels and their cloud types. Each cloud type is typically associated with a different kind of weather.

I began our involvement by registering at the S’COOL website (see Internet Resources) and obtaining a password and login—a requirement for data submission. The website has everything you could possibly need, including a cloud tutorial and information about satellites. Each satellite’s overpass schedule can be downloaded for your area. You can also print out and make copies of a report form on which students can record their data. (Click here to download a copy of the form, which comes from the S'COOL website.) Students simply check a box to indicate the types of clouds they see, their level, the overall amount of cloud cover, and the visual opacity of the clouds.

Observations can be made as often as you wish. There is no obligation or commitment on your part to a report a set number of observations. Once the report form has been completed, you simply submit the data to the website, a process that takes only a few minutes. The data can also be sent by fax or mail directly to NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

Clouds and Contrails

The topic of weather is not a part of my school’s fifth-grade science curriculum, but I integrate our weather study into reading, social studies, and current events. To prepare students for the project, I started out the school year with a brief introduction to weather; as we talked, I filled in a KWL chart with what we Knew and what we Wanted to learn. At the end of the lesson, I added what we had Learned.

In teaching my students about clouds, I discovered some new things myself, which I shared with the class. For example, high clouds hold in solar radiation, and low clouds reflect solar radiation, allowing heat to leave Earth’s atmosphere.

I also learned about airplane contrails—artificial clouds formed by airplane exhaust. During the days following the events of September 11, 2001, when commercial airplanes were not permitted to fly, the actual daily average temperature range in the United States was lower than normal. Scientists are studying this data to see if contrails may be one factor in global warming.
Contrails are also being studied through S’COOL. On the cloud observation report form there are two sections for reporting the number of persistent and/or short-lived contrails present.

With this background in place, students waited with anticipation for the satellite to approach. In the meantime, I prepared three reference sheets of construction paper, writing the words high, midlevel, and low on them and pasting examples of the different cloud types for that level onto each.

On a wall in my classroom, I hung three different clipboards, one each for the Terra and Aqua satellite schedules, and one for holding a stack of report forms. As an extra reminder, I wrote the names of each satellite on the chalkboard with the observation times written beside them. A classroom helper (one of the students) was responsible for making sure the observations occurred at the proper time.

Observation Time!

When the time came for one of the satellites to pass over our area, we excitedly headed outside to make our first observation. My students loved going outside to observe the clouds. We made observations together and proceeded slowly as we tried to figure out which clouds were low, middle, or high. It was difficult for the students to identify the cloud types at first, so we discussed what we were observing and filled out the report form together.

As skills improved, rotating groups (of about three students) were sent outside together. This small group had to decide on what cloud type they observed. Once they came to agreement about what to mark down on the report form they returned to class. On days when there was inclement weather, we completed our observations from inside the classroom by looking out the window.

Students collected data throughout the entire school year. I downloaded and printed our data after it had been submitted and kept it for reference in a colored notebook. Eventually, when the actual satellite data had been reported on the S’COOL website (about two months after submission), we compared our observations to the data the satellite reported and discussed why the information might have differed. For example, we can only see lower clouds on overcast days; while the satellites can distinguish the mid- and higher level clouds that we can’t see from the ground.

Since I have collected data several years in a row, we have previous classes’ data notebooks as well. Students enjoyed using these notebooks to compare the cloud cover and temperature information submitted on the same day the previous year.

Ground Observations

My class also participated by collecting the optional surface measurements. Students made ground observations, such as surface cover, temperature, barometric pressure, and relative humidity.

My students learned how to read a thermometer and a barometer, which I purchased from Ward’s Natural Science for $56.50 (see Internet Resources). The class also made an instrument to measure relative humidity called a sling psychrometer using instructions found on the S’COOL website (see Internet Resources). (Read more about weather instruments in the article “On Observing the Weather.”)

To take a reading, students wet the piece of gauze found on one of the two thermometers of the sling psychrometer and swung it around outside for 30 seconds. If the weather was bad, I opened a window and swung the sling psychrometer around outside through the window opening. A chart, also available on the S’COOL website, was used to determine the relative humidity.

Using the equipment gave students valuable experience in making observations and interpreting data: “Now I know how a barometer works. When the barometer number is low, that means there is going to be a storm. If the barometer has a high number, that means the weather is going to be fine. I also learned how to observe weather. When you observe weather, you have to look for what kind of clouds there are and also the temperature and things like that,” said one student.

Another student reported, “To find out how warm it is, we use a thermometer. We report in it in degrees C (the metric system). I also learned the names of different cloud types like cumulus and stratus. Also, the lines from the planes that look like clouds are called contrails. When we report the humidity, we use the wet bulb and dry bulb system.”

As a group activity, we also predicted weather based on observing national weather patterns and interpreting weather maps.

Integrated Learning

In November, we read The Big Storm (Hiscock 1993). In this story, the path of a huge spring storm is traced across the United States. Hiscock explains what happened each day as different parts of the country encountered this weather system. After reading the book, students wrote “weather reports” and read them aloud to their classmates.

Students also obtained pen pals from a school in Washington state, where “the big storm” originated. The pen pals were also incorporated into social studies lessons. Map skills were reinforced, such as when we practiced locating both schools on a map using latitude and longitude. The distance that separates our two schools was calculated in both kilometers and in miles. We also exchanged local weather maps and forecasts from newspaper clippings with our pen pals.

In mathematics, taking accurate temperature readings had to be introduced or reviewed. Conversions were done between Fahrenheit and Celsius. A lesson on time was also needed, including a discussion of time zones and universal time, the required time for the report form. (I set an alarm clock to remind students when they needed to make an observation.)

In addition to the pass/fail grade students received on the weather report they presented to the class, the class also took a multiple-choice test on The Big Storm that came with our reading series.
On a Cloud
All in all, the S’COOL project provided an exciting way to introduce my students to various forms of scientific technology and the excitement of taking part in authentic scientific research. At the end of the school year, my students wrote about what they had learned from taking part in the project.

“I learned NASA has a lot of satellites and how NASA uses the information that schools send in,” said one student.
Another student shared, “I learned about the Terra and the Aqua satellites and about different cloud levels like the high, middle, and low clouds.” She also suggested an addition to the project: “We should have one wall of the classroom be all about weather—with pictures of different clouds and articles and photographs about weather.”

I think I’ll include her idea in the next S’COOL year!

Linda Bryson (ldb102@frontiernet.net) is a fifth-grade teacher at Laurelton-Pardee Intermediate School in Rochester, New York.

Resources

Hiscock, B. 1993. The Big Storm. New York: Atheneum.
National Research Council (NRC). 1996. National Science Education Standards. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Internet

Students’ Cloud Observations On-Line
asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL
Ward’s Natural Science
www.wardsci.com

Click here for PDF file.