F3-4 Weather

Eric Sloane Weather curriculum

In this Form 3-4 (grade 7-9) study guide, students will learn about the atmosphere and how processes in the atmosphere determine the weather and climate.

This science study guide provides a comprehensive introduction to each lesson, along with reading assignments from the spine text, narration prompts, and open discussion questions. It also features experiments directly related to the reading, as well as optional supplemental activities such as current events, videos, and suggested articles for deeper exploration when time allows. Additionally, a link to an exam for each course is included in the introductory material.

The Form 3+ guides are written directly to the student, allowing them to work independently. Parents and teachers must provide the necessary materials (outlined in the supply list found in the introductory material) and review the student’s notebooks and oversee their progress to ensure the lessons are completed.

  • Pages: 68
  • Prerequisites: none

Spine Text

This study guide accompanies the living book Look at the Sky and Tell the Weather by Eric Sloane (Dover, 2004, ISBN:‎ 0486433854), which must be purchased separately.

  • 89 pages, 14 chapters
  • Reading Level: grade 7 and up

Eric Sloane (1905-1985) grew up in New York City, New York. His neighbor, Frederick Goudy, an eminent font type designer, taught Eric to hand paint letters and make signs.

During the “Golden Age of Aviation” Eric found himself illustrating flight manuals for the Army Air Corps. He also began lettering and painting airplanes for pilots. In exchange for his art, he took flying lessons with Wiley Post, the first man to fly solo around the world. They had many discussions about flight, air patterns, and clouds. It was then that Eric began to paint what he called “cloudscapes’, paintings of clouds from a perspective that no one but pilots had ever seen before. Amelia Earhart bought the first cloudscape he put up for sale.

Eric became captivated with meteorology, the branch of science which explores the weather and how to forecast it. Sloane took classes at MIT and scoured old farm journals for knowledge of the weather, being fascinated by early farmers’ ability to interpret weather signs. Mr. Sloane is credited with being the first meteorologist or “weatherman” on TV. —Michele Jahncke (source)

Other Necessary Items to Complement This Course

Schedule:

This study guide includes 33 lessons, each requiring approximately 30-40 minutes. You can either schedule it:

  • Three times a week for 11 weeks allowing for exams during the 12th week, or
  • Once a week for an entire year, allowing time for exams at the end of each term, and including other science subjects on the other days of the week.

One of our very favourite guides was the Form 3-4 Weather. It is unique for homeschool science learning. I haven’t seen anything like it.

—Joytoread in Canada

Sample Lessons:

A digital version can be purchased below, but the paperback copies of this study guide must be purchased on Amazon.

The study guide includes religious content, though the accompanying spine text does not. If you require a secular version, please choose that option below.

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