Creative Weather Journals

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          I have taught atmospheric science (weather) and physical geography courses at Western Michigan University and at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Some of these courses were designed for elementary education students (pre-service teachers), while others were designed for general education students. One of the assignments that I have given in these courses is a creative weather journal. Students are asked to observe the weather for several days, and then find a creative way to respond to the various weather phenomena that they encounter. There is no right or wrong way to do the assignment. Each student must rely on her or his individual creativity and talent.

          This page contains seven journals that I feel are among the most creative. They are from my classes taught during the Fall 2005 and Winter 2006 semesters at Western Michigan University, or from the Spring 2007 semester at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. I plan to add more journals to this page in the future. I hope that you enjoy reading them as much as I did!

          The journals are published here with the permission of each author. Any copyrights or potential copyrights belong solely to the authors.



          JOURNALS
          A Journal: "Weather Journal" by Stephanie Brazell
          This journal describes the day to day weather experienced by the author as she traveled from Michigan, to Pennsylvainia, to New Yourk City, to Washington, D.C., and then back to Michigan again.

          A Journal: "Weather Journal" by Kim Knoth
          This journal describes the day-to-day weather in Michigan during late February and early March of 2006, as winter is coming to an end and spring is beginning to take its place. It is descriptive of the various forms of weather that can occur during this transitional time of the year, including snow, thunderstorms, freezing rain, mild weather, cold weather, sunshine, and cloud cover.


          POETRY

          Poetry: "My Weather Journal" by Justina Harris
          This is a collection of poems about the weather. The experience and emotions of various weather phenomena (such as frost, wind, snow, sunshine, and rain) are captured by this author in very unique and creative ways.

          Poetry: "Heat" by Laura Snidchens
          This is also a collection of poems about the weather. These poems provide a unique glimpse into the late winter and very early spring seasons in Michigan when the weather can change rather quickly.


          IMAGES

          Images: "Weather Journal Project" by Shaina Ruthven
          This is a series of images that were all taken at the same spot. At the time of the first few images, winter is in full force and the field where the images were taken was covered with snow. The final images, however, show the snow gradually melting. It is interesting to see the change of season from winter to spring.

          Images: "Sandra's Weather Journal" by Sandra Smokoska-Davis
          This is a collection of images that primarily highlight the appearance of the sky and the barren trees during the first 12 days of March in 2006.

          Images: "Courtney's Weather Journal" by Courtney Webber
          This is a series of images that were all taken at the same spot. At the time of the first few images, autumn is in full force and most of the colored leaves are on the trees. The remaining images, however, show the trees gradually becoming barren and snow begining to cover the ground. It is interesting to see the change of season from autumn to winter.


          STORIES

          A Story: "Wacky Weather" by Laurie Lijewski
          This weather journal takes the form of a children's story. It chronicles the weather adventures of a 3rd-grade tomboy nick-named "Tommy." The story itself is fictional; however, the author makes use of the actual weather that occured in Kalamazoo, Michigan between the dates of November 4, 2005 and November 19, 2005.




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