Cloud in A Jar

Student Name: Jade Mannheim Grade Level: Kindergarten

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehW_F94ifRY

Guiding and/or Essential Questions

What is a cloud? How are clouds formed? What makes up a cloud and how are clouds
different?

Standards
K-ESS2- Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns
1. over time. [Clarification Statement: Examples of qualitative observations could
include descriptions of the weather (such as sunny, cloudy, rainy, and warm);
examples of quantitative observations could include numbers of sunny, windy,
and rainy days in a month. Examples of patterns could include that it is usually
cooler in the morning than in the afternoon and the number of sunny days versus
cloudy days in different months.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment of
quantitative observations limited to whole numbers and relative measures such
as warmer/cooler.]

Learning Objectives Assessments

Students will be able to state that
clouds are made of a large collection
of very tiny droplets of water or ice
crystals. The droplets are so small
and light that they can float in the
air.
Before: The children will be asked
by the teacher what they think
clouds feel like.
During: Each student will be
assessed on their participation in
the group discussion by being
observed by the teacher
After: Students will independently
be asked by the teacher if they can
identify what clouds are made of

Students will be able to determine Before: Students will be told to

that no two clouds look the same.
look up at the clouds and state their
observations.
During: Each student will be
assessed on their participation in
the group discussion by being
observed by the teacher.
After: After group discussion the
teacher will ask students about
similarities and differences between
 clouds

5. Materials:
- Clouds in the sky (Visible from a window in classroom or availability to go
outside)
- Mason jar
- Hot water
- Aerosol can (hairspray)
- Ice cubes
- Hand mirror
- Sponge?

6 . Pre-lesson assignments and/or prior knowledge: Students should know what clouds
look like, but likely do not know anything about clouds past their appearance.

7. Lesson Beginning: With students gathered outdoors, ask students to look up at

the clouds and state some of the things they notice about them. Students should notice
that no two clouds look the same. Many may notice that some clouds resemble objects in
their environment–cars, animals, etc. Ask students to imagine themselves reaching up
high into the sky and actually touching one of those clouds. What would it feel like?
What do they think they are made of? As the students give their answers, write their ideas
down for future study on weather topics. Tell students that clouds are a lot like sponges
and you are going to show them how.

8. Instructional Plan:
A. Teacher will take the hand mirror and breathe on it. We will ask students
what they see. The students should notice that the mirror gets fog on it and
then tiny water droplets form on the mirror (if this isn’t visible, have the
children wipe the mirror and feel that it is damp). Tell students that even
though clouds look different, they are all made up of tiny droplets of water
even smaller than what they see on their mirrors. And when a cloud gets
too full of those tiny droplets that the cloud will drop rain. Ask for a
volunteer to help demonstrate this by pouring water on a sponge until it
can’t hold any more.
B. Tell the kids we are going to make a cloud in a jar. Pour about 2cm of
boiled water into the jar. Swirl the hot water in the jar so that it heats up
the sides of the jar. Turn the lid of the jar upside down and use it as a
small container to put a few cubes of ice into. Rest it on top of the jar for a
few seconds. Take it off and quickly squirt in some hairspray (or whatever
aerosol you’re using). Put the lid, with the ice resting in it, back on top of
the jar. Watch the cloud form inside the jar. When it is fully formed, take
the lid off and watch the cloud escape.
C. The air needs 3 things to create clouds: warm/moist air, quick cooling, and
CCN - small things in the air that help clouds get their shape. By pouring
hot water into a jar and trapping it, you created warm, moist air. As the
warm air inside the jar rose, it was then cooled by the ice on top of the jar.
 When the water vapour cooled (the steam from the hot water), it wanted to
turn back into liquid, but it needed to condense onto a surface. The aerosol
(hairspray) provided cloud condensation nuclei: a surface for the water
vapour to condense into tiny cloud droplets. The cloud swirled inside the
jar due to the circulation of warm air rising and cold air sinking

o Differentiation:
- For students that do not understand, we can repeat the demonstration for them
again. We could also have anyone who is confused assist us in conducting the
experiment. The hands on involvement may help the students understand any
parts that they are confused about.
- For students who are particularly confused on vocabulary we use, or the way in
which the experiment is explained, we can talk to them one on one. This may
relieve them of any particular aspects that they may be unsure of how to ask while
their peers are listening.

o Questions:
- What new information did you learn from today’s lesson?
- Do you understand the formation of clouds better?
- Do you think that you can explain this to a friend who does not understand how
clouds are formed?
- Are there any parts of the experiment that are still confusing?
- Would you like us to have shown the experiment in a different way?

o Classroom Management:
● One teacher will demonstrate the experiment at the front of the classroom that is
in full view for all the students.
● All students will gather on the rug so that they can see the experiment unfold.
● One of us will conduct the experiment while the other will either stand in the back
of the classroom, or walk around to make sure all students are attentive.
● At any point where the students are not paying attention, or acting up, we will
pause the experiment, and acknowledge that their behavior needs to calm down.
● If one or two students do not cease in bad behavior, we will pull them to the side
and have them sit in the isolation chair so that they can calm down.
● If the noise level, overall gets out of hand, we will ring a bell that our co-op uses
when she needs to redirect the class as a whole.

o Transitions:
- When we are bringing the class outside, we will instruct them to form a quiet line,
one behind the other. One of us will lead the line, while the other will trail behind
in the back.
- After observing the clouds is finished outside, we will do the same when returning
inside.
- We will gather the class on the rug, and if they are loud ring a bell before we
begin explaining the formation of clouds.
 - We will than explain our demonstration step by step, and why we are showing a
real life experiment that will hopefully help in their understanding.
- Each step will be explained slowly and in detail so that our kindergartners can
fully comprehend why we are teaching them about clouds.

9. Closure:
- To bring the lesson to a close, we will all sit on the carpet and discuss what they
noticed about the clouds outside. We will also ask them what rain clouds look like
and if they know why the clouds produce rain, ideally they will answer that it is
because clouds are made of water and are like sponges that can only hold so much
water. We will also discuss what three things the air needs in order to make a
cloud.