Weather Forecasting

Weather Forecasting Webquest
Introduction	Task	Procedures	Resources	Evaluation

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Introduction

WIS TV is hiring new weather forecasters for their evening news show. Your group is going to prepare an audition tape to send to WIS as part of the job application process.

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Task

To complete this project your group will plan and write a script for the weather report of an evening news show. Your team will need to research important weather information for your assigned city. The script needs to include an introduction, a review of current weather conditions, a forecast for the rest of the week and any additional information your group would like to include. Your group must also create a poster that can be used as the backdrop for your broadcast. Create a poster that shows your assigned city during a day of typical weather for that area. Use your Weather Forecasting Project Information Sheet to plan your work.

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Procedures

Your introduction needs to grab the viewers attention. You may want to use a jingle, a joke, weather folklore or some weather trivia. You also need to report on the current weather conditions. The rest of your forecast needs to include current weather condition in the country and in your city. You need to report on the current temperature, the predicted highs and lows and the chance of precipitation. The forecast of the rest of the week needs to include daily highs and lows and precipitation.
You may also want to report on local activities and how the weather may affect the activity. You also need to report on how your viewers can prepare for the upcoming weather especially if severe weather is expected.

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Resources

Weather Forecasting Web Sites
* Weather Underground - http://www.weatherunderground.com
* The Weather Channel - http://www.weather.com/index.html
* intellicast.com - http://www.intellicast.com/
* National Weather Service - http://www.nws.noaa.gov/
* Severe Weather Safety Guide - http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/severewx/safety.html

Weather Folklore and Trivia
* Folk Lore Weather Forecasting - http://www.shoal.net.au/~seabreeze/weather.html
* Do-It-Yourself Weather Forecasting - http://www.k8sn.org/~grr_warn/u_do_it.html
* Weather Trivia - http://www.uen.org/utahlink/weather/triv.html
* Random Weather Trivia - http://www.dnr.state.sc.us/climate/sercc/education/wxtrivia.html
* Forecasting - http://www.wildwildweather.com/forecast.htm

City Finders
* Cities.Com - http://www.cities.com/country.asp?selectcountry=USA
* Citysearch - http://www.citysearch.com/
* Cities Online - http://www.usmayors.org/uscm/meet_mayors/cities_online/

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Evaluation

The following rubric will be used to evaluate your project

Weather Forecasting Project Student Name ___________________

CATEGORY	Excellent (4)	Good (3)	Satisfactory (2)	Needs Improvement (1)
Required Elements	The project includes all required elements.	All but 1 of the required elements are included.	All but 2 of the required elements are included.	Several required elements were missing.

Content - Accuracy	All content is accurate.	There were 1-2 errors in content.	There were 3-4 errors in content.	There were more than 4 errors in content.

Grammar	There are no grammatical mistakes in the project.	There is 1 grammatical mistake in the project.	There are 2 grammatical mistakes in the project.	There are more than 2 grammatical mistakes in the project.

Creativity	The project contains many creative details that contribute to the class’s enjoyment.	The project contains a few creative details that contribute to the class’s enjoyment.	The project contains a few creative details but they are distracting.	There is little evidence of creativity in the project.

Use of Class Time	Used time well during each class period. Focused on getting the project done. Never distracted others.	Used time well during each class period. Usually focused on getting the project done and never distracted others.	Used some of the time well during each class period. There was some focus on getting the project done but occasionally distracted others.	Did not use class time to focus on the project OR often distracted others.

Delegation of Responsibility	Each student in the group can clearly explain what information is needed by the group, what information s/he is responsible for locating, and when the information is needed.	Each student in the group can clearly explain what information s/he is responsible for locating.	Each student in the group can, with minimal prompting from peers, clearly explain what information s/he is responsible for locating.	One or more students in the group cannot clearly explain what information they are responsible for locating.

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