GO ICE Educational Guide : simplebooklet.com

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS...Harbin, China? You can nd it here on the computer: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbookFor free maps, go to www.cia.gov and look in the middle for World Factbook. There’s lots of other information in the book — and the best thing is, it’s all free for you to use.Use the map of China below to answer the following questions about Harbin: 1. Harbin is located in the (northeastern or southeastern) corner of China? 2. What country is to the north of China? 3. If you leave Harbin and travel south, in what city will you arrive? 4. What is the capital of China?LIVING IN HARBIN, CHINAHi, my name is Xiao Mei Li and I live in Harbin, China. I want to tell you about this wonderful place that I call home. Our winters are long and cold and our summers are short and cool. For fun in Harbin, we snow ski, swim, and create beautiful snow and ice carvings. My most favorite holiday celebration is the Chinese New Year. The language we speak is called Mandarin. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS USING THE CHART ABOVE: 1. What is the warmest month in Harbin?2. What is the coldest month in Harbin?3. What is the dierence in high and low temperatures for September?4. In which months are they most likely to have snow? (Hint - the temperature must be 32 degrees or lower.)5. Look at the average temperature for November. What type of clothing would you wear in the month of November?CHECK OUT THESE TEMPERATURES IN HARBIN, CHINA! Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Average 3 4 23 43 57 68 73 70 58 42 22 4 Average High 8 16 34 55 70 79 82 79 69 53 32 14 Average Low -13 -7 12 32 45 57 65 61 48 33 13 -5

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SNOWFLAKE SHAPES:Did you know that snowakes are crystals with six sides and that no two are exactly alike? Snowakes are also symmetrical which means if you fold them in the middle, both sides would be exactly alike. Snowakes start as ice crystals that are the size of a speck of dust. When the crystals fall they join up with other crystals to form a snowake. The size of the snowake depends on how many crystals hook together. Snowakes usually have six sides. Here are the dierent kinds of snowake shapes.SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION:HOW TO MAKE YOUR VERY OWN SNOW GAUGE:Take an old clear plastic soda pop bottle and cut o the top half. Mark the outside in centimeters or inches with a permanent laundry marker and place it outside in a place where it can collect the falling snow. Record the level of snow on the container. Let the snow melt.Measure how much melted snow it takes to make water. How much water is there? Are you surprised at the dierence?HOW YOU CAN BE A SCULPTOR!Ice carving has become a favorite pastime in Harbin, China. Many years ago, it would get so cold in the winter, the factories would have to close. The workers would keep themselves busy by using their skills to carve sculptures out of ice. The tradition continues today. Without getting cold, you can become an ice artist too. Here are some simple steps:ACTIVITY:1. Cover your work surface with a piece of newspaper or placemat. 2. Cut your scrap paper a little larger than the bar of soap. 3. Sketch a picture on the paper. 4. Lay your picture over the bar of soap. With the ballpoint pen, press the outline of your drawing into the soap. This will poke small holes in through the paper and into the soap. 5. Remove the paper and use the pencil to connect the dots of your drawing. 6. Use the plastic knife to scrape away the soap to create your drawing. 7. Remember to clean up the soap shavings in your newspaper or placemat.SUPPLIES:Cover Sheet (Newspaper or Placemat)Ivory SoapScrap Paper or Tracing PaperPlasc KnifePencil and Ballpoint PenMORE ACTIVITY LESSON PLANS:The Handprint Snowman: activityvillage.co.uk/handprint-snowmanHow To Make A Paper Snowake: highhopes.com/snowakes.htmlThe Teachers’ Corner features snow-themed printables and lesson plans: theteacherscorner.net/seasonal/winterIrregular ColumnHexagonal PlateStellar PlateA NeddleHexagonal PlateSpatial Dendrites Capped Columns

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OTHER GOOD BOOKS TO READ:Kipper’s Snowy Day by Mick Inkpen “This satisfying story takes a young dog on a universal winter adventure. The precise, energetic language uses descriptive similes that will augment readers’ appreciation of the wintry events. The large typeface is matched with clear, simple watercolor illustrations that are expressive and appealing. Perfect for group sharing, this title is sure to become a wintertime favorite.” Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI ©1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.The Biggest, Best Snowman by Margery CuylerMargery Cuyler’s story of a snowman is really a story about big and little and how a little girl finds a place in just the right scale for her. The Magic School Bus Kicks Up a Storm by Joanna Cole and Bruce DegenMs. Frizzle turns a hot and muggy summer day into a weather adventure in this book based on the award-winning television series.Owl Moon by Jane Yolen A young girl and her father take a nighttime stroll near the farm where they live to look for owls.In this Caldecott Award winning book, sparkling with atmosphere, a small boy named Peter experiences the joy of a snowy day. First published in 1962, this classic is beloved by children, by their parents, and by their grandparents. The vivid and ageless illustrations, along with the classic text, have earned this book a place in the pantheon of the greatest children’s literature ever produced in this country.After reading Ezra Jack Keats, The Snowy Day, think about a time when you were outside on a snowy day. Can you remember what you saw, heard, touched, tasted and felt? Use adjectives to complete a descriptive paragraph about your snowy day. TEACHER LESSON PLANS ONLINE AT: • Introduce a Snowy Day Center www.Scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/teaching-content/snowy-day-extension-activities/• The Snowy Day Discussion Guide by Scholastic Books www.Scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/snowy-day-discussion-guideTHE SNOWY DAY by Ezra Jack Keats

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Bar graphs illustrate data or information for comparison. Your local newspaper will contain all kinds of information about the weather. Make a bar graph of the high and low temperatures that are predicted for the ve-day forecast. Plot each day in the forecast in the chart below. Color the bars for the low temperatures with one color and the high temperatures another color. How much dierence is there in the high and low for the day? For the week? Just for fun, create a line graph and plot the same information in the line format. Remember the high and low temperature may overlap.Look at the weather map to the right. What do you notice about the weather in other regions? What do you notice about the weather patterns?USE THE NEWSPAPER:RESEARCH ON YOUR OWN:Take a closer look at weather patterns around the world. Where does the most snow fall? How many feet of snow (that’s right, feet not inches) have created these records? Here’s one fact to get you started. The world record for the most snow in one year is now held by Mount Baker (elevation: 10,775 feet/3,285 meters) in Washington State, U.S.A. The Mount Baker Ski Area reported 95 feet (1,140 inches)/2,896 cm (29 meters) of snowfall for the 1998-99 season.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) maintains the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) which is dedicated to providing timely access to global environmental data from satellites and other sources to promote, protect, and enhance the Nation’s economy, security, environment, and quality of life. This is a good place to begin your research. Go to www.ncdc.noaa.gov to nd data about snowfall and other weather data.LEARN MORE ABOUT IT!Meteorologists are scientists who study the atmosphere. They examine its eects on the environment, predict the weather, or investigate climate trends. Invite a local meteorologist in to visit your classroom and discuss the weather, his/her job, and the role of science and mathematics in preparing for work. You may nd a meteorologist at your local network aliate. Some resources: Weather Wiz Kids website: www.weatherwizkids.com Learn how to prepare for a career in meteorology at College Board: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/majors-careersWeather Complaints: This lesson asks students to consider the weather and climate in their home region and to think about the ways in which people complain about the weather. Students will refer to a climate map to predict what the climate might be like in specied United States cities. They will then nd out those cities’ average temperatures and precipitation by using a weather Web site. As a nal project, students will write statements that people in these cities might make to describe their weather and climate. www.weatherwizkids.comWeather Detectives: Questioning the Fact and Folklore of Weather Sayings: Before there were weather tools, people looked to the sky, plants, and animals for hints about what the weather would do. To remember these indicators, people coined weather sayings. But are these sayings true and reliable? This lesson explores the truth and reliability of weather-related sayings, such as, “Mare’s tails and mackerel scales make tall ships take in their sails.” Students brainstorm weather sayings then investigate the accuracy and origins of the sayings in predicting the weather, using print and online resources in their research. Next, students write about and illustrate their weather sayings then share their results with their classmates. Finally, students discuss skepticism and when it may be a good response to information that is presented to them as factwww.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/weather-detectives-questioning-fact-775.htmlThe Arctic & Antarctic Circles: The North and South Poles have lured explorers for over a century. While both of these regions are mysterious, fascinating, and of course cold, they have a number of important dierences. The Arctic, where the North Pole is an ocean surrounded by landmasses. Here, you might nd animal life such as polar bears, reindeer, and foxes. While many people think snow when they hear “Arctic,” in fact much of the Arctic is tundra (treeless plains characterized by low shrubs; black, mucky soil; and, deeper down, permanently frozen soil) and boreal forest (woodlands made up mostly of evergreen trees and shrubs that bear cones, such as pine cones). A wide variety of plant life can survive in the Arctic, including mosses, lichens, and hundreds of owering plants. By contrast, the Antarctic, where the South Pole is found, is a continent surrounded by oceans. While the Arctic is cold, the Antarctic is even colder—only two percent of it is not covered by ice. Temperatures there have been recorded as low as -128.6º F, (-89.22º C)! It is so cold that there are only two species of owering plants that can survive. But many animals live here, such as penguins and many species of seals and whales, including the orca, or killer whale. So are you up for the challenge? Get your gear packed and your (warm) parka zipped. Be sure to take lots of pictures and keep your notes in a journal. You have some pretty big snowshoes to ll, since explorers like Ernest Shackleton and Robert Peary have ventured before you. Perhaps they missed something. What will you discover? www.nationalgeographic.orgDegrees Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday10080604020Content and activities in this teacher guide were developed in collaboration with the National Children’s Museum.

GO ICE Educational Guide

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