Intro

            Everyone, especially young children, wonder about their natural surroundings. However, due to the lack of knowledge, children’s theories are more imaginative, and are usually far from the truth.
Their genuine responses are not only humorous, but show how knowledge can grow
beautifully, if seeked. Out of all the typical weather patterns a child
experiences, I believe rain would be a unique subject to explore. It is a
natural occurrence that can happen anytime of the year, and within an instant.
I wondered what responses children would create to explain rainfall. Could it
be because clouds have melted?  Do clouds
have to be involved?  The questions on
this topic not only are limitless, but are a connection to the real world. That
is why within this article, I will explore a group of three kindergarteners
perspective on why it rains.

Results

            My probe describes three students
looking up into the clouds. While observing, they start to question why it
rains. One child, Will, believes it rains because clouds have melted. Another,
Marcus, claims it rains because the water drops within the clouds become too
heavy to hold. Finally, Nona, explains rainfall is the result when water
droplets seep through the holes of a cloud (Page Keeley, 2008).

            Within my assessment, the students
must pick and explain their reasoning for choosing Will’s, Marcus’, Nona’s, or
their own answer. Even before I got together with the group, I created three
visuals of each answer. The clouds were made out of cotton balls, rain droplets
out of a pipe cleaner, and the grass out of construction paper. Before I proposed
the rainfall probe, I asked them what they thought each item represented on the
visuals. All students had identified them correctly.

            The students I chose for this
activity are in different ranges intellectually. The above average student,
Jevanhee, chose B, Marcus’ answer, which is correct. She believed that rainfall
occurs due to too much water droplets in the clouds. She came to this conclusion
because “the clouds get dark and big.” She displayed the ability to associate
her prior knowledge of what clouds looked like to create a reason why rain
happens. Jacob, who is considered to be an average student, chose Nona’s answer
because of Will’s answer. He believes that “The clouds get too heavy, so clouds
make holes.” Even though his answer is not completely correct, he described to
me, just like Jevanhee, that due to the cloud’s characteristics during
rainfall, that they looked big. Associating big with heavy is a logical reason
for his answer. Finally, Austin, who is learning disabled, chose A, Will’s
answer. He believed that rainfall happens when clouds melt because the
atmosphere looks like “a fog.” I liked his different perspective of how the
environment looked during rainfall because the other two only discussed how the
clouds looked. This just highlights that, each child can observe the same
occurrence, yet notice different aspects of the situation to draw different
conclusions.

Evidence

Please see images featuring some of the evidence that I collected above!! 

Further Conceptual
Understanding

            I was impressed by each student’s
ability to draw conclusions based on their observations. Due to the students’
age, I would assess rainfall on a more basic level. Teaching specific terms
with in the water cycle would be too advanced to comprehend. However, conducting
observations about the weather is appropriate. Observing with the senses is a
very important skill that should be taught at a young age. So, activities such
as recording data about rainfall, is an excellent way to get children involved.
For example, the teacher can ask, “What do you notice about the clouds when it
rains? Are there always clouds? Can it rain and shine at the same time?” Scaffolding
open and closed ended questions will further understanding. Observing rainfall
can also intertwine with other nature topics, such as temperature, and weather
patterns in other areas.

            Other than observing the environment,
the class can investigate rainfall. On the site, Weather WizKids, the experiment Make
It Rain provides an easy demonstration of what happens within the
atmosphere to cause rain. First, the following materials needed are:

1. 
   “Glass mayonnaise or canning jar
2. 
   Plate
3. 
   Hot water
4. 
   Ice cubes
5. 
   Index cards” (Wicker, 2012)

                Then, the teacher will put two inches of water into
the jar. A plate will cover the jar for a couple of minutes. Finally, he or she
will put ice cubes on the plate. The students will observe that droplets have formed
inside the jar. This is the perfect opportunity to explain that due to the combination
of the cold and warm air, the warm air’s “moisture” condensed, or squeezed in.
In basic terms, the teacher can explain that warm air, that is moist, rises and
meets the cold air and causes a reaction, which is rainfall (Wicker, 2012). At this
point, specific terms do not have to be memorized. However, grasping an understanding
of this process is appropriate. Not only does this experiment display a more
concrete visual of the rainfall process, but builds on the skill of cause and
effect.

                                                                     Conclusion                   

            In conclusion,
one out of three kindergarteners chose the correct answer for the Rainfall
probe. However, even when the answer was not correct, each student had a valid
observation to explain his or her reasoning. To further understand rainfall, I
chose an activity to observe rainfall. Based on these experiences, students can
use this experiment to build on his or her observation, and questioning skills.
Then, for the last demonstration, students can use their rainfall observation
experience to build more of an understanding of the rainfall process. The
students will understand that natural phenomena’s happen within a process.

References

Page Keeley, F. E. (2008). Uncovering Student Ideas
  in Science: Another 25 formative assessment probes. (p. 171). NSTA Press,
  2008.

 Wicker, C. (2012). Make it rain.
  Retrieved from http://www.weatherwizkids.com/experiments-    make-rain.htm

Completed by Jillian Luckasavage, Education 422:  Science Methods for Early Childhood and Primary.  King's College:  Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.