Practical Exercises in Elementary MeteorologyWard, Robert DeCourcy
Science
Practical Exercises in Elementary Meteorology
Ward, Robert DeCourcy
Meteorology
The first thing for any teacher to do who intends to establish a course in
meteorology is to secure a supply of daily weather maps. Arrangements
should be made to have them mailed regularly from the nearest
map-publishing station of the Bureau. It is important that the Saturday
morning map, which is usually not sent to schools, should be included in
the set, as the break of two days (Saturday and Sunday) in every week
seriously interferes with the value of the work that may be done on
consecutive maps. The maps should be securely fastened up in the
schoolroom or in the hall. It is advisable to keep at least two maps thus
on view all the time, in order that the scholars may be able to study the
changes from day to day by comparing the last two or three maps with one
another. As soon as they are removed from the wall, the maps should be
carefully filed away for future reference. They may be conveniently kept
in stiff brown paper folders, each month’s maps being enclosed in a
separate folder, with the name of the month and the year written on the
outside. It is a good plan to keep with the file of maps any newspaper
clippings referring to notable meteorological phenomena associated with
the conditions shown on the maps. Thus, newspaper accounts of the damage
done by a hurricane along the Atlantic Coast; of the blockades caused by a
heavy snowstorm in the Northwest; of tornadoes in the Mississippi Valley;
of hot waves and sunstrokes in our larger cities, will serve to enliven
the study of the maps, and will also help, in later references to them, to
recall interesting points that might otherwise escape the memory. It is
true that newspapers are prone to exaggerate, and that they are lamentably
inaccurate in their use of meteorological terms; but nevertheless they
may often be profitably used in such general studies as these. Besides the
complete weather map, the school will need a supply of blank weather maps,
as used by the Weather Bureau. These may usually be secured from the
nearest map-publishing station at cost price. In the case of the
preparation of illustrations for permanent class use, as suggested later,
it is advisable to employ the blank maps used as the base of the
Washington daily weather maps, and to be obtained, at cost price, on
application to the Chief of the Weather Bureau, Washington, D. C. These
are larger in size (16-1/2 by 23-3/4 inches) than the station maps, and
the paper is of a better quality. Colored illustrations with these
Washington blank maps as the base furnish an economical, simple, and
effective means of teaching elementary meteorology.
CHAPTER V.
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