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VIEW FROM THE GROUND 

It is useful for students to be able to make the connection between what they see in the satellite images looking down and what they see from the ground looking up. To do this, they need to get into the habit of observing the sky. The best way is to go outside, or look out the windows, a few times a day to look at the clouds. Again, the initial task is not to name the clouds, but rather to look at their shapes and patterns, and to understand what weather they're associated with.

[[Image]]
Cumulo-Nimbus clouds

Small puffy clouds (cumulus) generally means the rain is likely. Rapidly billowing thunderstorm clouds (towering cumulo-nimbus) generally mean a burst of heavy rain, thunder and lightning. Wispy clouds high in the sky (cirrus) generally mean clouds and rain in a day or two.

Students should download satellite images that cover their region at the same time as they look up at the clouds, so they will learn to recognize what their weather looks like from below and from above.

[[Image]] Cirrus clouds
Teachers' Guide                            Page 815