Outline of "Looking at the Clouds to Know the Weather"

17 Look at the clouds to know the weather

Text discussion

1. Overall grasp

This is a popular science article. The author uses vivid and vivid language to introduce the relationship between clouds and weather from two aspects: the relationship between clouds of different shapes and weather; the relationship between clouds with different brilliance and weather.

The article first talks about the relationship between different forms of clouds and weather. The first paragraph is an overview, and the language is very distinctive. Let me start by saying: "The clouds in the sky are really diverse and ever-changing." Next, the author uses metaphors and parallelism to describe the clouds' various postures very vividly, which can stimulate the readers' imagination. To learn this piece of language, teachers should let students read it familiarly, appreciate the beauty of the language, imagine the wonderful changes in the blue sky and white clouds, and even let students imitate writing.

The next four paragraphs introduce the relationship between cloud forms and weather in detail. The second paragraph is the "outline" of the next three paragraphs: thin clouds are often a symbol of sunny weather; low and thick clouds are often a harbinger of rain, wind and snow. (The teacher reminds students to think: Why are "often" and "often" used as limiting words here? Is it okay if we don't use them?) The next three paragraphs are developed according to this "outline". This is the idea of ????the article. Teachers should guide students to clarify this idea. Only when you have clarified your thoughts can you read the article without being blind.

There are also ideas when it comes to specific paragraphs of text. The third paragraph corresponds to the "thin clouds" and "sunny" in the second paragraph. How many types of thin clouds are there? What are the characteristics of thin clouds? Thin clouds are divided into "Cirrus clouds", "Cirrocumulus clouds", "Cumulus clouds" and "Altocumulus clouds". They each have their own characteristics and are completely different. Teachers should guide students to find out their respective characteristics and major similarities. This paragraph is divided into four levels and is very clear. Teachers can let students write it themselves. The author's clear thinking is expressed through classification. Divide Bo Yun into four types and introduce them one by one in an orderly manner, which is worthy of students' learning and reference.

The fourth and fifth paragraphs correspond to the "thickness" and "rainy, windy and snowy" in the second paragraph, and the writing ideas are the same as the above paragraphs. Starting from paragraph 6, the article turns to another layer of meaning, namely "the relationship between the brilliance of clouds and the weather." It should be said that "the brilliance of clouds" is covered by "the clouds in the sky are really diverse and ever-changing" in paragraph 1. The difference is that paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 are based on the relationship between the shape of clouds and the weather. From the perspective of explaining it, paragraph 6 switches to explaining it from the perspective of the relationship between the brilliance of clouds and the weather. Teachers should guide students to see the changes in explanation angles and summarize writing experience: be good at explaining things from different angles. According to the different brilliance of clouds, the author divides clouds into four types: halo, bloom, rainbow and cloud. The author also introduces the differences between them, which is a comparative explanation. The author also quoted proverbs to show that this has been tested by the people's practice and is a summary of life experience. The level of this section is also very clear. This can inspire students to summarize the characteristics of clear writing levels in this article.

The writing characteristics of this article: 1. The level is clear, organized and purposeful; 2. The characteristics of clouds can be grasped to explain; 3. The language is vivid, using metaphors, personification, parallelism and other rhetorical techniques to describe The clouds are written vividly; 4. Use the classification method to explain.

2. Problem Research

1. This is a popular science article. Should the teaching focus be on the study of weather knowledge? Or should it be on the study of explanatory texts? Or What about both? If you focus on the study of weather knowledge, it can easily become a geography class. You should focus on learning the reading rules of articles and grasp the characteristics of this type of articles. The study of weather knowledge can be carried out appropriately, and it is impossible not to learn at all. But the learning of weather knowledge should be integrated into reading training.

2. It is difficult to understand the names of clouds. You can deepen your understanding by combining the colorful inserts at the front of the textbook. For example, in the picture of "Cirrus Clouds", the cirrus clouds appear rolled up and have a small hook. In addition, the angle of viewing the clouds in the article is from the ground looking up, not from the plane looking down.

Exercise instructions

1. Read the text silently and complete the following two questions.

1. The most basic experience of knowing the weather by looking at clouds is (using the original words in the text): ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Design a table to list the types of clouds and their brilliance , characteristics and the weather conditions they predict respectively.

Reference answers:

1. This question tests students’ ability to grasp the central sentence. The central sentence is "Thin clouds in the sky are often a symbol of sunny weather, and those low and thick clouds are often a harbinger of rain, wind and snow." The idea for solving the problem is: This article mainly introduces the relationship between clouds and weather, paragraph 1 First, use vivid language to describe the various shapes of clouds. The last sentence summarizes and points out the center. The following text is a detailed explanation of it.

2. There are many types of clouds, and it is difficult for students to master them. By designing tables, students can help students master the types of clouds and understand the text more clearly.

The idea to answer this question is to first divide clouds into two categories: clouds can be divided into sunny clouds and rainy and snowy clouds according to their shape; and then divided into four types according to their brilliance. The list is as follows:

A brief list of clear-day clouds

The changes in the shape, height and thickness of clouds and weather signs

Cirrus clouds are like feathers and silk yarn, and they are like silk threads. The highest and thinnest ones floating symbolize sunny weather

Cirrocumulus clouds are like ripples on the water surface, they are groups of cirrus clouds that are very tall and thin without rain or snow

Cumulus clouds are like cotton balls. Appears in the morning and dissipates in the evening, about 2000 meters thin and sunny.

Altocumulus clouds are like white sheep on the grassland, flat and spherical, neatly arranged. About 2000 meters thin and sunny.

Rain, snow and hail Brief table of cloud changes

Cloud name

Change process

Shape

Location

Weather signs

Cirrostratus clouds

Cirrus clouds gather and move forward like a white silk curtain covering the sky high

Sunny turns to overcast

Altostratus clouds

Cirrus clouds are getting thicker and thicker, like frosted glass blocking the sun

It will rain and snow

Nimbostratus clouds

Altostratus clouds are getting thicker Thick dark gray clouds cover the sky and the sky is lower

Continuous rain and snow

Cumulonimbus clouds

Cumulonimbus clouds quickly form tall clouds and mountains and the sky is dark and low

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Thunderstorm and hail

A brief list of cloud brilliance

Light name

Occurrence and distribution

Color

Weather Signs

Halo

Produced on cirrostratus clouds, distributed in infrared purple around the sun and moon

Halo rain in the middle of the night, moon Midday wind

Hua

Produced in ultraviolet red at the edge of altocumulus clouds

Hua rings change from small to large, then sunny; from large to small, then cloudy and rainy

Rainbow

After the rain, the sky clears, a colorful arc on the cloud curtain opposite the sun

The east rainbow booms and the west rainbow rains

Xia

In the morning and evening, the sun shines on the opposite clouds and the clouds turn red

If the morning glow does not go out, the sunset glow travels thousands of miles

2. Some things are difficult to describe. With an analogy, it is easy to explain clearly, and it is lively and interesting. Make sentences based on the examples below.

Example: The clouds in the sky... are like mountains, like rivers, like lions, like galloping horses...

Sentences:

1. Night falls , the surrounding mountains,...

2. The neon lights in the distance are on,...

This question is designed to test students' mastery of metaphorical sentences (in form it should be Parallel sentences).

Reference answers:

1. At night, the surrounding mountains look like humps, gates, reclining Buddhas, long snakes,...

2. The neon lights in the distance are on, like eyes, like shooting stars, like colored silk, like rainbows,...

The answer to this question mainly relies on imagination and association. Starting from the shape, consider both static and dynamic aspects.

3. Choose one of the following two questions to carry out the activity.

1. Within a few dozen days from now, take time every day to practice reading the clouds to identify the weather, judge the weather conditions of the day or the next day, and take turns to issue weather forecasts to see who can predict accurately.

2. There are many proverbs about the weather spread among the people. Please collect some outside class (you can check the information or ask experienced elders for advice) and classify them.

This question tests students’ practical ability. The answer is omitted.

Teaching suggestions

1. Review and consolidate the rhetorical technique of metaphor, and accumulate metaphorical sentences in the text.

2. It is recommended that teachers use multimedia means to let students watch pictures of clouds and enhance their perceptual understanding.

3. Teachers should not talk too much, and should mainly rely on students’ reading, discussion and teacher’s Q&A.

4. Combine "relevant information" to teach students some proverbs about the weather and apply them in life.

Relevant information

1. Some proverbs about knowing the weather by looking at clouds

For thousands of years, the working people of our country have used the shape and origin of clouds in production practice. Changes in direction, moving speed, thickness, color, etc. summarize the rich experience of "looking at the clouds to know the weather" and weaving these experiences into proverbs. We have put together these proverbs about "looking at the clouds to know the weather" here. Friends who are interested may wish to pay attention and make some observations and comparisons.

“There are clouds in the sky and rain on the ground”: Meteorologically, cirrus clouds are called cirrus clouds. They generally appear in front of warm fronts and low pressures. The appearance of cirrus clouds indicates that fronts or low pressure are coming. , is the harbinger of rain. However, when clouds appear after rain or in winter, there will be continuous sunny days or frosts. Therefore, there are also proverbs like "clouds dissipate and sunny days lead to drought" and "clouds in winter cause dust in the sun".

“Fort clouds, drenched with rain”: Fort clouds refer to fort-shaped altocumulus clouds or fort-shaped stratocumulus clouds. They often appear in front of low-pressure troughs, indicating that the air is unstable. Thunderstorms usually occur every 8 to 10 hours. .

"Clouds crossing clouds, rain showers": Clouds crossing clouds means that the upper and lower clouds move in different directions, that is to say, the wind direction at the height of the clouds is inconsistent. It often occurs near fronts or low pressure, so it indicates rain. Sometimes the direction of the clouds is opposite to that of the wind on the ground, and there is a saying that "when clouds move against the wind, the sky will change."

"River pig crosses the river, heavy rain pours": Jiangzhu refers to the broken rain clouds under nimbus clouds. The appearance of such clouds indicates that there is sufficient water vapor in nimbus clouds and heavy rain is coming. Sometimes broken rain clouds are blown by strong winds to cloudless places, and at night you can see clouds like river pigs floating across the "Milky Way", which is also a precursor to rain.

"Cotton cloud, rain is coming": Cotton cloud refers to flocculent altocumulus clouds. The appearance of this kind of cloud indicates that the middle atmosphere is very unstable. If there is sufficient water vapor in the air and there is upward movement, cumulonimbus clouds will form. , there will be a thunderstorm coming.

“The gray cloth hangs in the sky, and the rain will continue.”: Gray cloth clouds refer to nimbostratus clouds. Most of them are formed by the lowering and thickening of altostratus clouds. They are very large and thick, and there is sufficient water vapor in the clouds. They are often Produces continuous rainfall.

"When clouds go to the east, cars and horses can pass; when clouds go to the south, the water swells; when clouds go to the west, it is covered with raincoats; when clouds go to the north, it is good for wheat to dry": predict cloudiness and sunshine based on the direction of cloud movement. Clouds moving east and north indicate fine weather; clouds moving west and south indicate rain is coming. The direction of cloud movement generally indicates the wind direction at its height. This proverb describes the distribution of clouds in different parts of the low pressure. It is suitable for low and fast-moving clouds that are dense throughout the sky.

"Dark clouds catch the setting sun, and if it does not set today, it will set tomorrow": refers to when the sun sets, a dark cloud like a city wall rises under the western horizon to catch the sun, indicating that the dark clouds are moving eastward and the rainy weather is moving to the west. , it's going to rain. Generally speaking, if there are medium clouds, it will rain that night; if there are high clouds, it will rain the next day. However, if the dark clouds in the west appear in strips or disconnected, or the local area is originally cloudy, it is not a sign of rain in the future.

“The northwest sky is unlocked, and the Ming Dynasty will be bright and sunny”: It refers to the clouds in the northwest split open on rainy days, revealing a piece of blue sky, which is called “the sky is unlocked”. This shows that the local area is already at the rear of the rainy weather system. As the rainy system moves eastward, the local rain will stop and the weather will improve.

“The sun appears once and does not see you for three days”: refers to spring and summer, at noon on a rainy day, the clouds break up and the sun shows its face, but the clouds quickly gather and thicken again, which indicates that the local Under the influence of the quasi-stationary front, the airflow near the quasi-stationary front rises and falls strongly and changeably. When the updraft strengthens, the clouds thicken and the rainfall increases; when the updraft weakens, the clouds thin and the rainfall decreases or stops; around noon, when the sun shines strongly, the upper part of the cloud layer is heated and evaporates, or the updraft below the cloud layer weakens and the zenith The clouds will split. As the sun's irradiation weakens, or the updrafts below the clouds strengthen, the clouds that have broken apart gather back together and become thicker. Therefore, "the sun appears once and for all" often indicates continued rain. This proverb is similar to the proverbs such as "The sun laughs and rains down the temple" and "When it shines, it falls down a foot".

“There are carp spots in the sky, and you don’t need to turn over the grains to dry them tomorrow” (tile clouds, the sun is so scary): Carp spots refer to light-transmitting altocumulus clouds. The air masses that produce such clouds are stable in nature. At night, when you encounter them, The downdraft will cause the clouds to dissipate quickly, and the weather will be fine the next day. However, if the clouds look like tiny fish scales, they are cirrocumulus clouds. These clouds mostly occur in front of low-pressure troughs or outside typhoons. It will be windy or rainy in the near future, so there is also a "fish-scale sky, even if it doesn't rain, it will be windy" proverb.

"When clouds go east, there is a gust of wind; when clouds go west, they are covered with raincoats": The clouds referred to here are low clouds in low-pressure areas. Low pressure moves from west to east (in fact, it often moves from southwest to northeast). If the clouds move to the west, it means that the local area is in the front of the low pressure, and the local area will rain due to the moving of the low pressure; if the clouds move to the east, it means that the low pressure has moved to the local area, and the local area is in the rear of the low pressure area, and the weather is about to clear up, and there is often a gust of wind before it clears up. .

"Which way does the cloud hook go, and where does the wind come from?": Cloud hook refers to the tail of cirrus clouds, which appears at high altitudes. Sometimes there are small hooks on the upper end, and some are arranged in rows. The small hook at the upper end points to the direction of high-altitude wind, and high-altitude wind is often connected to the ground, so the direction of the wind can be roughly measured based on the direction of the cloud hook.

"Dark clouds cover the sky in the morning, and the wind comes even if there is no rain": It means that there are dark clouds covering the sun in the southeast direction in the morning, which indicates rain. Because the warm and humid southeast wind blows in the morning, the temperature is higher than the local air, causing it to be cold at the top and hot at the bottom. Water vapor easily rises into clouds. In addition, the ground is heated during the day and the air convection rises, which further causes the clouds to rise and the water vapor turns into water droplets when cooled. , which may cause the weather to change from wind to rain.

“The yellow clouds are turning up and down, and ice eggs are about to be laid”: Yellow clouds are mostly caused by the strong rise of warm and humid air. When this happens, showers and hail are likely to fall.

"Mountains wearing hats, heavy rain is coming": Mountains wearing hats means that the air pressure is low, and there is a lot of water vapor in the air forming clouds on the top of the mountain. As for whether it will rain, it generally depends on the situation. If the clouds gradually lower and thicken, the possibility of rain is high. On the contrary, if the clouds gradually lift and thin, the possibility of rain is small.

“The clouds eat the fog, and the fog eats the clear clouds”: When you see clouds coming after the fog, it may be that low pressure is coming, which is a sign of rain. On the contrary, if the clouds disappear and the fog rises, it means that the low pressure has passed and sunny weather is coming.

"Sunset feet, rain falls within three days": refers to the sun shining down from the gaps in the clouds, called "sunshot feet". The appearance of sunray feet in the evening indicates strong convection and indicates rain.

"Morning glow does not go out, but sunset glow travels thousands of miles": There are no clouds in the east in the morning, and there are clouds in the west. The sunlight shines on the clouds and scatters colorful clouds, indicating that there is abundant water vapor in the air or there is a cloudy and rainy system moving in, and during the day The air is generally unstable and the weather will turn cloudy and rainy; if the sunset glows in the evening, it indicates that the sky in the west has cleared up. In addition, convection generally weakens at night, and the clouds in the east that form colorful clouds will move further east or tend to dissipate, indicating that the sky will be clear. .

“It will be clear for a long time, foggy and cloudy, and it will be cloudy and foggy for a long time”: refers to the appearance of fog after a long period of clear weather, indicating that warm and humid air has moved in, and the air is moist, which is a sign of cloudy and rainy weather; after a long period of cloudy weather, fog appears. The appearance of fog indicates that the clouds in the sky have thinned, cracked and dissipated, and the ground temperature has dropped, causing water vapor to condense into radiation fog. After sunrise, the fog will disappear and sunny days will appear.

In the morning of the warm season, if fortress-shaped clouds appear on the horizon, it means that the moist air layer at this height is already very unstable. By noon, once low-level convection develops, the unstable layers above and below combine, Strong convective motion will occur, forming cumulonimbus clouds and causing thunderstorms. Hence the proverb, "The pagoda is clouded in the morning, and the rain pours in the afternoon."

In addition, clouds with weather signs often have a certain degree of continuity, seasonality and locality in their evolution. When the clouds in the sky move continuously from a distance in the order of cirrus, cirrostratus, altostratus, and nimbostratus, and gradually change from less to more, from high to low, and from thin to thick, it indicates that a lot of things will happen soon. There will be rainy weather soon; on the contrary, if the clouds change from low to high, from thick to thin, and from layers to scattered clouds, there will be no rainy weather. In warm season mornings, if there are isolated clouds with flat bottoms, convex tops (pale cumulus clouds), or white fragmented clouds that move quickly (broken cumulus clouds) in the sky, it indicates that the middle and lower air layers are relatively stable and the weather is fine.

In addition, the color of clouds can also predict certain weather conditions. For example, the color of hail clouds is first white on top and black on the bottom, and then red appears in the clouds, forming a mess of white, black, and red cloud filaments. It is earthy yellow in color. Black is caused by the inability of sunlight to penetrate the cloud; white is the result of clouds scattering or reflecting sunlight indiscriminately; red and yellow are caused by certain cloud droplets in the cloud (with a diameter between one thousandth and one hundredth of a millimeter). The phenomenon of selective scattering of sunlight. Sometimes the rain clouds also appear light yellow, but the clouds are even in color and not billowing randomly. There are also many proverbs that predict hail will fall based on the color and shape of clouds. For example, there are proverbs in Inner Mongolia such as "We are not afraid of darkness in the clouds, but we are afraid of black clouds mixed with red, and we are most afraid of white worms growing under yellow clouds." In Shanxi, there is a saying such as "When yellow clouds turn, hail will fall; when clouds are disturbed, hail will swarm; when clouds fight, There are proverbs such as "Hail is going to fall", "Black clouds, yellow clouds, soil and red clouds, the clouds are tossing and turning, and there are many hailstorms that will cause serious disasters". There are also sayings such as "Dark clouds roll into balls in the afternoon, wind, rain and hail come together", "The sky is yellow and muggy, dark clouds roll in, and the Tianhe water roars to prevent ice eggs". These all indicate that when air convection is strong, clouds develop rapidly, like thick smoke. When the ground rushes straight up and the clouds roll up and down and back and forth, hail is likely to fall.

2. It’s good to travel by looking at the clouds and the sky.

Weather conditions are very important for outdoor activities, because encounters with severe weather are mostly caused by sudden changes in weather. In order to enjoy a happy outdoor life, tourists need to master certain climate knowledge while listening to the weather forecast, and learn to read the clouds to understand the weather, so that they can calmly cope with abnormal weather changes.

Here are 10 types of cloud forms. The word "ji" means that the shape of the clouds is lumpy (regardless of size), and the word "layer" means that the sky is full of gloomy clouds. Each type is given the approximate altitude of the distribution, with the higher the clouds, the better the weather. In the polar regions, the same types of clouds appear at lower altitudes in the sky.

Cirrocumulus clouds: small round cumulus clouds that look like ripples and are often called "fish-scale sky". They are usually at an altitude of 5,000 to 8,000 meters and generally indicate sunny weather.

Altocumulus clouds: Similar to cirrocumulus clouds, they indicate good weather, but they cover a wider area, the clouds are thicker, and there is darkness in the white. Usually appears after heavy rain, suspended at an altitude of 5,000 to 6,000 meters.

Cumulonimbus: It is a low-level thundercloud with dark cloud color. The tower-shaped clouds can reach a height of 6,000 meters, and the flat clouds at the top are called anvils. Cumulonimbus clouds often bring strong storms, thunder and lightning. The upper layer resembles false cirrus clouds, and the top layer resembles false rain clouds.

Cumulus clouds: easy to identify, fluffy white clouds, like balls of cotton wool, floating in the sky. If they are separated from each other, it means another beautiful sunny day, but if they grow larger and larger, with more and more front ends, it is likely to bring a sudden heavy rain. Cumulus clouds located in the blue sky over the sea usually indicate that they are not far from the land, and their height generally does not exceed 2,500 meters.

Cirrus clouds: high-level wisps of clouds formed by ice crystals, which is why they look pure white. They are often called horsetail clouds. They also usually mean clear weather and heights of 5,000 to 9,000 meters.

Cirrostratus clouds: Formed from ice particles that look like white cloud patterns, these are the only clouds that create a halo around the sun or moon. If the cirrostratus clouds expand, it means that the weather is sunny; if the cirrostratus clouds shrink, it means that it will rain; if the sky is covered with cirrus clouds, the upper part of the cirrus clouds will darken and gradually form cirrocumulus clouds, which indicates the coming of rain and snow. advent.

Altostratus clouds: Look like gray curtains when illuminated by sunlight or moonlight. If moist air approaches, the cloud disk disappears, and the cloud layer thickens and darkens until it rains, reaching a height of 2,500 to 6,000 meters.

Nimbostratus: Low-level dark clouds that hang in the sky, meaning there will be rain within 4 hours, usually lasting a few hours.

Stratocumulus: Low-lying, imbricate clouds that usually cover the entire sky. The clouds are thin and sunlight can shine through. They may bring thundershowers, but usually disappear by mid-afternoon, leaving clear, bright blue skies. The height is less than 2,500 meters.

Stratus: The lowest level of clouds, like thick fog hanging in the sky. When it first appears, it is often mistaken for mountain fog. They are not naturally rain clouds, but they can form drizzle. If it thickens during the night and covers the early morning sky, it will usually be a clear day with an altitude of no more than 2,500 meters.