Presenting weather
The role of weather in culture and media
Weather plays an important role in our lives, and this is reflected in the arts and other sources we engage with. Stories, songs, paintings and poetry often feature weather as a recurring theme. They tell of storms wrecking ships and stranding people on desert islands; surviving floods, cyclones and droughts; and weathering stormy nights and windy days, as in the song Storm Wind (Harrhy and Taylor, Songs for Young Australians, 1941).
Weather is also deeply woven into the media, appearing regularly in forecasts and news bulletins.
Edith Harrhy and Bronnie Taylor, Songs for young Australians [music] / words by Bronnie Taylor ; music by Edith Harrhy, 1941, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-175231656
Learning activities
Activity 1: Discuss natural phenomena
As a class, discuss which natural weather phenomena described on pages 24 to 27 of Australia's Wild Weird Wonderful Weather students have experienced. Examples include:
- sheet or fork lightning
- rainbows or moonbows
- colourful sunrises or sunsets
Activity 2: Artistic response to the sky
Ask students to choose one of the weather phenomena and create an artwork that:
- captures the colours and effects of the event
- expresses their emotional response to it
Display the artworks in the classroom and have a class discussion about how each piece makes them feel.
Activity 3: Present a weather report
Alternatively, students can create and present a weather report in a written, spoken or visual format.
Encourage creativity in format and presentation.
More to explore
Kathy Weeden reading her book Phonobet, illustrated by Kim Drane and published by NLA Publishing, at Enlighten at the Library 2024
People in the gallery looking at Grit & Gold exhibition items