ROCK HAS A HUNCH. YOU HAVE THE EVIDENCE.
Weather Detective Desk
Predict. Test. Teach your rock something new.
Choose either. Switch anytime.
- 1Predict
- 2Test
- 3Explain
- 4Keep it
YOUR FIRST IDEA
Damp air looks clear. What could happen if it cools enough?
No points to lose. Pick your best idea before testing it.
The model is a practice example. It is separate from today’s live weather.
YOUR THINKING, WORTH KEEPING
My evidence postcards
Saved only in this browser on this device. No account, leaderboard or streak.
Finish a case and choose “Keep this postcard” to start your collection.
For teachers & families: turn a case into a conversation
A 10–15 minute investigation
- Let each learner make a prediction before discussing it.
- Work in pairs: one runs the test, one describes the evidence. Swap roles.
- Ask “What changed? What stayed the same? What does that tell us?”
- Close with “I first thought ___. I noticed ___. Now I think ___ because ___.”
Read aloud or invite a drawing for emerging readers. Explorer is designed around grades 2–5; younger children can explore with an adult. Deep Dive adds variable control and model critique for grades 6–8. A saved postcard records an activity, not a mastery score.
Listen for the science
- Clouds: invisible vapor and visible drops are different states of water.
- Runoff: track the water; do not claim it disappears or plants stop rain.
- Shade: compare surface heating, not an instant change to air temperature.
- Climate: one day is not enough to describe a long-term pattern.
These activities connect to elementary observation and evidence practices and middle-school model reasoning. They do not cover an entire standard or replace classroom assessment.
NGSS grade 3 weather and climateNGSS middle-school water-cycle modelingExplore another way
Optional resources for a shared discussion. They open outside Weather Rock.
Design informed by IES guidance on learning and memory and PhET inquiry guidance. These choices have not yet been evaluated with children on this site.