How to Made A Wind Vane

Write About Weather

How to Make a

Wind
Vane

A Procedural Text
by Kathryn Kuhn

WVainndeHow to Make

A Procedural Text
by Kathryn Kuhn

North, south, west, and east are directions.
A wind vane shows the direction the wind
comes from. It turns when the wind blows.
The head points into the wind.

2

Wind vanes come in all shapes
and sizes. They can be big or
small, simple or fancy.

3

You can have fun making a wind vane.
Gather these materials. Then follow
each step.

poster board

sharpened pencil with an eraser

plastic straw marker scissors
4

centimeter ruler tape
straight pin clay

paper plate

5

Step 1

Draw two straight lines on the paper plate.
The lines should form a plus sign.

6

Step 2

Write the first letter for each direction word.
Write N for north, S for south, W for west,
and E for east. Put the letters on the plate
in the order you see here.

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Step 3

Make a ball of clay as big as your fist.
Put it in the center of the plate.

8

Step 4

On the poster board, draw a rectangle
that is 7 centimeters long and 4 centimeters
wide. Draw a triangle that is 5 centimeters
long. Its base should be 5 centimeters wide.

Tip:

Choose a stencil from page 16

to make a fancy wind vane!

9

Step 5

Cut the shapes out of the poster board.
The triangle will be the arrow head.
The rectangle will be the arrow tail.

10

Step 6

Tape the triangle to one end of the straw. The
point should be facing out. Tape the rectangle
to the other end of the straw.

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Step 7

Carefully push the pin through the middle
of the straw. Then push it into the eraser.
Blow on the arrow. If it does not spin,
wiggle the pin to loosen it.

Safety First!

Be careful not to poke your
finger with the pin.

12

Step 8

Stick the pencil point into the clay. Your wind
vane is complete! Take it outside on
a breezy day. Put the plate on the ground with
the N pointing north.

13

Make Weather Tools

A wind vane is one type of weather tool.
Scientists use many weather tools to collect
information. They use thermometers to
measure the temperature. They use satellites
to track storms.

A rain gauge
measures the
amount of
rain that falls.

14

These are some weather tools that you
can make. You can set up your own
weather station!

A windsock measures
wind speed and direction.

An anemometer measures wind
speed. It spins faster when the
wind blows stronger.

15

Stencils For Step Four

Choose a head and a tail for your
wind vane. Ask your teacher to
photocopy the stencils. Then go
to step four.

Heads Tails

16

Acknowledgments Author’s
Grateful acknowledgment is given to the authors, artists, photographers, museums, publishers, and Note
agents for permission to reprint copyrighted material. Every effort has been made to secure the
appropriate permission. If any omissions have been made or if corrections are required, please contact I love to be outside in the
the Publisher. fall. When the leaves start
to change colors, I take my
Photographic Credits dog, Kayley, for long walks.
Cover (bg) W. Cody/Corbis; Title (bg) Radius Images/Jupiterimages; 2-3 Kinn Deacon/Alamy Images. I love to watch leaves dance
as the wind carries them
Illustrator Credits through the air.
Stephen Durke
One day, I watched the
Neither the Publisher nor the authors shall be liable for any damage that may be caused or sustained or leaves blow this way and
result from conducting any of the activities in this publication without specifically following instructions, that. I wondered which
undertaking the activities without proper supervision, or failing to comply with the cautions contained direction the wind was
herein. blowing. So I made a wind
vane. I took it outside and
Program Authors placed it on the ground. At
Kathy Cabe Trundle, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Early Childhood Science Education, The Ohio State first, the arrow pointed west.
University, Columbus, Ohio; Randy Bell, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Science Education, University of Then the wind changed
Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia; Malcolm B. Butler, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Science Education, direction! The arrow pointed
University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida; Nell K. Duke, Ed.D., Co-Director of the Literacy southwest.
Achievement Research Center and Professor of Teacher Education and Educational Psychology,
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan; Judith Sweeney Lederman, Ph.D., Director of Teacher I had fun making and using
Education and Associate Professor of Science Education, Department of Mathematics and Science my wind vane. So I wanted
Education, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois; David W. Moore, Ph.D., Professor of Education, to teach you how to make
College of Teacher Education and Leadership, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona one, too. After you make a
wind vane, you might make
The National Geographic Society another weather tool. Which
John M. Fahey, Jr., President & Chief Executive Officer tool would you make? How
Gilbert M. Grosvenor, Chairman of the Board would you make it?

Copyright © 2011 The Hampton-Brown Company, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the National — Kathryn Kuhn
Geographic Society, publishing under the imprints National Geographic School Publishing and
Hampton-Brown.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the Publisher.

National Geographic and the Yellow Border are registered trademarks of the National Geographic
Society.

National Geographic School Publishing
Hampton-Brown
www.NGSP.com

Printed in the USA.
RR Donnelley, Johnson City, TN

ISBN 978-0-7362-5594-3

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Writing Procedural