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Images of the Past: Wind Speed Study - For a Lifetime During this activity your students will participate in a hands-on qualitative wind speed study. The students will use common household items to complete the study. Your student will develop observation skills that they will take with them forever. They will also learn about two 1930s balloon flights launched near Rapid City that provided invaluable scientific data about the nature of the Earth's atmosphere at the edge of space, also setting an altitude record that would stand for 21 years.

Additional Video Take a look at how the Dust Bowl of the 1930's affected South Dakota and more.

Guided Notes  (PDF)

Guided Notes - Answers  (PDF)

Activity Idea: Have your class study the rainfall in your community. There are a couple of different ways you can do this. The first thing to do is to get an accurate rain gauge. If you live in a community with a television station, you could get your results from their weather department. Check the amount of precipitation your community receives every day. Chart the results. You can compare the results from month-to-month, week-to-week, etc. This is a good way to study averages, also.

Standards:

Fourth Grade History Standards

2. explain the impact of people and geographic location on the growth and expansion of South Dakota, emphasizing Mandan, Arikara, Sioux, and other historic tribes; explorers (Lewis and Clark and the Veredrye brothers) and traders (Pierre Chorteau and Manuel Lisa); railroad expansion and town building; homesteaders and gold miners; and rainfall, prairie, Great Plains, Black Hills, and the Missouri River system.

4. Analyze issues of concern in South Dakota, including water issues; farming and ranching issues; Indian and Non-Indian relationships; and urban/rural population changes.

Fourth Grade Economic Standards

3. summarize the factors that affect economic systems, including family finance, drought, and tourism.

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