Rain

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/rain

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the geographic drivers?Influenced by weather fronts, topography (orographic lift), and latitudinal convergence zones (ITCZ)
2. What causes rain to fall from the sky?Rain happens when warm air rises, cools, and turns the water vapor inside it into tiny droplets that stick together and fall to the ground.
3. How does a mountain make it rain on one side and dry on the other?When wind pushes moist air up a mountain, the air cools and turns into rain on the windward side. As the air comes down the other side, it warms and dries, so that side stays much drier.

Condensation Nuclei: Microscopic particles in the atmosphere that water vapor condenses upon to form cloud droplets.
Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ): A belt of low atmospheric pressure near the Earth's equator where trade winds converge, often bringing heavy rainfall.
Urban Heat Island Effect: The phenomenon where urban areas are significantly warmer than their surrounding rural areas due to human activities and infrastructure.