Snowflake

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/snowflake

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 nucleation particle?Aerosol particles like dust, salt, or biological matter
2. What is the primary growth mechanism?Vapor deposition of water molecules onto an ice lattice
3. Why do snowflakes look white even though they are made of clear ice?The many tiny ice crystals in snow scatter sunlight in many directions. This scattering makes the snow look white to our eyes.
4. How does the temperature affect the shape of a snowflake?When the air is very cold (below -20 °C) snowflakes grow into plates or columns. At a slightly warmer cold (around -15 °C) they grow branches called dendrites.

Nucleation: The initial process of forming a solid phase from a vapor or liquid.
Vapor Deposition: The process where water vapor directly turns into ice on a surface.
Morphology: The study of the form and structure of organisms or other natural objects.
Supersaturation: A condition where the air holds more water vapor than it normally can at a given temperature.