Scribd
Upload
3 views4 pages

Grade 4 Sequencing A

The document explains the sequence of events that lead to lightning and thunder, emphasizing that lightning causes thunder. It describes how friction from air movement creates an electric charge in clouds, which results in lightning and the subsequent sound of thunder. The document also includes an activity for identifying the sequence of these events and a question about other sources of electrical flashes.

Uploaded by

Katherine Hidalgo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
3 views4 pages

Grade 4 Sequencing A

The document explains the sequence of events that lead to lightning and thunder, emphasizing that lightning causes thunder. It describes how friction from air movement creates an electric charge in clouds, which results in lightning and the subsequent sound of thunder. The document also includes an activity for identifying the sequence of these events and a question about other sources of electrical flashes.

Uploaded by

Katherine Hidalgo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Sequencing is putting things in order, from first to last.

Read about lightning and thunder, paying attention to the


sequence of events, from first to last.

Lightning and Thunder


Long ago, people made up myths and legends to explain
what causes lightning and thunder. Having an explanation
for something can make it less frightening. Lightning and
thunder can be very frightening especially because they
often happen just before a big rainstorm.

We now know what causes lightning and thunder. Have you


ever noticed that you often hear thunder just a few seconds
after you see lightning? This is because it is lightning that
causes thunder. If the storm is far away from you, there are a
few seconds between the lightning and the thunder. If the
storm is close to you, you hear the thunder almost at the
same time that you see the lightning.

Lightning is caused by electricity building up inside a cloud.


When a large mass of warm air and a large mass of cold air
come together high above the earth, it causes a lot of
movement in the air. The cold air moves down while the warm
air moves up, which creates something like friction. An
electric charge builds up in the clouds. The charge gets
stronger and stronger until it explodes—and the LIGHTNING
flashes.

When the lightning flashes, the air around it becomes unbelievably


hot—five times hotter than the surface of the sun!
The heated air expands into the cooler air around it, causing the
shockwave that we call thunder. Even though we usually see
lightning before we hear the thunder that it causes, the two
events happen just a fraction of a second apart. In addition, both
light and sound travel through the air in waves. However, light
waves travel faster than sound waves, so the light waves from the
explosion get to us first.

A tiny version of an event similar to lightning and thunder can


happen when you brush your feet along a carpet and then touch a
doorknob. You can sometimes hear the little sizzle of mini-
thunder, and see the flash of mini-lightning.
1. Write the numbers 1 through 6 in the boxes beside the events
to show the sequence of what happens to cause lightning and
thunder, from first to last.
1-6?
Friction created by air movement creates an electric
charge inside a cloud.

A large mass of warm air and a large mass of cold air


come together high above the earth
We hear a crash of thunder.

The cold air moving down and the warm air moving up
creates something like friction.

We see a flash of lightning.

An electric charge inside a cloud grows stronger and


stronger.

2. What is something else that can cause a flash of electricity?


Answer Key

1. 3, 1, 6, 2, 5, 4

2. Accept any reasonable response, such as, static electricity from brushing
your hair.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy