Topic 22 Measuring the weather — what needs James (0)
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Question types (10)
One exemplar per question type in the test bank; approving a type approves every item written to it. The full type sheet.
Topic 22 · Measuring the weather · Type 1 · bank item PP-1 · tests EAR3-017
EasyMCQType 1 — which instrument does the named job
Hollie wants to know how warm the air is at the bus stop. Which instrument does she use?
- a) a wind vane
- b) a rain gauge
- c) a thermometer ← key
- d) a ruler
Why it is this type: A thermometer measures how warm the thing it is in is. / Hung in the air, in the shade, it measures how warm the air is. / So Hollie uses a thermometer.
Recommendation: Approve as the exemplar
Topic 22 · Measuring the weather · Type 3 · bank item PP-2 · tests EAR3-018
EasyMCQType 3 — a drawn vane at a named place: where is the wind from
drawing vane_pp_barn
Here is the wind vane on Hollie's barn. Where is the wind from?
- a) north ← key
- b) east
- c) south
- d) west
Why it is this type: The arrow points into the wind. / The point sits on the N. / So the wind is from the north.
Recommendation: Approve as the exemplar
Topic 22 · Measuring the weather · Type 5 · bank item PP-3 · tests EAR3-019
EasyMCQType 5 — a drawn gauge, empty yesterday: how much rain has fallen
drawing gauge_pp_24
The rain gauge was empty yesterday. How much rain has fallen since?
- a) 22 mm
- b) 24 mm ← key
- c) 26 mm
- d) 30 mm
Why it is this type: The number below the top is 20. / The top is two marks above the 20. / Each mark is worth 2: 22, 24. / So 24 mm of rain fell.
Recommendation: Approve as the exemplar
Topic 22 · Measuring the weather · Type 7 · bank item PP-4 · tests SR3-010
EasyMCQType 7 — a reading in words and a drawn table with headings only: which heading does it go under
drawing table_pp_headings
Hollie read 8 mm on her rain gauge. Which heading does the 8 go under?
- a) Temperature (°F)
- b) Wind from
- c) How windy
- d) Rain (mm) ← key
Why it is this type: The 8 came from the rain gauge. / The heading for the rain gauge's readings is Rain (mm), not How windy or Wind from. / So the 8 goes under Rain (mm).
Recommendation: Approve as the exemplar
Topic 22 · Measuring the weather · Type 9 · bank item PP-5 · tests SR3-011
EasyMCQType 9 — a drawn table: which day was the coldest (or warmest, or had the most rain) — read down one column and compare (revised 29 Sep 2026, was "what was the value on a named day")
drawing table_pp_camp
Look at the camp weather table. What was the temperature on Thursday?
- a) 56 °F
- b) 60 °F
- c) 64 °F
- d) 74 °F ← key
Why it is this type: Find Thursday's row. / Find the Temperature (°F) column. / The box where they meet holds 74. / So Thursday was 74 °F.
Recommendation: Approve as the exemplar
Topic 22 · Measuring the weather · Type 4 · bank item PP-6 · tests EAR3-018
MediumMCQType 4 — a named wind in words: which letter does the point sit on
A west wind blows across the farm. Which letter does the wind vane's point sit on?
- a) N
- b) E
- c) S
- d) W ← key
Why it is this type: A west wind blows from the west. / The arrow points into the wind. / So the point sits on the W.
Recommendation: Approve as the exemplar
Topic 22 · Measuring the weather · Type 8 · bank item PP-7 · tests EAR3-020 SR3-010
MediumMCQType 8 — three drawn instruments for one day (the day chip gives the wind word), the gauge emptied the evening before: which row is right
drawing three_instruments_pp
Look at the three instruments at camp on Sunday, the gauge emptied the evening before. Which row is right for Sunday?
- a) Sun · 60 · N · breezy · 4 ← key
- b) Sun · 4 · N · breezy · 60
- c) Sun · 60 · 4 · breezy · N
- d) Sun · N · 60 · breezy · 4
Why it is this type: The thermometer reads 60 °F: Temperature. / The point sits on the N: Wind from. / The day chip says breezy: How windy. / The gauge reads 4 mm: Rain. / So the row is Sun · 60 · N · breezy · 4.
Recommendation: Approve as the exemplar
Topic 22 · Measuring the weather · Type 2 · bank item PP-8 · tests EAR3-017
MediumMCQType 2 — where the thermometer goes so that it measures the air
Fitz wants his thermometer to measure how warm the air is at the campsite. Where does he put it?
- a) on the sunny roof of the car
- b) hanging from a shady tree branch ← key
- c) inside the cooler box
- d) in a bowl of soup
Why it is this type: A thermometer measures how warm the thing it is in is. / On the sunny roof, the sun heats the thermometer itself. / In the cooler or the soup, it measures the cooler's air or the soup. / Hanging in the shade, it measures the air.
Recommendation: Approve as the exemplar
Topic 22 · Measuring the weather · Type 6 · bank item PP-9 · tests EAR3-019 SR3-P01
HardtypedType 6 — a drawn gauge: type the number of millimeters
numeric entry · drawing gauge_pp_36
The rain gauge was empty yesterday. Look at it now. How much rain fell? Type the number of millimeters.
Accepted answers (typed): 36 · 36 mm · 36mm · 36 millimeters · 36 millimeter (and the -re spellings)
Why it is this type: Hard because: the number is produced, not recognised; counting the marks in 1s gives 33.
The why line (what a student reads after answering): The number below the top is 30. / The top is three marks above the 30. / Each mark is worth 2, not 1: 32, 34, 36. / So 36 mm of rain fell.
Recommendation: Approve as the exemplar
Topic 22 · Measuring the weather · Type 10 · bank item PP-10 · tests SR3-011 MOT3-026
HardtypedType 10 — a drawn table of five days: on which day did the most rain fall
text entry · drawing table_pp_beach · closed (29 Sep: the day is read off the item's own table)
Look at the beach weather table. On which day did the most rain fall? Type the day.
Accepted answers (typed): day_accept("Wednesday") — Wednesday · wednesday · Wed · wed · Wed. · on Wednesday · on wednesday (the grader folds case)
Why it is this type: Hard because: two steps — compare every value down one column, then read back along the row — and the day is typed.
The why line (what a student reads after answering): Look down the Rain (mm) column: 0, 4, 30, 16, 0. / The biggest number is 30. / Go along that row to the Day column: Wed. / So the most rain fell on Wednesday.
Recommendation: Approve as the exemplar
The lessons (7)
Each lesson in teaching order: its one-line summary, the article, the script and the quiz, then your ruling.
Topic 22 · Lesson 1
Lesson 1 The thermometer measures how warm the air is
Caleb's hand out of the window says chilly, Rowena says not; the thermometer outside, in the shade, says 64 °F. A thermometer measures how warm the thing it is in is: the air outside, the air in the classroom (70 °F), Caleb's mug of warm milk (98 °F, not the air). In the sun it reads warmer than the air (92 against 74 on one afternoon), so the weather thermometer hangs in the shade — kept, on the reviewer's view and mine. Quiz: what it measures, typed outdoor readings, the sun claim.
Topic 22 · Lesson 2
Lesson 2 The wind vane shows where the wind is from
Odin turns to face into the wind. The vane from above: N, E, S, W and an arrow with a sharp point and a wide tail. The wind blows from the north, the point swings to the N: a north wind. Then a west wind, a south wind. Why: the wind pushes the wide tail away, so the point turns to face the wind. Quiz: four drawn vanes, Corin's "toward the east" claim (no), the wind in words.
Topic 22 · Lesson 3
Lesson 3 The rain gauge measures how much rain fell
the puddles have dried; Gemma says a lot, Rudy says a little. The gauge stands in the open, emptied the evening before; in the morning, find the flat top, read the number below (0), count up in 2s: 2, 4, 6 — 6 mm fell. A wet Wednesday (14 mm), a dry Monday (0 mm). Quiz: five typed readings, Tanvir's "13 mm" (three marks counted in 1s — no), empty it after reading.
Topic 22 · Lesson 4
Lesson 4 Write it down in a table
Ivar's scraps of paper: which day had 6 mm of rain? Nobody can tell. The table: one row for each day, one column for each thing you record, a heading that names the column (and its unit, if it has one). Monday's row, Tuesday's row; the same numbers with no headings — nobody knows what the 6 is. Every number and letter is a reading an instrument showed; Ivar's "horrible day" does not go in. The How windy column (calm / breezy / windy) is the class's own word, added tonight so Topic 23 can say "windier".
Topic 22 · Lesson 4b
Lesson 4b The unit goes in the top row (NEW, 30 Sep)
Fitz copies the class table and writes "degrees Fahrenheit" and "millimeters" in every box; the same two words fifteen times. The class table writes the unit once, in the top row beside the heading; every number in that column is in that unit, so 58 under Temperature (degrees Fahrenheit) means 58 degrees Fahrenheit. Why the top row: the reader looks up once, the writer writes it once. No unit anywhere: 6 what? Quiz of nine, recognition → the read-back → why → a written answer.
Topic 22 · Lesson 5
Lesson 5 Record today's weather
Thursday's row is empty; three instruments outside. Each column has its own instrument: the thermometer (66 °F), the vane (E), the gauge (2 mm); the class writes calm for how the wind felt. Rowena wants to write 10 under Rain from the gray sky — the sky did not measure the rain. Quiz: Corin's Saturday read step by step (typed), then Sunday's and Monday's rows.
Topic 22 · Lesson 6
Lesson 6 Find a value in the table
Talia says Tuesday was colder than Wednesday; Rudy says no. Find the day's row, find the column with the right heading, the box where they meet holds the value: Wednesday, 58 °F; Tuesday, 64 °F; 64 is bigger, so Wednesday was colder and Rudy was right. The video keeps the table on screen while it is read. Quiz on Grandma's week: look-ups, which day had 12 mm, the warmest day.
Skill: write-like-james @ 8b55b65 · built 6 October 2026 by build_tools_needs_you.py