Rainbows

In this photo, the sky is overcast, with dense, dark gray clouds, but an opening reveals a patch of blue sky where the rainbow is visible, stretching over the building. This rainbow formed when sunlight hit a raindrop and the light was refracted, separating out the colors of the visible light spectrum.

Bondurant

Iowa Core Standard

K-ESS2-1

Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time

Driving Question

When do we see rainbows? When do we not?

Probing Questions

Why did a rainbow appear over our school?
How do you think the temperature compares before and after the storm?
Why do you think the sky is blue on one side and gray on the other?
How long do you think the rainbow lasted?

Classroom Suggestions

Students could:

Watch a video on how rainbows are formed.
Draw a model of a rainbow.
Compare temperatures when there is a rainbow vs when there isn't.

Resources

Rare Rainbow | WHO 13: A rare looking rainbow in Iowa.
PBS LearningMedia | Nature Cat | Tally Ho! A Rainbow: After a rainstorm, Daisy wants to capture a picture of a rainbow for her Granny Bunny who just loves rainbows! But finding a rainbow is easier said than done!
PBS LearningMedia | Bringing the Universe to America's Classrooms: Earth and Space Science: Making Rainbows: Explore how rainbows are produced when light passes from one material to another in this video gallery. Use this resource to help students understand how light can respond with a rainbow of colors when it interacts with water and prisms. This resource is also available in Spanish.

Contributors

Phenomena submitted by Arielle Sexton.