Thunder & Lightning
Know that thunder and lightning happen during thunderstorms: lightning is a giant spark of electricity that forms in clouds, thunder is the sound the lightning makes, and we see lightning before hearing thunder because light travels faster than sound
Teaching approaches
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1 approach
During a thunderstorm, can your child explain that lightning is electricity in the clouds, thunder is its sound, and that we see the flash before the boom because light is faster than sound?
Know that thunder and lightning happen during thunderstorms: lightning is a giant spark of electricity that forms in clouds, thunder is the sound the lightning makes, and we see lightning before hearing thunder because light travels faster than sound
Learning resources
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This concept
Check understanding
- Describe lightning as a large electrical discharge in clouds
- Explain that thunder is the sound caused by lightning
- State that we see lightning before hearing thunder because light travels faster than sound
“During a thunderstorm, can your child explain that lightning is electricity in the clouds, thunder is its sound, and that we see the flash before the boom because light is faster than sound?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Weather & Climate
- Age range
- Ages 7–9