EllRay Jakes The Recess King! by Sally Warner; Illustrated by Brian Biggs

Author:Sally Warner; Illustrated by Brian Biggs
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2015-04-12T16:00:00+00:00

12

HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM

“Settle down, everyone,” Ms. Sanchez says after she has taken attendance and put on her science apron. It’s the sight of that apron that got us excited, because she usually plans really fun experiments for us to do. And the ones that don’t work out the exact way she planned can be even better. Messier, but better.

Which is why she wears the apron.

“Now, you may have noticed how windy it is outside,” Ms. Sanchez begins, perching on the front of her desk, as usual.

“Goo-goo, gah-gah,” Heather murmurs, swapping baby glances with Cynthia.

“Shh,” Annie Pat whispers, scowling. She and Emma want to be scientists when they grow up, and they probably think Heather and Cynthia are trying to mess with the lesson. Which they are.

“Shh, yourself,” Cynthia whispers back, shrugging to show how bored she is with Annie Pat—and with science, for that matter.

“So,” Ms. Sanchez continues, “does anyone know why it’s windy outside?”

Wow, I think, and my eyes are big with surprise. That is just what I was asking my mom!

Stanley Washington’s hand shoots up.

“Yes, Stanley?” Ms. Sanchez says.

“It’s windy because the weather-guesser on TV said it would be windy,” he says.

“I think they prefer to be called meteorologists, not weather-guessers,” Ms. Sanchez says, laughing. “And before anyone asks, the term ‘meteorology’ comes from an ancient Greek word that refers to any event taking place in the sky. That’s how meteors got their name, I suppose, since they are one thing that can happen in the sky. But what weather-related events take place in our earth’s atmosphere?”

Emma raises her hand. “Rain?” she says after Ms. Sanchez calls on her.

Emma can make things sound like questions even when they aren’t.

“That’s right,” Ms. Sanchez says. “And snow, and—”

“And UFOs,” Jared Matthews says, excited enough to interrupt.

“Like, with space aliens inside?” Heather asks, forgetting for a second to be a baby.

“Raise your hands, please,” Ms. Sanchez reminds them. “And let’s leave UFOs and space aliens for another lesson. Probably not science,” she adds, laughing again. “We’ve got our hands full today with the weather. We were talking about— ”

“The wind,” a few kids say together, finishing her sentence the way she sometimes wants us to. We can always tell when.

“Right,” Ms. Sanchez says. “And it’s windy today because the air pressure is trying to adjust itself after the rain. It likes to be nice and balanced. So the air pressure is trying to move from the high pressure system of the cold, heavy rainstorm we had last night to a lighter and and more normal low pressure system today. And that’s what is making the wind blow.”

Annie Pat raises her hand. “But you can’t really see air pressure, right?” she asks after Ms. Sanchez calls on her. “Except when the wind blows?”

“That’s right, Annie Pat,” Ms. Sanchez says, smiling at her. “But you are seeing the effects of air pressure when the wind blows, not seeing the air pressure itself. Sometimes you can feel air pressure, though. Did any of you ever get to fly in an airplane when you were a baby?”

Lots of hands shoot up into the air.

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