Skip to main content
Natural Inquirer - Homepage

Free Science Materials for K-12 Students

  • Bookmarks
  • Cart0
  • Account
  • Find Outdoors
  • USDA
  • USDA Forest Service logo.
Natural Inquirer - Homepage
  • About
    • About Natural Inquirer
    • Team
    • Partners
    • Press & Past Events
    • Contact Us
  • Resources
    • View All Resources
    • Grade Levels
      • PreK - 2nd Grade
      • Upper Elementary
      • Middle School
      • High School
      • All Grade Levels
    • Resource Types
      • Articles
      • Activities
      • Collector Cards
      • Coloring Books
      • Glossary
      • Lesson Plans
      • Scientists & Collaborators
      • Spotlights
      • Virtual Learning Adventures
      • All Types
    • Resource Topics
      • Wilderness
      • Wildlife
      • Water
      • Climate
      • Social Science
      • Fire
      • Agriculture
      • Recreation
      • Carbon
      • Insects
      • All Topics
    • Special Collections
      • Artemis Moon Trees
      • Experimental Forests & Ranges
      • Project Learning Tree Connections
      • Globe Connections
      • Smokey Bear
      • Spanish Editions
      • Woodsy Owl
      • World's Forests
      • All Special Collections
  • Order Materials
    • View All Products
    • Journals & Monographs
    • Readers
    • Collector Card Packs
    • Coloring Books
  • Educators
    • For Educators
      • Note to Educators
      • Educator Blog
      • Educator Newsletter
    • Classroom Ready Resources
      • Lesson Plans
      • Activities
      • Learning Modules
      • GLOBE Connections
      • Project Learning Tree
    • Get Involved
      • Volunteer Your Classroom
  • Virtual Learning Adventures
  • Bookmarks
  • Cart
  • Account
  • About
    • About Natural Inquirer
    • Team
    • Partners
    • Press & Past Events
    • Contact
  • Resources
        • View All Resources
        • By Grade
          • PreK - 2nd
          • Upper Elementary
          • Middle School
          • High School
        • By Type
          • Articles
          • Activities
          • Collector Cards
          • Coloring Books
          • Glossary
          • Lesson Plans
          • Learning Modules
          • Journals
          • Monographs
          • Readers
          • Scientists & Collaborators
          • Spotlights
          • Virtual Learning Adventures
          • All Types
        • By Topic
          • Agriculture
          • Carbon
          • Climate
          • Fire
          • Insects
          • Recreation
          • Social Science
          • Water
          • Wilderness
          • Wildlife
          • All Topics
        • Special Collections
          • Artemis Moon Trees
          • Experimental Forests and Ranges
          • GLOBE Connections
          • Project Learning Tree Connections
          • Smokey Bear
          • Spanish Editions
          • Woodsy Owl
          • World's Forests
          • All Special Collections
  • Order Materials
        • Download all resources - FREE!

          **Due to recent government funding changes, we currently are only able to process bulk orders.** We hope that we will be able to resolve this issue in the near future. In the meantime, please feel free to download our resources and explore the website for many great lesson plans and activities. Thank you!

          View All Products
        • Journals & Monographs

          Journals focus on a group of related articles, while monographs focus on one research article.

          Journals & Monographs
        • Collector Cards

          Learn about possible career opportunities in science!

          View All Card Packs
        • Readers

          For a PreK-2nd grade audience, each Reader focuses on one Forest Service scientist and their research.

          View All Readers
        • Coloring Books

          Learn more about science through our coloring books!

          View All Coloring Books
  • Educators
        • Overview
          • Educator Guide
        • Classroom Ready Resources
          • Learning Modules
          • Lesson Plans
          • Explore All
        • Order Materials
          • View All Free Products
          • Contact Us
        • For Educators
          • Educator Blog
          • Educator Newsletter
          • Project Learning Tree
        • Get Involved
          • Volunteer Your Classroom
  • Virtual Learning Adventures

Breadcrumb

  • Home
  • Resources
  • Excuse Me While I Flow My Snows: What Makes An Avalanche Happen? (Spanish)
Bookmark
Please login to bookmark Close

Please login to bookmark


Lost your password?

No account yet? Register

Excuse Me While I Flow My Snows: What Makes An Avalanche Happen? (Spanish)

  • Article
  • Middle School
  • 1 Classroom Period
  • Climate
  • Avalanche
  • Human Safety
  • Prediction
  • Snow
  • Weather
Black and white illustration of three skiers in a snowy mountain. One skier stands up front holding a large thermometer while looking at their watch, while the other two skiers await anxiously behind.
SHARE
  • Copy Link
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Google Classroom

Slab avalanches are the most dangerous kind of avalanche. A slab is a layer of new snow sitting on top of a layer of snow, called a weak layer. Scientists call this a weak layer because the bonds that hold the snow crystals together are weak. The scientists in this study wanted to learn how the weak layer is formed. Dr. Birkeland and his colleagues conducted this research to better understand the relationship between daytime and nighttime snow temperatures and the formation of the weak layer of snow. They also wanted to observe whether any avalanches were associated with the weak layer.

 

Excuse Me While I Flow My Snows: What Makes An Avalanche Happen? (Spanish)

Part Of

Olympic Winter Games - Spanish

Explore Full Journal
SHARE
  • Copy Link
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Google Classroom
Download PDF
  • In this FACTivity students will perform an experiment with a cardboard box, packing peanuts and thermometers. They will determine the different temperatures between outside the box, inside the box, and...

    FACTivity – Excuse Me Why I Flow My Snows (Spanish)

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • 2-3 Classroom Periods
    • Climate
    • Experiment
    • Hands-on
    • Outdoor Activity
    • Temperature
    In this FACTivity students will perform an experiment with a cardboard box, packing peanuts and thermometers. They will determine the different temperatures between outside the box, inside the box, and...
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Excuse Me While I Flow My Snows: What Makes An Avalanche Happen? (Spanish)

Download PDF

Glossary

View All Glossary
  • associated

    (ǝ sō sē ā tǝd): Related, connected, or combined together.

  • crystallize

    (kri stə līz): To cause to form crystals or assume crystalline form.

  • disastrous

    (di za strəs): Attended by or causing suffering or disaster.

  • manager

    (ma ni jür): A skilled person who directs or manages something.

  • relationship

    (ri lā shǝn ship): The state of being connected through a relation that is known or can be discovered.

  • scale

    (skāl): (1) Something graduated especially when used as a measure or rule: such as a series of marks or points at known intervals used to measure distances or a range of responses to a statement that vary from strongly agree to strongly disagree; (2) A distinctive relative size, extent, or degree.

  • water vapor pressure

    (wȯ tər vā pər pre shər): The amount of pressure put forth by the water that is in air at different temperatures.

  • Photo of Dr. Karl Birkeland in a snowbank collecting samples.

    Karl Birkeland

    I like being a scientist because I get to play detective. I search for answers to avalanche problems faced by people who work and play in the mountains. I became...
    View Profile

Jump To

  • Education Standards
  • Educator Guide
  • Education Files

Standards addressed in this Article:

Social Studies Standards

Social Studies Standards are educational guidelines outlining the essential knowledge, skills, and concepts students should learn in subjects such as history, geography, civics, and economics, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of societal structures, historical events, and global perspectives.
  • People, Places, and Environments
  • Science, Technology, and Society
  • Time, Continuity, and Change

Note To Educators

The Forest Service's Mission

The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.

USDA and Forest Service Logos

What Is the Natural Inquirer?

Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.

Natural Inquirer bee sitting at a desk with paper and pencil

  • Meet the Scientists

    Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.

  • What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?

    Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.

  • Thinking About Science

    Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.

  • Thinking About the Environment

    Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.

  • Introduction

    Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.

  • Method

    Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.

  • Findings & Discussion

    Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.

  • Reflection Section

    Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.

  • Number Crunches

    Presents an easy math problem related to the research.

  • Glossary

    Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.

  • Citation

    Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.

  • FACTivity

    Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.


Science Education Standards

You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.


We Welcome Feedback

  • Contact

    Jessica Nickelsen
    Director, Natural Inquirer program

  • Email

    Contact us here.

Education Files

Jump To

  • Related from Natural Inquirer
  • Additional Resources

Related Resources from the Natural Inquirer

  • Slab avalanches are the most dangerous kind of avalanche. A slab is a layer of new snow sitting on top of a layer of snow, called a weak layer. Scientists...

    Excuse Me While I Flow My Snows: What Makes An Avalanche Happen?

    • Article
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Climate
    • Avalanche
    • Human Safety
    • Prediction
    • Snow
    • Weather
    Slab avalanches are the most dangerous kind of avalanche. A slab is a layer of new snow sitting on top of a layer of snow, called a weak layer. Scientists...
    Explore Article Download Article (PDF)
    Explore Article Download Article (PDF)

    Part Of

    Olympic Winter Games - Vol. 2 No. 2

  • After reading “Excuse Me While I Flow My Snows,” try this word search to test what you’ve learned.

    Word Search – Excuse Me While I Flow My Snows

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Vocabulary
    • Word Game
    After reading “Excuse Me While I Flow My Snows,” try this word search to test what you’ve learned.
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF) Download Answer Key (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF) Download Answer Key (PDF)

    Part Of

    Excuse Me While I Flow My Snows: What Makes An Avalanche Happen?


Additional Resources

  • National Avalanche Center

    As part of the Forest Service, our goal is to improve backcountry and ski area safety by reducing avalanche risk on and around national forests.

    Visit Website
Back to Top
  • Natural Inquirer - Homepage
  • Find Outdoors
  • USDA
  • USDA Forest Service logo.

The Natural Inquirer program produces a variety of science education materials for PreK through grade 12. Natural Inquirer products are produced by the USDA Forest Service, FIND Outdoors, and other cooperators and partners.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
* denotes mandatory fields
Loading
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • X, formerly Twitter
  • YouTube
  • About Natural Inquirer
  • Team
  • Partners
  • Press & Past Events
  • Contact Us
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Shipping Policy
© 2025 - Natural Inquirer | Website Credit