Weather
A Unit for First Grade
Weather Introduction to the Unit
This unit is designed to give first grade students an introduction to weather. This unit will help them understand the basic concepts of weather that are discussed on a daily basis. Students will use their science, math, geography, art, and English skills to be successful in this unit. Throughout this unit students will develop an understanding of what weather is. They will learn how to describe weather and how weather is created. They will also be engaged in fun activities that will allow them to assess weather and predict it just like the news weather stations do. Students will continue to learn about weather and how weather is measured. Students will be given the opportunity to do some hands on work where they will be measuring temperatures themselves. This activity will give them an understanding of temperature which they will be able to apply to the weather outside. Students will also gain an understanding of how weather affects our seasons and those different seasons represent different weather. This will be something they will be able to associate with. They will be able to think about the different items of clothing that they wear in the different seasons because of the weather. At the end of this unit students will be given the opportunity to take all of the knowledge that they have learned and apply it to a really great activity. The students themselves with create a news broadcast about a weather story. This activity will show them how important all the weather concepts they learned are.
Unit Goals
Students will get an introduction to weather.
Students will gain an understanding of the different terms used in weather
Students will gain understanding in how weather is created.
Students will explore the patterns in weather.
Students will gain understanding of the 4 seasons in a year and why and how they exist.
Students will become aware of how weather is measured with the use of a thermometer.
Unit Objectives
Day 1: SWBAT explain how the earth, sun, air, and water work together to create our weather.
Day 2: SWBAT solve problems by using manipulatives, counting, and patterns. The student should be able to reflect by explaining how they came to these conclusions.
Day 3: SWBAT describe the differences between the four seasons, associate seasons with the calendar months and be able to explain why the seasons occur.
Day 4: SWBAT learn to use a thermometer to measure temperature and describe and record different temperatures.
Day 5: SWBAT write an ending to weather broadcast using knowledge acquired from this unit, and successfully “perform” the weather broadcast by recording it on a video camera.
Students will get an introduction to weather.
Students will gain an understanding of the different terms used in weather
Students will gain understanding in how weather is created.
Students will explore the patterns in weather.
Students will gain understanding of the 4 seasons in a year and why and how they exist.
Students will become aware of how weather is measured with the use of a thermometer.
Unit Objectives
Day 1: SWBAT explain how the earth, sun, air, and water work together to create our weather.
Day 2: SWBAT solve problems by using manipulatives, counting, and patterns. The student should be able to reflect by explaining how they came to these conclusions.
Day 3: SWBAT describe the differences between the four seasons, associate seasons with the calendar months and be able to explain why the seasons occur.
Day 4: SWBAT learn to use a thermometer to measure temperature and describe and record different temperatures.
Day 5: SWBAT write an ending to weather broadcast using knowledge acquired from this unit, and successfully “perform” the weather broadcast by recording it on a video camera.
WEATHER EVERYWHERE
Whether the weather be fine
Or whether the weather be not,
Whether the weather be cold
Or whether the weather be hot,
We’ll weather the weather
Whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not.
Day 1
Lesson 1
What controls the weather?
MST State Standards: Standard #4: Student will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
Many of the phenomena that we observe on earth involve interactions among components of air, water, and land. Describe relationship among air, water, and land on earth.
Integrated Standards:
ELA Standard #1: Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. They will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations.
The Arts Standard #2: Knowing and using arts materials and resources; students will know about and make use of the materials available to participate in the arts.
Objective:
SWBAT explain how earth, sun, air, and water work together to create our weather.
Materials:
“The Weather Master” story
KWL chart
Oak Tag, magazines, scissors, & glue
Safety Procedures:
N/A
Procedure:
KWL chart- Student will fill out the KWL chart to see what they already know about weather.
Discuss the student answers as a class and make a list of terms.
Introduce to the students the story, “The Weather Master.” Tell them it is about the earth, water, wind, and sun.
Ask student questions about these different elements.
Do these elements have anything to do with the weather?
What are their jobs?
Which element do you think is the most important?
Read, “The Weather Master.”
After the story, discuss with the students the lesson in the story. Students should be able to explain that all elements of weather are important and they all work together to create our weather. One cannot be present without the other.
Divide students into groups. Each group representing air, earth, water, or sun.
Students will then receive magazines, oak tag, scissors, and glue and will make a collage of pictures that their element represents.
Each group will then explain their collage and the pictures they chose to represent their element. Ex: Water collage should have picture of rain, snow, floods, rivers, & umbrellas.
Key Questions:
Student should be able to answer these questions at the end of lesson…
What is weather?
Is one component of the weather more important than the other?
How are the parts of weather like a team?
What would happen if one of these parts were missing?
Adaptation for Special Needs Students:
Go over vocabulary with student before reading the story.
Possibly read the story to the child before they all listen as a class.
Follow-up assignments:
Student will illustrate their favorite part of they story and write a few sentences telling why the element that they drew was important.
Students will fill out the W column on their KWL chart to write down what else they want to know about weather.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed on their story comprehension, on the completion of their K and W part of the KWL chart, and on their collages.
Day 2
Lesson 2
Can you predict next week’s weather?
MST State Standards: Science standard #4: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
1. The earth and celestial phenomena can be described by principles of relative motion and perspective.
Student will describe patterns of daily, monthly, and seasonal changes in their environment.
Integrated Standards: NYS math 1.A.1- Determine and discuss patterns in arithmetic.
(What comes next in a repeating pattern, using numbers or objects?)
ELA Standard #1 Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
Objective:
The student should be able to solve weather problems by using manipulatives, counting, and patterns. The student should be able to reflect by explaining how they came to these conclusions.
Materials:
“Letter” from local news station
Calendar page for one month
Problem solving worksheet
Paper cut outs (umbrella, snowmen, sun, and gust of wind)
Scissors
Glue stick
Safety Procedures: N/A
Procedure:
Motivation- as a lesson starter read the “letter” from the local news station asking for help.
Tell the students you have just received the weather reports from the last two weeks. The local news has asked that they organize and interpret the data and organize it on a calendar for them so they can assess the weather patterns of the past two weeks in order to prepare for next week’s forecast.
Give each student “data sheets” and read them as a class and discuss them.
As a class use the paper cut outs to show what the weather was for the first two weeks of the month. The will cut out the appropriate type of weather and paste it on the appropriate day.
Ask the students to describe any patterns they can see in the weather.
Call on student to recall what the weather was like on a certain day in order to assess that they know how to read the calendars correctly.
Problem solving worksheet- students will answer questions based on the calendar that they have filled out.
Student will predict what the weather will be like for the next two weeks based on the patterns that they found.
Key Questions:
Students should be able to answer these questions at the end of the lesson…
What is a pattern?
How can we see patterns in weather?
Do you think that patterns are an important part of weather? Why?
Are there patterns in other things besides weather? What are they?
Adaptation for Special Needs Students:
Use a big calendar in front of the classroom to demonstrate what the students are doing. As students work independently to complete the calendar, work closely with the special needs child or children.
Follow- up Assignments:
For homework, the students can come up with three other places where they can find patterns. They should name the pattern, where it’s found, and also draw a picture of how it repeats.
Students will also write a letter back to the news station letting the weather station know that they have organized their data, and have located the patterns in the weather from the past two weeks. They can also let the news station know their predictions for the next two weeks based on the patterns that they found.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed on their accuracy of completing the rest of the calendar for the month, and on their ability to correctly solve the problems that asked them to gather information from the calendar. Also students will be graded on their letter response to the news team. It will be checked for grammar, punctuation, and content.
Long Island Weather
Channel 12 News
1234 School Street
Garden City, NY 11530
Dear Students,
Here in Garden City, New York, the Channel 12 news team has learned about what a great group of thinkers you are! We have been told by reliable sources that you are highly trusted to be involved in weather forecasting and that you are extremely knowledgeable when it comes to seeking out patterns in our weather. Frankly, we are in desperate need of your help! Recently, we hired a new employee to organize and file all of our weather reports so that we could keep track of patterns in our weather to help us predict patterns for future weather. Unfortunately, this individual was unorganized and unprofessional. He was unable to follow directions and all of our information is mixed up! There are weather reports everywhere!!
We are in the need of your help. We are hoping that your class will be able to help us organize these files and get our patterns in order. I have sent your teacher all the files of the weather reports from the first two weeks of this month. Once you have organized all the files for us we will be able to predict what the weather may be like for the next two weeks. I hope that you will be able to find time in your busy day to address this matter.
Thank you in advance,
Channel 12 News
Channel 12 News
Official Weather Data Sheet
· On the 2nd & 5th it was cloudy.
· On the 3rd and 6th it snowed
· On the first Sunday of the month and the first Saturday of the month it was sunny.
*We have only accounted for six out of the seven days of the first week. We must have lost the report for Wednesday the 4th.
Can you find a pattern that can help you fill in the blank?
(sunny, cloudy, snowy,_______, cloudy, snowy)
· On the 8th it was cloudy.
· For the next two days it rained.
· On the 11th it was cloudy again.
· Then rained for two more days.
*What do you think the weather was like for Saturday the 14th?
Can you find a pattern that can help you fill in the blank?
(cloudy, rain, rain, cloudy, rain, rain, _____)
· Our data shows that this pattern continue until the 17th.
*What was the weather like from the 15 until the 17th?
Now that we filled in the data, we need to think about what the next two week’s weather might look like. Here at the weather station we are thinking that the weather for the next seven days might repeat the pattern that we saw in the first week. If that was to be true, what would the weather look like from the 18th to the 24th?
Starting on the 25th, there is going to be a lot less moisture in the air, so we don’t expect to see any snow or rain in the last week. We do expect to see sunny days, and some cloudy days, possibly alternating every other day. If that was to happen, what would the weather look like for the last week?
Lesson 1
What controls the weather?
MST State Standards: Standard #4: Student will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
Many of the phenomena that we observe on earth involve interactions among components of air, water, and land. Describe relationship among air, water, and land on earth.
Integrated Standards:
ELA Standard #1: Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. They will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations.
The Arts Standard #2: Knowing and using arts materials and resources; students will know about and make use of the materials available to participate in the arts.
Objective:
SWBAT explain how earth, sun, air, and water work together to create our weather.
Materials:
“The Weather Master” story
KWL chart
Oak Tag, magazines, scissors, & glue
Safety Procedures:
N/A
Procedure:
KWL chart- Student will fill out the KWL chart to see what they already know about weather.
Discuss the student answers as a class and make a list of terms.
Introduce to the students the story, “The Weather Master.” Tell them it is about the earth, water, wind, and sun.
Ask student questions about these different elements.
Do these elements have anything to do with the weather?
What are their jobs?
Which element do you think is the most important?
Read, “The Weather Master.”
After the story, discuss with the students the lesson in the story. Students should be able to explain that all elements of weather are important and they all work together to create our weather. One cannot be present without the other.
Divide students into groups. Each group representing air, earth, water, or sun.
Students will then receive magazines, oak tag, scissors, and glue and will make a collage of pictures that their element represents.
Each group will then explain their collage and the pictures they chose to represent their element. Ex: Water collage should have picture of rain, snow, floods, rivers, & umbrellas.
Key Questions:
Student should be able to answer these questions at the end of lesson…
What is weather?
Is one component of the weather more important than the other?
How are the parts of weather like a team?
What would happen if one of these parts were missing?
Adaptation for Special Needs Students:
Go over vocabulary with student before reading the story.
Possibly read the story to the child before they all listen as a class.
Follow-up assignments:
Student will illustrate their favorite part of they story and write a few sentences telling why the element that they drew was important.
Students will fill out the W column on their KWL chart to write down what else they want to know about weather.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed on their story comprehension, on the completion of their K and W part of the KWL chart, and on their collages.
Day 2
Lesson 2
Can you predict next week’s weather?
MST State Standards: Science standard #4: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
1. The earth and celestial phenomena can be described by principles of relative motion and perspective.
Student will describe patterns of daily, monthly, and seasonal changes in their environment.
Integrated Standards: NYS math 1.A.1- Determine and discuss patterns in arithmetic.
(What comes next in a repeating pattern, using numbers or objects?)
ELA Standard #1 Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
Objective:
The student should be able to solve weather problems by using manipulatives, counting, and patterns. The student should be able to reflect by explaining how they came to these conclusions.
Materials:
“Letter” from local news station
Calendar page for one month
Problem solving worksheet
Paper cut outs (umbrella, snowmen, sun, and gust of wind)
Scissors
Glue stick
Safety Procedures: N/A
Procedure:
Motivation- as a lesson starter read the “letter” from the local news station asking for help.
Tell the students you have just received the weather reports from the last two weeks. The local news has asked that they organize and interpret the data and organize it on a calendar for them so they can assess the weather patterns of the past two weeks in order to prepare for next week’s forecast.
Give each student “data sheets” and read them as a class and discuss them.
As a class use the paper cut outs to show what the weather was for the first two weeks of the month. The will cut out the appropriate type of weather and paste it on the appropriate day.
Ask the students to describe any patterns they can see in the weather.
Call on student to recall what the weather was like on a certain day in order to assess that they know how to read the calendars correctly.
Problem solving worksheet- students will answer questions based on the calendar that they have filled out.
Student will predict what the weather will be like for the next two weeks based on the patterns that they found.
Key Questions:
Students should be able to answer these questions at the end of the lesson…
What is a pattern?
How can we see patterns in weather?
Do you think that patterns are an important part of weather? Why?
Are there patterns in other things besides weather? What are they?
Adaptation for Special Needs Students:
Use a big calendar in front of the classroom to demonstrate what the students are doing. As students work independently to complete the calendar, work closely with the special needs child or children.
Follow- up Assignments:
For homework, the students can come up with three other places where they can find patterns. They should name the pattern, where it’s found, and also draw a picture of how it repeats.
Students will also write a letter back to the news station letting the weather station know that they have organized their data, and have located the patterns in the weather from the past two weeks. They can also let the news station know their predictions for the next two weeks based on the patterns that they found.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed on their accuracy of completing the rest of the calendar for the month, and on their ability to correctly solve the problems that asked them to gather information from the calendar. Also students will be graded on their letter response to the news team. It will be checked for grammar, punctuation, and content.
Long Island Weather
Channel 12 News
1234 School Street
Garden City, NY 11530
Dear Students,
Here in Garden City, New York, the Channel 12 news team has learned about what a great group of thinkers you are! We have been told by reliable sources that you are highly trusted to be involved in weather forecasting and that you are extremely knowledgeable when it comes to seeking out patterns in our weather. Frankly, we are in desperate need of your help! Recently, we hired a new employee to organize and file all of our weather reports so that we could keep track of patterns in our weather to help us predict patterns for future weather. Unfortunately, this individual was unorganized and unprofessional. He was unable to follow directions and all of our information is mixed up! There are weather reports everywhere!!
We are in the need of your help. We are hoping that your class will be able to help us organize these files and get our patterns in order. I have sent your teacher all the files of the weather reports from the first two weeks of this month. Once you have organized all the files for us we will be able to predict what the weather may be like for the next two weeks. I hope that you will be able to find time in your busy day to address this matter.
Thank you in advance,
Channel 12 News
Channel 12 News
Official Weather Data Sheet
· On the 2nd & 5th it was cloudy.
· On the 3rd and 6th it snowed
· On the first Sunday of the month and the first Saturday of the month it was sunny.
*We have only accounted for six out of the seven days of the first week. We must have lost the report for Wednesday the 4th.
Can you find a pattern that can help you fill in the blank?
(sunny, cloudy, snowy,_______, cloudy, snowy)
· On the 8th it was cloudy.
· For the next two days it rained.
· On the 11th it was cloudy again.
· Then rained for two more days.
*What do you think the weather was like for Saturday the 14th?
Can you find a pattern that can help you fill in the blank?
(cloudy, rain, rain, cloudy, rain, rain, _____)
· Our data shows that this pattern continue until the 17th.
*What was the weather like from the 15 until the 17th?
Now that we filled in the data, we need to think about what the next two week’s weather might look like. Here at the weather station we are thinking that the weather for the next seven days might repeat the pattern that we saw in the first week. If that was to be true, what would the weather look like from the 18th to the 24th?
Starting on the 25th, there is going to be a lot less moisture in the air, so we don’t expect to see any snow or rain in the last week. We do expect to see sunny days, and some cloudy days, possibly alternating every other day. If that was to happen, what would the weather look like for the last week?
Day 3
Lesson 3
Why do seasons change?
MST State Standards: Standard #4: Student will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
The earth and celestial phenomena can be described by principals of relative motion and perspective students will be able to describe patterns of daily, monthly, and seasonal changes in their environment.
Integrated Standards: Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 1: How to use maps and other geographic representation, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.
Objective: SWBAT describe the differences between four seasons, associate the seasons with the calendar months, and be able to explain why seasons occur.
Safety Procedures: N/A
Materials:
Globe
Paper Sun Cut out
Writing & Drawing Materials
Blank Calendars
Procedure:
1. Have different articles of clothing set up in the front of the classroom.
2. Ask the students to explain what each article is used for and when we wear it.
3. Ask them to describe the differences between the seasons; winter, spring, summer, and fall and why we need different clothing in different seasons throughout the year.
4. Engage them in discussion:
a. Why do we have seasons?
b. What happens to the earth to make the seasons change?
c. What do the seasons have to do with the months on the calendar?
5. Using the globe and a student volunteer (holding a picture of a sun) the teacher will demonstrate and explain that the earth is titled and that is revolves around the sun once a year. This is how we get our seasons. Half the year the earth is tilted toward the sun creating summer and when the earth is tilted away from the sun we experience winter. When it is equal, we experience spring and fall. We get our day by the earth rotating on its axis every 24 hours. (While the teacher is explaining this she will use the globe and the sun to demonstrate to the students the tilt and the movement.) The teacher will also explain how the seasons are broken up into 3 months per season. Each year has 4 seasons. These months will be related to the calendar.
6. The students will get into groups and take turns repeating the demonstration and discovering for themselves the movement of the earth.
7. Students will take the information discussed about the different months in the year and will create their own calendars with illustrations that represent that season. The calendar will include the start and end of each season as well as important holidays in the season.
Key Questions:
Students should be able to answer these questions by the end of the lesson…
Why do the seasons occur?
What happens to the earth to make seasons change?
Why do we wear different clothing in the different seasons?
What do you think the weather would be like if you lived close to the equator all year long?
What do you think the weather would be like if you lived at the very tip of the north or South Pole?
Adaptation for Special Needs Students:
Pair special needs student up with a reliable student in the class so they can help them with the demonstration.
Follow-up Assignments:
Student will pick their favorite season and write a poem about it using the five senses.
(This will be a review of poems & the five senses)
Assessment:
Students will be assessed by their participation in the lesson. Each group of student will be asked to demonstrate how the earth revolves around the sun and creates the seasons. The teacher will also assess the calendars to ensure that all the important dates and holidays are recorded on them and that each month has an appropriate illustration.
Day 4
Lesson 4
Let’s measure the weather ourselves!!!
MST Standards: Standard #4: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
Performance Indicator: 1. The Earth and celestial phenomena can be described by principles of relative motion and perspective: describe patterns of daily, monthly, and seasonal changes in their environment.
Standard 5 technology education: Students will apply technological knowledge and skill to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs. Students will explore, use, and process a variety of materials and energy sources to design and construct things.
Integrated Standards: ELA Standard 1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
Objectives:
Students will understand the meaning of temperature and how it is associated with weather.
Student will learn to use a thermometer to measure temperature.
Students will describe and record different temperatures.
Materials:
Pencil
Ditto
Plastic cups
Ice
Warm water
Cold Water
Thermometer
Safety Procedures:
Inspect thermometers to make sure that none are broken or damaged. Inform students to stay at their work stations during the experiment. Explain to students that if a thermometer breaks they are to move away from the broken glass and not touch anything! They should tell the teacher immediately and she will come clean it up.
Procedure:
Start off the lesson by asking some questions..
Does anyone know what temperature means?
What does temperature measure?
What instrument/tool do we use to measure temperature?
Show students an actual thermometer and begin to explain it to them. Point out the red line on the thermometer and ask if any one knows it’s importance. Ask students what happens to the red line when temperature changes. Have students stand up and demonstrate. They can pretend they are the red line. Have them act out and explain what they think might happen to the red line when the temperature gets hotter, and when the temperature gets colder.
Put students into groups and allow them to CAREFULLY explore the thermometer.
Have students place the thermometer on their desk and after 2-3 minutes have them record the air temperature in the room. Each group will report to the class to see if everyone came up with the same temperature.
In the group students will now complete an experiment. Before any materials are handed out, students will predict what they think will happen if they put a thermometer in warm water and in cold water. Students will then be given warm water and cold water and will test their predictions.
Each student will fill in a handout during the experiment explaining in their own words what happens to the red line on these two different occasions.
After the experiment bring the class back together and ask them to think about why it is important for people to know how to measure and read temperature.
After the discussion ask the students to go back to their desks and take about 15 minutes to write in their journals about a time in their life when knowing about the weather helped them. (Ex: they knew it was going to rain so the brought an umbrella with them)
Key Questions:
Students should be able to answer these questions by the end of the lesson…
What is temperature?
How is temperature measured?
What does a thermometer tell us about the weather?
How does knowing temperature affect our lives?
Adaptation for Special Needs Students:
Record the directions on tape recorder. Cover the Celsius side of the thermometer so there will be less numbers for the student to see.
Follow-up Assignments:
After the experiments have students complete the Hot, Cold, or In Between worksheet. Also, have them think about and respond to this question: In what other ways can you change the temperature on a thermometer? (Ex: Covering it with your hand. Put it under a blanket. Put in snow etc.)
Assessment:
Students will be assessed based on their behavior during the experiment and on the worksheet that was filled out during the experiment.
Name _______________________
What’s the Temperature?
Temperature is how hot or cold something is.
A thermometer is something that you use to measure the temperature.
Materials Checklist:
Check off once you have received.
___ Pencil ___3 Plastic Cups
___ Warm Water ___Cold Water
___ Ice ___Thermometer
Follow directions carefully and explain your answer for each question. Write temperature in the space next to the number.
____ 1. Study the thermometer at room temperature. What do you notice? ___________________________________
____ 2. Put the thermometer in the warm water. What happens to the red line? ____________________________
________________________________________________
____ 3. Put the thermometer in the cold water. What happens to the red line? ____________________________
________________________________________________
____ 4. Look outside. What do you think would happen if you put the thermometer outside? ____________________
____ 5. What do you think the thermometer will do on a summer day? ____________________________________
Lesson 3
Why do seasons change?
MST State Standards: Standard #4: Student will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
The earth and celestial phenomena can be described by principals of relative motion and perspective students will be able to describe patterns of daily, monthly, and seasonal changes in their environment.
Integrated Standards: Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 1: How to use maps and other geographic representation, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.
Objective: SWBAT describe the differences between four seasons, associate the seasons with the calendar months, and be able to explain why seasons occur.
Safety Procedures: N/A
Materials:
Globe
Paper Sun Cut out
Writing & Drawing Materials
Blank Calendars
Procedure:
1. Have different articles of clothing set up in the front of the classroom.
2. Ask the students to explain what each article is used for and when we wear it.
3. Ask them to describe the differences between the seasons; winter, spring, summer, and fall and why we need different clothing in different seasons throughout the year.
4. Engage them in discussion:
a. Why do we have seasons?
b. What happens to the earth to make the seasons change?
c. What do the seasons have to do with the months on the calendar?
5. Using the globe and a student volunteer (holding a picture of a sun) the teacher will demonstrate and explain that the earth is titled and that is revolves around the sun once a year. This is how we get our seasons. Half the year the earth is tilted toward the sun creating summer and when the earth is tilted away from the sun we experience winter. When it is equal, we experience spring and fall. We get our day by the earth rotating on its axis every 24 hours. (While the teacher is explaining this she will use the globe and the sun to demonstrate to the students the tilt and the movement.) The teacher will also explain how the seasons are broken up into 3 months per season. Each year has 4 seasons. These months will be related to the calendar.
6. The students will get into groups and take turns repeating the demonstration and discovering for themselves the movement of the earth.
7. Students will take the information discussed about the different months in the year and will create their own calendars with illustrations that represent that season. The calendar will include the start and end of each season as well as important holidays in the season.
Key Questions:
Students should be able to answer these questions by the end of the lesson…
Why do the seasons occur?
What happens to the earth to make seasons change?
Why do we wear different clothing in the different seasons?
What do you think the weather would be like if you lived close to the equator all year long?
What do you think the weather would be like if you lived at the very tip of the north or South Pole?
Adaptation for Special Needs Students:
Pair special needs student up with a reliable student in the class so they can help them with the demonstration.
Follow-up Assignments:
Student will pick their favorite season and write a poem about it using the five senses.
(This will be a review of poems & the five senses)
Assessment:
Students will be assessed by their participation in the lesson. Each group of student will be asked to demonstrate how the earth revolves around the sun and creates the seasons. The teacher will also assess the calendars to ensure that all the important dates and holidays are recorded on them and that each month has an appropriate illustration.
Day 4
Lesson 4
Let’s measure the weather ourselves!!!
MST Standards: Standard #4: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
Performance Indicator: 1. The Earth and celestial phenomena can be described by principles of relative motion and perspective: describe patterns of daily, monthly, and seasonal changes in their environment.
Standard 5 technology education: Students will apply technological knowledge and skill to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs. Students will explore, use, and process a variety of materials and energy sources to design and construct things.
Integrated Standards: ELA Standard 1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
Objectives:
Students will understand the meaning of temperature and how it is associated with weather.
Student will learn to use a thermometer to measure temperature.
Students will describe and record different temperatures.
Materials:
Pencil
Ditto
Plastic cups
Ice
Warm water
Cold Water
Thermometer
Safety Procedures:
Inspect thermometers to make sure that none are broken or damaged. Inform students to stay at their work stations during the experiment. Explain to students that if a thermometer breaks they are to move away from the broken glass and not touch anything! They should tell the teacher immediately and she will come clean it up.
Procedure:
Start off the lesson by asking some questions..
Does anyone know what temperature means?
What does temperature measure?
What instrument/tool do we use to measure temperature?
Show students an actual thermometer and begin to explain it to them. Point out the red line on the thermometer and ask if any one knows it’s importance. Ask students what happens to the red line when temperature changes. Have students stand up and demonstrate. They can pretend they are the red line. Have them act out and explain what they think might happen to the red line when the temperature gets hotter, and when the temperature gets colder.
Put students into groups and allow them to CAREFULLY explore the thermometer.
Have students place the thermometer on their desk and after 2-3 minutes have them record the air temperature in the room. Each group will report to the class to see if everyone came up with the same temperature.
In the group students will now complete an experiment. Before any materials are handed out, students will predict what they think will happen if they put a thermometer in warm water and in cold water. Students will then be given warm water and cold water and will test their predictions.
Each student will fill in a handout during the experiment explaining in their own words what happens to the red line on these two different occasions.
After the experiment bring the class back together and ask them to think about why it is important for people to know how to measure and read temperature.
After the discussion ask the students to go back to their desks and take about 15 minutes to write in their journals about a time in their life when knowing about the weather helped them. (Ex: they knew it was going to rain so the brought an umbrella with them)
Key Questions:
Students should be able to answer these questions by the end of the lesson…
What is temperature?
How is temperature measured?
What does a thermometer tell us about the weather?
How does knowing temperature affect our lives?
Adaptation for Special Needs Students:
Record the directions on tape recorder. Cover the Celsius side of the thermometer so there will be less numbers for the student to see.
Follow-up Assignments:
After the experiments have students complete the Hot, Cold, or In Between worksheet. Also, have them think about and respond to this question: In what other ways can you change the temperature on a thermometer? (Ex: Covering it with your hand. Put it under a blanket. Put in snow etc.)
Assessment:
Students will be assessed based on their behavior during the experiment and on the worksheet that was filled out during the experiment.
Name _______________________
What’s the Temperature?
Temperature is how hot or cold something is.
A thermometer is something that you use to measure the temperature.
Materials Checklist:
Check off once you have received.
___ Pencil ___3 Plastic Cups
___ Warm Water ___Cold Water
___ Ice ___Thermometer
Follow directions carefully and explain your answer for each question. Write temperature in the space next to the number.
____ 1. Study the thermometer at room temperature. What do you notice? ___________________________________
____ 2. Put the thermometer in the warm water. What happens to the red line? ____________________________
________________________________________________
____ 3. Put the thermometer in the cold water. What happens to the red line? ____________________________
________________________________________________
____ 4. Look outside. What do you think would happen if you put the thermometer outside? ____________________
____ 5. What do you think the thermometer will do on a summer day? ____________________________________
Day 5
Lesson 5
Today you’re the weather team!
MST State Standards: Standard #4: Student will: understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
The earth and celestial phenomena can be described by principles of relative motion and perspective.
Describe patterns of daily, monthly, and seasonal changes in their environment.
Many of the phenomena that we observe on earth involve interactions among components of air, water, and land.
Describe the relationships among air, water, and land on earth.
Integrated Standards: The arts: standard 1: creating, performing, and participating in the arts. Students will actively engage in the processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts and participate in various roles in the arts.
ELA standard 4: Language for social interaction: Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people.
Objectives: SWBAT write a weather broadcast using knowledge acquired from this unit and successfully “perform” the weather broadcast by recording it on a video camera.
Materials: Video camera, microphone, radio, rocks, cans, water (items for sound effects)
Venn diagram worksheets
Safety Procedures: N/A
Procedure:
1. Students will watch short video clips of weather forecasts as an introduction to today’s lesson.
2. Students will observe the different roles during a broadcast and think of ideas for their own class broadcast.
3. As a class we will brainstorm ideas for a weather story.
4. Teacher will create an exact script of the broadcast and assign everyone a part. Some students will be speaking and others will be making sound effects to go along with the story.
5. Students will rehearse their parts and practice the broadcast.
6. Teacher will record the broadcast as the students act it out.
7. After the completion of the broadcast, students will again watch real broadcasts and then watch their own. Students will fill out a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting how their broadcast was similar and different from real news broadcasts.
Key Questions:
Students should be able to answer these questions at the end of the lesson…
How was our broadcast different from the ones we see on TV? How is it similar?
What do you think would happen if someone could control the weather?
What things about our weather would change?
What would you change if you could control the weather?
Adaptation for Special Needs Students:
ELL learners may not take such an active role in reading from the “script”. Teacher should stress the importance of the sounds effects so he or she is motivated to be involved.
Follow-up Assignments:
Students will fill in the L part of their KWL chart from the beginning of the unit. This should sum up the lessons that were taught.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed by their participation in the making of the radio show. Teacher will be able to see that students have understood the overall concept taught in the unit by the student’s ideas and participation for creating the weather broadcast. Students will have to recall back on knowledge that they learned throughout the unit so the show is educational as well as entertaining.
Lesson 5
Today you’re the weather team!
MST State Standards: Standard #4: Student will: understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
The earth and celestial phenomena can be described by principles of relative motion and perspective.
Describe patterns of daily, monthly, and seasonal changes in their environment.
Many of the phenomena that we observe on earth involve interactions among components of air, water, and land.
Describe the relationships among air, water, and land on earth.
Integrated Standards: The arts: standard 1: creating, performing, and participating in the arts. Students will actively engage in the processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts and participate in various roles in the arts.
ELA standard 4: Language for social interaction: Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people.
Objectives: SWBAT write a weather broadcast using knowledge acquired from this unit and successfully “perform” the weather broadcast by recording it on a video camera.
Materials: Video camera, microphone, radio, rocks, cans, water (items for sound effects)
Venn diagram worksheets
Safety Procedures: N/A
Procedure:
1. Students will watch short video clips of weather forecasts as an introduction to today’s lesson.
2. Students will observe the different roles during a broadcast and think of ideas for their own class broadcast.
3. As a class we will brainstorm ideas for a weather story.
4. Teacher will create an exact script of the broadcast and assign everyone a part. Some students will be speaking and others will be making sound effects to go along with the story.
5. Students will rehearse their parts and practice the broadcast.
6. Teacher will record the broadcast as the students act it out.
7. After the completion of the broadcast, students will again watch real broadcasts and then watch their own. Students will fill out a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting how their broadcast was similar and different from real news broadcasts.
Key Questions:
Students should be able to answer these questions at the end of the lesson…
How was our broadcast different from the ones we see on TV? How is it similar?
What do you think would happen if someone could control the weather?
What things about our weather would change?
What would you change if you could control the weather?
Adaptation for Special Needs Students:
ELL learners may not take such an active role in reading from the “script”. Teacher should stress the importance of the sounds effects so he or she is motivated to be involved.
Follow-up Assignments:
Students will fill in the L part of their KWL chart from the beginning of the unit. This should sum up the lessons that were taught.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed by their participation in the making of the radio show. Teacher will be able to see that students have understood the overall concept taught in the unit by the student’s ideas and participation for creating the weather broadcast. Students will have to recall back on knowledge that they learned throughout the unit so the show is educational as well as entertaining.
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