Weather can be observed, measured, and described. As a basis for understanding this concept:
- Students know how to use simple tools (e.g., thermometer, wind vane) to measure weather conditions and record changes from day to day and across the seasons.
- Students know that the weather changes from day to day but that trends in temperature or of rain (or snow) tend to be predictable during a season.
- Students know the sun warms the land, air, and water.
ELD Standards: Classroom contains 4 ELL students at the beginning level
Listening and Speaking
- Begin to speak a few words or sentences by using some English phonemes and rudimentary English grammatical forms.
- Respond to simple directions and questions by using physical actions and other means of nonverbal communication.
- Answer simple questions with one – to two-word responses.
Reading Word Analysis
- Respond appropriately to some social and academic interactions.
- Produce simple vocabulary in social and academic settings.
Reading Fluency and Systematic Vocabulary Development
- Read aloud simple words (e.g. nouns and adjectives) in stories or games.
Reading Comprehension
- Understand and follow simple one-step directions for classroom activities.
Writing Strategies and Applications
- Copy the English alphabet legibly.
- Copy words posted and commonly used in the classrooms.
- Use capital letters when writing own name.
Literary Responses and Analysis
- Listen to a story and respond orally by answering factual comprehension questions using one- or two-word responses.
Materials
- 20 worksheet packets (3 sheets)
- 20 fake thermometers (with yarn)
- 20 real thermometers
- Chalkboard or chart paper.
- Cups of hot, cold, and middle temperature water (bring two hot pots to warm the water and a bag of ice for the cold)
Anticipatory Set
Have the students sit in the front of the room in row order. Ask the class does anyone know if the temperature outside is warmer or cooler than in the classroom? How do you know? Can anyone remember what device did we use to measure temperature?
Instruction
Begin with calling on one student to take his or her thermometer and measure the temperature of the classroom. Have the students look at their own thermometers and see how the temperature looks. Color in, with the help of the class, what the temperature looks like on the chart paper (with pre-drawn thermometers similar to their worksheet) for the classroom. Next, have a student read the temperature from outside. Proceed to do the same thing as before and then compare the two temperatures. Discuss which is hotter and which is colder. Ensure to point out how the two thermometers (colored in on the chart paper) are different. Also discuss the vocabulary at this time. Ask the following review questions (which will also be on a worksheet):
- What means how hot or cold something is? Temperature
- From what do we get our heat? Sun
- Name two things that soak up the heat? Land and water.
- What soaks up the heat quickly? Land
- From what do we read temperatures? Thermometer.
Write the answers on the board.
Guided Practice
- Pass out the worksheet packets. Have the students write their name and date on the first page. Ask the students to write the number 80 in the line provided after the question “What is the temperature?” After all have written 80 degrees in the space provided, ask for a volunteer to come up and use the pointer to show where that is on the thermometer. While everyone is watching, quickly shade in red to 80 degrees. Have the students do the same on their paper. Then ask the students to write in the blank if they think it is a hot or cold temperature. Remind them that the room temperature is less than 80 degrees.
Independent Practice
- Safety rules are discussed in the classroom. Students will not touch the cups, listen to step by step directions, and only do what is asked. Any student breaking the rules will be done with the experiment and will be forced to watch others. The students then recite the rules.
- Each student will receive two cups. One cup will be filled with ice. The students are instructed to place their individual thermometers in the ice, and then watch the temperature.
- While the students watch as the temperature drops, hot water in cups are passed out to each with a reminder not to touch the cups. After all the cups are passed out, the students are asked for their opinions on what happen.
- An average temperature, which should be around 30 – 32 degrees will be colored in on the chart. The students then are asked their opinion on what will happen if they take the thermometers and place them in the hot water. (Temperature should rise). Predictions are written on the board.
- Students are instructed to take the thermometer out of the cold ice cup and place them in the hot water. After reaction, ask the students what is occurring. After awhile get the average temperature, which will be around 120 due to the hot water is hotter than 120.
- Then ask the students to make a prediction. If you combine the two cups, what do they think will happen to the temperature? Predictions again are written on the board.
- Teacher walks around and combines the two cups. Ensure the teacher not the students do this for they are working with hot water. While this is occurring, ask the students to keep what happens to their selves as a secret until the entire class can see first hand.
- Discuss the results while marking it on the chart.
- Once the water is collected have the students take out their worksheets and color in the thermometers.
- Have everyone turn to page 3 if time is permitting. The answers to 1 – 5 are still on the board. Ask the questions again and have a student read the answer. All students will write the answer in the blanks provided on the worksheet.
Closure
- Ask if anyone has a question on reading a thermometer
- Remember the higher the red goes, the hotter the temperature. Think of the red as fire. As the red climbs so does the temperature, as it lowers so does the temperature.
- Next class we will take temperatures and show how if affects the clouds.
- Have the students place worksheet packet in their weather folder.
Post - Assessment:
The science lessons are ongoing for next few weeks. Besides the worksheets, the information will continue to be apparent in weather conversations. Each lesson begins with a review of information in previous lessons that associate with the current lesson. Also, a word wall with weather vocabulary is also used to ensure pronunciation of words.
Clouds Lesson
Objectives:
- Students will be able to match specific oral words to printed words.
- Students will be able to copy the word legibly.
- Students will be able to draw the different clouds by description and photo.
California State Standards
Reading
Concepts About Print
1.1 Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.1.2 Follow words from left to right and from top to bottom on the printed page.1.3 Understand that printed materials provide information.1.4 Recognize that sentences in print are made up of separate words.Decoding and Word Recognition1.15 Read simple one-syllable and high-frequency words (i.e., sight words).1.16 Understand that as letters of words change, so do the sounds (i.e., the alphabetic principle).
Vocabulary and Concept Development
1.17 Identify and sort common words in basic categories (e.g., colors, shapes, foods).1.18 Describe common objects and events in both general and specific language.
2.1 Locate the title, table of contents, name of author, and name of illustrator.2.2 Use pictures and context to make predictions about story content.
Listening and Speaking
1.1 Understand and follow one-and two-step oral directions.1.2 Share information and ideas, speaking audibly in complete, coherent sentences.
ELD Standards: Classroom contains 4 ELL students at the beginning level
Listening and Speaking
- Begin to speak a few words or sentences by using some English phonemes and rudimentary English grammatical forms.
- Respond to simple directions and questions by using physical actions and other means of nonverbal communication.
- Answer simple questions with one – to two-word responses.
Reading Word Analysis
- Respond appropriately to some social and academic interactions.
- Produce simple vocabulary in social and academic settings.
Reading Fluency and Systematic Vocabulary Development
- Read aloud simple words (e.g. nouns and adjectives) in stories or games.
Reading Comprehension
- Understand and follow simple one-step directions for classroom activities.
Writing Strategies and Applications
- Copy the English alphabet legibly.
- Copy words posted and commonly used in the classrooms.
- Use capital letters when writing own name.
Literary Responses and Analysis
- Listen to a story and respond orally by answering factual comprehension questions using one- or two-word responses.
Materials
- Clouds by Gail Saunders-Smith
- Weather Report Clouds by Ann and Jim Merk.
- “Cloud” worksheet.
- Chalkboard or chart paper.
Anticipatory Set
Let’s play a game. Who thinks they know what the adjective we are going to talk about today? If responses are not in the in the right direction, assist the students by saying it is one of the site words on the weather word wall. Once cloudy is mentioned, ask if anyone knows what is the lowest cloud that we see? Can anyone tell me one name of a cloud (previously discussed and the clouds we are going to discuss are on the word wall).
Instruction
Students will leave their seats and be asked to come up to the front rug (in view of the board and word wall) and sit in rows. The first 15 minutes will be devoted to reviewing nouns and adjectives of weather. This will be followed up by discussing the names of the clouds that are going to be talked about this day. After this is done, the two books are going to be read in certain parts that only pertain to the clouds the students need to know and some words (i.e. meteorologist) will see in a later weather class.
Guided Practice
- While reading specific passages of the two books, the class will stop throughout the story to discuss the features, locations, and spelling of the individual clouds.
- Once the two books are completed, a short question answer period will occur to see if they have grasped the cloud concepts.
- If concept is grasped, students will return to their desks and await further instructions, if not the teacher and students will discuss more to include drawing pictures on the boards.
- Once back at the desk the teacher will demonstrate on the board an example of the worksheet that we will be doing.
Independent Practice
- Students will take the worksheet and draw the type of cloud in their proper locations. For example, a fog will be drawn by the ground.
- Next to the clouds, the students will write the proper name.
- The students are encourage to use an attached sheet for both help in spelling and in drawing (examples of how they look are given).
- After a certain amount of time has passed, a brief discussion will occur and an example will be created in the front of the room with the help of the students directing where the clouds belong.
Closure
- Briefly ask the students to say a few words that describe what we talked about.
- Discuss about the differences in the clouds and how to remember them.
- Ask for volunteers to read the types of clouds listed on the weather word wall.
- Turn in the sheets (for teacher review)
Post - Assessment:
Assessment will be done throughout the lesson. Also, once the worksheet (given the opportunity to take longer than class time to complete) are collected and reviewed for the following:
- Penmanship
- Spelling
- The correct answer (worksheet).
