ALEX Classroom Resource

  

Weather Detectives: Questioning the Fact and Folklore of Weather Sayings

  Classroom Resource Information  

Title:

 Weather Detectives: Questioning the Fact and Folklore of Weather Sayings

URL:

 http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/weather-detectives-questioning-fact-775.html

Content Source:

 ReadWriteThink
Type: Lesson/Unit Plan

Overview:

Before there were weather tools, people looked to the sky, plants, and animals for hints about what the weather would do. To remember these indicators, people coined weather sayings. But are these sayings true and reliable? This lesson explores the truth and reliability of weather-related sayings, such as, “Mare's tails and mackerel scales make tall ships take in their sails.” Students brainstorm weather sayings and then investigate the accuracy and origins of the sayings in predicting the weather, using print and online resources in their research. Next, students write about and illustrate their weather sayings and then share their results with their classmates. Finally, students discuss skepticism and when it may be a good response to information that is presented to them as fact.

Content Standard(s):
Science
SC2015 (2015)
Grade: 3
13 ) Display data graphically and in tables to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season (e.g., average temperature, precipitation, wind direction).

NAEP Framework
NAEP Statement::
E4.8: Weather changes from day to day and during the seasons.

NAEP Statement::
E4.9: Scientists use tools for observing, recording, and predicting weather changes from day to day and during the seasons.

Unpacked Content
Scientific And Engineering Practices:
Analyzing and Interpreting Data
Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns
Disciplinary Core Idea: Earth's Systems
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Use graphical displays to organize data that describes the typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • Data
  • Types of graphs
  • Table
  • Seasons
  • Typical weather conditions for a season
  • Temperature
  • Precipitation
  • Wind direction
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Weather conditions, like average temperature, precipitation, wind direction, from a given area across multiple seasons.
  • Patterns of weather conditions across different seasons and in different areas.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Identify typical weather conditions for a season.
  • Represent data in tables and various graphical formats.
  • Describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Scientists record patterns of the weather across different times and areas so that they can make predictions about what kind of weather might happen next.
AMSTI Resources:
AMSTI Module:
Weather and Climate
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SCI.AAS.3.13- Use a graph or pictograph to answer questions about weather.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 3
R3. Expand background knowledge and build vocabulary through discussion, reading, and writing.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
R3.
  • Background knowledge
  • Vocabulary
  • Discussion
Knowledge:
R3. Students know:
  • Relating experiences through discussions, reading, and writing will help build background knowledge and improve vocabulary.
Skills:
R3. Students are able to:
  • Connect new concepts to prior experiences to increase background knowledge through discussions, reading, and writing.
  • Construct the meaning of words through discussions, reading, and writing.
Understanding:
R3. Students understand that:
  • Background knowledge can increase by relating experiences to new ideas, topics, and words while participating in discussions, reading, and writing.
  • Vocabulary will increase by constructing the meaning of words while participating in discussions, reading, and writing.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 3
39. Gather and evaluate information about a topic from a variety of sources, including digital sources, and utilize it to create a project, report, or presentation.

a. Avoid plagiarism by using their own words and utilizing digital sources ethically.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
39.
  • Gather
  • Evaluate
  • Information
  • Topic
  • Sources
  • Digital sources
  • Utilize
  • Project
  • Report
  • Presentation
39a.
  • Avoid
  • Plagiarism
  • Utilize
  • Digital sources
  • Ethically
Knowledge:
39. Students know:
  • Information can be gathered from print or digital sources.
  • Strategies to gather and evaluate information.
  • Relevant information about a topic should be added to a project, report, or presentation.
39a.
  • Plagiarism is presenting someone else's words or ideas as their own without crediting the source.
Skills:
39. Students are able to:
  • Gather information about a topic from a variety of print and digital sources.
  • Evaluate the relevance of the information to the topic.
  • Use information to create a project, report, or presentation.
39a.
  • Use their own ideas and words in writing and/or presenting information.
  • Behave ethically when using digital sources by appropriately crediting original creators.
Understanding:
39. Students understand that:
  • The first step in creating a project, report, or presentation is gathering and evaluating information from a variety of sources.
39a.
  • Plagiarism is using someone else's ideas and/or words without giving credit, and it should be avoided both in written and digital work.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 4
33. Use research to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

a. Introduce a research topic clearly and group related ideas.

b. Integrate and cite evidence to present research findings in written form.

c. Paraphrase portions of texts or information presented in diverse media and formats.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
33.
  • Research
  • Clear
  • Coherent
  • Development
  • Organization
  • Task
  • Purpose
  • Audience
33a.
  • Research
  • Topic
  • Group
  • Related ideas
33b.
  • Integrate
  • Evidence
  • Cite
  • Research
33c.
  • Paraphrase
  • Diverse media
Knowledge:
33. Students know:
  • Research happens when you look up information about a topic.
  • Clear and coherent writing is organized into a text structure and develops ideas with the addition of details.
  • Writing styles can vary depending on the task, the purpose, and the intended audience.
33a.
  • Informative writing should begin by introducing the topic of the text.
  • Writing can be organized into a structure by logically grouping ideas to support the writer's purpose.
33b.
  • Integrate means to combine information from multiple research sources.
33c.
  • Paraphrasing means to express the same meaning of the original source, but use different words or phrases.
Skills:
33. Students are able to:
  • Gather research information about a topic.
  • Create writing that is clear, coherent, and appropriate to the task, the purpose, and the audience.
  • Organize writing into a particular structure and develop ideas using details.
33a.
  • Clearly introduce a research topic in their writing.
  • Logically group related ideas to support explanation of the topic.
33b.
  • Integrate research findings from multiple sources in writing.
  • Cite evidence from research sources in writing.
33c.
  • Paraphrase portions of texts or presented information in writing.
Understanding:
33. Students understand that:
  • Before writing an informative text, they should gather information through research.
  • There writing should always be clear and coherent, but the style may change depending on the task, purpose, and audience.
33a.
  • Focusing on the topic of a text by providing a clear introduction and grouping related ideas draws the reader's attention to important points and supports the meaning of the text.
33b.
  • They must combine multiple sources of information and cite the source of the information when presenting research findings in their writing.
33c.
  • Paraphrasing can demonstrate they understand the source information well enough to write it in their own words.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 5
37. Write about research findings independently over short and/or extended periods of time.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
37.
  • Research findings
  • Independently
  • Short periods of time
  • Extended periods of time
Knowledge:
37. Students know:
  • Researching a topic begins by finding information from multiple sources.
  • Independent writing skills.
Skills:
37. Students are able to:
  • Find information on a particular topic from a variety of research sources.
  • Independently write about research findings over short and extended periods of time.
Understanding:
37. Students understand that:
  • They can share information they have learned about a topic through writing.
  • Some writing projects will last a short time, while others may take longer to complete.
Tags: comic creator, comics, illustrate, research, skepticism, weather
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  This resource provided by:  
Author: Cassie Raulston
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