ALEX Lesson Plan

The students will observe the weather over a five-day period. After observing the local weather, the students will record their observations. The students will use their five senses to observe and record the local weather.

This lesson results from a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and ASTA.

• weather magazines/weather newpaper clippings
• scissors
• glue sticks
• drawing paper
• colored pencils
• crayons
• pencils
• large piece of chart paper
• marker for chart paper
• construction paper
• thermometer (optional)
• sidewalk chalk (optional)

Smartboard

Cat in the Hat: Weather Transformer game

Sid the Science Kid: Weather Surprise game

1. The teacher will need to teach/review the five senses with the class.
2. The teacher should pre-fold drawing paper into five sections. (optional)
3. The teacher should be familiar with basic weather terminology: drought, meteorology, snow, sleet, hail, forecast, thunder, lightning, humidity, highs/lows, etc.
4. Collect sheets of yellow, blue, brown, and white construction paper. Cut the papers into several medium size rectangular or square pieces. The teacher should cut enough strips so that each student and their partner receive four strips each.

Before Strategy/Engage:

1. The teacher will begin the lesson by creating a large K-W-L chart.
• Fold the chart into three sections/columns.
• In the first column, write/ask the students, “What  do we know about weather?”
• In the second column, write/ask the students, “What do we want to know about weather?”
• In the third column, write/ask, “What have we learned about weather?"
• Complete the first two columns over a four-day period, recording the students' daily responses.
• Continue to add to the chart over a four-day period. On the fifth day, complete the third column.
2. Each day read a few pages from the story, Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse, or allow the students to listen to the story on YouTube:

During Strategy/Explore-Explain (pt 1)

1. The teacher will further the lesson by taking the students on an outside weather walk.
• The teacher should be prepared to take the students outside for five consecutive days at different times during the five days--in the mornings, afternoons, and at the end of the school day.
• The teacher may assign partners for the students.
• Before taking the students outside, the teacher should explain rules for walking outside and with a partner.
2. The teacher will tell the students they are going on a weather walk.
• Explain to the students that they will be watching the weather to learn more about how it changes from day to day.
• Explain to the students that the changes in the weather from day to day are called weather patterns.
• The teacher may teach or review a mini-lesson on patterns.
3. Once the class is outside, ask the students to use their five senses to determine/watch the weather. For example:
   • If we use our eyes, what do we see? sun, clouds, rain, etc. 
   • If we use our hands, what we do feel? heat, cold air, frost, dew, etc. 
   • If we use our ears, what do we hear? birds chirping, leaves rustling, rain dropping, etc. 
   • If we use our tongues, what do we taste? the sunshine, the cold air, nothing, etc. 
   • If we use our hands, what do we feel? heat, cold air, moisture, sticky, etc. 
   • How should we dress for the weather today?
   • How was the weather when you came to schools?
   • How was the weather when you went to sleep last night?
   • How does the weather feel now? (place emphasis on weather temperature)

Before Strategy/Engage: (pt 2)

1. The teacher may take the students inside the classroom or to the computer/science lab.
2. Discuss with the students the four seasons and the type of weather patterns we would observe in each season (winter, spring, summer, fall).
• The teacher may introduce the following interactive/game on weather: Sid the Science Kid: Weather Surprise. The interactive allows the students to place various pictures into the correct season box. Once the students place things in the correct place the students may correct themselves by clicking a green check box. The teacher should encourage the students to work with a partner to sort the boxes.
3. After discussing the seasons, ask the students, "What season are we in today?" Solicit answers from the students.
4. Allow the students an opportunity to discuss the weather patterns they have observed during the weather walk.
• The teacher should accept multiple and creative answers from the students.
5. After the students have discussed the outside weather.
6. Next, the teacher will guide the students into illustrating (recording) what they have seen and discussed outside using a graphic organizer.
7. The teacher will model for the students how to fold a sheet of drawing paper into five sections, or fold the paper ahead of time for the students.
8. Once the students have created their graphic organizer the students should label the boxes Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5.
9. Allow the students the opportunity to illustrate (record) what they have seen (observed) outside during the weather walk, each day, over a five-day period.
• Encourage the students to use a variety of colors to represent the weather. For example, yellow (sun/hot), blue (sky/cold,rain), brown (dry, drought), and white (cool, breezy)
• The teacher should create a weather anchor chart showing the colors and matching weather patterns.
10. Once the students have illustrated (recorded) each day, allow the students the opportunity to share their recordings.
11. The teacher can gather the organizers and add them to a bulletin board, or make a weather book for the class to place in the science center/area.

After Strategy/Explain-Elaborate (pt.1)

1. Provide the students with weather magazines, weather clip outs, etc.
2. Let the children practice their cutting skills by cutting out weather pictures or scenes!  
3. The students may cut out items that remind them of different types of weather (for example, winter - snow).
4. Feel free to add crayons or markers for them to embellish their scenes.
5. Ask the students to explain their illustrations to their classmates.

After Strategy/Explain-Elaborate (pt.2)

1. Pass out yellow, blue, brown, and white construction paper so that each student and their partner have four strips each.
2. Explain to the students that each strip represents a type of weather. The yellow strip represents the sun (hot). The brown strip represents dry weather. The blue strip represents the rain. The white strip represents cold or cool weather.
• The teacher should create an anchor chart showing the colors and weather patterns of each strip or use the anchor chart for the lesson's procedures.
• The teacher should explain the weather anchor chart to the students.
3. After the teacher completes the reading of the story Come On, Rain! the teacher will review the story and ask the students the following questions:
• What is the weather like at the beginning of the story?
• What is the weather like in the middle of the story?
• What is the weather like at the end of the story?
4. The students (partners) should use the weather strips to answer the questions and explain their answers. As you ask the questions, allow them a little time to discuss with their partner before answering.
5. The students should answer each question using the weather strips, by raising the correct weather strip to respond to the questions.

Optional: The teacher can create a worksheet of the questions and allow the students to glue the weather strips in the correct places or illustrate the answers.

• Teacher observation of student inquiry and recording of thoughts on the five-day weather on their graphic organizer sheet.
• Misconceptions should be addressed with the student(s) following the lesson or during the EXPLAIN stages of the lesson or as the class discusses the weather anchor chart.

The teacher can extend the lesson by doing the following activities:

• allow the students to create a weather mural of local weather patterns over a period of time.
• invite a local weather meteorologist to visit the class and discuss local weather patterns.
• arrange to take a field trip to a local news station to visit the local weather station.
• Show the students a real model of a thermometer and explain to the students the many uses for using a thermometer. The teacher may use the following link to teach a mini-lesson on the thermometer such as for taking a sick person's temperature, determining how cold or hot the air the weather is for the day, to determine the temperature of the classroom: http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/49412/read-thermometer-printable-practice.

• Play the weather temperature game (reading a thermometer): http://pbskids.org/catinthehat/games/weather-transformer.htm

The teacher will provide assistance with helping those students needing remediation by

• circulating throughout the classroom as the students record weather information on their graphic organizer.
• providing the students with feedback as they complete their organizers.