Lesson #1: Weather In Our Own Backyard
Overview
The purpose of this lesson is to heighten the students' awareness of weather by allowing them to observe weather conditions and to discover weather- related things and phenomena in their immediate environment.
Objectives
After completing this lesson, students will be able to:
- Describe weather conditions on a given day
- Describe weather changes that occur from day to day
- Suggest why understanding weather is important
- Identify some weather related things in their environment
- Give examples of some weather related factors or conditions that can be measured
- Suggest ways of measuring weather
Materials
- Notebooks/paper and pencil
- Collecting bags
- Scavenger Hunt clue sheets
- Chart paper
- Permanent place to record "weather words", student ideas, and questions generated through upcoming activities
Time: Four hours spread out over a one week period
Teacher Preparation
Plan time periods when students will be able to go outside and complete the lesson activities.
Procedures
Activity #1: Weather Walks
It is suggested that the students take three 15-20 minute walks over a one week period. On these walks the students will make casual observations about weather.
For this activity, do the following:
Before going outside:
1. Ask the students what they think of when they hear the word "weather"? What kinds of things would they look for if they wanted to describe the weather of a particular day to someone else? What kind of a day do they consider to be a "nice" day?
2. Lead a discussion on how weather affects their daily lives considering such factors as the kinds of clothes they wear and the outdoor activities that they can do.
3. Remind them to record the things about weather that day that might not be visible, but that can be felt, such as wind.
When they are outside:
They should bring a pencil and a notebook or clipboard and, as they walk, write as many words as they can to describe the weather. Younger students might use drawing or symbols to represent the characteristics of weather that day
Back in the classroom:
After each walk the students should gather together and the teacher should record on a wall chart the "Weather Words" that students used to describe weather that day (hot, cool, humid, sunny, etc.) See how many words they had in common. Challenge them to come up with new words each day.
Activity #2: Scavenger Hunt
This activity will give the students another opportunity to reflect on weather, how it changes, and the effects it has on people and things. They will go outside and collect, list, or sketch things that are weather related. Students should work in teams. This activity is best done on a sunny day. Some clues can be collected in bags; most can be drawn or described on paper. Allow approximately one half hour for the hunt and one half hour for groups to share their findings.
For this activity, do the following:
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Divide students into groups of three or four and give each group a Scavenger Hunt Clue Sheet. One student in each group should have a clipboard or a notebook and serve as the recorder.
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After the students have completed the activity the groups should report on their findings, explain the item found for each clue, and tell why they chose that item.
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As an alternative, the students may take home the scavenger hunt, complete it with their family, and then bring in the completed sheet to discuss with classmates in small groups. Click here to view a scavenger hunt that was completed at home by a kindergartner and a second grader.
Activity #3: Let's Talk About the Weather
For this activity, do the following:
Allow approximately one hour for this discussion that will focus on the observable characteristics of weather and the words that were recorded on the "Weather Words" chart. The purpose of the discussion is to generate a list of the aspects of weather that are important to them and that they think would be important to study. Students can begin their discussion in small groups and then come together as a class to make recommendations as to what they will study and the kinds of tools they will need.
The teacher should ask and list responses on a chart:
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Why is important to study weather?
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What are some of things that you would like to know about the weather every day?
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What kinds of information is it important to collect?
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Is there a better way to study (or monitor) weather than just describing it in words and pictures?
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What kinds of instruments could you use to collect weather information about each day?(their answers don't have to be specific; they may have responses such as: "something to tell where the wind is coming from".)
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What things should these instruments measure?
The list they generate will be used in the introduction to Lesson#2 Building and Using Weather Instruments
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