Perry Swisz
Standard:E.ES.01.21 Compare daily changes in the weather related to temperature (cold, hot, warm, cool); cloud cover (cloudy, partly cloudy, foggy) precipitation (rain, snow, hail, freezing rain); wind (breezy, windy, calm).
Grade Level: 1st
Lesson Title: I don't know whether the Weather will improve.
The Teaching Process
Lesson Overview
After completion of the lesson students will be able to:
-identify and compare cloud cover types
-identify and compare precipitation types
-identify and compare windiness
-relate an objective temperature to a more general terminology
-choose appropriate clothing based on weather conditions
List of Materials:
Computer with internet access to a weather website (ex.
Access to a window outside.
A flag or other object wind affected object outside.
Engage the Learner:
Sing “the Itsy Bitsy Spider” with the class using hand motions.
After singing, ask the students to describe what is happening in the song.
Explore the Concept:
Over the course of the next few weeks, students will take turns going to the window to identify the weather of the day. Specifically students should be looking to identify the amount of cloud cover, type if any of precipitation, and the strength of wind. The student will also look at a pre-loaded web page showing the current temperature. The student will then report his/her findings to the class. At that time, students will return to their desks to fill out a weather worksheet. Worksheets will include a thermometer for students to color in to reflect the day's temperature, one box to indicate cloud-cover, one box to indicate precipitation, and one box to indicate windiness.
Explain the Concept & Define the Terms:
Ask the students about what what they know first about weather. Focus students to the four key areas that are used in determining weather (cloud-cover, precipitation, wind, and temperature.)
Vocabulary:
Atmosphere- The envelope of gases that surround a planet and are held to it by the planet's gravitational attraction. The earth's atmosphere is mainly nitrogen and oxygen.
Weather- The condition of the atmosphere at any particular time and place.
Cloud- A visible aggregate of tiny water droplets and/or ice crystals in the atmosphere above the earth's surface.
Fog- A cloud with its base at the earth's surface.
Precipitation- Any form of water particles – liquid or solid – that falls from the atmosphere and reaches the ground.
Rain- Precipitation in the form of liquid water drops.
Snow- A solid form of precipitation composed of ice crystals in complex hexagonal form.
Freezing Rain- Rain that falls in liquid form and then freezes upon striking a cold object or ground. Freezing Rain can produce a coating of ice on objects, which is called glaze.
Hail- Precipitation in the form of transparent or partially opaque particles of ice that range in size from that of a pea to that of golf balls.
Wind- Air in motion relative to the earth's surface.
Temperature- The degree of hotness or coldness of a substance as measured by a thermometer.
Elaborate on the Concept:
After students have filled out the worksheet from the explore section, ask students to draw appropriate clothing for the weather outside. Drawings may include articles of clothing or people wearing said articles of clothing. Remind them that their parents probably recommended appropriate clothing based on what they themselves knew about the days weather. Students will then share with the class their drawings and discuss why each article of clothing is appropriate for the day's weather.
Evaluate Students’ Understanding of the Concept:
Student evaluations will be based on successfully and accurately describing the day's weather to the rest of the class. This evaluation should take into account the student describing how cloudy it is from sunny or not cloudy, partly cloudy or some clouds, cloudy or many clouds, and foggy. Students will also be assessed based on their filling out of the worksheet and choice of appropriate attire in pictures for the Elaborate.
References:
Donald Ahrens, 2011, Essentials of Meteorology: an Invitation to the Atmosphere, 6th Ed.
Name:______Date:______
Clouds / Precipitation / Wind