1st Grade Weather Unit—Helpful Teacher Tips

Pre-unit suggestions

Students should keep 2 two-pocket folders exclusively for science. One folder will be used to store the "Weather Unit" booklet and modified data sheets. The other folder will be used to store the "Organisms Unit" booklet and modified data sheets, the "Butterfly Unit" booklet and "Science In the Toy Box" data sheets as the units are presented.

Lesson 1

Save both pre-unit assessment charts for use at the end of the unit.

Lesson 2

Leave Weather Observations chart out where students can see it and add to it.

Supplementary Resource: I Can Be a Weather Forecaster by Claire Martin chronicles the day and life of a meteorologist. It supplements the article/story in the lesson. What Will the Weather Be Like Today by Paul Rogers is a very simple read-aloud about different types of weather/forecasts.

Lesson 3

Try to have the students observe the weather at the same time each day and note the time of day on the post-it.

Extension #1 on page 37 is a good activity to summarize data on a weekly basis and helps students better understand how to summarize the entire month.

Lesson 4

Use Modified Record Sheet 4-A for your "Wind Data Graph." The "zero" rating has been moved so that students only color if the wind is a one or two on the scale.

Supplementary Resource: Watching the Weather by Ashwell and Owen is an outstanding book about the tools scientists use to observe, measure, and predict the weather.

Lesson 5

No need to construct Figure 5-1. Use teacher demonstration thermometer provided in kit to demonstrate high and low temperature.

The Weather unit focuses on the Fahrenheit scale because weather reports in the United States consistently use that scale.

Lesson 6

After constructing the model thermometer, it is important to use it to practice reading a Fahrenheit scale. For example: The teacher calls out a temperature, and students show it on their thermometers. During practice sessions consider pairing a student who has been successful reading the thermometer with a student who finds it more difficult.

Lesson 7

This lesson is the beginning of the longitudinal daily temperature graph (monthly graphs may be accessed on the electronic curriculum). Some teachers might want to start their temperature graph at the beginning of the unit and demonstrate what they have been recording when they reach Lesson 7. Other teachers might prefer to wait to introduce the idea of keeping a daily graph until they begin Lesson 7. The latter will allow the teacher to instruct the children in the skill of reading a thermometer and begin their graph with a student recording the first data.

At this time it is important to demonstrate taking the temperature in three different settings at the same time. Put one thermometer on the asphalt (teachers will have to turn the thermometer upside down to get the bulb to touch the asphalt), one in the shade and hold one in the sun. Through a teacher-facilitated discussion, students should understand the importance of taking the temperature in the same location each day. The chosen location for taking daily temperatures should be in the shade. While students may not be able to understand why the shade is preferable for an accurate air temperature reading, the teacher should emphasize that accurate readings are always taken from a shady location.

Teachers should make four copies of Record Sheets 7-A and 7-B on 11" x 17" paper to be used each time Lesson 7 is revisited throughout the school year. These sheets will be stored in the pocket of the students' Weather folder.

At the end of this unit it is valuable to keep and store this "daily temperature graph" in your science kit to be used the following year for comparison.

Lesson 8

• In order to keep the water temperature constant, ice cubes and a hot plate are necessary for reheating and chilling the water.
• Students may have difficulty predicting the mixed water temperatures. Oftentimes they will add the hot and cold temperatures together thinking that combining means addition as in math.
• Teams of three work very well in this experiment.

Lesson 8.1

Lesson 8.1 has been added to address the following benchmark: 4E(K-2)#1: The sun warms the land, air and water.

Set up an experiment to observe the effect of sun on temperature.

• Use 7 oz. plastic cups from kit.
• For each pair or group of students, fill 2 cups with soil (leftover from Organisms unit), 2 with water, and leave 2 cups empty (air).
• Have students place thermometers in each cup.
• Have students place 1 set of cups (soil, water, and air) in a sunny location and a second set in a shady location. Allow several minutes for the temperatures to stabilize.
• Students observe and record temperatures on teacher-generated Record Sheet 8.1 (available on the electronic curriculum).

Lesson 9

• The thermometer bags should help the children understand that the color of their clothes can affect how hot they feel when they are in direct sunlight.
• Pre-making the "bags" speeds up the experiment and gets to the heart of the Benchmark in a more streamlined manner. Names on the black bags should be written with white crayon. Find a place in direct sunlight, on the same type of surface. Allow the thermometer to stay out for about 10 minutes. During this waiting period you might generate answers to your "predicting temperatures" chart.
• Before making the class chart, "Recording Temperatures," have children work with a partner to complete the Modified Record Sheet 9-A (available on electronic curriculum). After each pair has made a generalization about their black vs. white bags, collect the data for the "Recording Temperatures" class chart to get more data and verify their findings.

Lesson 10

• It is valuable to simulate a "rainy" day using a watering can to introduce measuring with a rain gauge. After following the Procedure section of the Teacher's Guide, the students will apply their skills and extend their knowledge by completing the Final Activities on page 102.
• Tape popsicle sticks to the sides of the cup to serve as anchors in the ground. Placing gauges in a variety of collection spots allows children to compare and make conclusions about natural rainfall collection in their areas.
• Keeping a rainfall graph for 2 weeks (regardless of whether there is none or significant amounts of rain) will show students how weather changes from day to day.

Lesson 11

Second grade will build on this concept of evaporation. The Puddle Book is an effective means for observing how water changes over time. At this grade level, students are not expected to understand the scientific meaning of evaporation. The use of the term can perpetuate misconceptions among young students. Most students will only understand that water left out will disappear. Students who use the term evaporation most likely do not yet understand that water molecules continue to exist but are in a gas form. Typically, students use the term "evaporation" to mean disappear. In that situation, it is preferable to simply use the term disappear. The "Background Information" on page 109 in the Teacher's Guide and the Misconceptions link on the Weather Unit Page of the electronic curriculum provide information on the water cycle and research on students' understanding of the water cycle.

Lesson 12

The fabric is very difficult to attach to the rim of the cup. Observe how much water spills over into the pie plate as well as how much drips into the cup. Use the entire 4 oz. cup of water for each test.

Lesson 13

The lesson provides a good opportunity to use descriptive words to note color, size and texture. It also allows the children to describe things by saying how they are like something else [Benchmark 11B(K-2)#3].

Supplementary Resource: Shapes in the Sky—A Book About Clouds is a wonderful read-aloud on clouds. It can be used during Lesson 13 or 14. The book is available through the library. Additional titles have been flagged by the library as quality read-alouds for Lessons 13 and 14.

Lesson 14

If continuing to use the weather stamps on the classroom calendar, consider having the children label the cloud cover with the formal cloud names.

Lesson 15

Bad Wolf Press has a weather play for students to perform. Copies are available at Hickory Point and Grove Schools.

Lesson 16

Students should tally the weather for the month of September. It is at the teacher's discretion to continue monthly weather tallies.

Supplementary Resources: Weather by Rena Kilpatrick reviews many of the concepts addressed throughout the unit. While the book is older, it is still suitable for an end-of-unit read-aloud. Weather by Gallimard Jeunesse and Pascale de Bourgoing is a simplistic book that overviews seasonal changes and specifically discusses rainfall. It is also suitable for an end-of-unit read-aloud. What's the Weather Today by Ann Fowler is an additional title that serves as good summary book. The books are available through the library.

Summative Assessment

The End-of-Unit Weather Questions assessment should be completed independently by the students. Students might wish to examine the temperature graphs to answer the questions, especially questions 3 through 5.