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Weather Science 3rd-6th | Lesson #2, Series 1

Weather Science

What Does Weather Have To “Dew” With It?

Vocabulary: Weather, Prediction, Atmosphere, Precipitation, Humidity, Wind, Growth, Drought, Measure

Grade Levels: 3rd - 6th

Click here for Series #1 Description

Science Framework

Spanish Lesson Plan

Lesson Video

Lesson Bridge:

Connect this lesson (2) to ‘Is Soil Alive?’(1) by discussing how varying types of soil react to weather and rain in particular differently.. Urge students to recall which soil types might contribute to runoff and which soil types might allow for water to soak into a landscape. Prep students for the next lesson ‘Pollution Solutions’ (3) by sharing how weather can often bring pollution to our oceans.

Lesson Overview:  

Since weather plays a big role in the success of school gardens, we will learn to observe and make sense of it!  Students will use weather-measuring devices to help them observe rain, air pressure, humidity, and wind.  We will learn new methods of measuring and describing weather, think and act like scientists, look for patterns, and observe how weather impacts plant growth!

Suggested Activities and Learning Objectives by Grade Level:

Essential Question(s) that Connect CCCs and SEPs:

Vocabulary:

Weather- The conditions(sunshine, rain, wind) at a particular place and time

Prediction- A statement about what will or might happen in the future

Atmosphere- The layer of gas that surrounds the earth, also called air

Precipitation- Water that falls to the earth as rain, hail, or snow

Humidity- Having a high amount of water or vapor. Damp or moist

Wind- The movement of air near earth’s surface

Growth- An increase in size (measure)

Drought- When there is a lack of precipitation over an extended period of time

Measure- To estimate the exact weight, size, or amount of something.

Materials:

Activity Option #1: Making a rain gauge

Either one per class, one per group or one per student

Activity Option #2: Making a wind sock

Either one per class, one per group or one per student

Prep:

Pick which activity you would like to do, maybe you would like to do both! Pre-cut materials and have assembly stations ready to go for students.

Activity Procedure:

Engage: 

What is the weather? Do you know what a prediction is? It is making an educated or good guess about what will happen. Why do you think it is important for gardeners to be able to make good guesses, or predictions about the weather? (It helps them know when plants might get too cold or too hot, or too dry or too wet, and to plan accordingly).

Sentence Frame: A prediction is a statement about what will happen in the  _____.

Explore:

Have each group go into the garden and make observations about the weather. If you want, encourage students to lie down to watch the clouds, lick their fingers to determine wind direction, and so forth. You can also ask students to feel the soil and observe plants in different parts of the garden to determine if some areas receive more rain, sun, or wind than other spots.

Explain:

Think, Pair, Share: How do you think weather scientists (also called meterologists) are able to predict the weather to make a weather forecast?

They use tools to observe patterns in the weather. Who can raise their hands and name different types of weather phenomena? (Hurricanes, blizzards, tornados, flash floods, etc.)

Explain how gardeners can determine how much it has rained in their garden with a rain gauge. A rain gauge is a container that collects rainwater and measures it in inches.

        Thumbs up/down: Have you ever used a rain gauge before?

Have students make an inch between their fingers to visualize that much. If you are making windsocks with your students, you can discuss how wind affects landscapes. Why is wind significant? It helps balance air temperature. The earth is always trying to achieve equilibrium or balance in air temperature. This creates wind, warm air, and cold air rising, falling, and moving around to create balance.

Action:

Activity option #1: Rain Gauge Making

  1. Review your Garden Agreements
  2. Distribute the materials accordingly
  1. One cut liter bottle per group(or just one if you are making one rain gauge for the entire class)
  2. Sharpie to mark inches
  3. Ruler
  1. Demonstrate by holding up your recycled liter bottle rain gauge container and mark the bottle with inches, starting at the bottom. Have students follow along and mark their own containers.
  2. Choose three places the rain gauge could go and have students vote on their favorite; each student can only vote once. Complete the reflection portion of this lesson to determine if its location needs to be adjusted.

Activity option #2: Wind Sock

  1. Review your Garden Agreements
  2. Break students into groups to make windsocks, or gather enough materials for each student to make their small wind sock.
  3. Demonstrate step-by-step how to make a wind sock and have a completed wind sock for students to model after.
  1. Have students decorate a piece of paper with crayons/markers or find things around the garden that they can tape or paste to the paper.
  2. Have your precut tissue paper in long strips, about 1-2 inches wide.
  3. Paste or tape the strips to the inside of the wind sock
  4. Roll the paper so that the four corners are overlapping, and secure with tape.
  5. Hang with a ribbon or string!

Reflect:

Option #1: Rain Gauge

How will the rain gauge help students know what’s going on in their garden? Where is it best to put a rain gauge (inside or outside, under a tree, or on the open ground? On a flat spot, or on a slope?). Is it important to check on a rain gauge and dump out the rain gauge after each rainstorm? Why? (Because the sun will dry the water up and then it will seem like you got less rain than you actually did!) Have students make predictions about how many inches of rain will be received by their next garden visit - record their predictions. How do we think drought will affect our results?

Option #2: Wind Sock

How will the wind sock help students know what’s going on in their garden? Where is it best to put a wind sock (inside or outside, under a tree, or out in the open?) What does the direction of the blowing strips tell us about where the wind is coming from? How does wind affect plants and creatures in the garden?

Extension Activities:

Cited Curriculum:

Gardens Change Lives!                                                          Page  of