Weather Across the Seasons (BESU&C)

Weather Across the Seasons (BESU&C)

Number	Activity label	Activity Description
1	Describing Temperature	Students are introduced to a set of symbols for temperature ranges based on the clothing that would be worn: tee shirt for 'hot' long-sleeved shirt for 'warm,' jacket for 'cool,' and hooded coat for 'cold'.
2	Describing the Current Weather	The children apply their knowledge of the properties of temperature, wind, precipitation and cloud cover to the description of the weather outside at the present time. They are reminded of the need to have agreement on the descriptions and are coached in the use of the agreed upon lists of descriptors for each property.
3	Describe Pictured Weather Conditions	Children gain additional experience by describing weather conditions in pictures. Pictured conditions include rain on a "hot" (tee-shirt) day and a day with snow on the ground but not new snow coming down from the sky. These conditions are often problematic for children.
4	Discussing When Pictured Weather Might Have Occurred	The students are asked, "When might this weather have occurred?" for each condition from the previous activity. Any use of season or month labels is discussed and recorded.
5	Drawing Predictions of Birthday Weather	This activity sets up the main problem for the unit, what will the weather be like on their next birthdays. The children draw pictures of themselves on their next birthday to illustrate their predictions. Weather property describing words and symbols are posted where the children can refer to them to help them add words to their drawings.
6	Discussing Similarities Among Birthdays in the Same Months	Children share their birthday weather predictions and discuss why different people had similar predictions. The idea that birthdays in the same month might have similar weather is brought out.
7	Exploring the Year with Birthdays	Children with birthdays in a given month make up a month birthday page. The months are then sequenced using a calendar as needed. These are mounted to make one-year time line which can be closed to make a wheel.
8	Planning to Test Our Predictions	Children review their predictions. Some of their reasons are from remembering what the weather was like on their last birthday. One way of getting evidence for predicting the weather on a certain day is to find out what the weather was like on that day in the past. The National Weather Service keeps records of weather that could be used.
9	Gather Weather Data From the Birthday Weather Database	Children are introduced to the birthday weather database as a source of evidence for predicting. They check the database for two or more of their birthdays. They print their data.
10	Post Weather Data on the Timeline/Wheel	Students with birthdays in the same or similar months transfer their birthday weather data strips to the one-year time wheel. They may discuss the patterns they see.
11	Invent the Seasons	Students examine the weather data on the time wheel and discuss when winter weather begins. They then look up the official starting date of winter. After discussing the other three seasons, they note that the weather does not change all of a sudden on the first official day of each season.
12	Identifying the Weather that Happened in Each Season	Data from the time line are reviewed and graphed by property on a large chart. The results are discussed. Children note that all kinds of wind and cloud cover happened in all seasons. They also note that temperature and precipitation patterns were different in different seasons.
13	Describing the Seasons	Using the graphs of weather in different season, the children prepare summary descriptions of weather in the seasons. The summaries are made on circular charts divided into four quarters. This activity serves as an embedded assessment of the children's current understanding.
14	Making a Class Seasons Chart.	The children use the season charts with graphs of the birthday weather data to construct a class chart describing the weather in each season. Each season is described in a quarter of a large circle. The describers for each property are divided into three columns: "Happened a lot," "Happened a little," and "Did not happen."
15	An Example Weather Prediction	The teacher guides the children in using the Seasons weather charts to make a drawing predicting the weather on a holiday. Including more than one drawing to show various possibilities (e.g., "rain" or "non") is modeled.
16	Revising Our Birthday Weather Predictions	The children examine the data from the month of their birthday. They compare this data with their predictions and revise their prediction if the evidence shows they should, just as adult scientists do.
17	Final Predictions of Next Birthday Weather	They then use the data to revise their prediction for their next birthday.