Weather Walks

Contributor
Kimberly Lightle, Principal Investigator
Type Category
Instructional Materials
Types
Lesson/Lesson Plan , Field Trip
Note
This resource, vetted by NSTA curators, is provided to teachers along with suggested modifications to make it more in line with the vision of the NGSS. While not considered to be "fully aligned," the resources and expert recommendations provide teachers with concrete examples and expert guidance using the EQuIP rubric to adapted existing resources. Read more here.

Reviews

Description

Students learn about weather by taking walks during various weather conditions over the course of time. Walks take place during during sunny, rainy, windy, or snowy conditions. The lesson is divided into four sections with activities assigned to each of the weather conditions being observed. Suggested activities include appropriate investigations to help students observe and describe weather phenomenon through first hand experiences.

Intended Audience

Educator
Educational Level
  • Kindergarten
Language
English
Access Restrictions

Free access - The right to view and/or download material without financial, registration, or excessive advertising barriers.

Performance Expectations

K-ESS2-1 Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time.

Clarification Statement: Examples of qualitative observations could include descriptions of the weather (such as sunny, cloudy, rainy, and warm); examples of quantitative observations could include numbers of sunny, windy, and rainy days in a month. Examples of patterns could include that it is usually cooler in the morning than in the afternoon and the number of sunny days versus cloudy days in different months.

Assessment Boundary: Assessment of quantitative observations limited to whole numbers and relative measures such as warmer/cooler.

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this performance expectation.

Comments about Including the Performance Expectation
Each weather walk includes guiding questions to lead student observations and discussions. They also include ways for students to experience the weather through their senses and guided investigations. Completing the lessons as instructed fully meets this Performance Expectation.

Science and Engineering Practices

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this science and engineering practice.

Comments about Including the Science and Engineering Practice
The lesson includes several opportunities for students to generate, collect, and discuss data in order to answer both teacher guided and self-generated questions to meet the Practice.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
The lesson fully meets the expectation of this Disciplinary Core Idea.

Crosscutting Concepts

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this crosscutting concept.

Comments about Including the Crosscutting Concept
The lesson allows students to discuss observed patterns and to use these observations as evidence for discussion. Students are also encouraged to draw and record their observations over time. Teachers can reinforce this Crosscutting Concept by helping students recognize and record local weather patterns and by providing multiple opportunities for students to share and compare their work with each other. Additionally, allowing students to identify and address discrepancies in each other's work will foster the idea of using observations as evidence for their explanations.

Resource Quality

  • Alignment to the Dimensions of the NGSS: The lesson in it's entirety strongly supports all three dimensions of NGSS according to the Performance Expectation, Practice, Disciplinary Core Idea, and Crosscutting Concepts described in this review.

  • Instructional Supports: Allowing for ample discussion throughout the lesson will enable students to make connections to their own, and others' ideas and prior knowledge. The activities are accessible to all learners with little adjustment. Since it is a guided activity, the teacher can utilize instructional supports when necessary and allow students to participate and respond at their own level.

  • Monitoring Student Progress: There are ample opportunities for formative assessment throughout the lesson however; it is up to the teacher to design specific assessments and rubrics. Teachers can easily emphasize or reteach areas as needed by using the built-in activities as suggested in each of the four parts of the lesson. Student work also provides teachers information about students' depth of understanding.

  • Quality of Technological Interactivity: This is a lesson plan for teachers to provide real world, first hand experiences for students.