Description
What our Weather lesson plan includes
Lesson Objectives and Overview: Weather is a more advanced version of the Introduction to Weather lesson plan. Students will learn to define and explain various weather-related words and concepts and discover some of the tools meteorologists use to forecast. This lesson is for students in 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade.
Classroom Procedure
Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the yellow box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand.
Options for Lesson
The “Options for Lesson” section of the classroom procedure page lists a number of suggestions for ideas and activities you could incorporate into the lesson. Schedule a local meteorologist from a TV station or college to visit with the class or school. Allow students to use weather words to describe how they are feeling each day for a week or so. (Sunny may mean happy, cloudy may equal sad, etc.) Obtain thermometers and teach children how to use them, indoors and outside, recording temperatures.
Teacher Notes
The teacher notes page provides an extra paragraph of information to help guide the lesson and remind you what to focus on. It explains that this could be a good time to give a brief explanation of the differences between weather and climate. The blank lines on this page are available for you to write out thoughts and ideas you have as you prepare the lesson.
WEATHER LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES
Intro to the Weather
The Weather lesson includes two content pages. Weather is something we talk about every day. It helps us decide what to wear, what activities we can do, and whether we need an umbrella or sunscreen! But what exactly is weather? Weather describes the conditions outside at a certain time and place. It can be hot or cold, sunny or cloudy, rainy or snowy, calm or stormy. All weather happens in the atmosphere, the layer of gases that surrounds Earth. The atmosphere protects life on Earth and helps keep the planet at a temperature where living things can survive.
A meteorologist is a scientist who studies weather and makes predictions about what it will do next. Meteorologists collect data from many places using special tools and instruments. These tools include a thermometer for temperature, a rain gauge for rainfall, an anemometer for wind speed, and a wind vane for wind direction. They also use computers to create weather models and maps that help them track storms and changes in the atmosphere.
Meteorologists play an important role in keeping people safe. They issue weather warnings for dangerous conditions like hurricanes, tornadoes, and thunderstorms. Their forecasts help schools, cities, pilots, farmers, and even astronauts plan and stay safe during extreme weather events. Let’s explore some key parts of weather that meteorologists measure!
Temperature, Humidity, and Air Pressure
Temperature tells us how hot or cold the air is. It depends on how fast the molecules in the air are moving. Faster motion means higher temperature. We measure temperature using a thermometer, which shows degrees in either Fahrenheit (F) or Celsius (C). For example, water freezes at 32°F or 0°C. If it’s that cold outside, it might snow!
Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. Water vapor is the gas form of water that you can’t see, but you can feel it, especially on hot, sticky days. When there’s a lot of humidity, it may feel warmer than it really is. If the air holds too much water vapor, it can lead to rain.
Air pressure is the weight of the air pressing down on Earth. It’s also called atmospheric pressure. We use a tool called a barometer to measure it.
- High pressure usually brings clear, sunny weather.
- Low pressure often brings clouds, rain, or even storms.
Changes in air pressure help meteorologists predict what the weather will do next.
Wind and Climate
Wind is the air moving from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. It can be gentle or strong, and it can change quickly. A tool called an anemometer measures how fast the wind is blowing. Wind is affected by many things, including the shape of the land, bodies of water, and the way the Earth spins. That’s why wind may be calm in one place but strong just a few miles away.
A place’s location on Earth affects its weather. For example:
- Areas near oceans usually have milder weather.
- Mountain areas can be colder and windier.
- Places near the equator (an imaginary line around the middle of
Earth) tend to be warmer. - Places farther from the equator are usually cooler.
Weather affects our daily lives—from how we travel to what we wear. By studying the weather, scientists can help us stay safe and be prepared. Understanding how temperature, humidity, pressure, wind, and location all work together helps us make sense of our changing skies.
WEATHER LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS
The Weather lesson plan includes three worksheets: an activity worksheet, a practice worksheet, and a homework assignment. These worksheets will help students demonstrate what they learned throughout the lesson and reinforce the lesson concepts. The guide on the classroom procedure page outlines when to hand out each worksheet to your students.
ANEMOMETER ACTIVITY WORKSHEET
For this activity, students will build their own anemometer. They will first answer the questions at the top of the page. Then they will follow the steps to build the tool. Finally, they will go outside and measure the wind! They can use the chart at the bottom of the page to record the number of spins up to 10 times.
WEATHER REVIEW PRACTICE WORKSHEET
Students will complete three sections for the practice worksheet. First they will match terms with the correct meaning. Then they will circle the correct answer to three questions. Finally, they will answer three questions in complete sentences that demonstrate their understanding of the content.
AT-HOME TEST HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
The homework assignment requires students to use the anemometer they made during the activity. They will repeat their test five times at home. After counting the spins, they will calculate the average. Then they will answer the questions at the bottom of the page.
Worksheet Answer Keys
If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.
