Week 3; Lesson Plans

This week in EDUC 338 we are doing our first 2 lesson plans. I love that we have the freedom to choose what content areas we would like to do our lessons in. I have been going over the MO standards and choosing areas that look like fun to write lessons in. The first one I chose is for 3rd grade Science and allows students to recognize weather patterns. In the lesson plan I have students first making predictions on what kinds of weather they think takes place around our nation. They then get the opportunity to gather data from websites, books, and magazines (provided by teacher) and fill out a graph. Last, they discuss what predictions were true and which ones were not.
The second lesson plan I did this week was over US inventors and pioneers for 2nd grade Social Studies. The lesson I wrote would be in a continuing unit plan, and would involve students making their own book telling about their chosen person. They will learn the most important information about their chosen person from online sources and books (provided by teacher) and make a 6 page book informing readers about facts they have learned. They will fill out a graphic organizer to help them organize their information to put in their books. They can share their books with the class when finished.
It has been really fun doing these lesson plans and I am excited to do the other 8!
I am not sure how to attach my lesson plans so that you guys can look at them and give me feedback... If anyone knows how, please share!


OK guys, I just copied and pasted my first lesson plan.  I tried to do my second too, but I think it was too long... I am going to make another blog post with my second lesson plan in it!

Unit/Lesson Title: Weather and Climate

Grade; 3rd

Content Standards;

 1.C.3.d Analyze whether evidence supports proposed explanations 

ESS2 - Earth's Systems   

D.  Weather and Climate  

3.ESS2.D. 1 Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season. [Clarification Statement: Examples of data could include average temperature, precipitation, and wind direction.]

Instructional Goals/Overview:  Students will do activities that they will be responsible for collecting data and graphing weather conditions in 4 regions of the United States

Measurable Learning Objective(s): Students will be able to research weather conditions around our nation and use information to graph and compare average temperature, precipitation and wind direction. Students will have an understanding of how weather conditions vary within our nation.

What do you thing the most common weather condition in the nation is?

Do you think there is climates such as desert and tropical in our nation?

Materials/Resources Required for Lesson:

Graphing handouts

Smart board

Website;  Weather for the United States

National Geographic; Weather Gone Wild

National Geographic; Little Big Book of Weather

Pre-assessment/Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills: Students will start with a map of the US with a word bank of weather conditions such as; rainy, windy, dry, hot, cool, snow, ice, tropical, etc.  Students will fill out the map using prior knowledge, then look at the map again after their research to compare.

Before we do our research, thing about where you think the following weather patterns occur in the US; rainy, windy, dry, hot, cool, snowy, icy, and tropical.

Vocabulary Overview:

Climate

Weather conditions

Thermometer

Desert

Rain fall

Precipitation

Who can tell me what (insert vocab word) means?

Instructional Procedures: Students will be given a map at the beginning of class to classify regions of the US including the southwest, northwest, north, and south. They will then work in small groups using  graphing paper and research actual average weather conditions in each region using the website listed under materials. They will fill out a graph for each region documenting the regions rainfall amounts, temperatures, and wind directions. After gathering data, they will compare with their regional maps done at the beginning of class to see how many predictions were correct.

What major differences are you noticing on your graphs as you collect data?

Opening “Hook”: Show students a video of extreme weather patterns found in the US. Tell them they will find all of the weather patterns in the video in the US, and by the end of the lesson, they will be able to show on a map where they occur.

How many kinds of weather patterns do you think occurs in our nation? Remember that Hawaii and Alaska are a part of our nation as well.

Clear Description of Teacher’s Actions:  Show students a video on US extreme weather patterns. Tell students they will be able to point out on a map where these weather conditions occur. Have students fill out a blank regional map of the US and predict where these weather conditions occur. Split students into small groups and give them 4 graphing worksheets each. Show them the website to access to gather weather data for each region and graph their findings. Have students compare the data they collected to their initial predictions.

What similarities and differences are you noticing at this point?

Clear Description of Students’ Actions: Students will fill out a blank map of regional US and make predictions on weather conditions in each region. Students will work in groups to research and graph actual weather conditions and compare with initial predictions.

Closure: Discuss how students’ predictions were similar or different after collecting data.  Ask students to share one prediction that was either proved to be untrue or true after research.

Look at your data collected. What is one fact that was either confirmed or proved untrue by your research?

Differentiation Strategies: Some students may work better with a magazine/book versus a website; have a couple of National Geographic’s magazines on hand with the nations weather patterns already graphed out for a better visual. Be readily available to work in small groups if needed with students.

Learning Styles:  Students will have the opportunity to use online research or magazine/book research, depending on what they are more comfortable with. Teacher will have magazines, books, and websites ready for use in this lesson. 

Accommodations/Remediation:  Some students may need to be guided as to where to look to find the data necessary to complete the lesson.

Enrichment: If students finish quickly, they will be asked to find data on Canada and Mexico’s weather patterns as well. They can share their findings with the class.