Los Angeles Charter Schools Science Partnership
Model-Based Inquiry Lesson Plan
Lesson Title: Reading Weather Maps and Making Forecasts
Topic/ Focus Area: Weather Systems
Subject or Grade Level: Fifth grade
Major Concept of Lesson: Trends and patterns in weather map data can be studied and used to accurately
forecast weather.
Model – Students will create a weather map (diagrammatic model) predicting the weather for the next day within a
series of days using previous weather maps for a given area.
Evidence of Student Thinking within the Model:
Students will also prepare a written explanation (verbal model) of their prediction and support their prediction by
identifying their rationale or the “guiding principles” used. Some guiding principles are:
- generally weather moves from west to east
- pressure moves from areas of high to areas of low pressure
- direction of the wind can be determined from high and low pressure areas
- low pressure = rainy; high pressure = clear
-the collision of warm and cold fronts trigger changes in weather such as rain, storms, etc
- small temperature and pressure changes can alter the weather over a period of days causing long term weather
forecasts to be unreliable
California Standard(s) to be addressed:
Science 4d- Students know how to use weather maps and data to predict local weather and know that weather
forecasts depend on many variables.
Student Objectives: (Example: Students will be able to collect and analyze data; discuss in groups meaning of data; propose a model; predict
based on a model; refine a model; and present a model to the class.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Students will interpret common weather symbols used in weather maps.
Students will interpret the associated weather of frontal and pressure systems.
Students will describe how a weather map is a “model” of weather systems.
Students will make reasonable weather forecasts (written and oral group presentation) based on maps. They
will identify the rationales, or guiding principles, used to make their forecasts.
5. Students will use a criteria checklist to prepare and self-evaluate the written and oral group presentation of
their weather forecasts.
6. (Elaborate) Students will collect long-term data (one week) and analyze the temperature, barometric
pressure, and cloud patterns on a map in order to predict frontal and pressure systems. Predictions will be
compared to actual published newspaper data.
Materials and Resources:
See list of handouts below
Optional: Foss Guide to Water Planet Unit, student textbooks, weather maps over “x” amount of time,
sciencebuddies.org, Glass globe barometers, Delta Science Content Reader on Weather
Lesson Implementation Logistics: (time; mechanics; preparation; safety; lesson preceding/following, etc.)
Four 45-minute sessions
Placement Within Unit: After students have completed investigations related to evaporation, evaporation locations, surface
area, condensation, heating earth materials, convection, pressure, water cycle and severe weather, students will investigate
weather maps. (Lessons follow the sequence of the FOSS Water Planet unit.)
Lesson Preparation
Resources needed for Session 1:
 Handout: “What is the Weather?” (can be projected on screen)
 Weather Symbols Card Set for each group
 Matching Activity Cards Set per group (cards show weather that will be matched up with frontal and pressure
systems)
 Chart paper to make Guiding Principles Chart
 Handout: “Patterns to Know if you will be Reading a Weather Map and/or Forecasting the Weather”
 Glass Globe Barometers, one per group
Resources needed for Session 2:
 Video clip of a weather report
 USA maps with pressure systems (to be projected, or one per student)
 USA maps with fronts (to be projected, or one per student)
 Handout: Graphic Organizer for reading article on pressure systems (for each student)
 Handout: Graphic Organizer for reading article on frontal systems (for each student)
 Informational article about pressure systems TITLE
 Informational article about fronts TITLE
 Optional: Arrange for a visit by a meteorologist
 Optional: Tornado Lab materials, see handout
Resources needed for Session 3:
 Handout: “How has the Weather Changed?” (USA weather maps for two consecutive days)
 Handout: “Think Like A Meteorologist” (USA weather maps for 2-3 consecutive days) one per student or group
 Blank USA map?
 Handout: Weather forecast scenario and (optional) communication guide
 Handout: “Weather Forecast Criteria: Checklist for Students”
 Handout: Weather Data Chart
 Australia weather maps for three consecutive days
 Blank Australia map
Resources needed for Evaluation:
 3 Evaluation handouts included in this lesson (Scenario, Short Quiz, and Weather Forecast Chart
Vocabulary: meteorology, meteorologist, weather, weather map, model, forecast, high pressure system, low
pressure system, cold front, warm front, air mass, stationary front, precipitation, drizzle, severe weather,
thunderstorm, tornado, hurricane, weather, variable, barometer
Additional terms: consecutive days, rationale, guiding principles
Steps of the Lesson
Learning Activities which lead to Model:
Inquiry-Based; ELL and or Literacy Strategies;
Scaffolding
Teacher Questions for
Activity:
Key questions that show
progression from lower to
higher order thinking.
Anticipated
Student
Responses,
Questions and
Errors:
DAY 1
(See Scenario handout:)
The weather is different all
over the USA. It is raining
in Oregon, windy in
1. Teacher presents scenario for students about
Chicago, snowing in
weather.
Colorado, partly cloudy in
2. Students create a model to show the types of
California and sunny in
weather that may be encountered.
Florida. Create a model to
3. Class Discussion: Teacher explains that
represent the various types
symbols can be used to represent situations and/or of weather occurring in our
a phenomenon. Teacher ties explanation to the
country today. Use
engage activity.
symbols…
Engage
KQ: How can different types of weather be
represented?
What symbols did you use
to represent weather?
What other examples of
symbols have you used in
your life?
What types of things are
represented by symbols?
Explore 1
KQ: What do some common meteorological
symbols mean?
Activity: Weather Symbol Cards
Teacher will distribute weather symbol cards
(high pressure, low pressure, cold front, warm
front, stationary front, rain, partly cloudy, cloudy,
sunny) to pairs of students. Each index card has
the word & explanation on one side and the
corresponding symbol on the other. Students
predict the meanings of the symbols (without
looking at the back!). After guessing, students
Drawings to
represent the
various weather
situations,
creation of a key
to explain
drawings, color
coding.
Sun, curvy lines,
dots, stars,
colors
Happy faces/sad
faces for
emotions, traffic
signal for
movement, signs
on doors for
entrances, exits,
bathrooms, etc.
What do arrows
do and why do
you think they
are especially
important?
Teacher
Response to
Students and
Teacher
Intervention
Activities or
Strategies
check their answers by turning the card over.
Explain 1
1. Students discuss some of the symbols they
guessed or were stumped by.
Why does that symbol
make sense for that type of
weather?
2. Chart of Guiding Principles-Activity
Teacher charts the words with their symbols and
an explanation of the weather that they create.
Use handout entitled: “Patterns to Know if you
will be Reading a Weather Map and/or
Forecasting the Weather”.
Teacher emphasizes the symbols for: high
pressure, low pressure, warm front, cold front,
and stationary front and the associated weather.
Points out that the curvature of the front symbol
indicates direction in which it moves.
What symbols confused
you, if any?
Explore 2
3. Pressure Investigation:
To understand pressure better, Ss conduct
Glass Globe Barometer investigation of
pressure at different elevations (first floor
compared to upper floors).
Where is pressure greater,
on the top floor or lower
floor? (lower floor) Will
this be called
“high pressure” or “low
pressure”? (high pressure)
Does “high” pressure mean
it’s found high up in the
atmosphere? (No! It means
that the pressure is great,
and the numerical value is
relatively large.
Explore 3
KQ: What kind of weather do different types
of fronts and pressure systems bring?
Matching Fronts/Pressure Systems Card
Activity:
Students classify weather systems and the
conditions that would create them. Teacher
distributes envelopes containing pictures of: rain,
clear skies, cloudy skies, thunderstorm, drizzle,
hurricane, tornado. Also in the envelopes are
images for the pressure systems and fronts.
Students match the systems and fronts with the
resulting weather.
Explain (for Explore 3 above)
1. Groups share their matched up pairs; explain
rationale.
Individually students define each symbol: high
How is weather in a high
pressure area different than
in a low pressure area?
Which way is this front
moving? How do you
know?
What happens in an area
when a warm front and
cold front collide?
Which weather systems
need to be present for each
weather scenario/condition
to occur?
Can you support your
answer by using our chart
of guiding principles?
pressure, low pressure, warm front, cold front and
stationary front.
2. Teacher reviews again Chart of Guiding
Principles
DAY TWO-THREE
Engage
Students watch a TV weather report with the
sound off and predict the weather using their
knowledge of the symbols, fronts and pressure
systems. What’s our weather?
Students write predictions in their journal, thinkpair-share, then share with class and explain why
they made the predictions.
Explore 1
KQ: What are the dynamics of pressure
systems and what weather do they bring?
Teacher distributes (or project on screen) USA
map with only the pressure systems. Students
predict the weather in several locations based on
the symbols on the map and provide a rationale.
Students complete the “before reading” on the
graphic organizer handout.
Explain 1
1. Students read an informative article on
pressure systems and complete the “during
reading” section.
Define/explain these terms:
high pressure, low pressure,
warm front, cold front and
stationary front.
Our sound doesn’t work!
Watch for clues in the
weather report so that we
can predict the weather for
today.
Using your knowledge of
pressure systems, what will
the weather be like at each
location?
What did you learn from
the article about pressure
systems?
How did you change your
2. Teacher reinforces target concepts, summarizes prediction?
reading, and reinforces key vocabulary.
3. Students revisit their original predictions and
revise them in the 3rd section (column) in the
graphic organizer.
Explore 2
KQ: What are the dynamics of frontal systems
and what weather do they bring?
Follow the same Explore activity procedure
above, this time with an informative article on
“frontal systems.”
Using your knowledge of
fronts, what might the
weather be like in each
location?
Explain 2
1. Follow the same Explain procedure above, this
What did you learn from
the article about pressure
time with an informative article on “frontal
systems.”
2. Teacher engages students in TPR or
kinesthetic, video clips, and animation activities
to clarify the dynamics of fronts and pressure
systems.
See Tornado Lab Handout for an activity on how
air masses interact.
systems?
How did you change your
prediction?
3. Optional: Teacher invites meteorologist to
speak to students about pressure systems and
fronts.
4. Students create a model to demonstrate their
understanding of pressure systems and fronts.
5. Students return to the weather report prediction
from the engage and make modifications as
necessary. Students explain the rationale for the
changes they made.
6. T replays the weather report, but with the
sound on. Sts compare their predictions with
actual forecast.
4. Model: Using what you
have learned about pressure
systems and fronts, explain
(draw, write, diagram) what
kind of weather is
associated with:
a. pressure systems (both
high and low)
b. fronts (warm, cold and
stationary)
DAY FOUR
Engage observed session
1. “How Has the Weather Changed? Map
Activity
Students analyze 2 consecutive weather maps to
detect changes in frontal/pressure systems and the
ensuing weather changes. Sts complete chart at
bottom of handout.
2. Class discussion of findings.
Explore observed session
KQ:What reasonable weather forecast can we
make by studying 2 consecutive weather
maps?
Meteorologist Group Mini Project:
Let’s go over the arrows
and lines on this map. What
exactly do the arrows
mean? What is this arrow
referring to?
Groups apply their knowledge of weather,
pressure, and fronts to predict the weather for the
following day and provide a written and oral
prediction for their forecasts.
What trends do we see in
Teacher reviews Student Criteria Checklist for
the first two maps?
the Mini Project, emphasizing the importance of
including the guiding principles in the written and
oral presentations.
High pressure =
good weather,
clear skies
Low pressure =
bad weather,
rain and clouds
You are a team of
meteorologists and have
Groups present their completed weather forecasts. been asked to give a
weather report to the class.
Optional Activities:
Using the map your team
1. Each group presentation can end with a Q has created develop a
and A session to further check on groups’ weather report to explain
understanding of the guiding principles.
tomorrow’s weather. As
2. Peer Evaluation-Using the checklist of
you give oral presentation,
criteria, each student can complete an
be sure to refer to the
evaluation of the group presentations.
previous days’ maps for
This gives all students added practice with clarity.
the guiding principles.
In your report, explain
what guiding principles you
are using to make your
forecasts. Use the checklist
to write your forecast!
Be creative!
Explain
Elaborate
KQ: How can we use weather data to predict
fronts and pressure systems?
1. Investigation-Students (see data chart) record
barometric pressure and temperature of the
weather along with a general observation about
the clouds (cloudy, sunny, windy, what types of
clouds etc.)
Ss record over a period of 1 school week and then
analyze their data, and predict a type of front and
type of pressure system. They then compare with
the actual weather maps from newspaper to see if
they were able to correctly match their
predictions and data.
Ss need to know how to use instruments. (mmHg
and mb F C).
Students can look up this information over the
internet if necessary.
Students have an opportunity to make decisions
about how to collect data such as time, place, and
methodology of instruments.
Students write a conclusion.
Explain
Student groups share their findings.
Evaluate
Students independently complete the following
assessments:
1. Scenario (see attached): A weather map is
provided and student makes a forecast for
a city. Student must explain rationale,
guiding principles for the forecast. This is
meant to be a more open-ended
assessment than #3 below.
2. Short Quiz (see attached)
3. Weather Forecast Chart: Student gives a
forecast by providing symbols on a map
and specific details about the weather by
completing a chart.
Guiding Principles Handout to include:
- generally weather moves from west to east
- pressure moves from areas of high to areas of low pressure
- direction of the wind can be determined from high and low pressure areas
- low pressure = rainy; high pressure = clear
-the collision of warm and cold fronts trigger changes in weather such as rain, storms, etc
- small temperature and pressure changes can alter the weather over a period of days causing long term weather
forecasts to be unreliable
Notes:
Meteorologists acquire weather data from three sources: surface measurements with traditional weather
instruments, atmospheric measurements with balloons and radio sonds and satellite images. This data is displayed
symbolically on weather maps. Pressure centers, weather fronts, and the winds of weather they generate are
introduced. Weather is predicted using local weather maps. A weather map is a picture of the weather variables in
an area at given time. Weather maps are tools used by meteorologists to forecast weather. Weather maps display
high and low pressure weather fronts and precipitation.