Unit Overview
Title: “What’s the Weather?”
Recommended Grade Level: Kindergarten
Organizing Theme: The Unit will focus on the weather. The Unit will observing and recording
weather, estimating wind speed, figuring out temperature, using rain gauges, observing clouds,
and dressing appropriately for specific weather conditions.
Integrated Model: Integrated
Pennsylvania Academic Standards Addressed in Unit:
3.3.a. Earth and Space Sciences: Earth structure, process and cycles continued.
* Identify seasonal changed in the environment.
* Distinguish different types of precipitation.
* Collect, describe and record information about weather.
* Read a thermometer and identify the temperature.
Time Allotment:
Day 1: Sharing What we Know about Weather- Students will share what they know about
weather through discussion about the day’s weather and about how they decide what to wear to
school.
( 15 minutes)
Day 2: Observing and Recording Weather- Students will use their senses (sight, hearing,
smelling and touch) to find out about the weather. They will also begin observing and describing
the weather as well as recording observations in their Daily Weather Journals. At the end of the
unit students will summarize the weather data that they collected.
( 20 minutes)
Day 3: Estimating Wind Speed- Students will be making wind socks and seeing how they
determine the direction of the wind as well as the strength of the wind.
( 30 minutes)
Day 4: Making and Using Thermometers – Students will learn about temperature in various
areas as well as explore temperature by making pop-sickle thermometers.
(30 minutes)
Day 5: Making a Rain Gauge- Students will learn about rain gauges and then construct one out
of a soda body. After constructing the gauge they will then use it to experiment with measuring
rain fall.
( 30 minutes)
Day 6: Clouds – Students will look closer at clouds and learn about various names and shapes of
different clouds. They will also look at an experiment that illustrates rain fall from clouds.
( 25 minutes)
Day 7: Summarizing our Weather Observations- As a group students will discuss what they
have learned about weather throughout the unit. They will look at past journal entries, class
weather charts and create a final weather graph.
(25 minutes)
Day 8: Celebrate the Weather- Students will celebrate what they know about weather by
enjoying a refreshing drink for a hot summer day (lemonade) and by making a hot chocolate
craft with marshmallows to celebrate even a cold winter day.
( 30 mins)
Vocabulary:
Sunny, cloudy, rainy, snowy, windy, temperature, thermometer, wind, weather, wind sock, wind
vane, tornado, rain gauge, precipitation, hot, old.