UNIT TWO
Subject Whole Group Science: Week of September 29 – October 3
CCGPS S4E3. Students will differentiate between the states of water and how they relate
to the water cycle and weather.
a. Demonstrate how water changes states from solid (ice) to liquid (water) to gas
(water vapor/steam) and changes from gas to
liquid to solid.
b. Identify the temperatures at which water becomes a solid and at which water
becomes a gas.
c. Investigate how clouds are formed.
d. Explain the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, and precipitation).
e. Investigate different forms of precipitation and sky conditions. (rain, snow, sleet,
hail, clouds, and fog).
S4E4. Students will analyze weather c
harts/maps and collect weather data to predict weather events and infer patterns
and seasonal changes.
a. Identify weather instruments and explain how each is used in gathering weather
data and making forecasts (thermometer, rain
gauge, barometer, wind vane, anemometer).
b. Using a weather map identify the fronts, temperature, and precipitation and use
the information to interpret the weather
conditions.
c. Use observations and records of weather conditions to predict weather patterns
throughout the year.
d. Differentiate between weather and climate.
Learning Target
1. Some events in nature have a repeating pattern. The weather changes some from day to
day, but things such as temperature and rain (or snow) tend to be high, low, or medium
in the same months every year.
2. Water can be a liquid or a solid and can go back and forth from one form to the other. If
water is turned into ice and then the ice is allowed to melt, the amount of water is
the same as it was before freezing.
3. Water left in an open container disappears, but water in a closed container does
not disappear.
4. Different temperatures affect water, by changing the states.
5. Weather instruments such as the thermometer, rain gauge, barometer, wind vane, and
anemometer help us predict weather.
6. Weather is a daily occurrence climate occurs over an extended period of time.
CRCT Content Descriptor EARTH SCIENCE
Essential Vocabulary
Solid, liquid, gas, ice, water, water vapor, steam
Humidity, clouds, cumulus, cirrus, stratus, rain, snow, cumulonimbus, sleet, hail, dew,
fog, water cycle, precipitation, evaporation, condensation, atmosphere
Anemometer, barometer, temperature, forecasts, pressure (high/low), rain gauge, wind vane,
meteorologist, weather front, weather map, weather symbols, air mass, air pressure, predict,
thermometer
Climate, weather, tropical climate, temperate climate, polar climate, greenhouse
effect, weather patterns
Essential Question(s)
1. What is the difference between weather and climate and how do we
describe it?
Anchor Charts—What
anchor charts will be
created or re-visited during
instruction?
Total Lesson Time Four to five days
Teacher Work/
Student Work
(x mins)
PLEASE BE SPECIFIC.
HIGHLIGHT RBIS
STRATIGIES: SHOULDER
BUDDIES, NONLING.REPRE.,
SUMMAR.NOTE TAK.,
SIMILARITIES/DIFFERENCE
S, GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
MONDAY
Activating Strategy:
Teacher will give out the following terms on slips of paper to groups of
3-4 students: 1) calendar, 2) clock, 3) day, 4) month, 5) season, 6)
storm, 7) it is hot today, 8) it was a hot summer, 9) it was a rainy day,
10) our summers are usually dry, 11) the wind is blowing hard, 12) we
have mild winters. Ask pupils to classify the words and statements into
two groups to represent weather and climate (climate words are
bolded).
Instruction:
 After discussing which terms are weather and which are climate,
collaborative pairs create a generalization about what makes a
term fall into the weather or climate category. We should see that
TIME is the reason the terms are separated as they are. The
shorter time lengths are for weather and the longer times are for
climate.
 Experiment about “How does Climate Change?”
 Weather and Climate (United Streaming video)
 Read pages 130-131
 Summarize with shoulder buddy what the three types of climates
are and how they are different
 Read pages 132-133
 Think-ink-share what factors affect climate
 Read People in Science page 139
TUESDAY (will go into WEDNESDAY)
Students will create a collage of different pictures for each of the
different climates—tropical, temperate, and polar.
 Teacher read aloud “Twister!” pages 136-137
 Sticky summary about why weather predictions are important
during tornado season
 Math mini lesson p. 137 about tornado wind speeds
 Students will read pages 134-135

Make an inference about why meteorologists are concerned about
the diagram on the bottom of p. 134 (Antarctica’s more exposed
to the Sun’s harmful rays.)
 Create a climate map for the United States, showing the different
climates (tropical, temperate, polar)
 What can you infer about Georgia’s weather compared to that off
California or New York?
WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY
 AP #2: word web listing 3 factors that may lead to climate
changes. Wordsplash about “What is the Greenhouse effect?”
Who has seen a greenhouse? What does it do for the plants?
 Collaborative pairs read p. 104-105
 Dear Teacher letter about “Why might global warming be a cause
for concern?”
FRIDAY
Teacher facilitates: AP #3: Dear Teacher letter should explain if
Earth’s atmosphere gets too warm, it could change the entire
balance of life on Earth---every ecosystem would be affected.
Lesson Closing Summarizing Strategy
(x mins)
1. acrostic for CLIMATE
2. 3-2-1 about 3 things that change climate in an area, 2 differences between
tropical and polar climates, 1 friendly definition for Climate
HOMEWORK
1. Review and test pp. 140-141
2. Frayer model about climate or weather
3. RAFT as non-native species writing to relatives back home about
your vacation to a different climate zone. What was it like, what
plants were there, how did it feel, any odd weather you had not
experienced before, etc.
4. Dear Teacher letter about Global Warming
5. Workbook pages 80-85
6. Workbook pages 72-79