Temperature_Section 1_Beg-Numeracy
Temperature: Beginning Numeracy
Section 1: Reading Temperatures
EL Civics 2011-13
Unit Description:
This unit is divided into two sections with each section having 3 to 5 activities. This
document contains teaching materials for Section 1.
 Section 1: Reading Temperatures
 Section 2: Calculating Temperatures
Ronald Hubbs Center EL Civics 2011-2013
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Temperature_Section 1_Beg-Numeracy
Temperatures Discussion (S1-A1a)
What is temperature?
How do you know what the temperature is outside?
How did you know what the temperature was in your country?
What was the temperature like in your country in December?
What is the temperature like here in the winter? Spring? Summer? Fall?
What measurement system do you use to measure the weather in your country?
What measurement system do we use here?
How is temperature recorded?
Why do we look at or record temperature?
When and where can you see temperature readings?
Discuss Celsius and Fahrenheit. Show the thermometer below and how the temperatures
interrelate.
What are negative temperatures?
How do you read negative temperatures?
What temperature is colder, 10 or -10? Why? (Ask more questions like this.)
Ronald Hubbs Center EL Civics 2011-2013
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Temperature_Section 1_Beg-Numeracy
Temperature Vocabulary (S1-A1b)
Teacher’s Note: Create an activity to practice the vocabulary used and generated in S1A1a).
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Temperature_Section 1_Beg-Numeracy
Practicing Scales for Temperature (S1-A2)
Part 1: Look at the scales below. How are they different? How are they the same?
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0
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Scale: _________
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Scale: _________
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Scale: _________
Scale: _________
Temperature_Section 1_Beg-Numeracy
Part 2: Write the following numbers on each of the scales below:
Scale 1: 3, -5, 9, -9
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Scale 2: 2, -7, 12, -12
Scale 3: 13, -15, 8, -19
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-2
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Temperature_Section 1_Beg-Numeracy
Reading Thermometers (S1-A3)
Part 1: Filling in Thermometers (www.softschools.com )
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Temperature_Section 1_Beg-Numeracy
Tracking Temperatures (S1a) (Ongoing Section Product)
Find the temperature for each day of class and write it on the thermometer. You will graph these temperatures later.
Day 1:
Day 2:
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Day 3:
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Day 4:
Day 5:
Temperature_Section 1_Beg-Numeracy
Temperature Line Graph Template (S1b)
Part 1: Use the daily temperatures you wrote on your thermometers to create a line
graph below.
1. Title your graph
2. Choose a scale and write that scale on the left
3. Write the days of the week below the graph, under each column. Use
abbreviations (M, T, W, etc.)
4. Put one data point for each temperature for each day of the week
5. Connect the data points to finish the line graph
Title: _______________________
Part 2: Write 3 questions about the information on this graph. Use words like change in
temperature, final temperature, increase, decrease, rise, rose, fall, fell, drop, and
dropped.
1.
2.
3.
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Temperature_Section 1_Beg-Numeracy
Analyzing Temperature Line Graph Activity (S1c)
Teacher Instructions
Using the line graph created in Section 1, create questions that allow students
to compare the temperatures. This will make a great transition into Section 2.
For example:
Which day had a higher temperature, Monday or Tuesday?
Which day had the highest temperature?
Which day had a lower temperature, Wednesday or Thursday?
Which day had the lowest temperature?
What is the change in temperature between Monday and Tuesday?
Did the temperature increase or decrease from Tuesday to Wednesday?
If the temperature on Tuesday increased 10°, what would the final
temperature be?
After asking students a number of these questions, have students create their
own questions to ask about the line graph.
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