106729457
PROJECT MUSE
TEACHERS TRAINING LESSON PLAN
Developed by Nansy Pyrini
Ellinogermaniki Agogi
1. Lessons’ Title: The Weather
2. Grade: All grades
3. Date:
.
4. Other Grade Present: All grades may be present
5. Subject: Environmental Studies, Geography, Science, Language, Social Studies
6. Teaching Chapters of the Curriculum:
A Grade: Seasons and plants
B Grade: Weather and seasons
The weather in other places
Houses and environment
C Grade: Plans and animals where we live
D Grade: Plants and animals of our country
E Grade: The concept “Climate”
Weather and Climate
The climate in our country
How the climate relates to human activities
F Grade: The atmosphere and earth’s climate zones
Climate zones
7. Teaching Objectives:
The teaching process aims at enabling students:
A Grade:
 to recognize the four seasons of the year and the changes that are caused by
their succession, especially in plants (for instance deciduous and evergreen
plants)
B Grade:
 to understand that plants, animals and humans display adaptations to the
different seasons in they country and elsewhere
 to identify the weather conditions in other places, indicating the particular
weather phenomena that characterize those places as well as some
similarities and some differences with the weather conditions where they live
 to understand that it is the environment that determines accommodations’
types from place to place
 to relate the types of accommodations with the living conditions in different
places
C Grade:
 to observe the kind of plants that grow where they live and the seasons of the
year when they can be found
D Grade:
 to identify the flora and fauna of their country
106729457
 to realize the importance of the flora and the fauna for the lives of the people
of their area
 to relate the flora of their country with seasons and then the flora with the
fauna
E Grade:
 to differentiate the concepts ‘weather’ and ‘climate’
 to describe the general characteristics of the Mediterranean climate
 to recognize the climate differences from place to place in their country, to be
able to describe and to compare them
 to be able to relate climatic conditions with human activities
F Grade:
 to describe the structure and the composition of the atmosphere
 to appreciate the importance of the atmosphere for the being and the
preservation of life on Earth
 to understand the concept ‘climate’ and to know about the basic factors that
influence the climate of different areas
 to identify earth’s climatic zones and to relate them with earth’s flora zones
 to get information from climatic maps, climatic charts and to process the
relevant data
8. Teaching Methodology
 Cooperative Groups (assign to groups specific activities/tasks)
 Peer tutoring (within the groups)
 Students presentations (outcomes of students’ activities presented to the
class)
 Discussion groups (either in sub-groups or the whole class)
More details on teaching methodologies can be found at
http://www3.ellinogermaniki.gr/ep/muse/data/meth.htm
9. Required Time and Teaching Timetable: 2 teaching hours (2 x 45 min).
8. Prerequisite knowledge of students:
A Grade: None
B Grade:
To know and to understand the concepts: weather, day and season
To understand that the weather changes
C Grade:
To know and to understand that the weather changes from day to day,
from time to time and from place to place
D Grade:
To know what weather is
To know and to understand that the weather changes from time to
time and from place to place
To know that the weather varies from place to place and because of
that the living conditions (accommodations, occupations) vary
To know about the plants growing where they live
E Grade:
To know about the plants and the animals of their country
F Grade:
To understand the concept ‘climate’
To know and to understand the difference between the concepts
‘climate’ and ‘weather’
To know and to understand what earth’s climate zones are
To be able to relate the climate with human activities
To know and to understand the climate of their country
106729457
9. Required Educational Material:
Required Equipment: PC, Internet Access, Video Projector, Globe
Web addresses:
http://www2.ellinogermaniki.gr/ep/youra/diafora/training_greece.html
Teachers’ training material, Lesson Plans etc, in English and in Greek
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/08/g35/extremeweather.html
Lesson Plan that can be adjusted for grades A, B, C and D.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/activities/08/climates.html
Lesson Plan that can be adjusted for grades D, E and F.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/08/g68/climatecontrols.html
Lesson Plan that can be adjusted for grades D, E and F.
http://e-yliko.sch.gr/dimel.htm
Educational Activity under the title “Weather Forecast”, in Greek
Suitable for grades D, E and F.
Printed material: Climate maps, Stories about the weather
10. Short Description of the subject to be taught:
Group A
Group A will focus at the following basic concepts and questions.
What are the seasons of the year? How do they affect plants? How do seasonal
weather changes affect plant life, human activities and accommodation types? What
are some of the different types of plants in our country? (for example: Bush, vine,
tree, and herbaceous plant). How do plants and animals adapt to their environment?
How are plants and animals different? How is the weather different from place to
place?
Group B
Group B will focus at the following basic concepts and questions.
What is meant by climate? What are the differences between the concepts ‘weather’
and ‘climate’? How does climate affect peoples’ activities? What is the climate in our
country? How climate is different from place to place? Which are the earth’s climatic
zones? What is the atmosphere? What is the composition of the atmosphere? How
is the atmosphere important for life preservation?
11. Steps for teaching the subject:
First teaching hour (45 min) flexible time
The teacher:
1. presents the subject to the children (5 min.)
2. examines children’s previous knowledge on the subject (15 min.)
3. classifies the children into working groups
4. assigns activities to the working groups
5. assigns specific tasks / roles to each one of the students (10 min.)
6. guides and supports working groups by: (15 min.)
106729457





providing examples on how children should cooperate,
providing additional information if needed
suggesting learning strategies,
answering to questions,
troubleshooting, etc.
Children may continue their work at home if homework is to be assigned or if
students volunteer to do so.
Second teaching hour (45 min) flexible time
Children complete their activities and present the results of their collaborative work
(20 min.)
Discussion follows (25 min.)
12. Notes to the Teacher:
In terms of the teaching steps:
1. Make sure that children have the previous knowledge necessary for working on
their tasks.
If they do not, you may use peer tutoring techniques.
2. Try to encourage students to express their conceptions and beliefs.
Using peer tutoring techniques helps children to express themselves and
misconceptions will come up.
BUT monitor the process so as misconceptions will not be transferred to other
students as a result of the peer tutoring approach.
3. The curriculum includes the subjects of the first four grades in the course
‘Environmental Studies’ and the subjects of the last two grades in the course
Geography. This could be a criterion for grouping students. In any case the
suggested activities follow interdisciplinary approach.
4. Before assigning tasks and roles to the students consider students’ interests,
developmental and individual differences, learning styles, skills and previous
knowledge.
5. Make sure that the activities accommodate the cultural background of all
students. If necessary, give students time to adjust to new cultural elements.
6. Make sure that students transfer the known learning strategies to the new
subject/activity/task and that they develop their own strategies.
7. Let the children try to resolve problematic situations themselves before giving
them a solution to the problem.
13. Resources
http://www2.ellinogermaniki.gr/ep/youra/outcomes.html
Magazines and Handbook
http://www2.ellinogermaniki.gr/ep/youra/diafora/forecast/index.htm
Weather Forecast, in Greek and in English
http://www.arboretum.fullerton.edu/grow/resources.asp
Resources for teachers (Botanical Gardens, Images, Lesson Plans and Other
Educational Resources)
106729457
EVALUATION
The teacher may use any kind of rating scale (for instance: excellent, good, fair,
poor).
Evaluation in terms of:
Group A
Student 1
Group B
Student 2
Student 1
Student 2
students’ engagement
interactivity in the group
activating previous
knowledge
reconstructing previous
knowledge (if applicable)
effective use of learning
strategies
using
self-evaluation/monitoring
processes (Group B)
the levels of understanding
new knowledge
students’ motivation
other…
Note for the teacher:
Although rating gives an idea about the learning process/results keeping notes
about students’ behavior might be more helpful in terms of reacting upon students’
behavior to improve it according to the teaching/learning objectives of the lesson.
Other questions for the teacher:
1. What was your general impression of the class?
2. What specific problems occur during the lesson?
3. How would you consider it as successful?
4. What changes would you make in the teaching of this module?
106729457
5. What other comments do you have?