Wonderful Weather
Unit 2
Second Grade
Writers:
Kimberly Newman
Jill White
Eboni Patterson
1
I.
Second Grade
II.
Weather
Competency Goal 2: The learner will conduct
investigations and use appropriate tools to build an
understanding of the changes in weather.
Competency Goal 3: The learner will observe and conduct
investigations to build an understanding of changes in
properties.
III.
Length of time: 9 Weeks
IV.
Major Unit Goal/Learning Objectives
The learner will observe and conduct investigations and
use appropriate tools to build an understanding of the
changes in weather and properties. The focus for second
grade students is on analyzing collected data over a
period time to make predictions and understand changes.
Changes vary in rate, scale, and pattern including trends
and cycles. Changes in systems can be measured.
Guide student learning to continue to emphasize the
unifying concepts previously introduced, including
evidence, exploration, measurement, order, and
organization as well as the introduction at grade two of
change. The strands provide a context for teaching the
content goals.
2
V.
Objective Chart
Unit Title: Weather Changes
Number of Weeks: 9
Number Competency or Objective
RBT Tag
2.01
Investigate and describe how moving air interacts with
C4
objects
2.02
Observe the force of air pressure pushing on objects
A2
2.03
2.04
2.05
2.06
3.01
VI.
Describe weather using quantitative measures of
temperature, wind direction, wind speed, precipitation
Identify and use common tools to measure weather
with a wind vane and anemometer, thermometer and
rain gauge
Discuss and determine how energy from the sun
warms the land, air and water
Observe and record weather changes over time and
relate to time of day and time of year
Identify three states of matter – solid, liquid and gas
C3
C6
A4
C5
A1
NC English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standard 4 (2008) for
Limited English Proficient Students (LEP):
English Language Learners communicate information, ideas,
and concepts necessary for academic success in the content
area of Science.
For your students that use English as a second language (ESL),
some modifications are:
 Use as many visuals as you can.
 Label as much as you can (in English and their native
language).
 Write words on sentence strips or index cards with the
definition. Put pictures next to the word for a word/visual
association.
 Have the ESL student buddy with someone during the
activities.
 When doing experiments that require recording data, have the
non-ESL do the writing with the ESL student verbally
participating.
3
VII.
Materials/Equipment
LEP Modification: Create a realia shelf for the LEP
students and display and label all items to be used in the
unit to help build background, for example: balance, feather,
electric fan. A picture of the item may be labeled and
substituted for the real thing.
This is a list of all the materials necessary for the activities
in this unit. How many you need of each item is in each
lesson plan.
Balance
Balloons
Bathroom size cups (paper or plastic)
Bottles (empty – lotion, spray, detergent, etc.)
Books
Bubbles
Cardboard
Chart paper
Clear bowls
Clear plastic cups
Clipboards or something hard to take outside and write on
Coffee cans with lids (large and small)
Commercial “real” weather instruments (weather vane,
anemometer, rain gauge, thermometer
Construction paper (18x12)
Cotton balls
Dirt/sand
Eggs (hard boiled)
Electric fan, small
Feather
Food coloring (red and blue)
Glass bottle (like an orange juice one)
4
Glass jar (quart size like a mayonnaise jar)
Glue bottles
Hammer
Hot plate or microwave
Hula hoops
Ice
Index cards
Light weight things (feather, scarf, etc.)
2 Liter bottles
Magazines
Markers/crayons/colored pencils
Matches (wooden if possible)
Miscellaneous materials to weigh in a balance
Modeling clay
Nails
Notebook paper
Paperclips, jumbo
Paper towels (school ones are fine)
Permanent marker
Pencils
Ping pong ball or foam ball
Plastic cups (10 oz to 16 oz)
Plastic grocery bags with no holes
Plastic wrap (like saran wrap)
Potting soil or some rich soil from an area at your school
Rubber bands (large ones)
Rubbing alcohol
Ruler (12 inch and 6 inch – you can break a 12 inch one
in half)
Scissors
Spray bottle
Stapler
Straws – 2 sizes – one needs to be able to fit in the other;
one set needs to be clear
Streamers
String or thread
Strips of paper for labeling
Super glue (or hot glue or clear waterproof tape)
Tape (regular, masking)
Television, daily newspaper, computer, etc. (any will do)
5
Thermometers (small to fit in a cup)
Timers (or second hand on a clock)
Toilet paper (1 roll)l
Transparencies
Tubs for water
Umbrella
Vaseline or vegetable oil
Water
Water cycle poster
Water bottles
Weights to use with balance
Yardsticks
Yarn
Ziploc bags (sandwich, quart and gallon size)
Objects to use in the air race (look around your room and
find things that can be blown by a straw and will move
i.e., ping pong ball, paper ball, feather, etc.)
VIII.
Big Ideas
a. Systems, order and organization
b. Evidence, models and explanation
c. Constancy, change and measurement
SYSTEMS, ORDER, AND ORGANIZATION – The natural and
designed world is complex; it is too large and complicated to
investigate and comprehend all at once. Scientists and students
learn to define small portions for the convenience of
investigation. The units of investigation can be referred to as
"systems." A system is an organized group of related objects or
components that form a whole. Systems can consist, for example,
of organisms, machines, fundamental particles, galaxies, ideas,
numbers, transportation, and education. Systems have boundaries,
components, resources flow (input and output), and feedback. The
goal of this standard is to think and analyze in terms of systems.
Thinking and analyzing in terms of systems will help students keep
track of mass, energy, objects, organisms, and events referred to in
the other content standards. The idea of simple systems
encompasses subsystems as well as identifying the structure and
function of systems, feedback and equilibrium, and the distinction
between open and closed systems. Order--the behavior of units of
6
matter, objects, organisms, or events in the universe--can be
described statistically. Probability is the relative certainty (or
uncertainty) that individuals can assign to selected events
happening (or not happening) in a specified space or time. In
science, reduction of uncertainty occurs through such processes as
the development of knowledge about factors influencing objects,
organisms, systems, or events; better and more observations; and
better explanatory models.
EVIDENCE, MODELS, AND EXPLANATION - Evidence consists of
observations and data on which to base scientific explanations. Using
evidence to understand interactions allows individuals to predict
changes in natural and designed systems. Models are tentative
schemes or structures that correspond to real objects, events, or
classes of events, and that have explanatory power. Models help
scientists and engineers understand how things work. Models take
many forms, including physical objects, plans, mental constructs,
mathematical equations, and computer simulations. Scientific
explanations incorporate existing scientific knowledge and new
evidence from observations, experiments, or models into internally
consistent, logical statements. Different terms, such as "hypothesis,"
"model," "law," "principle," "theory," and "paradigm" are used to
describe various types of scientific explanations. As students develop
and as they understand more science concepts and processes, their
explanations should become more sophisticated. That is, their
scientific explanations should more frequently include a rich scientific
knowledge base, evidence of logic, higher levels of analysis,
greater tolerance of criticism and uncertainty, and a clearer
demonstration of the relationship between logic, evidence, and
current knowledge.
CONSTANCY, CHANGE, AND MEASUREMENT - Although most
things are in the process of becoming different--changing- -some
properties of objects and processes are characterized by constancy,
including the speed of light, the charge of an electron, and the total
mass plus energy in the universe. Changes might occur, for
example, in properties of materials, position of objects, motion, and
form and function of systems. Interactions within and among systems
result in change. Changes vary in rate, scale, and pattern, including
trends and cycles. Energy can be transferred and matter can be
7
changed. Nevertheless, when measured, the sum of energy and
matter in systems, and by extension in the universe, remains the
same. Changes in systems can be quantified. Evidence for
interactions and subsequent change and the formulation of
scientific explanations are often clarified through quantitative
distinctions--measurement. Mathematics is essential for accurately
measuring change. Different systems of measurement are used for
different purposes. Scientists usually use the metric system. An
important part of measurement is knowing when to use which system.
For example, a meteorologist might use degrees Fahrenheit when
reporting the weather to the public, but in writing scientific reports, the
meteorologist would use degrees Celsius. Scale includes
understanding that different characteristics, properties, or
relationships within a system might change as its dimensions are
increased or decreased.
IX.
Unit Notes
This unit is designed to take 9 weeks. Some lessons and
experiments may take several days to complete. Pace it as you
need to depending on your classroom and children. All
experiments need to be set up ahead of time. All examples need to
be tried by the teacher before doing them with the students.
Depending on your student population and access to materials, you
may want to make a finished product ahead of time to show them.
Materials can be modified and changed as necessary. Be sure you
have all rules in place before an experiment begins. Each lesson
contains all or some of the process skills which are predict, observe,
infer, communicate, classify and measure. Notebooking is an option
in several of the activities and experiments. This unit is designed to
be interactive and fun.
The vocabulary in this unit is intended to introduce the students to
new science related terminology. It is mainly for exposure and does
not need to be taught in isolation. Vocabulary will be in bold face
print throughout the unit. Help your children incorporate the words in
their daily studies in verbal, pictorial and written form.
X.
Global Content
8
NCSCOS 2nd
Grade Objective
2.01, 2.02, 2.03,
2.04, 2.05, 2.06,
3.01
2.01, 2.02, 2.03,
2.04, 2.05, 2.06,
3.01
2.01, 2.02, 2.03,
2.04, 2.05, 2.06,
3.01
N/A
2.03, 2.06
N/A
2.03, 2.06
N/A
2.01, 2.02, 2.03,
2.04, 2.05, 2.06,
3.01
2.01, 2.02, 2.03,
2.04, 2.05, 2.06,
3.01
2.01, 2.02, 2.03,
2.04, 2.05, 2.06,
3.01
2.01, 2.02, 2.03,
2.04, 2.05, 2.06,
3.01
2.01, 2.02, 2.03,
2.04, 2.05, 2.06,
3.01
2.03, 2.06
2.03, 2.06
21st Century Skill
Communication Skills
Conveying thought or opinions
effectively
Activity
all
When presenting information,
distinguishing between relevant
and irrelevant information
Explaining a concept to others
all
Interviewing others or being
interviewed
Computer Knowledge
Using word-processing and
database programs
Developing visual aides for
presentations
Using a computer for
communication
Learning new software programs
Employability Skills
Assuming responsibility for own
learning
N/A
Persisting until job is completed
all
Working independently
all
Developing career interest/goals
all
Responding to criticism or
questions
all
A,B,C,D,J,R
B
N/A
B
N/A
all
Information-retrieval Skills
Searching for information via the B
computer
Searching for print information
B
9
2.04
2.01, 2.02, 2.03,
2.04, 2.05, 2.06,
3.01
2.01, 2.02, 2.03,
2.04, 2.05, 2.06,
3.01
2.01, 2.02, 2.03,
2.04, 2.05, 2.06,
3.01
2.03, 2.06
2.01, 2.02, 2.03,
2.04, 2.05, 2.06,
3.01
2.01, 2.02, 2.03,
2.04, 2.05, 2.06,
3.01
2.01, 2.02, 2.03,
2.04, 2.05, 2.06,
3.01
N/A
N/A
2.03, 2.06
2.01, 2.02, 2.05,
3.01
N/A
N/A
2.02, 3.01
2.01, 2.02, 2.06,
3.01
2.01, 2.02, 2.03,
2.04, 2.05, 2.06,
Searching for information using
community members
Language Skills - Reading
Following written directions
J,K
Identifying cause and effect
relationships
all
Summarizing main points after
reading
Any lesson where any kind of
reading takes place
Locating and choosing
appropriate reference materials
Reading for personal learning
B
Language Skill - Writing
Using language accurately
all
all
all
Organizing and relating ideas
when writing
all
Proofing and Editing
Synthesizing information from
several sources
Documenting sources
Developing an outline
N/A
N/A
Writing to persuade or justify a
position
Creating memos, letters, other
forms of correspondence
Teamwork
Taking initiative
Working on a team
N/A
Thinking/Problem-Solving
Skills
Identifying key problems or
questions
B
Anytime Notebooking is done
N/A
C,N
A,C,D,G
all
10
3.01
2.01, 2.02, 2.03,
2.04, 2.05, 2.06,
3.01
2.01, 2.02, 2.03,
2.04, 2.05, 2.06,
3.01
2.01, 2.02, 2.05,
3.01
Evaluating results
all
Developing strategies to address all
problems
Developing an action plan or
timeline
Anytime Notebooking is done
Weather Unit Content Overview
This weather unit allows teachers to guide students in understanding
weather and changes over time. Hands-on activities will give students the
opportunity to investigate air, components of weather and how the sun’s
energy warms air, land and water.
Students will have the opportunity to observe how weather changes
over time by collecting quantitative measurements about precipitation,
temperature, wind direction and wind speed. This will be done using
thermometers, rain gauges, wind vanes and an anemometer.
Below are some suggestions of books and resources you can use to
help implement this unit.
Children’s Books
The Cloud Book
Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs
The Snowy Day
Magic School Bus – Wet All Over
Magic School Bus – Makes A Rainbow
It Looked Like Spilt Milk
Hurricane!
Feel The Wind
Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts the Weather
Thunder and Lightning
Whatever the Weather
Sun
Water
About Weather
Weather
Water
Tomie dePaola
Judi Barrett
Ezra Jack Keats
Joanna Cole
Joanna Cole
Charles G. Shaw
Mary Maden
Arthur Dorros
Bruce Koscielniak
David Cutts
Karen Wallace
Susan Canizares
Susan Canizares
M. Jean Craig
Pam Chanko
Pam Chanko
11
Rain Song
Little Cloud
Heat Wave
Weather at your Fingertips
Hurricanes!
Tornadoes!
Floods!
Blizzards!
Twisters!
A Drop Around the World
Weather (Scholastic First Discovery Book)
Lezlie Evans
Eric Carle
Helen Ketteman
Judy Nayer
Lorraine Jean Hopping
Lorraine Jean Hopping
Lorraine Jean Hopping
Lorraine Jean Hopping
Lucille Recht Penner
Barbara Shaw McKinney
Videos
Magic School Bus Video - Inside a Hurricane
Eyewitness Video - Weather
Websites pertaining to lessons in this unit
United Streaming – Weather Smart: Heat Wind and Pressure
United Streaming – Air: A First Look
Websites for weather activities, in general
Foss Website - http://www.fossweb.com
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/science.html
http://www.edheads.org/activities/weather
http://weather.about.com/od/lessonplanselementary/Elementary_School_W
eather_Science_Lesson_Plans_for_Teachers.htm
http://www.geosociety.org/educate/resources.htm
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/kids
http://fun.familyeducation.com
http://www.thedailygreen.com
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http://kids.nationalgeographic.com
http://teacher.scholastic.com
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/ScienceK1.htm
http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/edu.html
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiments
http://www.learningpage.com
http://www.weatherchannel.com
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Table of Contents
Lesson A - Oh the Weather, What to Wear?
Introduction to weather
NCSCOS 2.06 RBT Tag - C5
Lesson B - Weather! Weather! What’s The Weather?
Documentation of weather
NCSCOS 2.01 & 2.06 RBT Tag - C3 & C5
Lesson C - Air See Saw, Which Way Will It Fall?
Air has mass - notebooking
NCSCOS 3.01 RBT Tag A1
Lesson D - What’s Moving Here and There?
Introduction to air molecules
NCSCOS 2.02 & 3.01 RBT Tag – A1 & A2
Lesson E - Expand, Contract, How Does It React?
Interaction of air molecules - notebooking
NCSCOS 3.01 RBT Tag - A1
Lesson F - Move, Move, Will It Move?
Air moving simple objects - notebooking
NCSCOS 2.01 RBT Tag – C4
Lesson G - Ready, Set, Race!
Air races with simple objects - notebooking
NCSCOS 2.01 RBT Tag – C4
Lesson H - Is It Here? Is It There?
Nature walk to observe wind
NCSCOS 2.01 RBT Tag – C4
Lesson I - There She Blows!
Making a windsock
NCSCOS 2.01 RBT Tag – C4
Lesson J - Which Way Does It Blow?
Making an wind/weather vane
NCSCOS 2.04 RBT Tag – C6
Lesson K - How Fast Can It Go?
Making an anemometer
NCSCOS 2.04 RBT Tag – C6
Lesson L - How Far Can It Fly?
Making a parachute – notebooking
NCSCOS 2.02 RBT Tag – C4
Lesson M - How Does It Flow?
Air pressure investigation - notebooking
14
NCSCOS 2.02 RBT Tag – A2
Lesson N – Dry or Wet? What Did You Get?
Air pressure investigation - notebooking
NCSCOS 2.02 RBT Tag – A2
Lesson O - Egg Inside? You Jive!
Air pressure investigation - notebooking
NCSCOS 2.02 RBT Tag – A2
Lesson P - Coming Down Again Today?
Making a rain gauge
NCSCOS 2.04 RBT Tag – C6
Lesson Q - Going Up or Down?
Making a thermometer
NCSCOS 2.04 RBT Tag – C6
Lesson R - Which Can Stand the Heat? - notebooking
Heat Energy experiment and water cycle
NCSCOS 2.05 & 3.01 RBT Tag – A4 & A1
Weather Unit Lessons
Lesson A
TITLE
Oh the Weather, What to Wear?
(Lead in lesson to get students thinking about weather and how it impacts
their everyday life)
NCSCOS
2.01 Observe and record weather changes over time and relate to time of
day and year RBT Tag – C5
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students: The student will be able to:
 Label clothing used for different seasons.
 Sort and discuss clothing in a Venn diagram.
CONTENT BLAST
Weather occurs everyday, everywhere and is the condition of the
atmosphere (air) at a given time. Many things contribute to weather
such as how hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, or clear or cloudy it
is. Depending on the time of year and where you are, you may see many
different stages of weather and people wearing different kinds of clothing.
15
Different parts of the world have different kinds of weather at different
times of the year. Weather changes over time and can be measured.
Meteorologists are scientists who study the weather. Just like a
meteorologist, you can collect data, use tools to measure and make
predictions.
MATERIALS
Magazines
Scissors for each child
Hula hoops for sorting or something else if you have none
Strips of paper to label the hula hoops
Books of people wearing different types of clothing in different parts of the
country and world
5E LESSON PLAN
Engage
You come in wearing some weather related clothes and have others that
could be worn during other seasons in a bag. . You decide what you want
to wear based on the weather. Ask the students how did you decide to
wear what you have on today? Why did you bring/wear your clothes
today? Why do you have on those clothes. What would you wear if it was
warm? Cold? Snowy? Windy? Etc.? Have the kids sort them in the
hula hoops. Discuss the topics the children bring up and if they say
temperature and seasons go with it. If they don’t say those weather
words, leave that for later.
Explore
You can handle this a couple of ways. (1) Split the children into four
groups and have the children clip people wearing clothing from magazines.
Assign each group one season. or (2) Individually, have the children clip
one picture for each season. Have students come together as a group and
sort the clothing into the hula hoops by the season.
LEP NOTE: This is a perfect activity for LEP students because it uses
Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) components.
Explain
Discuss with the children different clothes that are worn during different
times of the year in your area. Show the children pictures by using books
and discuss clothes that are worn in different parts of the state, different
16
parts of the county and different parts of the world. Discuss how the
seasons and climate are different in different parts of the world as well.
LEP Modification: Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP students
may need support to name the various items of seasonal clothing. Validate
previous experiences with climate and clothing by allowing them to share.
Elaborate
Integration - In writing journals, have students write about their favorite
season of the year. Have them tell why it is their favorite season; You can
also build a pictograph with the magazine pictures; have the children
place the pictures on the map in parts of the world where their piece of
clothing would be worn based on temperatures.
LEP Modification; Students should work with a partner to do this writing
activity. The pictograph activity would be better suited to LEP students.
Evaluate
Accurate selection of clippings from magazines and sorting them into
various categories (Venn diagram sort – hula hoop); display of pictures on
graph and map; discussion; observation, participation
LEP Modification: This is a perfect activity for LEP students because it
allows them to demonstrate their knowledge without oral communication.
It might be a good idea to put silver duct tape on the intersection of the
two hoops to strengthen the notion that these two areas are the same.
Lesson B
TITLE
Weather! Weather! What’s The Weather?
NCSCOS
2.03 Describe weather using quantitative measures of temperature, wind
direction, wind speed, precipitation RBT Tag – C3
2.06 Observe and record weather changes over time and relate to time of
day and time of year RBT Tag – C5
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students:
 Record weather on a data chart in words or illustrations.
 Name or illustrate five different types of weather.
17
CONTENT BLAST
Weather occurs everyday everywhere and is the condition of the
atmosphere (air) at a given time. Many factors contribute to weather
such as how hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, or clear or cloudy it
is. Depending on the time of year and where you are, you may see many
different stages of weather. Weather changes over time and can be
measured. Meteorologists are scientists who study the weather. Just
like a meteorologist, you can collect data, use tools to measure and
make predictions.
MATERIALS
Chart paper
A transparency of the weather documentation you decide to use (examples
are at the end of the lesson)
Copies for each child if you want them to document it as well
Television, daily newspaper, computer, etc. (any of these will do)
If you have any tools that can measure temperature, wind direction, wind
speed, and precipitation, use those as well.
5E LESSON PLAN
Engage
On a KWL chart, have the students tell you what they already know about
weather and what they want to know. In a separate place, ask and record
their responses to… How do we figure out what the weather is going to be
each day? How do we know what the weather is going to be each day?
Who watched the weather report on TV? Why do you watch it? Who tells
us about the weather on TV?
LEP Modification: Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP students
may have difficulty responding to questions. The teacher may have to
ask questions that will evoke Yes/No answers.
Explore
Record the weather at home or pull up the Weather Channel on the
computer and find the weather in your area. Ask the children how we
could keep up with the weather. What could we use? Explain that we are
going to be documenting the weather everyday using the television,
newspaper, computer, etc. (Keep data going throughout the year using a
18
different data sheet for each month.). You can collect data and write in on
the daily calendar you do in the classroom each day.
LEP Modification: Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP students
should work with a partner or small group to do this activity.
Explain
Depending on the types of weather that occur while you are collecting
data, discuss wind, rain, snow, sleet, sunshine, etc. Provide illustrations
to support comprehension.
Elaborate
Integration - Have the children subtract the temperature each day to see
what the difference is (hotter? colder?). Have them tally how many of
each kind of precipitation there was in the month, etc.; Pick any other
location and document the weather there compared to the weather in
your area.
LEP Modification: To include the LEP student, the teacher may want to
choose the student’s home country.
Evaluate
Appropriate use of vocabulary, share daily data from charts, collection of
data, observation, participation.
LEP Modification: Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP students
will have limited use of vocabulary. To strengthen that vocabulary and
build Language Arts skills at the same time, the teacher may want to
integrate Science and Language Arts instruction by practicing
comparisons: “more than/less than”; “warmer than/cooler than”
19
You can use either of the 2 documentation systems provided or make up
your own.
Date
Temperature
Wind direction
Wind speed
Precipitation
20
Weather Documentation
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
21
Lesson C
TITLE
Air See Saw, Which Way Will It Fall?
LEP Modification: Before beginning this part of the unit, the
teacher may want to visit this website and view the powerpoint
slide shows ( Lessons 1-6) on matter to help build background
knowledge:
www.hazelwood.k12.mo.us/~cdavis01/map2000/2nd.html
NCSCOS
3.01 Identify three states of matter – solid, liquid and gas
RBT Tag – A1
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students:
 Name the three states of matter.
 Illustrate and label what happened in the balloon activity.
CONTENT BLAST
Air is a form of matter called a gas. Although it is not seen unless
something moves, it is real and is everywhere. It is made up of
molecules which are tiny particles that make up every form of
matter. When air molecules get warmer or colder they change the
pressure of the air. When they are cold, they get closer together
(contract) and when they get warm, they spread apart (expand).
Air takes up space, moves things, changes speeds, changes
directions, interacts with objects, can be compressed and can be
measured.
MATERIALS
Balance
Miscellaneous materials to measure the weight of
Weights with specific measurements to use with the balance
*Ruler
*2 different colored balloons
*Tape
*String or thread
*The children will work in pairs, so you need a set of materials for
each pair of children.
22
LEP Modification: Add a balance and weights to the realia shelf, and
label them.
5E LESSON PLAN
Engage
Have the balance, miscellaneous materials and the weights out on
the table. Ask the children what the balance is. Have they ever seen
something like that? Have they seen other balances that look
different? What does a balance do? What other things have they
seen that measure weight? Why do we have different things that
measure different weights? Ask inquiring questions that will help
the children realize that the balance is perfectly level when nothing is
in it. Ask why that is and why that is important before you measure
something in it. Pick up one of the objects and tell the children you
want to find out how much this object weighs. Ask a child to come
help you figure that out. Ask if you could do it just by holding it (When
doing so, say something like “I think it’s as heavy as a bag of regular
M&M’s.”). When the child holds it, tell the child to compare the
weight of the object to something he/she knows about that feels
about the same. Discuss why we have to have formal
measurement (because different people have different ideas of how
heavy or light something is, there would be no consistency) So,
then ask the children how are we going to figure out how heavy this
actually is? Using a balance, place the object in one side and have
the children place weights in the other side until it is balanced. Do
this with different objects. Compare objects and their weights.
Could you put an object in each side and make them even out in
weight? Compare which objects are heavier, lighter, and /or equal
in weight.
LEP Modification; The teacher may want to be sure that the LEP
student understands that weight means how heavy something is. As
in Lesson B, the teacher may want to strengthen vocabulary and build
Language Arts skills at the same time by integrating Science and
Language Arts instruction through practice of comparisons: “heavier
than/lighter than”; “as heavy/light as”.
23
Explore
This activity shows that air takes up space and has weight. Teacher
note: Mass is the amount of matter an object contains. The size of
an object does not determine its mass (for example, a big balloon
blown up is larger than a small water balloon full of water. Even
though the blown up balloon is bigger, it does not have more mass.)
The mass of an object does not change based on its location.
Weight is related to the force of gravity acting on an object. If the
force of gravity increases, so does the weight. If the force of
gravity decreases, so does the weight. For example, a bowling ball
has the same mass on Earth as it does on the moon. The weight of
a bowling ball on Earth is 60 N versus the weight of a bowling ball on
the moon which is 10 N because the pull of gravity is different on
Earth than on the moon. The mass of a bowling ball on both the
moon and Earth is 6.1 kg. The mass does not change.
LEP Modification: Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP
students will have difficulty with this abstract concept and will not
understand it completely until the students do the activity with the
balloons.
Instructions
Give the children all the materials and tell them they need to show
that air takes up space and has weight. Tell them they are going to
make a balance with those materials and only using those
materials, make it so one balloon is heavier than the other. Let the
children explore and try to build what is below. Below is how it
works:
Step 1: Suspend a ruler from a table by attaching a string to
the middle of the ruler and the table.
24
Step 2: Tape or tie each balloon to the ends of the ruler. Make
sure your ruler is balanced.
Step 3: Remove one of the balloons and blow it up. Tie a knot
to keep it closed. Replace it to the exact spot on the ruler. The
filled balloon should pull the ruler down. Why?
Explain
What happened? When the balloon is inflated, it sinks because the
air is more dense and therefore heavier than the air it displaces or
it pushes it aside. The higher pressure, the more dense air is.
The mass of the actual balloon did not change, but the addition of air
changed the weight.
LEP Modification: The teacher may need to reduce the
vocabulary for the explanation: “When we blow the balloon up, it
goes down more than the other balloon because of the air we blew
inside. Mass did not change, but weight changed.” The
ELABORATE activity should help to clarify for LEP students.
25
Elaborate
Integration – have the children measure how far the balloon drops
down when some of the air is let out and record
Evaluate
Discussion, illustrate what was seen including labeling,
demonstration, participation
LEP Modification: The demonstrations and labeling are excellent
activities for LEP students. For any discussions, the teacher may
need to include an alternative assessment, such as: arranging
pictures in the proper sequence to demonstrate that one balloon
was heavier; pointing to the pictures in the correct order to
demonstrate what happened when one balloon was blown up; or
giving one word answers (“up/down”) to show understanding.
Lesson D
TITLE
What’s Moving Here and There?
(This is an introduction lesson about air molecules to get them
thinking. It gives the children a visual of what air molecules look like
when they are moving.)
NCSCOS
2.02 Observe the force of air pressure pushing on objects
RBT Tag – A2
3.01 Identify three states of matter – solid, liquid and gas
RBT Tag – A1
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students:
 Diagram the movement of hot and cold air molecules.
 Label their diagrams “hot air molecules/cold air molecules”
CONTENT BLAST
26
Air is a form of matter called a gas. Although it is not seen unless
something moves, it is real and is everywhere. It is made up of
molecules which are tiny particles that make up every form of
matter. When air molecules get warmer or colder they change the
pressure of the air. When they are cold, they get closer together
(contract) and when they get warm, they spread apart (expand).
Air takes up space, moves things, changes speeds, changes
directions, interacts with objects, can be compressed and can be
measured.
MATERIALS
LEP Modification: Add a picture of warm and cold air molecules to
the realia shelf and label them.
Children to do an activity
I roll of toilet paper
5E LESSON PLAN
LEP Note: Because all parts of this lesson are kinesthetic and
tactile, it is an excellent lesson for LEP students, and they should be
very successful.
Engage
In a bag, place a winter coat, gloves, scarf, etc. as well as a pair of
shorts, bathing suit, tank top. Put them all on the floor and have the
children sort them into the 2 groups that are similar. One set would
be worn when it is cold, the other set when it is hot. Ask the children
to show you what they do when they are cold (shiver, bundle up,
etc.). Ask the children to show you what they do when they are hot
(fan themselves, spread out from others, etc.) Ask them if they like
people around them when they are hot? When they are cold? Tiny
things in the air called molecules do the same thing. When they are
hot, they like to get away from each other (expand) and when they
are cold, they like to get close together (contract).
LEP
L Modification: As a group, model the meaning of expand and
contract
before
beginning.
Divide the
children
into 2 groups. Tell them they are going to be air
molecules. At first, they are cold (contract) like when you wait for
27
the bus at the bus stop in the winter. They will need to huddle
together very close. While they are together, get the toilet paper and
“wrap” it around each group separately 5 or so times until each group
is “banded” together to their group members. Then when you have
finished wrapping both groups, tell them to imagine that they are
getting warm and begin to move slowly. They want to start
separating because they are getting warmer (expand/spread
apart), just like air molecules do (kind of like when you play
basketball, you get hotter as the game goes on and you want people
away from you when you are hot). As the group begins to move and
“get warmer”, they should “bust out” of the toilet paper banding them
together and get in their own space, just as air molecules try to do
when they get hot.
Explain
Explain that just like air molecules, when they were standing close
together (contracted) and they were representing cold air
molecules. When they got warm and began to move around, they
have to expand and spread apart just as warm air molecules do.
As they spread apart and expand, that affects the air pressure and
it changes, hence the toilet paper breaking.
Elaborate
Integration – Have the children trace their hand on a piece of plain
white paper. In the palm of the traced hand, write the topic which is
air. On each finger, have them write a fact about air molecules as
related to the experiment they just did using the vocabulary
introduced. Feel free to put the vocabulary on the board for them to
refer to.
Evaluate
Have the children write about their experience as an air molecule
including a diagram with labels showing when they were hot, cold,
etc; hand with facts; observation; discussion; participation
LEP Modification: Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP students
may need to do the ELABORATE and EVALUATE activities with a
partner, or the teacher may need to do an alternative assessment. It
could be receptive and include: arranging pictures in the proper
sequence to demonstrate cold molecules; pointing to the pictures in
the correct order to demonstrate molecules warming up; or giving one
word answers to tell the type of molecules the teacher is pointing to.
28
Lesson E (can be used as a notebooking activity)
TITLE
Expand, Contract, How Does It React?
NCSCOS
3.01 Identify three states of matter – solid, liquid and gas
RBT Tag – A1
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students:
 Tell why the balloon stood up.
CONTENT BLAST
Air is a form of matter called a gas. Although it is not seen unless
something moves, it is real and is everywhere. It is made up of
molecules which are tiny particles that make up every form of
matter. When air molecules get warmer or colder they change the
pressure of the air. When they are cold, they get closer together
(contract) and when they get warm, they spread apart (expand).
Air takes up space, moves things, changes speeds, changes
directions, interacts with objects, can be compressed and can be
measured.
MATERIALS
29
Chart paper
Empty water bottle
2 balloons (mouth of balloon must fit over mouth of water bottle)
Someway to make warm/hot water
2 clear bowls or something similar (one will hold hot water)
Ice
[NOTE: This experiment involves hot water. Due to safety
issues, this may need to be a teacher led experiment.]
5E LESSON
LEP Note: This is an excellent activity for LEP students because it is
interactive and includes a demonstration.
Engage
Refer back to the lesson “What’s Moving Here and There?”. Discuss
what happens when air molecules get warmer and colder. Pose
the question: What will air molecules do in different water
temperatures? Ask the children how to blow up a balloon. Have
them tell you and you blow up the balloon according to their
directions. Ask if they know of any other ways to blow up a balloon
and discuss any ideas they have. Write them on chart paper.
Explore
*Set up the bowl of ice water and the bowl of warm/hot water.*
Show the materials to use for the experiment. Ask the children how
they think we can blow up the balloons by just using the materials
you have (bowl of ice water, bowl of warm/hot water, balloon, empty
water bottle). Have the children discuss and brainstorm ideas. Let
different children come up and try their idea to see if it will work. If no
one figures out a way, do the actual experiment which is: Put the
balloon on the mouth of the water bottle. Stand the water bottle in
the bowl of ice water – you will have to hold the bottle. You may see
the balloon contract a little as the air in it goes into the water bottle
to huddle close to the other air molecules and you may see no
reaction at all which is o.k. Ask what the air molecules are doing in
the bottle when it is in the ice cold water – they are contracting and
getting close together. Then stand the water bottle in the hot water.
The balloon should immediately stand up. It won’t blow up because
there is not enough pressure, but it should stand up. Ask the
30
children why – because the air molecules in the bottle are hot now
because of the hot water and all trying to expand, get away from
each other.) Let each child switch the water bottle back and forth
from the cold and hot bowls so they can experience the reaction.
Explain
What happened to the balloon? What made it move? What did the
air molecules do when you put the bottle in the cold water? What
did they do when you put the bottle in the hot water? Why do they
do that? Explain that when air molecules get warmer or colder they
change the pressure of the air. When they are cold, they get
closer together (contract) and when they get warm, they spread
apart (expand).
Elaborate
Integration – In their writing journal, have the students write about
whether they would rather be an air molecule in a warm place or
cold place and why. Have them describe what a typical day would
be like to be an air molecule in the place they chose.
Evaluation
Discussion, notebooking, participation, demonstration
LEP Modification: Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP
students will need to do this with a partner, or the teacher will need
to do an alternative assessment for the ELABORATE and
EVALUATION activities. Alternative assessments may be
receptive and may include: arranging pictures in the proper
sequence to demonstrate cold molecules; pointing to the pictures
in the correct order to demonstrate molecules warming up; or
giving one word answers to tell the type of molecules that made
the balloon stand up.
Lesson F (can be used as a notebooking activity)
TITLE
Move, Move, Will It Move?
31
NCSCOS
2.01 Investigate and describe how moving air interacts with objects
RBT Tag – C4
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students:
 Record which objects were pushed by air.
 Tell which form of matter air is.
CONTENT BLAST
Air is a form of matter called a gas. Although it is not seen unless
something moves, it is real and is everywhere. It is made up of
molecules which are tiny particles that make up every form of
matter. When air molecules get warmer or colder they change the
pressure of the air. When they are cold, they get closer together
(contract) and when they get warm, they spread apart (expand).
Air takes up space, moves things, changes speeds, changes
directions, interacts with objects, can be compressed and can be
measured.
MATERIALS
LEP Modification: Add a picture of an electric fan and a feather to
the realia shelf and label them.
Hand fan made out of folded construction paper
Electric fan (if you have ceiling fans, they will work)
Chart paper
*Ziploc bag (sandwich or quart size)
*Feather
*Ping pong ball or foam ball
*Cotton ball
*Half a straw for each child
*Balloon (please supervise balloons!)
*Data sheet (at end of lesson)
*Each student will need a bag full of materials. You can add anything
else you want to the bag. You may want to choose some items that
you know will not move when blown with a straw.
32
5E LESSON PLAN
LEP Note: This is another excellent lesson for LEP students
because it is simple, fun, and “hands-on”.
Engage
Turn on the electric fan and have the children notice all the things that
start to move because of the air flow that occurs. Discuss why those
things are moving. Take the hand fan made from construction paper
and wave it around different items and things. Discuss what it can
make move. Compare that to the electric fan. How are they the
same? Different? Why? Discuss with the children what they already
know about air and its ability to move objects. What else have they
seen make air that makes things move? Record all responses on
the chart paper. Give each student a bag of the items. Ask them how
we could make these items move without touching them. Ask if
anything in the bag could make the items move. Based on the items
in the bag, make a list of the things in the bag the students think
blowing air through a straw can move and those it can’t. As you
make this list, take the items out of the bag (if the children are
notebooking, they can make the list in their notebook). When the bag
is empty, ask the students if anything else is in it. The answer is yes,
air. Air takes up any and all extra space on Earth that is not taken
up with something else. It fills in all the “blank” space.
Explore
Give each child a data sheet. Have them use the straw to blow the
objects. As they try to make each object move, they need to record
if it moved or not on their data sheet. After the data has been
collected, take up the bags with the objects in them. The straws
should be thrown away.
LEP Modification: Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP
students can probably do this activity independently if the teacher
simply writes “Yes” above “Moved” and “No” above “Did Not Move”.
33
Explain
Have the children share their data sheets to help understand and
confirm their findings and explanations. Write responses on chart
paper and compare them to what was discussed previously (again, if
notebooking, they put the answers in their notebooks.) How hard did
you have to blow? How much air did you have to blow in the straw?
How long did you blow? You could have a child come up and you
blow and the child blow and see whose stuff moves fastest and
farthest. Remind the children that air is a form of matter and it can
move things. There are 3 kinds of matter: solids, liquids, and
gases with air being a gas.
Elaborate
Based on the knowledge gained from the experiment just done,
choose 3 objects that are different from the ones used previously that
are heavier such as a shoe, book, and an eraser. Try to move these
objects by blowing them with the straw. Then try to move them with
the fan. Discuss why the fan can move heavier things.
LEP Modification: Teachers may want to use the word “lighter” so
LEP students understand it is the opposite of “heavier”.
Evaluate
Notebooking, appropriate use of vocabulary, participation,
demonstration
Data Sheet
Object
Feather
Cotton ball
Balloon
Ball (ping pong or
foam)
Moved
Did not move
34
LEP Modification: Students should be able to participate completely
in this lesson, but Notebooking may require a partner, or a list of
illustrated vocabulary words to reference.
Lesson G (can be used as a notebooking activity)
TITLE
Ready, Set, Race!
NCSCOS
2.01 Investigate and describe how moving air interacts with objects
RBT Tag – C4
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students :
 Make predictions
 Record data in the data table.
CONTENT BLAST
Air is a form of matter called a gas. Although it is not seen unless
something moves, it is real and is everywhere. It is made up of
molecules which are tiny particles that make up every form of
matter. When air molecules get warmer or colder they change the
pressure of the air. When they are cold, they get closer together
(contract) and when they get warm, they spread apart (expand).
Air takes up space, moves things, changes speeds, changes
directions, interacts with objects, can be compressed and can be
measured.
MATERIALS
*Data sheet (at end of lesson)
*Half a straw
35
**3 objects to use in the air race (look around your room and find
things that can be blown by a straw and will move i.e., ping pong ball,
paper ball, feather, etc.)
**Timer (or second hand on a clock) – (If you do not have timers, the
children can see how many puffs it takes to get a specific object down
the race track.)
**Masking tape
**Yardstick
* Each child needs this
** Each pair of children needs this
5E LESSON PLAN
Engage
Lay the objects out for the children to see. Explain that we are going
to have air races today. Then ask, based on the previous
experiment with a straw, what object do they think will win the race?
Why? Have the students record their predictions on their data
sheet as to what object they think will win the race and why. Then
have them predict and record what object they think will be first,
second and third in their race. Discuss and record why they think
those items will place in that order. The children may have them in
different orders.
LEP Modifications: The teacher may want to have the words
“heavier≠ lighter” on the board so that the students understand that
they are opposites.
Explore
The children work in pairs. Each person needs their own data sheet
and straw. Each pair needs one set of the 3 objects for the race, a
timer, yardstick and 2 pieces of 12 inches or more of masking tape.
Each pair needs to put down the yardstick and at each end, put a
piece of the 12 inch or more of masking tape. One piece of the
masking tape will be the start line and the other the finish line. The
space between both pieces of tape is the “race track”. Person A puts
down an object on the start line. Person B works the timer. When
Person B starts the timer, Person A uses their straw and blows their
36
item to the finish line. As the object crosses the finish line, Person B
pushes stop and records the time it took that object to travel from
the start line to the finish line on the data sheet. Repeat the same
step for the other 2 objects. When the first person is done blowing
all their objects, they need to switch positions and the other partner
now blows theirs and data is recorded.
Explain
Have students share the data they collected during their race.
What could have caused differences in an objects movement? (the
surface it is on, how hard someone blows, mass, etc.) Are there
differences in data because of how hard or easy someone blew?
How would you gauge that? How would they decide how hard or
ways someone could blow? Would it be better to have a consistent
method of air for the races? If so, what?
Elaborate
Integration – measure how far the objects travel; do the races again
with the same objects but on a different surface; do the races again
with heavier objects; use a different source of moving air; Record
and compare the data.
Evaluate
Notebooking, discussion, appropriate use of vocabulary, participation,
data sheet
LEP Modification: For Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP
students, notebooking will require a partner. For the discussion, an
alternative assessment might be needed. It may be receptive and
may include: arranging pictures in the proper sequence to
demonstrate the winning order of the objects; pointing to the pictures
in the correct order to demonstrate the winning time order; or giving
one word answers to the teacher’s questions about which item was
first, second, or third.
Data Sheet
Prediction: I think the _______________________ will win the race
because ______________________________________________ .
37
Prediction of
winning order
Time it took the
object to cross the
finish line
1st
2nd
3rd
Winning
order based
on time
st
1
2nd
3rd
Sample Data Sheet
Prediction:
I think the feather will win the race because it is light and floats in
air.
Prediction of
winning order
1st feather
2nd paper ball
3rd ping pong
ball
Time it took the
object to cross the
finish line
15 seconds
12 seconds
7 seconds
Winning order
based on time
1st ping pong
ball
2nd feather
3rd paper ball
Lesson H
TITLE
Is It Here? Is It There?
NCSCOS
2.01 Investigate and describe how moving air interacts with objects
RBT Tag – C4
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students :
 Describe different kinds of wind.
 Name two good things wind can do.
CONTENT BLAST
Air is a form of matter called a gas. Although it is not seen unless
something moves, it is real and is everywhere. It is made up of
molecules which are tiny particles that make up every form of
38
matter. When air molecules get warmer or colder they change the
pressure of the air. When they are cold, they get closer together
(contract) and when they get warm, they spread apart (expand).
Air takes up space, moves things, changes speeds, changes
directions, interacts with objects, can be compressed and can be
measured.
MATERIALS
Chart paper
Paper for students to record on
Something to write with
Clipboards (or something like it) to use as a hard surface to write on
Plastic grocery bag for each child (no holes in the bags)
** Each student will need a set of materials.
5E LESSON PLAN
Engage
Refer back to the previous lesson and discuss the things that moved
when you used the electric fan, the handmade construction paper fan
and then the straw. Discuss how different the power of the air was
when using those 3 different things and then why. Ask the children
what we call air that moves in nature (wind). Ask the children about
different kinds of wind (breeze, blustery, hurricane, etc.). On chart
paper, make a list of the different kinds of wind the children suggest
and beside each kind of wind, ask the children to name things that
that kind of wind can move. Also ask the children if they have ever
heard the wind make noise (howling). Discuss that we see the
effects of wind and sometimes we can hear it as well.
Explore
Explain that we are going to investigate what the wind can move
outside our classroom. Each child needs a clipboard (or something
hard to write on), a piece of paper and a pencil. Fold the paper in
half. On the left side, label the top “Wind Can Move”. On the right
side, label the top “Wind Cannot Move”. Walk outside and as you
walk around, have the children list 3-5 things they see the wind
moving and 3-5 things the wind is not moving. After finishing that
activity, have the children open their plastic bag by the handles and
let it fill with air. Then have them “capture” the air by closing the
bag really fast and twisting it closed. It should be like a balloon.
39
Explain that air is trapped inside the bag. Ask if they can see the air
in the bag (no – what they see is what the air is doing to the bag.)
LEP Modification: Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP
students will need to work with a partner to support the vocabulary
for outside things, for example: twig, acorn, flower petal, leaves.
Explain
Either inside or out, discuss the findings of their data. Discuss that
the movement of air causes the movement of other things and the
harder the air, the more powerful it is. The more powerful it is the
better the chances are it can move something heavy. Refer back to
the list made previously on chart paper and see how many
predictions were correct. You can also read books related to wind
and see any similarities to what they saw outside, have ever seen
before or listed on the chart. Also, discuss how nature blows things
with a purpose at times (like in Spring when March is so windy and
that helps pollinate and send seeds, and the wind currents for
birds is like an escalator which allows birds to use less energy, etc.)
Elaborate
On a more or less blustery day, do the exploration again and see if
things are affected differently (maybe some things will move this
time that didn’t before and some that did before will not this time.)
Evaluate
Appropriate use of vocabulary, discussion of information,
participation, collection of data
LEP Modification: For Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP
students, an alternative assessment may be necessary. It may
include: pointing to or illustrating pictures to demonstrate what
items different strengths of wind can move; or giving one word or
“Yes/No” answers to the teacher’s questions about what the air
was able to move.
40
Lesson I
TITLE
There She Blows!
NCSCOS
2.01 Investigate and describe how moving air interacts with objects
RBT Tag – C4
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students :
 Describe how wind can be measured by observing the
movements of a windsock.
 Record data about wind using illustrations and the Beaufort
Scale.
CONTENT BLAST
Air is a form of matter called a gas. Although it is not seen unless
something moves, it is real and is everywhere. It is made up of
molecules which are tiny particles that make up every form of
matter. When air molecules get warmer or colder they change the
pressure of the air. When they are cold, they get closer together
(contract) and when they get warm, they spread apart (expand).
Air takes up space, moves things, changes speeds, changes
directions, interacts with objects, can be compressed and can be
measured.
MATERIAL
LEP Modification: Label yarn and streamers and place them on
the realia shelf.
Large piece of construction paper
Yarn
Glue
Stapler
Streamers
Markers/crayons/colored pencils, etc.
41
Data Sheet (one per child) an example is at the end of the lesson
** Each child needs materials to make a windsock.
5E LESSON PLAN
Engage
Bring in or find pictures of decorative things people have that they like
for the wind to blow (kites, flags, wind socks, wind chimes, pictures
of sail boats, windsurfers, parasails, parachutes, etc.) Ask the
children what all these things have in common. Discuss the things
you have talked about the last few days that the wind can blow.
Some you want the wind to blow and some you don’t. Make the
distinction as to what you want the wind to blow and what you don’t.
Explore
Build a wind sock. Decorate the construction paper. Bring the short
ends of the construction paper one end to the other so that it makes a
tube with the decorations on the outside. Staple the ends together to
keep the tube shape. Punch a hole at one end of the tube and
another hole directly across from the first one. Put a piece of yarn
through the holes and tie it to make like a handle. Glue the streamers
at the other end so they hang off the construction paper tube in the
middle near the top of it. You may need to staple them as well.
While the glue is drying, the children need to build the data
collection chart (an example of a finished product has been included
at the end of this lesson.). When the glue is almost dry, take the
windsocks outside. Holding the yarn handle, place it in the wind
and watch the streamers move with the wind. Record data
observed on the chart.
LEP Modification: Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP
students may need to do this part of the lesson and the EVALUATE
section with a partner.
Explain
What made the streamers move? How did they move? What would
happen if we had more wind? Less wind? How might a windsock
be a good indicator of how much wind is blowing? Discuss how
they measured the wind and how one person’s definition of “light
wind” may differ from another person’s definition. Explain that wind
42
can be measured formally with instruments and The Beaufort
Scale.
Elaborate
Discuss The Beaufort Scale. The Beaufort Scale is a standard
form of measurement for wind. It was developed in 1805 by Sir
Francis Beaufort of England who was an officer in the Navy. It was a
way for everyone to measure wind the same way. (There are 2
examples. Use the one you prefer.)
43
The Beaufort Scale
LEP Modification: Add an illustration for each
Appearance of Wind Effects
Appearance of Wind Effects
On the Water
On Land
Sea surface
Calm, smoke rises
Calm
smooth and
vertically
mirror-like
Smoke drift
Scaly ripples, no indicates wind
Light Air
foam crests
direction, still wind
vanes
Wind felt on face,
Small wavelets,
leaves rustle,
Light Breeze crests glassy, no
vanes begin to
breaking
move
Large wavelets, Leaves and small
crests begin to twigs constantly
Gentle Breeze
break, scattered moving, light flags
whitecaps
extended
Small waves 1-4
Dust, leaves, and
ft. becoming
Moderate
loose paper lifted,
longer,
Breeze
small tree branches
numerous
move
whitecaps
Moderate waves
4-8 ft taking
Small leafs in tree
Fresh Breeze longer form,
begin to sway
many whitecaps,
some spray
Larger waves 8Larger tree
13 ft, whitecaps
Strong Breeze
branches moving,
common, more
whistling in wires
spray
Sea heaps up, Whole trees
Near Gale
waves 13-20 ft, moving, resistance
white foam
felt walking against
Wind
WMO
Force (Knots) Classification
0
Less
than 1
1
1-3
2
4-6
3
7-10
4
11-16
5
17-21
6
22-27
7
28-33
44
8
9
10
11
12
34-40
41-47
48-55
56-63
64+
streaks off
breakers
Moderately high
(13-20 ft) waves
of greater length,
edges of crests
Gale
begin to break
into spindrift,
foam blown in
streaks
High waves (20
ft), sea begins to
roll, dense
Strong Gale
streaks of foam,
spray may
reduce visibility
Very high waves
(20-30 ft) with
overhanging
crests, sea white
Storm
with densely
blown foam,
heavy rolling,
lowered visibility
Exceptionally
high (30-45 ft)
waves, foam
Violent Storm
patches cover
sea, visibility
more reduced
Air filled with
foam, waves
over 45 ft, sea
Hurricane
completely white
with driving
spray, visibility
greatly reduced
wind
Whole trees in
motion, resistance
felt walking against
wind
Slight structural
damage occurs,
slate blows off
roofs
Seldom
experienced on
land, trees broken
or uprooted,
"considerable
structural damage"
Trees
broken/uprooted,
structural damage
Trees
broken/uprooted,
structural damage,
flooding
45
46
Evaluate
Data sheet from windsock activity, discussion
Lesson J
TITLE
Which Way Does It Blow?
NCSCOS
2.04 Identify and use common tools to measure weather with a wind
vane, anemometer, thermometer and rain gauge.
RBT Tag – C6
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students :
:  Use a weather vane to wxplain wind direction
 Record wind direction on a data sheet.
CONTENT BLAST
Wind is moving air. It can go different directions and can be
measured. Meteorologists use anemometers to measure the
speed of wind and wind vanes to observe the direction. Weather
occurs everyday everywhere and is the condition of the atmosphere
(air) at a given time. Many factors contribute to weather such as
how hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, or clear or cloudy it is.
Depending on the time of year and where you are, you may see
many different stages of weather. Weather changes over time
and it can be measured. Meteorologists are scientists who study
the weather. Just like a meteorologist, you can collect data, use
tools to measure it and make predictions.
47
MATERIALS
LEP Modification: Add a picture of a real weather vane to the
realia shelf and label it.
Bubbles for each student
Chart paper
Big mouth straw (like one at McDonalds)
2 Small mouth straws (one has to fit inside the big mouth straw)
Plastic cups (1 per student, 10 to 16 oz.)
Construction paper or card stock
Stapler
Scissors
Dirt/sand
Data sheet
A transparency of the data sheet
[Note to Teacher: You will need to make one ahead of time so
the children can see a finished product.] The materials listed
above need to be for each child. Each child will make their own
weather vane.
5E LESSON PLAN
LEP Modification: Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP
students should work beside the teacher or a competent student
for this lesson.
Engage
Fill out a KWL chart about their thoughts on wind (based on the
previous lessons, they should have some ideas) What makes the
trees sway? How do they do that? How can you tell what direction
the wind is blowing? Is it always coming from the same direction?
We are going to make a wind vane, also called a weather vane, and
that is a weather tool that tells us what direction the wind is coming
from (or blowing).
Explore
Give the children a piece of construction paper. They are going to cut
a square and a triangle to put on their straw. It needs to be made
proportional to the size needed for the straw. Staple the triangle and
square to opposite ends of one of the small mouth straws (it’ll look
48
like an arrow). Staple one end of the other small mouth straw to the
center of the straw with the triangle and square on it. After you do
this, it will look like the letter “T” with the arrow one on top. Cut about
1 inch off of the big mouth straw and place the “T” configuration
inside the big mouth straw. The “T” configuration will stick out (about
an inch) so it can turn when the wind blows. Now, put the straw
configuration in the middle of the cup and hold it there. Pack
dirt/sand around it. This is to make it stand up while the wind is
blowing. Have the children take their bubbles outside and blow to
see which way the wind is blowing. Discuss. Then have them put
their weather vanes out and see which way the wind is blowing (it
should be the same as the way the bubbles were going). Have them
turn their weather vanes (it should continue to turn the same
direction it was going before.). Document the weather several
times that same day so the children can see that it can change
directions during the day.
Explain
Ask the children what happened to their arrow when they turned their
cups. Why did that happen? What if you put your wind vane up
against something? Would that make a difference? Why? The wind
can come from the north, south, east and/or west. Farmers, sailors,
pilots, meteorologists and others use wind vanes to measure
which direction the wind is blowing. Make sure to explain how you
tell which way the wind is blowing, wind direction is measured by
which direction the wind blows from. Make sure to have a
discussion about this with students.
Elaborate
If possible, compare the homemade wind vane to a commercial
one; Field trip to the news station to see a meteorologist or have
one come to the class, field trip to an airport, etc.; Invite someone to
come to your room who has to consider elements of the wind like a
sailor, airplane pilot, hot air balloonist, etc.
49
Evaluate
Review information, appropriate use of vocabulary, data sheet,
Data Sheet
_____________________________
Month
____________ ______________
Day
Date
Time
Wind Direction
LEP Modification: Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP
students should complete data sheets with a partner. Discussion
may be receptive and may include: arranging pictures in the proper
sequence to demonstrate which directions their weather vanes
pointed; pointing to the pictures that showed what happened to their
arrow when they turned their cups; or giving one word answers to tell
the cardinal direction that their vane pointed to.
50
Lesson K
TITLE
How Fast Can It Go?
NCSCOS
2.04 Identify and use common tools to measure weather with a wind
vane, anemometer, thermometer and rain gauge.
RBT Tag – C6
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students :
 Use an anemometer to describe wind speed.
 Record data about how fast the wind is blowing.
CONTENT BLAST
Wind is moving air. It can go different directions and can be
measured. Meteorologists use anemometers to measure the
speed of wind and wind vanes to observe the direction. Weather
occurs everyday everywhere and is the condition of the atmosphere
(air) at a given time. Many factors contribute to weather such as
how hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, or clear or cloudy it is.
Depending on the time of year and where you are, you may see
many different stages of weather. Weather changes over time
and it can be measured. Meteorologists are scientists who study
the weather. Just like a meteorologist, you can collect data, use
tools to measure it and make predictions.
MATERIALS
LEP Modification: Add a picture of a real anemometer to the
realia shelf and label it.
Paper bathroom size cups (4 for each child. If you only have small
plastic ones, they should work too.)
10 to 16 oz. plastic cups
Big mouth straws
Small mouth straws
Scissors
51
Cardboard
Tape
Dirt/sand
Data sheet
Pinwheel/whirley gig
Small electric fan
[Note to Teacher: You will need to make one ahead of time so
the children can see a finished product.] The materials listed
above will need to be for each child.** The cardboard will need to be
cut in 3 by 3 squares with slits on the side. See the diagram. Each
child will need one precut with the hole in the middle.
5E LESSON PLAN
Engage
Bring in a small electric fan. Put it on low, medium and high so the
children can see the difference in the speeds and how the blades
move faster and slower. Discuss what they see. Ask what makes
the trees sway? Do they always sway exactly the same? Can they
sway fast and slow? What makes them do that? How does it do
that? How fast is the wind going? (Discuss The Beaufort scale
again from a previous lesson). We are going to make an
anemometer, which is a tool that measures how fast the wind is
blowing.
LEP Modification: Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP
students will need much support with vocabulary for this lesson,
and it should be listed on the board with visual support
(illustration). They should also do this activity with a partner.
Explore
(You may want to prep the ones for the children ahead of time and
just show them how to do one.) Put one of the small mouth straws
through the hole in the cardboard about ½ and inch. The small part
of straw that is sticking through the cardboard, you are going to make
2 slits parallel from each other in the middle with scissors in the ½
inch part of the straw all the way down to the cardboard. Then peel it
back like a banana and tape the 2 straw pieces down to the
52
cardboard. This makes the cardboard and straw stay together. Cut 1
inch off one end of the big mouth straw. Put the little mouth straw in
the big mouth straw. Place the straws in the center of the big cup.
Hold it there and put dirt/sand around it. This secures it for when the
wind blows. If you need more security, add rocks. Color the bottom
of one of the bathroom cups a dark color. Slide the bathroom cups in
the slits in the cardboard. Take the anemometer outside and put it
where the wind is blowing and can catch the cups. The cups should
start spinning. Count the dark bottom cup each time it comes around.
This tells you how fast the wind is blowing. This is informal
measurement, but your children can still count how many times they
see the dark spot in one minute.
LEP Modification: Students will need much practice to pronounce
“anemometer”. Write it on the board and underline or divide the
syllables and mark the stressed syllable. Let the students count the
number of syllables on their fingers and rehearse, rehearse,
rehearse.
Explain
The simplest type of anemometer is the cup anemometer, invented
in 1846 by Dr. John Thomas Romney Robinson of Armagh
Observatory. It consisted of four hemispherical cups each mounted
on one end of four horizontal arms, which in turn were mounted at
equal angles to each other on a vertical shaft. The air flow past the
cups in any horizontal direction turned the cups in a manner that
was proportional to the wind speed. Therefore counting the turns of
the cups over a set time period produced the average wind speed
for a wide range of speeds. On an anemometer with four cups it is
easy to see that since the cups are arranged symmetrically on the
end of the arms, the wind always has the hollow of one cup
presented to it and is blowing on the back of the cup on the opposite
end of the cross. Studies of the forces involved show that the force
is greater on the cup side of the device and the net force causes the
cups to spin.
LEP Modification: If possible, use a video clip from United
Streaming or some other source to clarify the appearance and
function of an anemometer.
53
Elaborate
If possible, compare the homemade anemometer to a commercial
one. Use a pinwheel or whirligig to provide evidence of how fast
the wind is blowing. You can either purchase pinwheels or make
them. Use the small electric fan to make it spin. Do it on all 3
different levels so the children can see it move at different speeds.
Ask them how the pinwheel is like an anemometer. Take a field trip
to the news station to see a meteorologist, to an airport, etc., invite
someone to come to your room who has to consider elements of the
wind like a sailor, airplane pilot, hot air balloonist, etc.
Evaluate
Appropriate use of vocabulary, discussions, data sheet
LEP Modification: Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP
students can record information on data sheet with support.
Discussion will be limited and the teacher should think of using an
alternative assessment, even a receptive assessment.
Data Sheet
_____________________________
Month
____________ ______________
Day
Date
Time of day
Times per minute
54
Lesson L (can be used as a notebooking activity)
TITLE
How Far Can It Fly?
NCSCOS
2.02 Observe the force of air pressure pushing objects
RBT Tag – C4
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students :
 Record data on their parachute trials.
 Explain or illustrate that the parachute floats because air
“pushes back”.
CONTENT BLAST
Air is a form of matter called a gas. Although it is not seen unless
something moves, it is real and is everywhere. It is made up of
molecules which are tiny particles that make up every form of
matter. When air molecules get warmer or colder they change the
pressure of the air. When they are cold, they get closer together
(contract) and when they get warm, they spread apart (expand).
Air takes up space, moves things, changes speeds, changes
directions, interacts with objects, can be compressed and can be
measured.
MATERIALS
LEP Modification: Add a picture of a real parachute to the
realia shelf and label it.
Chart paper
Yarn or string
Paper towels (ones with no creases – you can use the ones in your
55
classroom/bathroom provided by the school)
Paperclips, jumbo
Masking tape
Yardsticks
Space to fly parachutes
Data sheet
Light weight items
[Note to Teacher: From the materials above, each child will
need:]
4 pieces of yarn/string 18 inches long
1 paper towel
5 small pieces of masking tape
1 jumbo paperclip
Recording sheet
[Note to Teacher: Build a parachute ahead of time to show the
children the finished product.]
5E LESSON PLAN
Engage
Write their answers on chart paper. Bring in things that “float” or sail
in the air. Ask the children to tell you how they think those things
“float” or sail in the air. What makes things stay up in the air? How
does that happen? What is something people put on or use to help
them stay in the air? What makes a parachute stay in the air? How
does it work? We are going to investigate air using a homemade
parachute. Pose the questions: How far can our parachute travel?
How long can it stay in the air?
Explore
LEP Modification: Paired and interactive lessons like this one
are extremely helpful to foster understanding for LEP students.
Make sure important vocabulary is on the board.
To build the parachute: Lay the paper towel flat on your desk.
Tape the end of a piece of string/yarn to each corner of the paper
towel. Bring the ends of the string/yarn that are not taped to the
paper towel together and put them through the end of the jumbo
paper clip. That should make a loop and the paper clip should hang
56
from that loop. Tape the ends of the string/yarn to the beginning of
the loop to secure it. It should be ready to fly. Be sure there is room
to do so. Before trying out the parachutes, have the children
estimate how far they think it will travel and record that on their data
sheet. To give them an idea, you may want to try yours and record
the distance. Use a piece of masking tape to mark where they are to
stand each time they release their parachute. Do the first trials with
them standing on the floor. Let the children work in pairs. After 3
trials have been recorded, come back together and share data.
Explain
Did everyone’s homemade parachute “float” the same amount of
time? Distance? Were they all made exactly the same? Do you
think that makes a difference? Did where you dropped it make a
difference? If so, how? Air made the parachute float down. For the
parachute to move, it has to push air out if its way. The air pushing
back on it makes it open up and float and fall slowly. Anything
moving through the air is slowed down and that is called air
resistance.
Elaborate
Add another jumbo paperclip and see if it changes anything. Have
the children stand in chairs and see if their parachute travels farther.
Have them stand on desks and see if their parachute travels farther.
Evaluate
Discussion, notebooking appropriate use of vocabulary, participation,
data sheet, demonstrations
LEP Modifications: Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP
students will only be able to participate in discussion in a limited way.
Accept demonstrations, illustrations, and alternate assessments,
including receptive assessments.
Data Sheet
Dropped from
___________
Distance parachute
traveled
57
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Lesson M (can be used as a notebooking activity)
TITLE
How Does It Flow?
NCSCOS
2.02 Observe the force of air pressure pushing objects
RBT Tag – A2
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students:
 Describe the pushing force of air as air pressure.
 Illustrate and label the straw position for high and low
pressure.
CONTENT BLAST
Air pressure is caused by air molecules pressing down or against
the surfaces they come in contact with. Air is a form of matter
called a gas. It has weight, mass and takes up space which is
volume. Air pressure can change with height and temperature.
Changes in air pressure influence weather conditions. Although
it is not seen unless something moves, it is real and is everywhere.
It is made up of molecules which are tiny particles that make up
every form of matter. When air molecules get warmer or colder
they change the pressure of the air. When they are cold, they get
closer together (contract) and when they get warm, they spread
apart (expand). Air takes up space, moves things, changes
speeds, changes directions, interacts with objects, can be
compressed and can be measured.
MATERIALS
LEP Modification: Add a picture of a real barometer to the realia
shelf and label it.
Chart paper
58
Different things full of water that you have to manipulate to get it out
(spray bottle, dish detergent bottle, lotion bottle, etc.)
Straws (enough for all the children)
Cups of water for each child
Coffee can with a plastic lid
Something to make 3 small holes in the coffee can
Tub of water (1/2 way full)
Paper towels
5E LESSON PLAN
LEP Modification: Because this activity is a teacher-led
demonstration and the student part is interactive, the LEP students
can be successful. Be sure to have relevant vocabulary clearly
posted and repeated frequently for the students to master it.
Engage
Display the different items you have that are full of water and discuss
that the water has to get out somehow. Have different children come
up and show you how to get the water out of the different containers.
Have another student write the item on a piece of chart paper and
another write how the water was gotten out of that particular
container. Who has seen water stream out of something all by itself?
What did it stream out of? How did it stream out? What made it
stream out? We are going to investigate air pressure using this
coffee can. Pose the question: What will happen to the air and/or
water in the coffee can?
Explore
Give the children a straw and a cup of water. Have them explore
and try to figure out a way to keep the water in the straw when it is
taken out of the cup (Here’s how it works – Suck up water in the
straw. Cap it off with your tongue in midstream. Put your finger
where your tongue is and lift the straw out of the water. If you lift
your finger off the straw, the water will come rushing out because
the air pressure that was pushing up on the bottom is not great
enough to fight the air pressure that is now coming down the other
end of the straw where your finger was. Now do this in a larger
scale. This part is a teacher led experiment. You will want to do this
over the tub of water you have. The teacher needs to punch 3 holes
59
in the bottom of the coffee can. The teacher needs to punch 1 hole in
the plastic lid. Fill the coffee can ½ full of water and put the lid on it.
Place your finger over the hole in the lid to keep the water from
flowing out. Keep your finger over the hole in the lid and press
down on the lid. Water should stream out of the holes in the bottom
of the coffee can. Slowly decrease the pressure on the lid. The
streams should slow down. You can stop the flow of water by
keeping your finger over the hole in the lid and start it by moving your
finger off the hole in the lid. You can repeat this several times and let
the children try it.
Explain
The pushing force of air is called air pressure. It is all around us.
The can was only half full so there was some space. This space
actually was not empty, but was filled with air. Pressure on the lid
put pressure on the air in the can which in turn put pressure on the
water forcing it out of the can. When you stop pressing on the lid,
and leave your finger over the hole, the pressure of the air outside
the can holds the water in.
Elaborate
Make a barometer to measure air pressure
MATERIALS
Small coffee can
Plastic wrap
Scissors
Straw
Index card
Rubber band
** There will be one made for the classroom.
INSTRUCTIONS - Cover the top of the can with plastic wrap. Use a
rubber band to hold the plastic wrap in place. The cover should be
taut making the can airtight. Place the straw horizontally on the
plastic wrap so that two-thirds of the straw is on the can. Tape the
straw to the middle of the plastic wrap. Tape the index card to the
can behind the straw. Carefully record the location of the straw on
the index card. After 15 minutes, record the new location of the
straw on the index card. Continue checking and recording the
60
straw location as often as desired. Be careful not to place your
barometer near a window, as the barometer is sensitive to
temperature as well as air pressure.
Explain
High pressure will make the plastic wrap cave in, and the straw go
up. Low pressure will make the plastic wrap puff up, and the straw
go down. Check your measurements with a real barometer. What
happens to your barometer when a big storm comes? Can you use
your barometer to predict a storm?
Evaluate
Accurate use of vocabulary, notebooking, demonstrations,
discussions
LEP Modification: Discussion will be limited for Entering,
Beginning, and Developing LEP students. They will need to do
the notebooking with a partner. The teacher may evaluate with
an alternative assessment, and it may be receptive. The teacher
may ask the student to answer “Up/down” to questions about the
straw position or ask the student to illustrate the straw position
when the teacher says, “High /low pressure”.
Lesson N (can be used as a notebooking activity)
TITLE
Dry or Wet? What Did You Get?
NCSCOS
2.02 Observe the force of air pressure pushing objects
RBT Tag – A2
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students:
 Explain the effects of air pressure/”air pushing” against an
object.
CONTENT BLAST
61
Air pressure is caused by air molecules pressing down or against
the surfaces they come in contact with. Air is a form of matter
called a gas. It has weight, mass and takes up space which is
volume. Air pressure can change with height and temperature.
Changes in air pressure influence weather conditions. Although
it is not seen unless something moves, it is real and is everywhere.
It is made up of molecules which are tiny particles that make up
every form of matter. When air molecules get warmer or colder
they change the pressure of the air. When they are cold, they get
closer together (contract) and when they get warm, they spread
apart (expand). Air takes up space, moves things, changes
speeds, changes directions, interacts with objects, can be
compressed and can be measured.
MATERIALS
Chart paper
Tubs for water (size of the tubs decides how many students can work
at each tub)
Clear plastic cups (the mouth needs to be the same size as the
bottom of the cup if possible)
Paper towels (1 for each cup for the experiment and others for
cleaning up spills)
Coffee can
Gallon size Ziploc bag
Rubber band to fit around the mouth of the coffee can
** Each child needs a clear plastic cup and a paper towel for the
experiment.
5E LESSON PLAN
Engage
Magic Can – This activity demonstrates air pressure. Put the
gallon size Ziploc bag inside the coffee can and fold the mouth of the
bag around the mouth of the coffee can and then secure it with the
rubber band. Be sure as much of the air as possible is out of the can
before securing the bag to it!! The plastic should be touching as
much of the inner sides of the coffee can as possible. Have one of
the students come try and pull the Ziploc bag out. You’ll need to hold
the can and rubber band. Ask why the bag won’t come out of the
can. (Here’s what is happening - The air outside the bag is greater
62
than the air between the bag and the can. Because of that it is very
difficult to get the bag out without breaking the seal.)
Explore
Show students a clear cup and paper towel. Tell the children they
have to put the cup and paper towel in the water and not get the
paper towel wet. Ask them to brainstorm ways you could do that
and record responses on chart paper. Split the class into groups.
Each group needs a tub of water. Each child will need a clear cup.
Let them explore the options listed on the chart paper and see what
works. [Note to Teacher: Here’s how to do it. Show the children if
no one figures it out. First, stuff the paper towel in the bottom of the
cup. It needs to be packed in the bottom of the cup so it won’t fall out
when it is flipped over. Next, hold the cup over the water. Be sure it
is straight up and down. Slowly lower the open side of the cup in the
water and push it all the way to the bottom of the tub. Then pull it
out, but be sure not to tip it. It needs to come out of the water
straight up and down. If it tips, an air bubble will escape and the
paper towel will get wet. If it came out of the water straight up and
down, the paper towel should be dry.] After explaining how to do
this, let the children try again.
Explain
Why did the paper towel get wet? Why did it stay dry? What did you
have to do to make it stay dry? Why does that make a difference?
What makes it so it stays at the top of the cup? What happens if you
tip the cup? Why does the air bubble escape when you tip the cup?
Discuss findings with students using vocabulary and the concept of
air pressure (refer to content blast).
Elaborate
Integration – in their writing journals, have the children imagine being
an air bubble. Where would they travel? What would they do? Tell
them to be sure to use as many descriptive words and/or illustrations
as possible.
Evaluate
Appropriate use of vocabulary, notebooking, discussion, participation,
demonstrations
63
LEP Modification: For ELABORATE and EVALUATE, Entering,
Beginning, and Developing LEP students will need to work with a
partner, and the teacher will need to do an alternative assessment,
for example: accept a word or phrase, or a few simple sentences for
ELABORATE, and illustrations or one-word answers and phrases
for EVALUATE.
Lesson O (can be used as a notebooking activity)
TITLE
Egg Inside? You Jive!
NCSCOS
2.02 Observe the force of air pressure pushing objects
RBT Tag – A2
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students:
 Illustrate and label the effects of air pressure on objects.
 Explain the process in which air pulls the egg in and pushes
it out of the bottle.
CONTENT BLAST
Air pressure is caused by air molecules pressing down or against
the surfaces they come in contact with. Air is a form of matter
called a gas. It has weight, mass and takes up space which is
volume. Air pressure can change with height and temperature.
Changes in air pressure influence weather conditions. Although
it is not seen unless something moves, it is real and is everywhere.
It is made up of molecules which are tiny particles that make up
every form of matter. When air molecules get warmer or colder
they change the pressure of the air. When they are cold, they get
closer together (contract) and when they get warm, they spread
apart (expand). Air takes up space, moves things, changes
speeds, changes directions, interacts with objects, can be
compressed and can be measured.
MATERIALS
Chart paper
64
3 Hard boiled eggs, shells removed
Vaseline or vegetable oil (maybe lotion/soap would work?)
1 glass gallon bottle with a mouth a little smaller than the egg
Paper towels
Matches, wooden if possible
Data sheet
[Note to Teacher: Due to safety, this is a teacher led
experiment.]
Engage
Show the glass bottle. Ask the students what they usually see in a
bottle like this. Could anything else go in a bottle like this? (List)
Show the egg you have. Ask if the egg can fit in the bottle? If they
say yes, ask how and if they say no, ask why not. Write their
answers on the chart paper. Pose these questions: How can I get
the egg in the bottle?
Explore
This is a teacher led experiment – Put a small amount of the
lubricant in the mouth of the bottle and on the egg (you still need to
be able to hold onto the egg). Light a small piece of paper towel and
drop it in the bottle. Quickly put the egg on the opening (small point
down) and watch (It may “dance” a little bit as the air pressure
changes.) The egg should be pulled in the bottle. Have the students
draw what they saw happen. They need to label the parts such as
bottle, egg, paper towel, etc.
LEP Note: This is perfect for LEP students: observe, illustrate,
and label. Just make sure that spellings are posted or accept
invented spellings.
Explain
Ask the children how in the world that happened!! Redo the
experiment if you need/want to. The flame uses up the oxygen
causing a change in air pressure. The pressure outside the bottle
is more than inside, so the outside pressure pushes the egg into the
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bottle. The egg is NOT sucked in. It is PUSHED into the bottle by
the air outside. (This is also a great time to reiterate how fire works
and review fire safety tips like oxygen is a fire’s best friend and that
stop/drop/roll is important because it “squishes” the fire and oxygen.
If you remember, people blow/fan on fires to help get them started,
they are blowing oxygen which causes it to grow.)
Elaborate
How do you get the egg out of the bottle? Hold the bottle upside
down so the egg is at the opening. Blow as hard as you can for 10
seconds into the bottle and then move it quickly to the left or right
and the egg should fly out. Again, this is caused by a change in air
pressure. You can have a child try to catch it in something. The
high air pressure created in the bottle from you blowing in pushes
the egg out.
Evaluate
Accurate use of vocabulary, share findings, notebooking, charts,
demonstrations
LEP Modification: Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP
students will need to work with a partner for notebooking, and the
teacher should accept illustrations, one-word answers, or
phrases . Teacher may ask the students what caused the egg to
move as it did and an acceptable answer would be “air pressure”.
Lesson P
TITLE
Coming Down Again Today?
NCSCOS
2.04 Identify and use common tools to measure weather with a wind
vane, anemometer, thermometer and rain gauge.
RBT Tag – C6
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students:
 Measure rain in a rain gauge and explain the process.
 Record data on a data sheet and explain.
66
CONTENT BLAST
Precipitation comes in many forms and can be measured. Rain is
a form of precipitation and is a liquid state of matter.
Meteorologists use rain gauges to measure how much rain or
snow has fallen. Natural sources of water include streams, rivers,
lakes, and oceans. Weather occurs everyday everywhere and is the
condition of the atmosphere (air) at a given time. Many factors
contribute to weather such as how hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or
stormy, or clear or cloudy it is. Depending on the time of year and
where you are, you may see many different stages of weather.
Weather changes over time and it can be measured.
Meteorologists are scientists who study the weather. Just like a
meteorologist, you can collect data, use tools to measure it and
make predictions.
MATERIALS
LEP Modification: Add a real rain gauge or a picture of one to the
realia shelf and label it.
Chart paper
Umbrella
A quart glass jar
6 inch ruler (you can cut a 12 inch ruler in half)
Clear waterproof tape or hot glue gun or Super Glue
A transparency of the data sheet
**You will make 1 rain gauge for the class.
5E LESSON PLAN
Engage
Pop up an umbrella and ask the children when you would probably
use this. Ask why. They may list ideas such as different forms of
precipitation or to make shade when you are in the sun. Ask the
students what kinds of things can fall from the sky. Ask what kinds of
67
things fall from the sky that come from clouds. Ask if anyone knows
what the official word for that is (precipitation – hail, sleet, snow,
ice, rain, etc.). Record results on chart paper. Ask students about
tools for measuring weather. What do we use to measure rainfall?
Who do we watch to tell us about the weather? What does that
person use to tell how much rain has fallen? What about when you
have snow. Would you use something different to measure that kind
of precipitation? Why? Record responses. Show students a
commercial rain gauge but explain we will be making our own for
our classroom as well. If you have a daily weather area or center,
both can be used there. You will be able to compare the accuracy.
LEP Modification: Students will need much practice to
pronounce “precipitation”. Write it on the board and underline or
divide the syllables and mark the stressed syllable. Let the
students count the number of syllables on their fingers and
rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.
Explore
Let the students investigate the commercial rain gauge by pouring
small amounts of water in it to see the level rise and show how to
read it. Next, make your own. Secure the 6 inch ruler in the bottom
of the jar with the 0 on the bottom of the jar. Secure it with super
glue, tape, etc. Place the jar and the commercial rain gauge in an
open area where they can collect rain. Be sure nothing is hanging
over the rain gauges so the rain can fall directly in the jar. After it
rains, try to measure to the nearest tenth of an inch. Record data
on the weather calendar and rain chart.
Explain
Share results, compare commercial gauge to homemade gauge,
reiterate why formal measurement is so important
LEP Modification: Make sure the students understand these
terms. Have them posted on the board with visual support where
appropriate.
Elaborate
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Integration – make a pictorial or bar graph of who likes what kind of
precipitation the best; using the internet, compare the precipitation
in your area to another area in the world. Record what you find.
Evaluate
Appropriate use of vocabulary, discussion of data sheet,
demonstration, participation
LEP Modification: Students should be able to participate in the
activity, demonstration, and recording of data. Discussion will be
difficult for Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP students.
Instead the teacher may ask the students to point to the gauge
(commercial or homemade) that has a certain measurement. [e.g.
“Which gauge shows 1”?”
Data Sheet
Day
Date
Water Height
New Rainfall
(today minus
yesterday)
Observations
69
Lesson Q
TITLE
Going Up or Down?
LEP CAUTION! – SOME LEP STUDENTS MAY BE FAMILIAR
WITH TEMPERATURES REPORTED IN DEGREES CELSIUS
RATHER THAN DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
For accurate temperature readings, you’ll need to use a true
thermometer. This activity is shows how a thermometer works.
NCSCOS
2.04 Identify and use common tools to measure weather with a wind
vane, anemometer, thermometer and rain gauge.
RBT Tag – C6
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students:
 Describete the uses of a thermometer.
 Explain that liquid moves because it gets hotter.
CONTENT BLAST
Temperature tells how hot or cold the air is and it can be measured
with a thermometer. It is measured in degrees Celsius or
Fahrenheit. Weather occurs everyday everywhere and is the
condition of the atmosphere (air) at a given time. Many factors
contribute to weather such as how hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or
stormy, or clear or cloudy it is. Depending on the time of year and
where you are, you may see many different stages of weather.
Weather changes over time and it can be measured.
Meteorologists are scientists who study the weather. Just like a
meteorologist, you can collect data, use tools to measure it and
make predictions.
70
MATERIALS
LEP Modification; Add an actual thermometer or picture of one to
the realia shelf and label it.
Chart paper
Tap water
Rubbing alcohol (do not drink this)
Clear, narrow-necked plastic bottle (11-ounce water bottles work well)
Red food coloring
Clear plastic drinking straw
Modeling Clay
**This will be a classroom experiment. You will be the only one
making a thermometer.
5E LESSON PLAN
Engage
Ask questions like: What do you wear during the summer time?
Why? How does it feel outside? What about in winter? Why? How
does it feel outside? Is the weather always the same? What are
some ways we can tell what the temperature might be like outside?
Is it the same all over the world? How do we measure temperature?
Explore
[Note to teacher: Due to the use of rubbing alcohol, this is a
teacher led experiment.] Pour equal parts of tap water and
rubbing alcohol into the bottle, filling about 1/8 to a 1/4 of the bottle.
Add a couple of drops of food coloring and mix it up. Put the straw in
the bottle, but don't let the straw touch the bottom (DO NOT DRINK
THE MIXTURE). Use the modeling clay to seal the neck of the bottle
so the straw stays in place. Make sure your hands are warm and
hold them on the bottle and watch what happens to the mixture in the
bottle.
Explain
Just like a regular thermometer, the mixture spreads out or
expands when it gets warmer just like air molecules that were
discussed at the beginning of the unit. This made it so the liquid
could not fit in the bottom of the bottle anymore. As the alcohol in the
71
liquid expanded, the colored mixture moved up through the straw. If
the bottle were to get very hot, the liquid would have come through
the top of the straw.
LEP Modification: Students will need much practice to pronounce
“thermometer”. Write it on the board and underline or divide the
syllables and mark the stressed syllable. Let the students count
the number of syllables on their fingers and rehearse, rehearse,
rehearse.
Elaborate
Integration – Chart on a graph, plot/bar/line, the change in
temperature in the classroom, outside the classroom, etc. You can
also chart the temperature on the Weather Channel either on
television or on the computer. You can get a local newspaper
brought in daily by someone who gets it or maybe from your library
and document it daily that way as well. This will also help the
children learn how to read a newspaper. If possible, compare the
homemade thermometer to a commercial one. How is temperature
affected if the thermometer is placed in the sunlight versus a
shady spot? Record answers. Place one in the sunlight and one a
shady spot and record data.
Evaluate
Review information, appropriate use of vocabulary, notebooking and
during discussions, graph of daily temperature, etc.
LEP Modification: Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP
students should be able to record the data, but will need a partner
for the notebooking. Discussion will be difficult and the teacher
should think of alternative assessments, [e.g. “What was the
temperature on the homemade/commercial thermometer?” “What
was the difference in the two temperatures?” “What was the
temperature in the sun/shade?” “What was the difference between
the two temperatures?” Students may write answers or discuss
them with a partner or in small groups..
72
Lesson R (can be used as a notebooking activity)
TITLE
Which Can Stand the Heat?
NCSCOS
2.05 Discuss and determine how energy from the sun warms the
land, air and water RBT Tag – A4
3.01 Identify 3 states of matter - solid, liquid and gas
RBT Tag – A1
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students:
 Make and discuss a prediction about the day’s temperature.
 Record data and complete their data tables.
CONTENT BLAST
Energy from the sun warms land, air and water but each holds the
suns heat energy differently. Some get warmer faster while some
stay warmer longer. Weather occurs everyday everywhere and is
the condition of the atmosphere (air) at a given time. Many factors
contribute to weather such as how hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or
stormy, or clear or cloudy it is. Depending on the time of year and
where you are, you may see many different stages of weather.
Weather changes over time and it can be measured.
Meteorologists are scientists who study the weather. Just like a
meteorologist, you can collect data, use tools to measure it and
make predictions.
LEP Modification: Students will need much practice to
pronounce “meteorologist”. Write it on the board and underline or
divide the syllables and mark the stressed syllable. Let the
students count the number of syllables on their fingers and
rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.
MATERIALS
Chart paper
2 Clear plastic cups
2 thermometers
Potting soil or some rich soil from an area in your school
73
A sunny day
Data sheet
5E LESSON PLAN
Engage
Read a book about the sun warming the earth. What makes things
outside feel warm? We know that air gets warmer because the
temperature goes up during the day. What makes the temperature
go up during the day? Does it heat up water and soil too? Which
one holds heat energy better, soil or water?
Explore
Record the current temperature. This experiment needs to be
done in the morning and then checked midday and just before school
is out. Fill 1 cup ¾ full with soil and the other ¾ full with water.
Have the children make their prediction and record it on their data
sheet. Put a thermometer in each cup and place them outside.
After 1 minute, record what the temperature is in each cup.
Midday, record the temperature again and then again just before
school gets out.
Explain
Share findings. Show that the water and the soil both increased in
temperature due to the suns energy. Heat is energy in transit.
Soil and water hold energy from the sun which is called heat
energy. The ability for water to hold heat is larger than soil so the
temperature of water will be less because the sun’s energy goes
further down in water. For soil, it only gets just below the surface,
so the temperature of the soil should be higher because the heat
energy didn’t go as far down.
Data Sheet
74
Prediction:
I think ______________ will hold heat energy from the sun better.
Object
Morning
Temperature
Midday
Afternoon
Temperature Temperature
Cup of
Soil
Cup of
Water
Conclusion:
I learned that _____________held heat energy from the sun better.
Elaborate
Do an activity demonstrating the water cycle.
LEP Modification: Prior to doing the water cycle, the teacher might
want to show a United Streaming or other short video, or read a
book about recycling more tangible things to build background
knowledge.
MATERIALS
Small bathroom size plastic cups
Sandwich size Ziploc bags
Water
Blue food coloring
Permanent marker
Mailing or masking tape
Paper for documentation
Chart paper
Small electric fan (to see something move in a cycle)
Water cycle poster
** Each child will need plastic bag and bathroom cup.
Language (ELP) Objectives for LEP students:
 Illustrate and explain the water cycle.
 Label their illustrations.
75
5E LESSON PLAN
Engage
Discuss things that fall out of the sky. What do we call water that
falls out of the sky? Where does it go? What does it help? What or
who uses it? Discuss the water cycle. Show the small electric fan.
Put a piece of tape on one of the blades. Turn it on and let the
children see that the piece of tape comes back around each time.
Explain that this is a cycle. Explain that water goes in a cycle and it
recycles itself.
Explore
Fill the plastic cup about ¼ of the way up. Put a line on the outside of
the cup where the water level is. This is a point of reference for the
evaporation. Turn the Ziploc bag so it is shaped like a diamond.
On the outside of the bag draw the arrows to indicate the water cycle
(evaporation, condensation, precipitation). You can also write the
cycle words in the appropriate places. Place the cup in the bottom
corner of the diamond and seal the bag up. Be careful or the cup will
tip over. You want your bag to be completely dry inside. Very
carefully tape the bag, still in the diamond shape, to a window that
gets sunlight. Have the children check it daily to see if the waterline
has moved on the inside.
Explain
Water recycles itself. We call that the water cycle. The water
cycle works in steps. Evaporation is when the sun heats up water
and it turns into vapor or steam and goes back up into the air.
Condensation is when the water vapor or steam turns back into a
liquid and those water droplets form clouds. Precipitation is when
the cloud gets too heavy and the water falls back to the Earth as
either rain, snow, sleet or hail. Because water recycles itself, it
has always been here. The water we use today was here when the
dinosaurs were on Earth.
Evaluate
Appropriate use of vocabulary, notebooking, give each child a piece
of paper and have them illustrate what happened during their
76
experiment including labeling all objects, data sheet,
demonstrations, particpiation
LEP Modification: For Entering, Beginning, and Developing LEP
students, notebooking should be done with a partner. LEP students
can illustrate, label, and complete data sheets. The teacher may
need to accept one-word answers or use an alternative assessment
(e.g, “Show me evaporation/condensation/ precipitation”). Students
may also arrange pictures of the water cycle in sequence to
demonstrate understanding of it.
77
Assessment
1. Select the object that can be moved by turning on a fan?
RBT Tag – C4
a)
b)
book
feather
c)
school bus
2. When air molecules get warm, what do they do?
RBT Tag – C4
a) They get closer together.
b) They get spread apart.
c) They don’t do anything.
3. Look at the Beaufort Scale. What effects does the wind have
when it is blowing 4-7 knots? (answer in a complete sentence)
RBT Tag – C4
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
78
79
4. Air is a form of matter called
RBT Tag – A1
a) Solid
b) Liquid
c) Gas
5. Circle the picture that shows an experiment of a change in air
pressure. RBT Tag – A2
a) Bottle with egg on top and bottle with egg inside
b) Bottle with egg on top and bottle with egg beside it
c) Two bottles with no eggs around
80
6. Air takes up space and has weight. RBT Tag – A1
a) true
b) false
7. Circle the picture that shows a windy a day. RBT Tag – C4, C6
a)
b)
c)
8. Which rain gauge shows more precipitation? RBT Tag – C6
a)
b)
c)
81
9. What thermometer shows the temperature that means you
need to wear a coat? RBT Tag – C6
a)
b)
c)
10. Which tool did we make in class that measures wind speed?
RBT Tag – C6
a) thermometer
b) anemometer
c) rain gauge
11. If I was measuring precipitation, which weather tool would I be?
RBT Tag – C6
a) wind sock
b) rain gauge
c) thermometer
82
12. Counting by 5’s draw a thermometer that shows 70 degrees.
RBT Tag – C6
13. Put a circle around the picture that shows the sun’s heat energy
warming the water. RBT Tag – A1, A4
a) sun warming a lake
b) sun warming a cactus
c) moon shining at night
83
14. Put a box around the picture that shows the sun’s heat energy
warming the land. RBT Tag – A4
a) sun warming a dog
b) moon shining at night
c) sun warming a meadow
15. Using condensation, precipitation, and evaporation, draw a
picture of the water cycle. RBT Tag – A1
84
16. Looking at the calendar, tell what the wind speed is on January
17th? RBT Tag – C6
_____________________________________________________
January
1
6
7
13 mph
13
17 mph
14
20
21
27
15 mph
28
3
4
5
9
10
4 mph
11
10 mph
12
16
22 mph
17
18
19
22
23
6 mph
24
25
26
29
7 mph
30
31
5 mph
8
15
2
25 mph
85
17. Looking at the calendar tell what the temperature is on May
26th? RBT Tag – C6
_________________________________________________
May
1
6
7
74
degrees
13
14
83
degrees
20
21
75
degrees
27
28
87
degrees
2
3
8
9
10
15
16
17
22
23
24
29
30
31
4
5
72
degrees
11
80
degrees
18
65
degrees
25
82
degrees
75
degrees
12
78
degrees
19
72
degrees
26
84
degrees
18. What is the difference in the temperature on May 13th and
May 11th? Be sure to put your answer in degrees. RBT Tag – C6
86
19. Rain is what state of matter? RBT Tag – A1
a) gas
b) solid
c) liquid
20. When water evaporates, it turns into a
RBT Tag – A1
a) solid
b) liquid
c) gas
21. Water recycles itself. RBT Tag – A1
a) true
b) false
87
References
Wikipedia - http://wikipedia.org
Dr. Lorin Anderson
EDU Press
Foss Full Option Science System Science Kits, Delta Education
United Streaming - www.unitedstreaming.com (may need to be
purchased)
http://www.miamisci.org
http://familyfun.go.com
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov
88
LEP Modified Assessment
LEP Modification: The teacher should also shorten the test so that
the LEP student does not have as many questions to answer. This
can be done quickly and easily by using a highlighter to circle the
question numbers that the teacher wants the LEP student to answer.
10.
A fan can move a __________________.
book
11.
feather
school bus
When air molecules get warm, what do they do?
d) They move together.
e) They move apart.
f) They don’t do anything.
12.
Look at the Beaufort Scale. What effects does the wind
have when it is blowing 4-7 knots? (answer in a complete
sentence)
89
_______________________________________________________
90
13.
Air is a _____________.
91
d) Solid
e) Liquid
f) Gas
14.
Circle the picture that shows a change in air pressure.
d) Bottle with egg on top and bottle with egg inside
e) Bottle with egg on top and bottle with egg beside it
f) Two bottles with no eggs around
15.
Air takes up space and has weight.
c) true
d) false
92
16.
Circle the picture that shows a windy a day.
a)
17.
b)
c)
Which rain gauge shows more precipitation?
a)
b)
c)
18.
What thermometer shows that you need to wear a coat?
RBT Tag – C6
a)
b)
c)
93
10. Which one did we make that tells wind speed?
b) thermometer
b) anemometer
c) rain gauge
11. What tells us how much precipitation?
d) wind sock
e) rain gauge
f) thermometer
12. Counting by 5’s draw a thermometer that shows 70 degrees.
94
13. Put a circle around the picture of the sun heating the water.
d) sun warming a lake
e) sun warming a cactus
f) moon shining at night
14. Put a box around the picture of the sun heating the land.
d) sun warming a dog
95
e) moon shining at night
f) sun warming a meadow
15. Use these words: condensation, precipitation, and
evaporation, and draw a picture of the water cycle.
16. Look at the calendar. What is the wind speed on January
17th?
_____________________________________________________
96
January
1
6
7
13 mph
13
17 mph
14
20
21
27
15 mph
28
3
4
5
9
10
4 mph
11
10 mph
12
16
22 mph
17
18
19
22
23
6 mph
24
25
26
29
7 mph
30
31
5 mph
8
15
2
25 mph
17. Look at the calendar. What is the temperature on May 26th?
_________________________________________________
97
May
1
6
7
74
degrees
13
14
83
degrees
20
21
75
degrees
27
28
87
degrees
2
3
8
9
10
15
16
17
22
23
24
29
30
31
4
5
72
degrees
11
80
degrees
18
65
degrees
25
82
degrees
75
degrees
12
78
degrees
19
72
degrees
26
84
degrees
18. What is the difference between the temperature on May 13th
and May 11th? Be sure to put your answer in degrees.
19. Rain is a __________.
a) gas
b) solid
c) liquid
20. After water evaporates, it is a ____________.
98
a) solid
b) liquid
c) gas
21. Water recycles itself.
a) true
b) false
99