Lesson Plan Template
Grade Level(s) 6 th grade Content: climatology
Topic: describing the function and purpose of a wind vane
Key: SW = Students will TW = Teacher will HOTS=Higher-order
Thinking Skills
Lesson Title: Understanding Wind
Content Standard:
Identify global patterns of atmospheric movement, including El Niño, the Gulf
Stream, the jet stream, the Coriolis effect, and global winds that influence local
weather.
Describe the function of instruments and technology used to investigate Earth’s weather, including barometers, thermometers, wind socks, weather vanes, satellites, radar, weather balloons, and rain gauges.
Content Source: ALCOS
Key Vocabulary
 Wind vane
 Weather
 Meteorology
Materials, Equipment, Supplies
◦ 5 cm arrow (cardstock)
◦ 7 cm long arrow tail (cardstock)
◦ Straight pin
◦ Scissors
◦ Glue
◦ Pencil with a new eraser
◦ Plastic straw w/ 1 cm cut at each end
◦ Modeling clay

Paper plate
HOTS: List higher-order questions, skills or activities included in this lesson.
How do you know when it’s windy?
How do you think you can measure wind?
How do you think each wind instrument is used?
Connections with Prior Knowledge/Building Background
 Talk about their personal knowledge of windy weather
 Review types of weather from previous lessons
Source
ALCOS
Source
WIDA
Content Objectives
Objectives in Student-friendly Language
 Make a wind vane
Language Objectives
Objectives in Student-friendly Language
 Describe a wind vane’s purpose in measuring weather by explaining it to a

partner and writing about it
Blended Content-Language Objectives
Make a wind vane and describe its purpose to a partner and in journal format.
Meaningful Activities and Peer-to-Peer Interactive Oral Techniques (IPOTS)
 partner talk
 hands on group work to produce a wind vane
 journaling

Review/Assessment
 partners talk about the various types of weather discussed in previous lessons
 journaling about the function and purpose of the wind vane
Wrap-Up
 Key Vocabulary: wind vane, weather, meteorology
 Key Concepts: SW be able to explain how a meteorologist might use a wind vane
 Objectives Met: product of the wind vane and explanation of its purpose to a classmate
Group Member Group Member Group Member Group Member
Megan Kerstiens Malerie Huguley Carrie Hinton Rebecca
Singleton
Grade Level(s)
6
Vignette
Content-area
Science
Content Topic
Climatology
ELP Level(s)
Can serve all levels
General Description of Lesson
10 minutes--Background Knowledge/Partner talk time
SW and TW review different types of weather from previous lessons.
SW describe what windy weather looks like and different types of wind.
SW answer the following HOTS questions:
How do you know when it’s windy?
How do you think you can measure wind?

TW show pictures of weather instruments.
SW answer How do you think each is used?
10 minutes--Group Work/Collaboration
SW make a wind vane using the procedure listed below.
10 minutes--Wrap Up
SW talk with a partner about the following questions and then add to weather logs by answering the following questions.
1.
How would a meteorologist use a wind vane?
2.
What is the purpose of a wind vane?
3.
How can you measure how fast the wind is blowing and where it’s blowing?
Differentiation Supporting English Language Proficiency Levels
Pictures of wind instruments
WH questions partner talk individual journaling following oral directions use of gestures making predictions summarizing information retell stories or events
Teacher Notes (process, procedure, safety, hints, tips…)
Procedure for making wind vane:
◦ Slide the arrow point and the arrow tail into the cuts in the straw.
◦ Push a straight pin through the middle of the straw and into the eraser end of the pencil.
◦ Stick the sharp end of the pencil into a lump of modeling clay; this will be your base.
◦ Mark north, south, east, and west on the paper plate
◦ Put the clay on a paper plate.
Test out your Wind Vane: Blow on the vane and make sure that the arrow can spin freely.