4th Grade exploring weather and climate

Scope and sequence

Suggested Time Frame: 4th Grade Science Curriculum Map

• 1st Nine Weeks- Consult the 4th Grade Science Curriculum Map for specific details.

The 4th Grade Science Curriculum Map outlines the following information:

• 1. Recommended pacing, scope, and sequence for each unit.

  2. Alignment with standards, conceptual understandings, and performance indicators

  3. Links to Unit Concept Storyboard Maps, Content and SEP Support Documents, and Curriculum Guides

  4. Details for Evidence of Understanding, Essential Learning Experiences, and Suggested Learning Engagements

  5. Where appropriate, alignment with specific FOSS, DSM, GEMS, and STC kit Activities and Investigations

Learning goals, skills, and concepts

Learning Goals

• Students will gather information from various sources, including models, to illustrate and describe the relative composition of the part of the atmosphere where weather occurs.

  • It is only necessary for students to know the most basic compositional elements (oxygen, nitrogen, and water vapor) of the troposphere ONLY and not other layers of the atmosphere.

• Students will gather data from investigations into evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff and use their evidence to develop a water cycle model that illustrates how water moves from the atmosphere to the Earth’s surface through these processes.

  • Condensation should include cloud formation.

• Students will gather, analyze, and interpret local daily weather data for a period of 4-6 weeks minimum in order to describe and predict weather conditions, patterns, and changes. Weather data should include:

  • Temperature

  • Precipitation

  • Wind Speed and Direction

  • Relative Humidity

  • Cloud Types (limited to Cirrus, Cumulus, and Stratus)

• Students will gather information from various sources to describe severe weather events and explain how people can reduce the impact of these events. Severe weather events include but are not limited to:

  • Thunderstorms

  • Hurricanes

  • Tornadoes

  • Floods

• Students will gather regional weather data using maps, charts, and weather station data to compare local and regional weather conditions and changes.

Skills and Concepts

• Analyze and Interpret Data- SEP Support Document

• Develop and Use Models- SEP Support Document

• Obtain and Communicate Information- SEP Support Document

• Construct Explanations- SEP Support Document

• Composition of the Atmosphere- Essential Knowledge Support Document

• Water Cycle- Essential Knowledge Support Document

• Local Weather Data- Essential Knowledge Support Document

• Severe Weather- Essential Knowledge Support Document

• Regional Long Term Weather- Essential Knowledge Support Document

Science Concept Storyboard

This link will take you to a print-friendly version of the science concept storyboard.

Lessons and activities

Weather and Climate Unit Planning Support Doc

Potential Instructional Strategies/Lessons/Examples

• Weather Instruments (DSM Kit) All Investigations

• Oceans (DSM Kit) Investigation 5 (5th grade kit)

• SC Interactive Science:

  • Water Cycle in a Bag Observation pg. 40B and 41 of the TE and pg. 41 of the SE

  • Making a Cloud Lesson (from old curriculum guides) http://www.s2temsc.org/uploads/1/8/8/7/18873120/science_4th_grade_4-4.1_final.doc

  • How Can You Monitor the Weather pg. 38 in SE

  • How Accurate are Weather Forecasts? Pg. 49 in the TE

  • Predict the Weather Quick Lab pg. 56 SE (also see formative assessment)

  • Quick Lab How light and heat affect the water cycle. Pg. 59 SE

  • Make a Model of a Hurricane pg. 65 SE

  • Where is the Hurricane Going pg. 78 SE

  • How do you Construct a Weather Map pg. 80 SE

  • Weather Data Collecting (from old curriculum guide) note: this plan has some good structures for how to collect data, but all of the data collecting is online, make sure you are providing a variety of experiences using weather tools and collecting first hand weather data in addition to online http://www.s2temsc.org/uploads/1/8/8/7/18873120/science_4th_grade_4-4.3_final.doc

• AIMS Activities: 2005 SC Science AIMS 4th Grade Earth Science

  • The Mini Water Cycle

  • Going, Going, Gone!

  • Making Dew

  • A Cloud is Born

  • Sky Watch

  • Classifying Clouds

  • Weather Changes

  • Temperature Tally

  • Nationwide Highs

  • It’s a Breeze!

  • Just a Gust?

  • Rain Check

  • Decimal Downpour

  • Fronting the Weather

  • Severe Weather

  • Hurricane

  • Nationwide Highs

  • Heat Band

• Air is All Around Us (parts I and II)

Additional Resources

• • Severe Weather Resource (4.E.2B.2)

    • This link will take you to a website, www.ready.gov/severe-weather, that has links to various resources and information about various severe weather events. This can be used as part of a learning experience to address the 4th grade Weather and Climate performance indicator 4.E.2B.2: Obtain and Communicate Information about severe weather phenomenon to explain the steps humans can take to reduce the impact of severe weather phenomenon.

  • Young Meteorologist (4.E.2B.2)

    • This link will take you to an interactive board game where Owlie (a young owl interested in becoming a meteorologist) must navigate a game board with information about different severe weather events.

  • Owlie Skywarn's Weather -Ready Kid's Page (4.E.2B.2)

    • This link will take you the National Weather Service kid's page with links to various severe weather games and information sources.

  • Weather Lab (4.E.2B.3)

    • This link will take you to the Smithsonian Science Education Center's Weather Lab App. This short, interactive activity allows students to select different regional factors that impact weather and make predictions about the weather that results from different regional influences. This can be part of a larger unit on weather that also connects to 4.E.2B.1 and 4.E.2B.2

  • Weather Wiz Kids (4.E.2B)

    • This link will take you to Weather Wiz Kids, a great site full of weather information presented in student-friendly language. While this should not be the only way students learn about and investigate the weather, it can help add important background knowledge to help them construct explanations using their authentic data. This site also has links to weather-related experiments that might also connect to specific standards.

  • The Weather Channel (1.E.3A.1 and 1.E.3A.2)

    • This website can be used to look up weather data for regions in other places around the country and the world.

  • http://www.mrsoshouse.com/pbl/observe/indexobserve.htm

Pictures for practice making qualitative and quantitative observations

• • Pearson STEM Activity Book - Activity 4 - Let’s Glide Away pg. 13

  • Pearson STEM Activity Book - Activity 9 - Natural Humidifier pg. 33 - transpiration is a focus - but also connects back to the water cycle - good connections activity if you have extra time or need another method of making observations

  • Pearson STEM Activity Book - Activity 1 - Hold back the water pg. 1 (more aligned to 5th grade erosion, but also good for runoff)

  • Red Cross Pillow Case Project (make sure when you schedule them you ask specifically for the severe weather presentation) http://www.redcross.org/get-help/prepare-for-emergencies/resources-for-schools#/The-Pillowcase Project

  • Air We Breathe Pie Chart pg. 53 SE (only instance of atmospheric composition)

  • Web Resources

    • FEMA Emergency Supply Checklists https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/34326

    • FEMA Disaster Fact Sheets http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/34288

    • NOAA and NWS Severe Weather Guide http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/severeweather/resources/ttl6-10.pdf

    • Water Cycle animated model - https://www3.epa.gov/safewater/kids/flash/flash_watercycle.html and http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/earthguide/diagrams/watercycle/

    • Water Cycle - also discusses how the people in the desert region of Utah get and use water http://www.watereducation.utah.gov/WaterCycle/default.asp

    • Water Cycle - very straightforward and easy to read http://www.kidzone.ws/WATER/

    • Water Cycle - this is voice active - there is text to read but a computer voice also reads along - might be a good resource to look at for differentiation https://www3.epa.gov/safewater/kids/flash/flash_watercycle.html

    • Water Cycle - https://www3.epa.gov/safewater/kids/flash/flash_watercycle.html

    • Hurricanes - this site allows students to manipulate the conditions required to create a Hurricane - while students don’t need to know the processes by which hurricanes form, this could be good background knowledge for developing safety guidelines - http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/outreach/games/canelab.htm

    • Severe Weather - good for researching a variety of severe weather, includes background information about each type, interesting things students always ask about, and safety procedures and guidelines which are your standards for this topic - http://eo.ucar.edu/kids/dangerwx/tornado3.htm

    • Basic weather overview, includes specific information about how the sun causes weather, this is at a higher reading level - http://www.scienceclarified.com/Vi-Z/Weather.html

• Songs

  • Flocabulary - The Water Cycle

  • Cloud Types - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWFphTG-9fg

  • Warm and cold fronts song - www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LD4hSW2mys0

• Visit from a local meteorologist (email the television stations, they can schedule people to come present)

• Mentor Texts

  • A Drop Around The World by Barbara McKinney

  • Cloud Book by Tomie De Paola

  • A Drop of Water by Walter Wick

  • Night of the Twisters (novel) by Ivy Ruckman

• National Geographic Video Resource:

  • As with any video resource, teachers should carefully preview and vet any videos before showing them to students.

• UCAR Center for Science Education

  • This link takes you to a website with many different resources for both teachers and students related to weather, climate, and atmospheric science.