Module Description & Pacing Guide

In this module, young students turn their focus upward. The anchor phenomena are the air that surrounds us and the natural objects that we see in the sky. Students explore the phenomenon that objects in the sky change position in predictable ways. They explore the natural world by using simple instruments and calendars to observe and monitor change. They use new tools and methods to build on their understanding of the weather and to find out about properties of air by exploring how objects interact with air. The driving question for the module is what is all around us and what do we observe in the sky above us?

Students observe daily changes in air temperature and connect them to the daily movement of the Sun in the sky. They monitor changes in hours of daylight over the seasons and connect them to changing weather conditions. And they find the Moon in the day and night skies and monitor its movement over the month.

Throughout the Air and Weather Module, students engage in science and engineering practices by collecting data and designing and using tools to answer questions. Students gain experiences that will contribute to the understanding of crosscutting concepts of patterns; cause and effect; scale, proportion, and quantity; systems and system models; structure and function; and stability and change.