Final IAP UNIT PLAN Chandler, Valerie

Instructional Assessment Plan

Weather Unit

Edinboro University

Valerie Irene Chandler

Title: Weather

Rationale:

The purpose of this Instructional Unit Plan was for students to use weather

instruments, multiple senses, and weather reports to accurately define and describe weather

patterns. The cooperating teacher and I decided on a weather unit in order to better develop the

students’ knowledge and understanding of the weather. These students have had limited Science

instruction, therefore this topic felt like a good stepping stone into Science and its many facets.

Several students in the classroom were having issues with preparing and dressing appropriately

for the weather, I spent time during every lesson discussing the weather of the day and what

clothing would be best to wear.

Contextual Factors:

District:

Edinboro Elementary is located in the General McLane school district. This school

district is made up of four schools, Edinboro Elementary, McKean Elementary, James W. Parker

Middle School, and General McLane High School. The total size of the district takes up 11.8

square miles. The total budget for the school district is $32,218,926.00 dollars.

Within this school district there is a total of 1,421 students. Of which 770 are male and

651 are female students. Thus making the male to female ratio fairly equal. In total 93% of the

district is made up of Caucasian students, 2% Hispanic Students, 2% Asian students, 1% African

American students, and the final 2 of students are of two or more races. As a district 33% of the

students are eligible for free or reduced price lunches.

School:

Edinboro Elementary is located in a rural area of Edinboro Pennsylvania. The school is

home to a total of 390 students in Kindergarten to 4th grade. There are a total of 27 full time

teachers working at this school. The median household income for this area is $49,742 per year,

this number is higher than the eligibility span for reduced priced lunch. Out of the total number

of students, 102 receive free lunch, and 28 receive a reduced price lunch.

Out of the 390 students, 355 students are identified as Caucasian, this makes up 94% of

the school. The states average of Caucasian students in schools in Pennsylvania is 70%, making

the percentage of Caucasian students at Edinboro Elementary much higher than average.

Students who are Asian make up 2% of the school, African American students make up %2, and

Hispanic students make up the last 2% of the school. The comparison of females to males at

Edinboro Elementary is fairly even with 190 females, and 200 male students.

Each classroom in the school is equipped with a SmartBoard, a voice amplification

system, has use of lamination, and copy paper. With this knowledge, I planned lessons which

would include these materials and devices.

Grade:

At Edinboro Elementary there are a total of 80 first grade students. These students are

split among four separate classrooms. Each of these first grade teachers are female and have

approximately 21 students each.

Class:

My class consisted of 22 students at the beginning of my time here until February 22nd. At

this time one student left the school, making the class size 21 students. Of these 21 students

thirteen are male, and eight are female. The ethnic makeup of the class consists of 19 Caucasian

students, 1 African American, and 1 Hispanic student.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Class Characteristics:

Of the now 21 students, all but 2 are reading at or above a 1st grade 2nd quarter level.

Three of these students are reading at a 3rd grade level. At this time six students are taken out of

the classroom at various points in the day for reading supports. To meet these needs I have read

aloud all questions on the activities and assessments. I have also written key words on the white

board for these students to see and spell. One student is currently being given speech lessons to

improve his clarity of speech. During my time with these students, I realized most struggle with

maintaining appropriate classroom behavior. More specifically in the way of knowing when it is

and is not appropriate to speak out, move around out of their seats and maintaining a soft voice

while indoors. To best meet the behavior needs of these students I have used chants and cues to

remind students of the appropriate behaviors and refocus their attention. I have also introduced

the students to “The Whisper Bell” when this bell is hit (by myself or my cooperating teacher

only) the students all respond with “whisper bell” they then must lower their voices to a whisper.

If the bell needs to be hit three times during an activity the students must stop, sit at their desks

and remain completely silent for 3 minutes.

______________________________________________________________________________

Student’s Approaches to Learning:

Although my students each have varying personalities they all respond well and learn

best when kinesthetic, musical, visual arts, and interpersonal methods are involved. The students

love hands-on activities, the ability to test out various methods and strategies, complete

experiments, and create their own projects. To facilitate the students learning I have incorporated

these various learning methods throughout the unit, with a strong focus on visual aids, music,

and hands on activities.

Goals & Objectives:

Day 1: Weather Pre-Test

Long Term Objective: By the end of this unit the students will be able to verbally describe the

weather using their senses, observations, and weather instruments.

On the first day the book “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” was read and the students

took the weather pre-test. I explained that I would use these tests to help figure out what things I

should teach about weather. Each question was read aloud to the students.

Day 2: Weather Introduction

Objective: The students will be able to verbally report on the current weather using

phrases/words such as “the weather today is looking…feels like..” and give tips such as “you

should wear a coat.. bring an umbrella” when called upon.

Standard: 3.3.1.5A: Become familiar with weather instruments. Collect, describe, and record

basic information about weather.

Test Questions: This lesson covers questions 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the test.

Day 3:

Long Term Objective: At the end of this unit the students will be able to use a thermometer to

determine the current temperature.

Objective: The students will be able to verbally read and record the temperature a thermometer

shows to the nearest two degrees Fahrenheit 1 out of 1 time using a recording sheet.

Standard: 3.2.1.B3: Observe and record daily temperatures. Draw conclusions from daily

temperatures as is related to heating and cooling.

Test Questions: This lesson covers questions 6-8 on the test.

Day 4: Temperature- Experiment/ Activity

Objective: The students will be able to write predictions about a temperature and use a

thermometer to find the actual temperature 3 out of 3 times.

Standard: 4.1.1.F: Plan and conduct a simple investigation and understand that different

questions require different kinds of investigations. • Use simple equipment (tools and other

technologies) to gather data and understand that this allows scientists to collect more information

than relying only on their senses to gather information. • Use data/evidence to construct

explanations and understand that scientists develop explanations based on their evidence and

compare them with their current scientific knowledge.

Test Questions: Further reinforcement with questions 6,7, and 8.

Day 5: Wind

Long Term Objectives: By the end of the unit the students will be able to use their sense of site

to determine the strength of the wind.

Objectives: The students will be able to conduct and draw observations made from blowing

varying amounts of wind on a flag 3 out of 3 times using a recording sheet.



Test Questions: This lesson covers question 5 and will further help students with question 4.

Day 6: Water Cycle

Long Term Objectives: By the end of the unit the students will be able to verbally explain the

path water takes through the water cycle naming all three stages in the correct order.

Objectives: The students will be able to create their own water cycle chart to show the steps of

the water cycle.

Standard: 3.4.2.1.A: Explain the path water takes as it moves through the water cycle.

Test Questions: This lesson covers question 10 on the test.

Day 7: Rain

Objectives: The students will be able to verbally state what instrument is used to collect water

when asked.

The students will be able to make and record predictions about which type of cloth would best

protect a person from the rain.



Test Questions: This lesson covers question 11 on the test.

Day 8: Rain Experiment

Objectives: The students will be able to collect and record observations about the collection of

rain through a material during 4 out of 4 water trials.

Standard: 4.1.1.F: Plan and conduct a simple investigation and understand that different

questions require different kinds of investigations. • Use simple equipment (tools and other

technologies) to gather data and understand that this allows scientists to collect more information

than relying only on their senses to gather information. • Use data/evidence to construct

explanations and understand that scientists develop explanations based on their evidence and

compare them with their current scientific knowledge.

Test Questions: This lesson covers question 9.

Day 9: Weather Post-Test

We reviewed our favorite experiments from the last few weeks, then “got our minds

ready” to take the test. The students took the post-test.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Materials &Technology:

Pre-Test/ Post-Test (Same Test)

SmartBoard

The Weather Watcher- Laurie Hill Gibb

Voice projector/ Amplification system

Observing the Weather with a Meteorologist- STC Reading Selection

Meteorologist Anchor Chart

Weather Forecasting- Gail Gibbons

Thermometers

YouTube- The Thermometer Song

Weather Journal Recording Sheets

Large Scale Thermometer Printout

Temperature Predictions/Actual Temperature Recording Sheets

Hot Water, Cold Water, Lukewarm Water

The Water Cycle- Craig Hammersmith

“Water Cycle Song” on chart paper

Blue, Yellow and White Constructions Paper

Cotton Balls

Pre-printed definitions of the water cycle stages

“The Water Cycle Song” – Fuenlabrada- YouTube

Rubber Bands

Aluminum Tins

Nylon

Cotton

Wool

Paper Towels

Temperature Anchor Chart

Inventing Umbrellas- STC Reading Selection

A Coat to Keep You Dry- STC Reading Selection

Which Will Keep You Dry? Recording Sheets

_____________________________________________________________________________

Vocabulary &Word Bank:

1. Meteorologist: A person who observes and reports on the weather

2. Temperature: How hot or cold something is

3. Thermometer: An instrument used to measure the temperature

4. Wind: The movement of air

5. Water Cycle: The cycle or path that water travels, Evaporation, Condensation,

Precipitation.

6. Rain Gauge: An instrument used to collect and measure rainfall.

______________________________________________________________________________

Scope of Instructional Plan:

Day 1: Pre-test *See attached

______________________________________________________________________________

Day 2

Name: Valerie Chandler

Content Area: Read-Aloud Science

Grade Level: 1st

Date: 2-17-16

Weather Introduction

Big or Essential Question:

How can we observe and inform others about the weather?

Curriculum Standards:

3.3.1.A5: Become familiar with weather instruments. Collect, describe, and record basic

information about weather over time.

Lesson Objectives:

1. The students will be able to verbally report on the current weather using phrases/words

such as “the weather today is looking…feels like…” “If your outside make sure to…wear

a coat, wear boots.”

Assessment:

1. The teacher will observe the students during their share outs and look for the use of

weather phrases, talking about the senses, and staying on task.

Materials and Resources:

1. The Weather Watcher- Laurie Hill Gibb

2. Microphone

3. Observing the Weather with a Meteorologist- STC Reading Selection-pg 17-20

4. Amplification system

Vocabulary:

1. Meteorologist: A person who observes and reports on the weather

Anticipatory Set:

Have the students get their snacks and sit at their desks. Remind the students that

yesterday we look a little pre-quiz about different questions about the weather. And today we

will answer some of the questions about what a meteorologist is/does. Now that we know we are

talking about weather, we know a meteorologist will have something to do with the weather. Tell

the students that during our morning meetings we act like meteorologists when we look at and

record the weather.

Procedures:

1. Show the students the Weather Watcher book. Explain to the students the a weather

watcher is another name for a meteorologist.

2. Begin a reading of the book. On page 5 stop and explain the word “smoggy” to the

students

3. At the end of the story ask the students where they may have seen a meteorologist?- Tv,

the news, the computer

4. Ask the students what they learned about meteorologist, what are some new facts or

information that they learned.

5. Have the students clean up and come sit at the carpet.

6. Tell the students we read one book about a weather watcher, now I will read another

short story about a weatherwomen. Read the Observing Weather with a Meteorologist.

7. After the story hold up a picture of one of the five senses. Have the students answer yes

or no if that sense can be used to observe or find information out about the weather.

Explain that meteorologists can use all of their senses to find out more about the weather.

8. Have the students look outside and think about how they could report on the weather,

what they would say, what information they would talk about. Write these responses on

the board.

9. Flip to the back of the Weather Watchers book. Have the students look at the pictures and

think about how they would describe the weather if they were a meteorologist.

10. Model becoming a meteorologist with the first picture, describing the weather and giving

the “viewers” tips.

11. Choose a student who is listening and following directions to come up and use the voice

amplifier in order to describe the weather in one of the pictures.

Adaptations:

1. For students who are off task or disengaged use refocusing techniques such as chants

“hocus pocus everybody focus” or “Miss. Chandler says”.

Closure:

Have the students think about what was learned today about meteorologists. Partner the

students in groups of two and have them look outside and report to one another today’s weather.

Walk around the room and assure that the students are on task and using words and phrases to

describe the weather.

Day 3



Grade Level: 1st

Date: 2-18-16

Weather - Thermometers


How can we measure or determine the weather?


3.2.1.B3: Observe and record daily temperatures. Draw conclusions from daily

temperature records as related to heating and cooling.

Lesson Objectives:

1. The students will be able to verbally read as well as record the temperature a

thermometer shows to the nearest two degrees Fahrenheit 2 out of 2 times using a

recording sheet.

Assessment:

1. The teacher will listen to students verbal responses and record this on a checklist, the teacher

will also assess the students by scoring the today’s temperature worksheet.


1. Weather Forecasting- Gail Gibbons

2. Thermometers- 1 per student

3. The Thermometer Song- Youtube- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk6rP_4wpvk

4. The weather Journal Page

5. Large Scale thermometer print out

Vocabulary:

1. Thermometer- A tool used to measure the temperature

Anticipatory Set:


yesterday we talked about meteorologist. Have the students share out what they remember about

meteorologist. Tell the students that today we will learn a little more about meteorologists and

what they use to find the temperature. Read Weather Forecasting up until page 8- Summer. Point

out the thermometer on the page and what it is used for, show the students the real thermometer.

Have the students clean up snacks and come sit on the carpet.

Procedures:

1. Have the students sit down in the circle. Show the students the large thermometer on

the anchor chart. Show the students that the temperature on the chart shows what the

temperature outside is today.

2. Show the students that each lines measures two degrees. Have the students count by

twos to find the degrees.

3. Show the students how to write the temperature using the degree sign and the F for

Fahrenheit.

4. Have the students turn their attention to the smart board to watch the thermometer

song.

5. Ask the students if it is hot or cold when the thermometer is high and when it is low.

6. Hand the students the weather journal page to record and write about today’s weather.

7. Remind the students of the weather outside to have them record this temperature on

their papers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk6rP_4wpvk

Adaptations:

1. For students who are off task or disengaged use refocusing techniques such as chants or

“Miss. Chandler says”.

2. For Griffin, Jenika, and Noah write the month of the year, day of the week and date on

the large white board for them to see.

Closure:

Choose one student to become the meteorologist for the day ad report on the weather.

Show the students the large thermometer and mark of a hot temperature, have the students record

this, have the students repeat the same for a cold temperature.

Day 4



Grade Level: 1st

Date: 2-19-16

Weather -Temperature- Experiment/Activity Day


How can temperature change?




Lesson Objectives:

1. The students will be able to write predictions about a temperature and use a thermometer

find the actual temperature 3 out of 3 times.

Assessment:

1. The teacher will collect the student’s prediction and actual water temperature recording

sheets to see that the students made three predictions and found the three actual

temperatures.


1. 4 cups of hot water

2. 4 cups of Ice water

3. Cup of room temperature water

4. 23 Predictions and Real Temperature Recording Sheets

5. Temperature Anchor Chart

Vocabulary:

1. Thermometer- A tool used to measure the temperature

2. Temperature- Tells how hot or cold something is

Anticipatory Set:


yesterday we talked about using temperature. Ask the students how we measure the temperature.

– Thermometers. Ask the students what it means if it is a low number, what about a high

number? –Cold weather, hot weather. Tell the students that today we will learn about how

temperature can change. Hold up two cups, tell the students that one cup is hot and when cup of

water is cold. Ask the students how we can find out which is hot and which is cold.- Uses senses,

use a thermometer. Explain that today we will use a thermometer to tell us the temperature.

Procedures:

1. Explain to the students that sometimes meteorologists make predictions or guesses about

what the temperature will be, if it’s going to be hot they know it will be a higher number,

if it is cold it will be a low number.

2. Hand out the predictions papers. Tell the students that each thermometer has a label, hot,

cold, and room temperature. Have the students make predictions or guesses about what

the temperature may be. Remind the students to look at the anchor chart to remember hot

and cold temperatures.

3. Next hand out the “real” or “true” temperature recording sheets. Put the students into four

groups. Explain the four stations around the room. Station 1 has the cold water, station 2

has the hot water and station three has the regular room temperature water and station 4

will have books and information about the weather.

4. Place the students into four different groups and have them begin looking at and

recording the temperatures and recording this on their recording sheets. Rotate every 3-6

minutes until each group has visited each of the four tables.

5. Collect all the cups and have the students sit back in their seats.

6. Have the students compare their predictions and the actual temperatures. Were they

close? Was the hot water a higher degree than the cold water?

Adaptations:


or “Miss. Chandler says”.

2. For Jenika, Noah, Griffin, Alleysia and Mia put the “Hot” and “Cold” symbols

(Higher = hotter, Lower = colder) on their paper to help aid in their predictions.

Closure:

Have the students think about ways we can change the temperature of things. What about

our hands? When we are inside out hands are warm and when they go outside they are cold, what

do we use to get them to be warm? What about when we are at home what things help keep us

warm?

Extension:

Choose one student to become the meteorologist for the day and report on the weather.

Remind the students that we know meteorologists tell the temperature with degrees, they give

tips and they can make predictions about the weather.

Day 5



Grade Level: 1st

Date: 2-22-16

Weather- Wind


How can we measure or determine how windy it is?




4.1.1.F: • Distinguish between scientific fact and opinion. • Ask questions about objects,

organisms and events. • Understand that all scientific investigations involve asking and

answering questions and comparing the answer with what is already known. • Plan and

conduct a simple investigation and understand that different questions require different

kinds of investigations. • Use simple equipment (tools and other technologies) to gather

data and understand that this allows scientists to collect more information than relying

only on their senses to gather information. • Use data/evidence to construct explanations

and understand that scientists develop explanations based on their evidence and compare

them with their current scientific knowledge. • Communicate procedures and

explanations giving priority to evidence and understanding that scientists make their

results public, describe their investigations so they can be reproduced and review and ask

questions about the work of other scientists.

Lesson Objectives:

1. The students will be able to conduct and record observations made from a wind

experiment, writing and recording 3 out of 3 wind trials.

Assessment:

1. The teacher will check and grade the student’s three wind trial recording sheets to see

that they have made and written down three wind observations.


1. I Face the Wind- Vicki Cobb

2. Straws- One per Student

3. Tissue Paper- one 2X4 sheet per student

4. Wind Recording Sheet

5. Flag drawings- no wind, some wind, strong wind

Vocabulary:

1. Wind- The movement of air

Anticipatory Set:

Have the students get their snacks and sit at their desks. Remind the students that we have

been talking about different kinds of weather. Tell the students that today we will be talking

about wind. Have the students share out their observations about wind, how can we tell it’s a

windy day? What senses can we use to observe the wind? Hold up the three flag drawings tell the

students that by the end of today we will be able to tell which one has no wind, some wind, and a

strong wind.

Procedures:

1. Hold up the I Face the Wind book. Tell the students that this book will tell us information

and facts about the wind that can help us discover more about how to observe the wind.

2. Begin reading the book, on page three show the students the picture of the flag, it’s a

strong wind and it makes the flag stick out straight!

3. On page 25 have the students put their hand in front of their mouth and blow on it. What

they feel is air coming out of their mouth. The faster or harder the air moves the stronger

the wind.

4. On page 27 explain that our breath is one of the softest winds. Have the students put their

finger under their nose to feel their breath.

5. At the end of the book have the students put away their snacks and sit back at their desks.

Adaptations:


or “Miss. Chandler says”.

2. Allow students who struggle with writing; Griffin and Noah, to draw pictures and aid

them in their writing of words.

Closure:

Ask the students what different ways we learned we can observe wind. Allow for student

responses, possible answers include, flying kites, blowing air, breathing, looking at flags. Hand

each student a wind recording sheet. Before handing the students the straw flags, show them to

the students. Tell the students that when the get the flags then need to be gentle with them and

not use them as weapons or play around with them. Hand each student a flag. Have the students

practice by showing no wind, hold the straw flag up and do not do anything. What does it look

like? Have the students draw a picture of this flag under the no wind section. Next have students

gently blow on the flag and record their observations on the some wind section. Lastly have the

students blow a strong wind on the flag and record their observations. Have the students share

out their observations. Lastly, hold back up the three flag pictures from the beginning of the

lesson, have the students determine which picture shows no wind, some wind, and a strong wind.

Extension:

Lastly, have the students look outside at the weather. Choose two students to be the

meteorologist for the day. Have the meteorologist think about the temperature, weather tips, and

the strength of the wind when announcing the weather reports.

Day 6



Grade Level: 1st

Date: 2-23-16

Weather- Rain/Water Cycle




3.4.2.1.A: Explain the path water takes as it moves through the water cycle.

Lesson Objectives:

1. The students will be able to verbally explain the path water takes through the water

cycle.

2. The students will be able to create their own Water cycle worksheet to explain the

steps of the water cycle.

Assessment:

1. The teacher will listen to students verbal responses and record this on a checklist to see

that they are able to explain the steps of the water cycle.

2. The teacher will collect and grade the student’s water cycle craft worksheets to see that

they have put the steps in the correct order.


1. The Water Cycle- Craig Hammersmith

2. Water Cycle song on chart paper

3. Blue and yellow construction paper

4. Stages of the water cycle cutouts

5. Smartboard

6. Voice Recorder- For meteorologist of the day

7. The Water Cycle song- Fuenlabrada- Youtube

Vocabulary:

1. Water Cycle: The cycle or path that water takes

Anticipatory Set:

Have the students sit down at their desks with their snacks. Have the students think about

the ways that we see water? We see water in lakes, oceans, rain…ect. Explain to the students that

just as we have been learning about during the writing of our “All About..” books some things

have a cycle or stages that they go through. Explain that water also goes through a cycle called

the water cycle. Show the students the cover of the book, explain that this book is nonfiction and

will tell us facts and information about the water cycle and the way the water cycle works.

Procedures:

1. Begin reading the book to the students. On page 6 explain to the students that evaporation

goes up, have the students model evaporation rising up with their hands.

2. On page 10 explain to the students that condensation forms clouds, we can better

remember this by seeing that the words clouds and condensation both start with the c

sound. Have the student’s model clouds with their hands showing puffy balls in the air.

3. On page 14 remind the students that precipitation come down. Have the student’s model

precipitation by moving their hands downward.

4. After finishing the book have the students turn their attention to the smartboard to watch

the water cycle video. As the students watch the video have them sing along and use hand

movements to demonstrate the water cycle, moving their hands up, forming “clouds”, and

moving their hands downward.

Adaptations:


“Miss. Chandler says”.

2. Point the words on the water cycle as the song it playing to help students track the words

with the print and to help students follow along.

Closure:

Show the students a completed water cycle picture. Explain to the students that they will

now each get to create their own water cycle pictures. Hand out the constructio n papers to the

students and have them glue the pieces into the appropriate places. Next hand the students the

water cycle labelling strips, have the students write in “Evaporation, Condensation, and

Precipitation” onto the appropriate lines and then glue them to their water cycle paper. After all

students have completed the drawing have the students all sing the water cycle song together to

check their work.

Extension:

Choose two students to be the meteorologist for the day. Have the students report on the

weather, giving the temperature, tips, and other information.

Day 7



Grade Level: 1st

Date: 2-24-16

Weather Day - Rain






Lesson Objectives:

1. The students will be able to state what instrument is used to collect water when asked.

2. The students will be able to make predictions about which type of cloth would best help

protect from the rain.

Assessment:

1. The teacher will listen to students verbal responses to see that they have named a rain

gauge as the method to collect water and record this on a checklist.

2. The teacher will collect the student’s prediction worksheets to see that the students have

all made predictions.


1. A Coat to Keep You Dry- Lesson 12 Reading Selection STC Weather

2. A Piece of Nylon, Paper Towel, Cotton, and Wool. – 4 pieces of each

3. Which will Keep You Dry? Worksheet Predictions.

Vocabulary:

1. Rain Gauge- A way to collect and measure rainfall

Anticipatory Set:

Have the students get their snacks and sit at their desks. Have the students think about

what things they do when it rains, do they wear special gear? Why do we wear or use these

things? Expected response- To keep us dry. Explain today we will read a short story about rain

and how to better help protect us from the rain.

Procedures:

1. Begin the reading of the short passage A Coat to Keep You Dry.

2. After the first two paragraphs have the students think about and respond to what they do

when it rains.

3. After the reading have the students think about and respond to what they learned in the

reading.

4. Show the students a picture of a rain gauge. Explain to the students that this instrument

helps measure how much rainfalls in a certain amount of time.

5. Explain to the students that we can conduct simple experiments by pouring water over the

material and seeing if the water goes through. Explain to the students that tomorrow we

will get to experiment to find out which material best helps protect from the rain.

6. Have the students pack up their snacks.

7. Pass out the different materials to the students have the students feel them and think

about if the material would protect things from the rain.

8. Hand the students the predictions work sheets. Have the students write a one on the

material the students think will be the best protector from the rain, the 2nd best, 3rd best

and the worst protector from the rain.

Adaptations:


or “Miss. Chandler says” and “Hocus Pocus, Everybody Focus”.

Closure:

Have the students look at the front of the room where the teacher will have a large

graphing chart. Have the students share out which material they felt would be the best protector

from the rain. Record this on the chart. Flip to a new chart and record which material the students

thought would be the worst protector from the rain. Have the students share out why they felt

certain materials would be better protectors than others. Explain to the students that tomorrow

we will conduct and experiment to find out which material protects from the rain the best.

Extension:

Choose a daily meteorologist to report on the wreathing using all of the things we have

learned about the weather and weather reporting.

Day 8



Grade Level: 1st

Date: 2-25-16

Weather: Rain Experiment


How can I find out which materials bets protect us from water and rain?




4.1.1.F: • Distinguish between scientific fact and opinion. • Ask questions about objects,

organisms and events. • Understand that all scientific investigations involve asking and

answering questions and comparing the answer with what is already known. • Plan and

conduct a simple investigation and understand that different questions require different

kinds of investigations. • Use simple equipment (tools and other technologies) to gather

data and understand that this allows scientists to collect more information than relying

only on their senses to gather information. • Use data/evidence to construct explanations

and understand that scientists develop explanations based on their evidence and compare

them with their current scientific knowledge. • Communicate procedures and

explanations giving priority to evidence and understanding that scientists make their

results public, describe their investigations so they can be reproduced and review and ask

questions about the work of other scientists.

Lesson Objectives:

1. The students will be able to collect and record observations about the collection of

rain during 4 out of 4 water trials when prompted.

2. The students will be able to work together to create a graph depicting the results of

their water experiment conducted in class.

Assessment:

1. The teacher will collect the students rain experiment recording sheets to grade them

assuring that each students has made recordings for four out of four experiments.

2. The teacher will assist and review the student’s graphed results of the water experiment.


1. Inventing Umbrellas- Lesson 11 Reading Selection STC Weather

2. A Piece of Nylon, Paper Towel, Cotton, and Wool. – 4 pieces of each

3. Water Recording sheets

4. 16 cups of water

5. Large Graphing paper

6. 16 rubber bands

7. Large water collection bins

Vocabulary:

1. Rain Gauge- A way to collect and measure rainfall

Anticipatory Set:


yesterday we talked about and discussed water and rain. Have the students share out their

summaries of what we reviewed prior to this lesson. Tell the students that for our reading today

we will be reading about the invention of umbrellas. Have the students raise their hands if they

have ever used an umbrella, have the students explain why they have used umbrellas, what do

they do how do they help?

Procedures:

1. Begin the reading of the short passage Inventing Umbrellas. Have the students think

about the invention of umbrellas and how they had to test out different materials and

fabrics to see which would best help protect from the rain.

2. Have the students put away their snacks and clean their work areas.

3. Pass out one water collection bucket to each group table. Pass out the four cups with the

four different materials rubber-banded to the top to each table.

4. Pass out the recording sheets for the experiment. Remind the students that yesterday we

made predictions about what material would best protect from the rain and today we will

conduct and experiment to find out which one is the best protector.

5. Have the students place the Wool cup in the center of the water collection bin. Have the

students carefully pour the cup of water on top of the wool and wait. Have the students

make observations and share their observations with the class. Have the students record

their findings of how much water went into the cup on their recording sheets. Help the

students make the realization that the amount of water in the cup would be the amount of

water that would be on us if we were wearing a wool coat in the rain.

6. Have the students take out the wool cup and replace it with the next material cup.

7. Have the students repeat step 5 with the remaining three materials, recording and making

observations about each.

8. Have the students clean up the desks, leaving only the recording sheets.

Adaptations:


“Miss. Chandler says” and “Hocus Pocus, Everybody Focus”.

2. Assure that Chloe, Jacob and Kaylan are listening and following the directions, use them

to share out ideas and thoughts when possible to keep them on task and engaged.

Closure:

Put the new graph sheet on the board. Have each student share out which material was

the best protector from the rain- this will be the cup with the smallest amount of water inside the

cup, continue this process with the worst protector from the rain. Have the students share out

why they believe the different materials reacted the way they did. Have the students look closely

at the materials, how they feel, what do they look like, do they think this could have affected the

amount of water that was collected. Record the student’s responses on the sheets of graph paper.

Ask the students what type of material they would wear outside during a rainy day, and

why would they wear this material.

Extension:

Choose a daily meteorologist to report on the wreathing using all of the things we have

learned about the weather and weather reporting.

Day 9:

The students took the weather post-test. *See attached

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Assessment Plan: *See last page for the assessment

Pre-Test: 1-11 point scale, this test use multiple choice, drawing and fill in the blank questions.

Students were told to make their best guesses, they were told that this was more of a test for

myself to see what types of things I should teach. I told the students that if they did not want to

make a guess then they were allowed to cross out the problem. Each question and the possible

answers were read aloud to the entire class.

Post-Test: I utilized the same test as before and added a twelfth (non-graded) question which

asked the students to draw or write about their favorite part of the unit. I allowed students to

draw pictures if they were unsure of how to write a specific word. This was done to limit

students from raising their hand to ask “Is “sight” spelled s-i-……” which would in turn lead

other students who may have not known the answer to write what they are hearing other students

ask.

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Analysis of Student Learning:

Below is a graph depicting the results of the pre and post- test for each of the twenty-two

students. On the pre-test the average score was 3.3 points with an average percentage of 27%. On

the post-test the class average was 9.5 points with an average percentage of 81%. Each student

surpassed their pre-test score by at least four points, with some students making seven point

gains from the pre to post test.

Student number 6 left the school partway through this unit and was not present for the

final exam. The lessons for this unit were taught at the end of the day during snack before

dismissal, during this time frame several students are in and out of the classroom for reading and

speech interventions. Students 2, 3, 13,15, 20, and 21 are among the students often called out

during this time frame. I believe that due to being pulled out during this time it had an effect on

some of the test scores, some more than others. Students 10 and 3 each missed three of the

lessons due to absences.

Overall, majority of the students whose score was a 10 or below missed question 7 witch

asked the students to look at the temperature marked on the thermometer and record it on the line

below. The difficulty with this question was that it called for students to measure to the nearest

two degrees, a task slightly more challenging for 1st graders. However, going into this unit I felt

it was appropriate to have this as all the books and thermometers we had available were to the

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Weather Unit Test Results

Pre-Test Post-Test

nearest two degrees and I felt it gave students a higher expectation to meet. I was very pleased

that eight students were able to write the correct temperature. I was also very pleased to see that

the students who did not have the correct numerical value still remembered to add the degree

symbol and the Fahrenheit symbol which should me growth as they had not done this with the

pre-test.

Overall, I was extremely happy with each individual student’s growth throughout this

unit. Each student made gains and improved not only their scores on the test but also developed a

broader vocabulary. During morning work and morning meetings students would often tell me

about what the meteorologist on the news said about the weather. Students began making

observations about how wind affected various items outdoors telling me “I think it’s a really

windy day because I saw a flag waving almost straight!” The students in my classroom have the

opportunity to take an extra book from the library of which to take online quizzes about and

improve their reading fluency. The students are allowed to choose any genre of book, however, I

started noticing that during the weather unit students began taking books out of the library about

water as a liquid and solid, books about hot and cold days and various other weather books. I

believe this not only helped to improve some of the students test score but it also helped the

students build upon their understanding and gain a broader understanding of the topics being

learned. I also felt successful with this unit when it was done because many of the students were

very disappointed that we were going to being a new topic several students told me that they

wanted to learn more about weather and were “mad we’re not doing more weather this week”.

These comments from the students showed me that they had an interest and liking for what I was

teaching them.

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Modifications for the Future

In the future I would do one of two things, I would either spend more time on how to

record temperature or I would have made an adaptation and had students measure to the nearest

ten degrees. I feel that this may have been more developmentally appropriate for the students.

During one lesson I have the students complete a weather journal for that particular day.

In the future I would implement a weather journal at least every other day, this would help

students with recording temperature, getting familiar with weather instruments and help students

make observations about the weather.

My students strongly enjoyed getting to be meteorologists throughout this unit. This was

a huge topic of discussion each day as students would pretend to be weather reporters, discuss

listening to meteorologist and several students showed interest in being a meteorologist when

they got older. I believe my students would have enjoyed meeting a real meteorologist who they

could ask questions and learn from.

On the post-test I asked the students to draw or write about their favorite part of the

weather unit. Thirteen of the twenty-one students explained that testing the rainy day fabrics was

their favorite, three students stated the flags, two said the water cycle, two students stated

learning about thermometers, and one said nothing. This shows me that students really enjoyed

having the chance to experiment on their own and become scientists. In the future I would try to

provide as many hands on experiences and experiments as possible to make the lessons as

memorable and engaging as possible. It would have been neat to do an experiment with the water

cycle by observing what happens to a puddle or water in a bottle.

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Weather Pre/PostTest

1. Which is not a type of weather?

A. Rain

B. Wet

C. Snow

2. What does a meteorologist study?

A. Weather

B. Meteors

C. Maps

3. Can the weather change?

A. Yes

B. No

4. What senses can you use to

observe the weather?

____________________________

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____________________________

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5. Draw a picture of a flag on a day

with no wind.

6. How do we measure temperature? A. Ruler B. Thermometer C. The news

7. What is the temperature show below?

8. Is the temperature shown …

A. Hot B. Cold

9. What material would best help protect you from the rain? A. Nylon B. A paper towel C. Cotton

10. Draw a line from the word to its location in the water cycle

Precipitation Condensation Evaporation

11.What can we use to measure how much rain falls in one day? A. Look at it B. Rain Gauge C. Rain Ruler

12.Draw or write about your favorite

part of this Science Unit.

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Final IAP UNIT PLAN Chandler, Valerie

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Transcript of Final IAP UNIT PLAN Chandler, Valerie