Weather'and'Seasons'Around'the'World''

How'the'World'Works'Unit'
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Objective:!Students!will!understand!that!weather!and!temperature!are!different!
around!the!world!due!to!seasonal!changes!and!distance!from!the!equator.!Students!
will!understand!that!humans!adapt!their!activities!and!clothing!based!on!weather,!
temperature,!and!season.!!
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Standards:00
Earth Sciences!
1.3!Weather!can!be!observed,!measured,!and!described.!As!a!basis!for!
understanding!!
this!concept:!!
b.!Students!know!that!the!weather!changes!from!day!to!day!but!that!trends!in!temA
perature!or!of!rain!(or!snow)!tend!to!be!predictable!during!a!season.!!
c.!Students!know!the!sun!warms!the!land,!air,!and!water.!!
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CCSS.ELAALiteracy.W.1.5!
With!guidance!and!support!from!adults,!focus!on!a!topic,!respond!to!questions!and!
suggestions!from!peers,!and!add!details!to!strengthen!writing!as!needed.!
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CCSS.ELAALiteracy.W.1.2!
Write!informative/explanatory!texts!in!which!they!name!a!topic,!supply!some!facts!
about!the!topic,!and!provide!some!sense!of!closure.!
Previous0Knowledge/Inquiry/Lessons:00
Prior!to!this!lesson!students!spent!a!week!using!inquiry!with!modeling!the!sun!and!
the!earth,!as!well!as!videos!and!read!alouds,!to!gain!new!knowledge!about!how!the!
earth’s!tilt,%orbit,%and!rotation!create!seasons!and!day/night.!!Students!also!learned!
and!practiced!map!skills!(N,S,E,W;!hemispheres,!equator).!!
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Lesson:0
1. Bring!back!prior!knowledge!by!asking!the!following!questions:!!
! Can!anyone!remind!the!class!what!we!learned!last!week!about!the!
seasons?!Why!do!they!change?!Are!they!different!in!different!parts!of!
the!world?!!!
! If!we!are!in!Los!Angeles!and!it!is!currently!winter,!what!season!is!it!in!
the!Southern!Hemisphere?!How!do!you!know?!!(Students!can!use!the!
globe!to!help!explain!their!thinking)!
2. Read!aloud!the!book!On!the!Same!Day!in!March!by!Marilyn!Singer!!
! While!reading,!stop!and!reference!the!class!map!(or!the!map!in!the!
beginning!of!the!book).!Ask!students!to!notice!how!the!weather!or!
temperature!appears!to!be!different!in!different!parts!of!the!world!
and!to!think!about!why!that!is!the!case.!Ask!them!to!notice!how!
people’s!clothing!changes!in!the!pictures!(put!a!thumb!up!when!they!
 see!temperature/clothing!that!indicates!it!is!warm,!put!a!thumb!down!
when!they!notice!temperature/clothing!that!indicates!cool).!!

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3. Class!research:!!
! Choose!one!location!in!the!world!to!research!that!is!different!from!
your!home!(I!chose!Vail,!Colorado!because!that’s!where!I’m!from).!On!
the!Smartboard,!look!up!the!weather!report!in!that!location!and!
discuss!where!it!is!on!the!map,!which!hemisphere!and!season!it!is!
there,!how!the!temperature!feels!(cool,!cold,!warm,!hot),!what!
activities!one!might!do!there!in!this!season,!and!what!the!students!
would!recommend!a!visitor!to!pack!if!they!were!planning!a!trip.!!
4. Assign!students!a!different!location!around!the!world!(make!sure!locations!
are!spread!out!and!represent!both!continents)!Examples:!Helsinki,!Finland;!
Miami,!Florida;!Cape!Town,!South!Africa,!Lima,!Peru.!!
! Depending!on!ability!level/experience!of!students!look!up!weather!
and!temperature!in!that!location!today.!!
! Find!the!location!on!the!class!map!and!put!a!sticky!note!with!the!
temperature!at!that!location!(then!discuss!why!the!temperatures!are!
different!in!different!hemispheres!and!relative!to!the!equator).
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! Students!brainstorm!activities!one!might!do!in!that!location!in!this!
season/weather!
! Students!brainstorm!clothing!items!they!would!recommend!a!visitor!
would!bring!to!their!location!if!visiting!today.!!
5. Model!writing:!!
! Model!the!steps!students!will!take!to!complete!the!writing.!!
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! Make!sure!to!expressly!model!and!point!out!all!required!information!
! State!location!!
! State!temperature!in!location!and!how!temperature!feels!
! State!season!currently!in!the!location!
! State!location’s!hemisphere!!
! Explain!weather!today!in!that!location!!
! Explain!possible!activities!to!do!right!now!in!that!location!!
! Explain!recommended!clothing!to!bring.!!
! Show!students!how!to!use!the!checklist.!Use!your!writing!as!an!
example.!

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 6. Give!students!primary!lined!paper!to!begin!writing.!Circulate!around!the!
room!to!make!sure!students!are!on!target!with!writing!conventions!and!
required!information.!!!

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7.!When!the!student!is!finished!they!will!use!their!checklist!to!make!sure!they!have!
included!the!correct!information!and!have!used!first!grade!writing!conventions.!

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 7. When!the!students!finish!their!writing,!have!edited!it!to!complete!all!
checkmarks,!and!have!completed!their!illustration!they!will!use!black!flair!
pens!to!trace!their!writing!so!it!is!clear!and!easy!to!read.!!!

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8. Give!students!an!opportunity!to!share!their!writing!in!small!groups.!Anyone!
who!wants!to!(if!there!is!time)!can!share!out!to!the!whole!class.!!
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My Writing Checklist:
I wrote the location I researched
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I wrote the temperature in location

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and how temperature feels

I wrote the season it is in the location
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I wrote the correct hemisphere of my

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location
I explained weather today in that
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location
I explained possible activities to do
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right now in that location

I explained recommended clothing to
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bring.

Writing Convention Checklist:

My location begins with a capital
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letter
I used periods at the end of my
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sentences
I used capital letters only when
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appropriate
There are spaces in between my words
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