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Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts

Quick Air Science Ideas Based on NGSS

Air is all around us. Air moves things, Air interacts with other objects, and Air is an invisible gas that takes up space. Here are a few quick air activities that you can add to your science lessons based on the following K-2nd grade NGSS concepts...

Starting Point: 
Learning about air is the foundation for teaching structure and properties of matter as you learn that air is a gas and takes up space. I teach these mini lessons to my second graders to teach them to plan and conduct investigations to describe how different kinds of materials and objects have observable properties.

The Plan:
I first show them a clear plastic baggie filled with air. I let them know we are going to learn about something very special that can change weather and be very dangerous at times. I have it in the bag. What is in the bag can also move other things and interact with objects. I then show them the bag. Most believe nothing is in the bag, however there is always one that guesses air.

Giving them a plastic bag of their own filled with objects that are light and heavy, flat and 3-D is a great way to then teach properties and what makes them a solid or a gas. (I don't give them liquids at this point) I let them blow with a straw or with their own breath and see how air moves things. I love reading the story The Wind Blew. Perfect for adding in what is a prediction!

Book Connection: The Wind Blew by Pat Hutchins

STEM Connections: I love having the students make a maze to blow a cotton ball through. We also read The Three Pigs and build houses made of blocks to blow down.


Book Connections: The Three Pigs by James Marshall

Air Concept #2:
The framework core ideas that NGSS covers as you teach about air are: ESS2 D Weather and Climate, this is where we build up what is air and how and why can it be part of regulating weather and climate?

The concept air moves things can now be expanded to air interacts with other objects. Tie in weather reports, predicting the weather, and how moving air affects the weather. Observe clouds...create wind socks or pinwheels to observe wind movement.

STEM Connections: blow bubbles to watch the direction the wind is blowing...make your own bubble wand to test it out!

Book Connection: I like to use Feel The Wind by Arthur Dorros

Air Concept #3:
We also tie in a Kindergarten NGSS performance expectation: using and observing weather conditions can help us describe patterns over time. Keeping track of the weather as well as predicting the forecast is a great way to teach that predictions are only a guess. You can also tie in patterns and seasonal changes.

Book Connections: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba

STEM Connections: This all can tie into ESS3 where students learn about how Earth's surface processes and human activities affect each other. This can work with teaching natural resources such as how we use air as power. Creating wind turbines or boats powered by the wind is a perfect STEM connection!
                                      Wind Science and STEM Pack
Looking for a kindergarten through second grade pack that has everything you need? HERE is a great Wind Science and STEM Pack for you!

Looking for something for your older kiddos? Check out this STEM Quick Pick Energy Pack! 
                                      Energy STEM/NGSS Science Quick Pick

Time to air on the side of fun and engaging Science and STEM lessons that tie into NGSS! Whether you use FOSS Air and Weather lessons, NGSS, or TIEKS or anything in between it is always great to find new ideas to add to what you are already doing!

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Kindergarten Sun Protectors

We are learning about the weather in Kindergarten. This week, we discussed how we protect ourselves from weather.


Here in Wisconsin, we get tornadoes. We practice tornado drills. We practiced to remind ourselves why we take shelter. We talked about lightening and rain and how we protect ourselves. We then focused on the sun and the many ways we protect ourselves from getting too hot or sunburned. We read the EPIC Book...


Two major NGSS standards can be met with this activity in a simple science way!

K-PS3-1. Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface.

2. Use tools and materials to design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area.

Here is what we did...We made sun protection for our Beanie Babies! I love their creativity! I set up the STEM Store at our supply table with the following:
*straws
*styrofoam cups and bowls (they are easy to poke a hole in)
*pipe cleaners
*milk cartons (easy to get at school)
*masking tape
*toilet paper and paper towel tubes (ask the janitor to save them for you...)
*Beanie Babies (I have small ones that McDonald's had...they work great!)
*I also put out a bucket of sand on blue paper so it looks like it is at the beach! They put their protectors in the sand then for the full effect!

STEM supplies at the STEM Store!


One of the many sun protectors that were made!

This is a fun and easy way to add non-fiction reading, NGSS standards, and a STEM project to your day!

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Camping Trip Engineering Fun!

We are in the middle of a weather unit. We have made pinwheels, anemometers, wind vanes, wind gauges, and more! The words are hard and the kids like that, but it was definitely time to do an engineering activity. I took a look at the NGSS science standards based on weather and climate. Low and behold I found a great kindergarten NGSS standard based on asking a question to obtain information about the purpose of weather forecasting to prepare for, and respond to, severe weather.

We started off by setting up for our camping trip. We read an EPICs book about camping and discussed what you have to pack and do once you get to a campsite. I then send the campers to different tables to set up a site. I give them a little time to gather materials on my supply table and outside in our school garden.

As they are working I announce loudly, "Weather Alert! Weather Alert! Please view your television for further information!" I give them a picture of a television with their city and a severe weather condition. From heat wave to flood...hurricane to wind storm they needed to adjust their site to now deal with the new forecast of severe weather. I added water to the flood tray....a lamp for heat wave...a fan at the wind sites...snow (cotton balls) to add to the mood!

Here are the results...





Our students then presented to the group their campsite so that we could see how they would survive severe weather. This activity was a great success! Here is their sheet we used...Enjoy!

Here is the   Weather and Camping Engineering Sheet for you!!!




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Teaching Weather and Climate With M&M's

Some of my most challenging students are in second grade right now. With that being said...I have a very dry weather unit I need to teach. Granted FOSS has some great hands-on activities, but that only lasts so long and I have an hour with 5 different second grade classrooms!

I stumbled upon an idea for how to use M&M's to teach weather and climate. I created my own sheet and focused on primary vocabulary words...meteorologist...forecast...weather...and climate. I added assessments of the key vocabulary and a little art project!
Forecasting the weather can be fun! Connecting it with math is even better!

I love how the kids get so excited! The understanding of the vocabulary is spot on! Not going to lie...candy sure helps them make connections!
Understanding Climate vs. Weather can be fun! Check out this new pack on TPT!
Just a few of my favorites before we put them into a book for their classroom!


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Weather Vocabulary

Ok...once again I find myself needing to work on bringing science vocabulary into the regular ed. classroom. Our second graders are finishing up their weather unit and so I figure...

hang some vocabulary posters up...let them see those words...let them see the pictures...let them learn to study...

My hopes are high...So here is a freebie for you...just a few weather posters showing weather tools...

Weather Tools Freebie
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Climate or Weather...or not?

We started with the concept of weather vs. climate.
I have been working on a unit that takes FOSS and NGSS to figure out how to create a weather unit that works more smoothly.
 I came up with the idea of treating my kiddos as meteorologists or better yet...travel agents.

 They would work on learning all they need to know by planning a trip to a major city in the world. They would use the Weather Channel app on the iPads to look up a different city per table.

 We would use a world map to chart the different temperatures on the map. We would focus on climate and weather and know the difference and then we would finish activities that help us show the difference...on to what we did this last week, and the upcoming week....

We will incorporate the FOSS weather tools  as we go... By the way.... As we continue on our trip many of my second grade kiddos have never been out of our hometown or for that out of the state so we read a really nice book based on "stay"cations.


After our book we discussed Wausau. What can we do in and around our town. With our list, we can do great things with little money. To start our FOSS integration, we measured with a thermometer and learned how to read one. We tested hot and cold water and recorded the temperature in our notebooks. Then when we were done we went to the smartboard and looked at hot spots and cold spots in the US. There is certainly a trend. We can see weather and climate.

This week...clouds. Here is the plan...
What are the three main types of clouds...
Here is a quick video...
Then, a review by making a flip book...
Then, a cloud in a jar...
Finally, a cloud song....The Cloud Song lyrics.

Yea! For 2nd Grade!

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Weather...or Not?

My kiddos use the FOSS Weather module and I wanted to create a packet that they could use that combined everything they needed to cover as well as assimilate NGSS standards in a fun way...planning a trip! What is the weather and climate like where each group is going? With the help of a travel agent...the teacher, and a meteorologist...them, it is bound to be a great trip.

I have been using this pack to get my 2nd graders a bit more excited about the weather unit, but still using the FOSS lessons to incorporate the creation of the tools and plans they have. I love using the sheets on my smartboard so that we can review what we did and see the vocabulary and pictures when needed. 

My Classroom Teachers love the QR Code Vocabulary Review Game! Our school focus is vocabulary!

I made a packet with all of the sheets for the kids to work on. I will use several of the sheets for review.
I can't wait to post pictures this week of this packet in action!
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Cloudy With A Chance Of...

This week, I started my cloud lesson for our 2nd grade meteorologists. I used this video to start us off with. I then created an cotton ball activity to give them a visual aid. I made word cards to them. I used the cloud ideas from The First Grade Parade to help me make a visual for the kiddos, too. 


We will wrap up with this book and our song to The Farmer in The Dell found on Super Teachers.


                                                                    Cloud Flip Book

I will post pictures this week. Have a great Monday!




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Check The Weather and The Forecast

We are going on a "trip" today, but before we figure out where we are going we have to figure out what weather everyone likes. It is a great way to use adjectives in our science lesson. We made a book to help us know where to send everyone in case we all like different types of weather. After we filled out the sheet, we found out that we needed to send our class to 4 different locations: a sunny place, (Key West, FL) a warm place, (Myrtle Beach, SC), and a cold place, (Nome, AK). The other corner liked it rainy, so we looked up each vacation destination and determined that today it was 82 in FL, 72 in SC, and 36 in AK. My rainy friends could join their classmates in South Carolina and Alaska this next week because they seem to be getting rain. We looked at the forecast of each city and realized that we were using our meteorology skills. We used a real thermometer to test hot and cold weather and learned how to chart the temperature on a paper thermometer. Wouldn't it be nice to send some of the sun our way in Wisconsin, Saturday looks like a chance of SNOW! Yikes. This is one of those times I hope our meteorologist is wrong.


                                                      Weather or Not?


This is a great song that we used to follow up on our learning about thermometers and temperature.


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Weather or Not


We are working on an  air and weather unit in 2nd grade  this quarter. This is a great song to go along with our meteorology tools that we are making. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBfaAN_tWW4

Here is the sheet we will be working on as we build our vocabulary.
weather words
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