Sam-3rd Grade L2 143d43

Third Grade Thematic Unit Lesson Plan Guide Lesson Title: Weather: Wind Grade: 3rd Teacher: Samantha Branz

Time Required: 50 min

Standard(s)-Common Core State Standard (CCSS): 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

Science-Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCE) 

S.IA.03.11 Summarize information from charts and graphs to answer scientific questions.

Language Arts Objective: The learner will be able to (LWBAT) 

The LWBAT define myth and continue and finish writing their own wind creation myth.

Content Objective What concept (science, social studies, math) do you want the children to know and/or be able to do at the end of the lesson? 

The LWBAT identify the temperature, wind speed, and precipitation values on a standard



weather forecast. The LWBAT recall what causes the wind and how it works through the use of vocabulary learned in class.

Assessment (Be sure this assessment is measurable and links to the stated standard and learning objective.): Key Vocabulary (Academic/Content) Air Pressure – The weight of air pressing down on earth. Air pressure can change from place to place, and this causes air to move, flowing from areas of high pressure toward areas of low pressure. It’s the same as barometric pressure. Meteorologist – A scientist who studies and predicts the weather. Meteorologists use sophisticated equipment, like Doppler radar and supercomputers, but they also rely on oldfashioned sky watching. Myth – a story created long ago by people in a culture to explain their surroundings. Precipitation – any form of water falling from the sky, like rain, snow, hail, or a mixture.

Materials  Notebooks student  

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1

per

Word Wall Folder – 1 per student Weather by The Nature Company, It’s in the Wind p. 10-11 Weather: Frequently Asked Questions by Valerie Wyatt, Weather Myths p. 32-33

Weather – It describes the condition of the air at a particular  time and place. Weather also tells how the air moves (wind) and describes anything it might be carrying such as rain, snow or clouds. Thunder, lightning, rainbows, haze and other special events are all part of weather. Wind – The movement of air relative to the surface of the earth. It’s considered to be severe if 58 m.p.h. or greater. Hurricane winds are 74 mph or greater and the highest tornado winds are about 318 m.p.h.

Balloons – one for each student and the teacher

Anticipatory Set (Getting Started): (How am I going to get their attention? How am I going to link it to their previous knowledge/backgrounds? How will I state the learning objective for the students?) 1. Last Thursday we learned how to read a weather forecast and what a myth is. 2. Let’s start by reviewing how to read a weather forecast. Today we have weather forecasts from a different website than last time. These predictions look a little different but they have the same information. We will still be looking for the precipitation, or rain fall; the wind speed and direction; and the temperature now and the high and low temperatures for the day. 3. You will be a meteorologist again and read the weather to your partner. Lesson Sequence: (How will you teach this lesson? Be specific enough that anyone could use your lesson plan to teach this lesson. Choose appropriate headings for each section of your lesson using items from the Activity Menu or others you need.) Weather: Wind 1. Let’s read “Where does the Wind Come From?” While we read and discuss the wind, we will be filling out a worksheet to help us some of the things we learn. 2. I noticed that our reading begins with an example of a myth, but let’s get back to that later. 3. I brought some balloons with me today so we can see how air pressure affects wind. (Blow up a balloon) Now, inside my balloon there is a lot of air pressure. Air pressure is the weight of the air pushing against something. In the case of my balloon here, the air inside is pushing against the sides of the balloon. I put so much air into the balloon that the air inside is trying to burst out through the balloon. This is a high pressure environment. 4. In our reading, we read that high pressure makes the air travel to low air pressure. Here is a good example of this. There are fifty clowns getting ready to go to the party. They are

standing outside in the driveway of Slappy the Clown’s house. Outside they are all spread out and have their own space. This is what I would call a low pressure environment. They are all ready to go to the party now but they only have one car. One! So the clowns decide to stuff themselves into the tiny car together. Now all of the clowns are stuffed into the tiny car and they closed the doors. There isn’t any room to move and barely room to breathe. This represents the high pressure environment. The clowns are like the air in this balloon. 5. Let’s make a prediction really quickly. Write in your science writing journal about what you think will happen when the clowns open the car doors. What do you think will happen when I let the air out of the balloon? Share your predictions. 6. Now let’s see what really happens. (Let the balloon go.) The air did just as it said it would in the reading. The air moved from the high pressure inside the balloon to the low pressure out here in the room. Now, you try. Please do not let go of your balloon; we aren’t trying to disturb the other groups here today. 7. Look back at the first page of your handout. The picture shows us more about how wind is created. Not only does the high pressure air move to an area of lower pressure, the air rises and falls. The air gets heated by the sun and then rises. It gets colder the higher in the air it goes and once it gets cold enough, it sinks. The sun heats the air unevenly, though, so wind isn’t the same all the time. It moves all over the Earth. Myth 8. Now that we learned a little more about how the wind works, let’s go back to the top of our worksheet and read the first sentence again. We just read about how people used to think about the weather in Japan before we knew exactly how the wind works. They made up a myth about the weather. 9. Read “Weather Myths” from Weather by The Nature Company. a. Let’s highlight all the examples we can find of a myth from this reading. How many did we find? (about 7) 10. that myths are invented by people to explain something. They aren’t real explanations or science. Keep this in mind when we write our myths again today. Your stories about how people thought the wind blew can be completely make-believe. Exploring/Extending: (What are the directions for the extension activities? Be specific.) Weather: Wind

1. Answer the questions about temperature, wind speed, and precipitation in Marquette, MI and Honolulu, HI. 2. Work on the worksheet while we discuss how the wind is made in class. Myth 1. Continue writing your myth about how the wind came to be. Closure: (How will you review the focus of this lesson?) 1. We will be referring back to our weather forecast and myth writing throughout our unit. Adaptations for Diverse and Special Needs: (What types of adaptions might be needed for students with special needs or cultural differences?)

Name _____________________________

Weather Forecast Worksheet You are a meteorologist! Tell your partner what the weather is like in Marquette, MI. Your partner will then tell you what the weather forecast is like in Honolulu, Hawaii. Write down the forecast as it is told to you by your partner below.

Temperature now: ____________ High Temperature for today: ____________ Low Temperature for today: ___________ Precipitation (rain fall) amount for today: ____________ Wind Speed: ___________ Wind Direction: ____________

Name _____________________________

How Does the Wind Work? As we read please answer the following questions.

1. Air pressure is ____________________________________ ________________________________________________. 2. Air flows from _____________ air pressure to ____________ air pressure. 3. The ___________ heats up the Earth ___________________. 4. Hot air ___________________. Cold air _______________. 5. ________________ is created when air moves from the high pressure area to the low pressure area.