Lesson Plan 5

Date: 9/22/23
Time: 1:30 pm
Reflection from prior lesson (Were prior objectives met? Were students engaged?
How will you remediate any problems?)
● The lesson dealing with cloud formations went very well!
○ We did, however, run out of time.
○ We need to pick up where we left off and do our storm spotter activity.
● This will be the first lesson where we interpret information on a graph.
○ Students did generally well in this lesson and I don’t foresee much issue
for them to pick up on this lesson.
● In research, there is a book that does a great job explaining the collection and
interpretation of data. I will show them this book and highlighted pages of focus.
● During yesterday’s class, there was quite a bit of “dead air” and that caused
students to get very chatty, I need to keep things moving quicker in order to cover
everything and not lose my students.
Lesson Goal(s) / Standards
● 3.ESS2-2 Describe the steps within the water cycle. (SEP: 5; DCI: ESS2.D;
CCC: Patterns)
● 3-ESS2-1 Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical
weather conditions expected during a particular season. (SEP: 4; DCI: ESS2.D;
CCC: Patterns)
Lesson Objective(s)
● Students will be able to use a graph to dictate which weather condition is best
with 80% accuracy.
Materials Needed
● Computer
● Projector Screen
● Where's the best place to build a snow fort? (mysteryscience.com)
Contextual Factors/ Learner Characteristics (Eg. How many boys vs. girls, students
on IEPs, ELLs (English Language Learners), students on behavior plans, characteristics
of the class such as talkative, high-poverty, etc.)
● 23 Students
● 12 girls, 11 boys
● 2 with free and reduced lunch
○ 1 of which is part of a PACH (People Against Child Hunger) program
● 3 students on meds for ADHD
● 1 starting process to get it
● 2 on IEPs for math and reading
● 1 starting referral process
● Students are eager to learn, but they can often get off task
○ Keeping lessons structured is important.

Connection(s) to Research & Theory (what learning theory or research-based method

supports your chosen methodologie or assessment?)
● Science Practices being used in the lesson:
 ○ 3. Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
○ 4. Analyzing and Interpreting Data
○ 7. Engaging in Argument from Evidence
○ 8. Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
● To develop an effective scientific mind, teachers need to implement the science
practices for students to lead themselves to conclusions about scientific
phenomena.
● Modeling- “This provides students with both a visual and verbal example of what
they will be expected to do.” University of Louisville College of Education.
● Whole class discussions- “[Discussions] can encourage students to learn from
one another and to articulate course content in their own words. While generally
not conducive to covering large amounts of content, the interactive dynamic of
discussion can help students learn and motivate them to complete homework
and to prepare for class.” University of Maryland Teaching and Learning
Formation Center.
● Partner Work- Group projects can help students develop a host of skills that are
increasingly important in the professional world (Caruso & Woolley, 2008; Mannix
& Neale, 2005). Positive group experiences, moreover, have been shown to
contribute to student learning, retention and overall college success (Astin, 1997;
Tinto, 1998; National Survey of Student Engagement, 2006).
○ https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/g
roupprojects/benefits.html
○ Caruso, H.M., & Wooley, A.W. (2008). Harnessing the power of emergent
interdependence to promote diverse team collaboration. Diversity and
Groups. 11, 245-266.
○ National Survey of Student Engagement Report. (2006).
http://nsse.iub.edu/NSSE_2006_Annual_Report/docs/NSSE_2006_Annua
l_Report.pdf.
A. The Lesson

● Introduction (include time allotment) 2 mins

○ getting attention: 3,2,1 talking’s done
○ relating to past experience and/or knowledge: There are two things that
we are going to cover today, we are first going to finish our storm spotter’s
guide so we can accurately predict if there is going to be a storm. We are also
going to start looking at graphs and data to find patterns and make
predictions of what our weather is going to look like.
○ creating a need to know: This kind of information is important if we are
planning to travel or having activities outside. For us to interpret the data and
understand what to expect, we will be safe and prepared.
○ sharing objective, in general terms: I can interpret data in a graph to make
decisions about a snow carnival. I can interpret data to determine weather conditions.

● Content Delivery (include time allotment & instructional methodologies) 30

mins
○ Input our weather journal #4
 i. Students will follow the prompts in the weather log to accurately
document their observations of our weather.
○ We are going to follow the story of a man who went through a cloud that was
incredibly tall. Let’s see what happens to him and what it tells us about the
clouds in our sky.
1. Students will create a Storm Spotter’s Guide that identifies four
types of clouds (cumulus, cumulonimbus, stratus, and
stratocumulus)
2. Students follow the prompts to illustrate and describe the four
types of clouds.
○ After students create the Guide, they will use it to determine if the conditions
shown in four visuals show storm clouds or not.
i. They will work with a partner, but fill in their own information.
ii. This will allow them to look critically at the sky’s clouds and the wind to
make sure they are putting all factors into consideration.
○ We will watch the next Mystery about hosting a Snow Fort- This will deal with
taking in data and making predictions of what the weather will be like next
year.
i. We will follow the prompts and make discussions on the snow fort.
ii. Students will be given a handout that deals with interpreting
temperatures and blizzard conditions to determine which location
would be the best for the Snow Fort Festival.
iii. Within this, we need to not only look at the temperatures, but look at
the winds and storms that have occurred during that time frame.
○ We are working closer to our next “Learning Experience” so it is important for
us to use this time to check our understanding. Each of you are going to get a
paper with a diagram to show the steps of the water cycle. We are going to
take some time to look at the blanks and our vocabulary words, condensation,
evaporation, precipitation, and accumulation.
i. After the students have worked through the cycle, we will go over the
answers together.
1. I will also take this time to draw parallels with our upcoming
“Learning Experience” (post assessment)
○ IF TIME- Weather pattern book
i. This is a book that comes from the National Science Teacher’s
Association that deals specifically with ways to track weather from the
Blue Hill Observatory in MA. They compiled lots of data from the
previous years to see what will be expected the next year.
ii. We are going to look at chapter two. We are going to look at a couple
different graphs to see how we can interpret this information to make
predictions.
1. Pg. 13 in particular has an interactive view of different graphs to
help them see how the patterns can be found.

● Closure (include time allotment) 2 mins

 ○ It looks like there is a lot that goes into gathering information in order for us to
properly predict the weather for upcoming weather.

B. Assessments Used
● Formative Assessments
○ Classroom discussion
■ As we are going through the Mystery, students will participate in
prompts and I will gauge student understanding through the
conversations
■ I will also be asking for whole group/individual responses to our
steps of the water cycle.
○ Weather Journal
■ Students are following along to the prompts and will be able to give
input on the temperatures, clouds, rain, wind, etc.
○ Storm Spotter’s Guide
■ This is an informational tool that students will create to determine
what storm clouds look like.
○ Will it Storm Paper
■ This gives students an opportunity to use the Storm Spotter’s Guide
to determine if there is a storm coming.
○ Where Should We Have the Snow Fort?
■ This gives students a first look at the data collection by interpreting
data. It leads us to the next phase of our standards

C. Differentiated Instruction
● Adaptations for students with special needs or not meeting expectations
○ I will model along with what is expected of our students during the weather
log and the Storm Spotter’s Guide
■ I will make sure that throughout the lesson I have visuals and are
able to create connections and we often check for understanding.
● Adaptations for those exceeding expectations
○ I will check for understanding while also asking students to think more
critically about the weather around us.

D. Resources
● Investigating Weather and Climate E-Book | National Science Teaching
Association (nsta.org)
● Mystery Science