Unit Plan, Lesson Plan, and Rationale – Earth Sciences: Weather and Climate

PART 1: UNIT PLAN

Content Descriptor(s): 

LESSONS

SCIENCE OUTCOMES

LESSON SUMMARY

ASSESSMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Students will be able to represent their current understanding as they:

Students:

ENGAGE

Lesson 1: What do we know about the weather, weather types, and climate?

·     Illustrate through pictorial communication such as storyboards, including the current level of understanding of weather and weather types.

·     Discuss some of the observations identified from the provocation video and other resources.

·     Respond to the provocation video and other materials such as images, identifying what has been learned (“Types of Weather - Discovereal Ph.,” 2020).

·     Create charts identifying the types of weather and weather measurement systems.

·     Identify the difference between climate and weather.

·     Fill in a KWHL chart, identifying what the students know before the unit, what to know, how they should learn, and what they have learned or are learning (“KWHL Chart,” n.d.).

Fill in a KWHL chart, identifying what the students know before the unit, and what to know and have learned (continuously).

Student questions during the discussions and feedback on the phase.

EXPLORE

Lesson 2: How do we measure weather and determine weather forecasts?

·     Identify various weather types and their respective weather measurement instruments.

·     Build and test a weather station with the necessary weather instruments.

·     Describe the meaning of weather measurements and identify abnormal weather measurements.

·        Respond to the images and other materials, identifying what has been learned (National Geographic Society, 2022).

·        Create charts identifying the types of weather and weather measurement systems.

·        Identify the difference between climate and weather.

Discussion of the observations made during the building of a weather station and the meaning of different weather measurements.

Questions that arise from the lesson.

Assignment on the meaning of further weather measurements to identify severe weather occurrences.

EXPLAIN

Lesson 3: What causes severe weather conditions?

·     Discuss observations identified from the provocative material on severe weather conditions and climate change.

·     In small groups, discuss and demonstrate a basic understanding of global warming through story charts.

·     Identify the local causes of global warming and climate change and the methods to curb them.

·     Respond to the provocation resource video on severe weather conditions, climate change, and global warming (“Severe Weather - NG Science,” 2021), (“Extreme Weather Events - The New Normal? | Climate Change | ENDEVR Documentary,” 2022).

·     Build and draw story charts on severe weather conditions, climate change, and global warming.

·     Ask about different experiences of severe weather conditions, such as the record-breaking 2009 south-eastern heat wave (“ Heatwaves,” 2022).

·     Observe temporal heatwave maps and other natural hazard phenomena.

Discussion responses and contributions of the observations made during the lesson.

Questions that arise from the discussions and observations of natural hazards.

Teacher observation on discussions, including vocabulary use and concepts understanding

Questioning students based on the lesson’s observations and discussions.

Lesson 4: How to combat climate change and global warming locally?

·     Identify local ways of combating climate change, such as tree planting and anti-deforestation campaigns.

·     Participate in tree planting exercises such as the one tree per child campaign (Dee & Newton-John, 2022).

·     Watch provocation videos on global climate change and global warming movements.

·     Create sign posters and story charts for various local causes of climate change.

·     Identify the local methods for combating climate change and global warming, such as tree planting and reducing electricity use.

Teacher observation of student activities and whole group discussions.

Student question for clarification. 

ELABORATE

Lesson 5: What are the global effects of climate change, each according to different geographical locations?

·  Discuss observations identified from resource videos and materials in small group discussions.

·     Identify other severe weather occurrences depending on various global locations, such as tornados and blizzards.

·     Watch and learn from resource videos (“Europe in Ruins! Crazy Storm in Germany, France and Italy - Wild Weather US,” 2022), (“Extreme Weather Events - The New Normal? | Climate Change | ENDEVR Documentary,” 2022).

·     Observe temporal world maps for different geographical regions over different periods. 

·     Track specific extreme events such as hurricanes.

·     Ask and learn about different severe weather occurrences.

Questioning students on the different severe weather conditions and their respective weather measurements from around the globe.

Teacher observation of small group discussions.

Student questions on clarifications.

EVALUATE

Lesson 6: What has been learned concerning weather and climate, and how can you prove what you have learned?

·  Students demonstrate concepts they have learned on weather and climate, such as weather types, water cycle, global temperature, and global warming.

·  Identify areas of application for the concepts.

·  Set future learning goals.

·     Summary of the unit and the different concepts learned.

·     Reflect on the projects students participated in.

·     Reflect on the concept's necessity and application in the community.

·     Identify future trends to extend their learning for the unit.

Group notes and individual notes on the concepts learned and activities students engaged in.

Reflect and question outcomes, including their relevance to the community.

AT A GLANCE

The unit and lesson, in particular, are meant to help the students better understand the weather, track it, and identify severe and extreme weather conditions. More so, students will understand the source of weather conditions and help them critically think of local methods of reducing severe weather conditions.Thus, through the course, students should:

•Have an average understanding of normal weather conditions, their measurements, and severe weather conditions and their measurements.

•Learn from provocation videos, class resources, and discussions the weight of the problem, and have a basic understanding of the effects of severe weather occurrences.

• Understand the causes of severe weather occurrences, such as global warming.  

•Identify some methods of combating severe weather occurrences by decreasing greenhouse emissions. These methods will mainly highlight local methods of reducing global warming, which students can participate in.

LESSON FOCUS

Through this lesson, students should develop an understanding by discussing and identifying patterns such as climate change, global warming, and their effects on severe weather conditions. The Explain phase will further give meaning to some of the evidence obtained from the Explore phase. Students will identify current scientific views of the concepts. Also, students, while in their small groups, will also produce story charts on global warming, climate change, and the severe weather cycle. Finally, students will identify and participate in reducing the causes of severe weather cycles.

ASSESSMENT FOCUS

The assessment focus for the lesson is mainly formative, with teacher observation and assessment of student discussions. Major assessments will include concept understanding, vocabulary usage, and literacy product evaluation. Other assessment focuses include inquiry skills review and reasoning evaluation based on discussion responses and student questions.

KEY LESSON OUTCOMES

Students will be able to represent their current understanding as they:

•Design chart models that illustrate the effect of greenhouse effects and global warming on climate change and severe weather conditions.

•Understand the causes of severe weather conditions, and the concepts behind them. More so, students will be able to identify local activities that play a part in the larger concept of severe weather conditions

•Identify some local methods to curb the causes of severe weather, such as planting trees and reducing electricity consumption.

EQUIPMENT

Instructor devices such as a computer and projector.

YouTube links:

Europe in Ruins! Crazy Storm in Germany, France, and Italy. (Wild Weather US, 2022) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZlwpA9BxO4&ab_channel=WildWeatherUS.

•      Extreme Weather Events - The New Normal? | Climate Change Documentary. (ENDEVR, 2022). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl8ldcroIkY&ab_channel=ENDEVR.

•      Severe Weather. (NG Science, 2021). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGcVzu4GOr0&ab_channel=NGScience.

•      Types of Weather (Discovereal Ph., 2020). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0kNsYEMRjI&ab_channel=DiscoverealPh.

Unit journals, supportive materials such as provocative images from the internet, and guidebooks

Student writing materials

KWHL chart worksheets

Activity tools and instruments for storyboard charts and other products created:

•Rulers

• Cardboard boxes

Glue

• Scissors

•Pens 

PREPARATION

The major forms of preparation for the teacher include:

•Print the KWHL chart worksheets.

• Prepare journals and other supportive materials for distribution.

• Prepare YouTube links on the teacher’s devices.

•Ensure liable internet and device connections.

LESSON STEPS

In this lesson, the following steps are followed:

• Based on the previous lessons and their past knowledge on the topic, a review should be completed to identify the student’s knowledge of severe weather occurrences.

• Watch the relevant provocation videos, documentaries, and images, while explaining some of the information given.

• Receive responses from the provocation resources.

•Watch and read further material on severe weather events. These materials include world maps of severe weather events.

• Student discussion and analysis of the provided material in small groups.

• hrough the teacher's instructions, identify the concepts and causes of severe weather events. These include global warming and climate change.

• Identify the effects and seriousness of severe weather events from provocative materials, supportive lesson material, and the teacher's instructions.

• Identify the methods of combatting the causes of severe weather events.

• Receive and ask questions and clarifications.

• Design while in groups the relevant storyboards and posters on causes and concepts of

• Engage in tree-planting activities.

LESSON RATIONALE

This unit is geared to grow students’ knowledge of weather and climate through constructivism and critical thinking. Constructivism is one of the oldest learning theories which determines that students apprehend knowledge by developing it for themselves, compared to passively receiving information (McLeod, 2019). In this case, the unit and lesson are robust to actively engage the minds of learners and ensure they not only receive the concepts taught but also share with their classmates their unique perspectives on the information they have received. Another major characteristic of constructivism in the unit and lesson is the use of evidence and research to identify relevant information on the lesson topic (“Constructivism,” 2022). The explain lesson identifies and characterizes some of the evidence obtained from the explore phase of the unit. For example, students identify some of the measurements that mark severe weather outcomes, such as high atmospheric temperature and low or excessively high amounts of rainfall. Also, the lesson uses the constructivist approach by creating a learning environment that is geared to increase students’ skills instead of students’ knowledge (Akpan & Beard, 2016). For example, the unit engages the students with outside classroom activities such as tree planting to help them learn the methods of curbing extreme weather conditions. The students can make the same observations and conclusions even on their own during different climate seasons and weather. Other major techniques used in the unit and lesson include the six fundamental science process skills and the 5E methodology. The process skills identify the major steps that engage students in constructivist learning, such as making observations, measurements whose data is interpreted and analyzed, and communicating the achieved results (Maranan, 2017). This is similar to the unit as students create their weather station to measure the weather. The constructivist approach to weather and climate lessons is crucial to continue the development of a more sustainable world from the societal level (Keller et al., 2019). Therefore, the lesson’s design is built on a focus on using the constructivist pedagogical approach.

The Explain lesson plays a significant role in the students learning. First, the lesson demonstrates the rapid and negative changes that the earth is facing due to human activities. These changes are key to identifying for younger students, for a societal transformation in ensuring better management of the environment (Keller et al., 2019). More so, the demonstration and illustration of such knowledge are crucial to ensure that future generations are equipped in managing the increasing number of extreme weather events that are occurring globally. For example, students are not only able to determine weather measurements, but record when extreme weather events occur, such as heat waves which have become more common in Australia (Climate Council, 2020). Secondly, the lesson is crucial in identifying the relationships between extreme weather events, global warming, and climate change (Meyer et al., 2022). The identification of global warming and increase in greenhouse emissions as a major cause of extreme weather events allows students to formulate ideas to reduce human-prompted climate change in their environments (“Climate Change Indicators: Weather and Climate,” 2022). Finally, the lesson allows students to become part of the global movement of ensuring a safer, healthier planet through activities such as tree planting. Hence, through a formative assessment, the unit instructor can determine the level of understanding of the lesson’s concepts and application of the knowledge. However, despite the benefits of formative assessment to determine more personalized teaching and assessment, the type of assessment used in the lesson may be limited in fully evaluating each student due to the time length needed for assessment (Frunza, 2014). Therefore, the lesson is critical for the success of the unit and students’ application of evidence illustrated and knowledge acquired.