12 pages
Ex
Unit Plan
Part 1: Overall Concept-Based Unit Plan Description
Grade level for this unit plan: Kindergarten
Concept-based title of the unit: Daily and Seasonal Weather Changes in Ohio: This two-week unit plan and the teacher-initiated lesson will focus on the short term and long term changes in the weather. Lessons will be leant on the diverse types of weather changes that occur throughout the day and from day to day.
This unit might be developmentally appropriate for learners at grade level K due to the reasons below:
The students will acquire knowledge about the weather and the diversity that characterizes it as it changes on a daily or seasonal basis. This is meaningful since the weather is a part of everybody’s daily life and tends to have an impact on many things. For instance, choice of activities or clothes. Also, it might have huge impacts such as the damages that are usually accompanied by tornados and hurricanes. Normally, children can be seen jumping in water puddles and looking at rainbows even though they are afraid of the thunderstorms that precede them. Hence, making notable observations about the diverse weather changes and discussing seasonal or climate changes might be essential means of teaching children about basic science concepts since the weather is an aspect that children can easily understand and relate to (Kaplan, 2016).
According to MCP Staff (2016), students at grade level K tend to learn effectively when there is the incorporation of practical and experiential learning to the traditional form of learning. This is because it ensures that they can pursue individual personal interests, in addition to working through challenges when they come up in practical situations. With this regard, this unit will incorporate practical learning experiences through the incorporation of diverse study techniques. MCP Staff (2016) further reiterate that, practical learning is collaborative and facilitates children in working out their individual unique strategies as opposed to following a rigid defined rule.
This unit helps learners move closer to mastering the following standards statements from the science content standards in Ohio:
“Observe and ask questions about the natural environment”
“Plan and conduct simple investigations”
“Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses”
The unit will take a span of two weeks. Students will be exposed and participate in a varieties of activities that will expose them to knowledge about the weather and the diversity that characterizes it as it changes on a daily or seasonal basis.
On the first day, I will give the children a brief introduction on the topic by taking them outside the classroom and asking them to describe the weather on that instance. I will then record their observations and encourage them to provide extensive details on the same. After they are done providing me with their observation, I will introduce the term meteorology to them and briefly discuss what it entails.
On the second day, I will give the students several books that talk about meteorology, seasonal weather changes, and the significance of the weather patterns to our everyday life. I will ensure that these books are appropriate for their age and filled with illustrations and minimal writings. I will allow each of them time to go through the books before we start a discussion about what they learnt from them. I will ask each of them to share what they read from the book with the rest of the class. Based on what they read, I will also ask them to describe the type of weather and season at that instance.
On the third day, I will show them a Quick Time Video called "The Kid Meteorologist". This video will be essential for the students to learn basic concepts about meteorology as a science branch. After they are done watching the video, we will engage in a discussion about three main aspects of the film: (a) we will define who a meteorologist is, (b) we will discuss why Amy (a character in the video) wishes to be a meteorologist, and (c), we will reason out how Amy studies meteorology even though she is too young to be a professional in that career choice. I will then inform them that the class will be studying about meteorology similarly to Amy by observing real weather and watching the sky.
On the fourth day, we will discuss the importance of tracking the weather changes and the impact that it has on us as individuals. We will discuss various aspects such as dressing, vacations, and holidays, in addition to any other aspect that is affected for kids their age with respect to weather and seasonal changes. I will ensure that there is the incorporation of pictures and materials to draw on so that they can have an easier time to describe and illustrate their views and thoughts coherently. I will then ask them to relate the current weather conditions and season that we are experiencing with their clothing and any other outdoor or indoor related activities.
On the fifth day, we will work together to set up a weather station for the class members. I will make provision for an area outside the classroom in which the students can use to track the daily weather changes with regards to aspects such as humidity, precipitation, and temperature. The reason for ensuring that the weather station is located outside is allow the students to have the hands on experience of recording and collecting weather data. I will make sure that there is the inclusion of common weather instruments such as hygrometers, barometers, thermometers, and any other relevant instruments that are safe to be used by the children.
On the sixth day, we will share fun facts and observations about the weather. I will take time to discuss the observations and data collected by the children with respect to the weather. I will then have a silent assessment of their progress so far with respect to aspects such as their ability to identify season changes, their understanding of the root causes of the temperature decrease or increase, their understanding of the characteristics and aspects of each season, and the diversity of the daily weather changes. I will also incorporate fun facts, which are usually given by the Weather Chanel with the aim of sparking interest among the children in science and the weather, in addition to making the topic appear more fun.
On the seventh day, I will help the children create weather journals for themselves. I believe that weather journals are an effective means of keeping track about the day to day weather changes and information, in addition to any other form of observations made on the climate and weather. I will help them take pictures on the diverse weather related scenes and ensure that they are added to each of their journals. Also, I will provide them with crayons and any other drawing related materials so that they can illustrate their observations in tier journals to aid them better understand the weather and seasonal changes in future.
On the eighth day, I will take time with them to watch the local weather forecast. I have discovered that most news stations nowadays make recordings of the daily weather forecasts and go ahead to post them online for people to view them. I believe that this platform presents a good opportunity to view the local weather forecast together and give a basic explanation to the children about whatever information is being put across. They will also get an opportunity to learn some of the diverse terms utilized by meteorologist when describing the weather. Alternatively, I might choose to read out loud from a newspaper or from an online source and given the children a basic idea of what meteorology entails.
On the ninth day, we will engage in an activity that will aid the children in learning about funnel clouds and tracking hurricanes. Based on the individual ability of my students, I will guide them in tracking hurricanes on a graph paper piece of on a map. More so, we can also track the hurricanes collaboratively as a class through the use of a computer program or a bulletin board. I will take charge of this activity and guide the children all the way since their age does not allow them to properly comprehend the information by themselves. In addition to this activity, we will also carry out science experiments together as a class to ensure that we simulate the vortex of a tornado but on a minimal scale. I believe that carrying out such activities will offer valuable lessons to the students about tornadoes and hurricanes so as to give them the skills and tools necessary to protect themselves in case there is the occurrence of a natural disaster.
On the tenth day, I will aid the children in reviewing the lessons learnt during the course of the two weeks. All of them will be required to fill in a KWL chart. In this chart, they will either draw or write about what they know about the weather and the seasonal changes in the same. Thereafter, the students will be divided into two four groups. Each of these groups will be required to gather information about one of the four seasons with my help and narrate to the rest of the class about it.
Three critical facts students might learn during this unit:
The weather is a part of everybody’s daily life and tends to have an impact on many daily activities or things, for instance, choice of activities or clothes.
The weather might have huge impacts such as the damages that are usually accompanied by tornados and hurricanes.
It is essential to measure certain elements of the weather in order to read and predict weather patterns.
The Standard: “Yearly weather changes (seasons) are observable patterns in the daily weather changes.”
Generalization: The study of the diverse components of weather and the conditions of the atmosphere, for instance, precipitation, wind, temperature, and clouds aid in the prediction of future changes in the weather.
Specific content resources for this unit:
Authoritative source:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/stormready/
Sources for students:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UckUHeWXD0
http://www.outstandingscience.co.uk/index.php?action=view_page&page=view_unit&unit=1d
Two teaching strategies or tools:
The two teaching strategies that I will utilize with respect to the activities discussed in #4 are experiential learning and cooperative/ collaborative learning. With regards to experiential learning, the focus is emphasized on learning through action with respect to the subjective experience of the participant. The teacher’s role in this case is to design and formulate direct experiences, which entail reflective and preparatory exercises. According to Miller and Almon (2009), experiential learning gives young children rich experiences that allow them to become avid learners.
With regards to cooperative/ collaborative learning, the Educational Broadcasting Corporation (2004) states that the students who learn study under such conditions obtain several benefits as opposed to those who do not. These benefits include celebration of diversity, acknowledgement of personal differences, and interpersonal development, among others. More so, such students show more positive perception towards their teachers, their classes, and their school in general as they thrive under cooperative partnerships. This teaching strategy sparks engagement between the students as they interact among themselves as opposed to one student being handled by the teacher, there is the handling of a whole group in which all members discuss the learning material and maximize participation levels. This make the teacher become a facilitator instead of the sole speaker and in turn, leads to a much higher achievement in class.
Families will be involved in this unit when they will be invited to the school on one of the days so as to participate in the activities reserved for the created outdoor weather station for the class. Alternatively, they can even aid in the creation of the weather station in the first place. Thereafter, the families will collaborate with the teacher in order to tutor the children on the significance of learning about the weather and the use of the instruments involved. The students together with their families can use the weather station to track the daily weather changes with regards to aspects such as humidity, precipitation, and temperature. Inviting the families will ensure the students have the hands on experience of recording and collecting weather data. I will make sure that there is the inclusion of common weather instruments such as hygrometers, barometers, thermometers, and any other relevant instruments that are safe to be used by the children and their families.
In this unit, the children will have substantial choices to utilize throughout the learning period. For instance, in the weather station, the children will be allowed to choose the instruments that they desire to measure the corresponding weather factor in place. Then they will share their findings with the rest of the class. Furthermore, when filling out the weather journals, the students have the option of either writing or drawing pictures to describe the weather conditions at the time.
Students can learn basic skills just as well from integrated curriculum as from traditional, single-subject skill-focused instruction. A study carried out by Drake and Long (2009) did a comparison on fourth graders subjected to an integrated curriculum in the discipline of science with another group subjected to similar instructions but in traditional instruction format. These authors concluded that the former were able to come up with diverse problem-solving strategies as compared to the latter. Another study conducted by Chang (2001) with respect to tenth-grade earth science students concluded that the ones subjected to an integrated curriculum earned higher scores as compared to the children subjected to traditional, single-subject skill-focused instruction with regards to a standardized achievement test.
Part 2: Teacher-Initiated Lesson within the Unit Plan
Overview:
The lesson will focus on tracking and identifying hurricanes and tornados.
Grade level– Kindergarten.
After the students together with my help have watched and understood the local weather forecast, I will take them through this lesson. I believe that this lesson will offer valuable lessons to the students about tornadoes and hurricanes so as to give them the skills and tools necessary to protect themselves in case there is the occurrence of a natural disaster.
Objectives:
Knowledge objective: Students might learn, identify, and describe the types of weather changes with respect to tornados and hurricanes.
“Weather changes occur throughout the day and from day to day.”
Skill objective: Students might improve their skills in preparing for tornados and hurricanes for safety purposes in case of a natural disaster.
“Wind, temperature and precipitation document short-term weather changes.”
Emotion objective: Students might enjoy learning about the daily and seasonal changes in weather with respect to tornados and hurricanes.
“Positive emotions/attitudes regarding the subject, task, teacher/leader, and learning setting.”
Procedures:
Teacher procedures:
Physical setting: The organization of the classroom will depend on the activity that has been defined for the given day. However, most of the time, there will be the use of circular desks in which students will sit on when doing group related exercises. When there is need to watch a video, there will be the use of single desks all facing in the direction of the screen.
Materials needed: Related books, the internet, map, graph paper, bulletin board, and computers.
Time allotted for the lesson: 1 hour.
Prior knowledge and skills that students need before this lesson: The students must have basic skills on how to use drawing material since this is the means they will use to record the information that they learn.
Opening: I will use an educational video to show the children what a tornado and a hurricane physically look like. Thereafter, we will attempt to track a hurricane through the use of the bulletin board and other related materials. Also, I will allow them to ask questions during this period to ensure that they follow the lesson properly.
Development of the lesson: In this lesson, I will introduce the basic safety measures for the children to take in case of an occurrence of a hurricane or tornado. I will also give them the contacts they will need to reach out to the relevant authorities such as the police or firemen for help.
Closure: I will inform the children on the importance of tracking hurricanes and tornados for natural disaster preparedness. I will utilize internet resources and videos to show the damages caused by hurricanes and the need to prepare so as to avoid getting affected by them.
Motivation: My lesson will support children’s intrinsic motivation to be engaged and learn. The children will choose the means in which they desire to track the hurricane, for instance, through the use of a map, a graph paper, or a bulletin board. Therefore, the freedom of choice will lead them to be confident. Also, they will feel interested and love in learning.
Guidance expectations and methods:
I have two expectations for student conduct. Firstly, I expect the students to take turn in using the materials provided for learning purposes (bulletin boards and map). Secondly, I expect the students to share the materials provided in case they will not be enough for each of them.
I will communicate my expectations for the children at the beginning of the lesson by use of pictures and videos in informing them the lesson outcomes. The guidance method that I will use to foster positive behaviors will be the use of encouragement such that I will appeal that the students learn this lesson so that they can be prepared for natural disasters. I will sensitize the students on the significance of studying weather patterns for their own good rather than to simply study and meet the curriculum expectations.
Specific adaptations:
The specific adaptation regarding a specific disability is giving his/ her more help and time if s/he needs to finish the activity like the rest of the students. The specific adaptation regarding one of the students with varying language background is through the use of more pictures and videos, in addition to a translator if necessary.
Knowledge objective – Students might learn, identify, and describe the types of weather changes with respect to tornados and hurricanes.
After the unit plan, I will observe the children when I ask them some questions. The questions asked during the assessment will be standardized for all the students. The answers given by each one of them will determine the level at which they have achieved this knowledge objectively.
The evidence that the students will have reached this objective is if they have a high ability to identify and state the diverse weather patterns taught with respect to hurricanes and tornados.
The evidence that the students will not have reached this objective is if they have a low ability to identify and state the diverse weather patterns taught with respect to hurricanes and tornados
Skill objective – Students might improve their skills in preparing for tornados and hurricanes for safety purposes in case of a natural disaster.
In order to know whether a student has achieved this objective, I will carry out a practical assessment of their ability to identify the onset of hurricanes and tornados and state the necessary procedures that they need to follow as taught.
The evidence that the students will have reached this objective is if they are able to satisfactorily identify the onset of hurricanes and tornados and state the necessary procedures that they need to follow as taught.
The evidence that the students will have reached this objective is if they are not able to satisfactorily identify the onset of hurricanes and tornados and state the necessary procedures that they need to follow as taught.
Emotion objective – Students might enjoy learning about the daily and seasonal changes in weather with respect to tornados and hurricanes.
In order to know whether a student has achieved this objective, I will simply observe his/her body language and facial expressions.
The evidence that the students will have reached this objective is if he/she portrays positive body language and facial expressions.
The evidence that the students will not have reached this objective is if he/she portrays negative body language and facial expressions
Thinking Outside the Box of Teacher-Planned Curriculum:
The children could learn the knowledge and skill objectives listed in this lesson plan in my classroom without any teacher-initiated lesson when I allow them to collaboratively talk about whatever lessons they have received from the unit and subsequently draw out the basic aspects of the diverse weather changes noted. Additionally, I will make provision of books that are suited for their age complete with illustrations to guide them gain knowledge about the weather changes in Ohio.
