Birthday Season Weather Report
Summary
Overview
In this lesson, students will create weather report cards of their birthday seasons and analyze them to identify differences and similarities between them. Based on their observations, they will explain how weather conditions change between seasons and discuss how we adapt to seasonal changes.
Learning Objectives
- Name the four seasons.
- Describe how weather patterns change with the seasons.
- Explain how living things adapt to the different seasons
NGSS Alignment
This lesson helps students prepare for these Next Generation Science Standards Performance Expectations:- K-ESS2-1. Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time.
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Science & Engineering Practices
Analyzing and Interpreting Data.
Use observations (firsthand or from media) to describe patterns in the natural world in order to answer scientific questions.
Engaging in Argument from Evidence. Construct an argument with evidence to support a claim. Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions. Use information from observations (firsthand and from media) to construct an evidence-based account for natural phenomena. |
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ESS2.D: Weather and Climate.
Weather is the combination of sunlight, wind, snow or rain, and temperature in a particular region at a particular time. People measure these conditions to describe and record the weather and to notice patterns over time.
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Crosscutting Concepts
Patterns.
Patterns in the natural world can be observed, used to describe phenomena, and used as evidence.
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Materials
For each student group:
- Coloring pencils
- Pencils
- Printed weather report card
For the teacher:
- Printed season wheel (northern hemisphere or southern hemisphere)
- Board or poster sheet
- Markers
Background Information for Teachers
This section contains a quick review for teachers of the science and concepts covered in this lesson.Every place on Earth experiences different seasons over the course of a year. The mid-latitudes in the Northern and Southern hemispheres experience the classic four seasons that we call spring, summer, fall, and winter. Each of the four seasons is usually characterized by special weather conditions such as precipitation, sunlight, or temperature patterns that repeat every year. As the weather changes, living things such as plants change along with it, and animals, including humans, change their behavior to adapt to the varying conditions.
There are lots of animals that exhibit distinct behaviors during each season. For example, animals usually produce offspring in spring, either gather food for the winter or migrate to warmer places in fall, or hibernate in winter. An annual plant's life cycle follows a pattern that is dependent on the weather conditions in each season. They go dormant over the winter to survive the cold and come back to life in spring when the temperatures become warmer and the days become longer. They grow their flowers and fruit over the summer, so they are ready for harvest in fall. Once they have set their seeds, they are ready to go dormant for winter and the cycle starts again.
The table below shows some typical characteristics of each of the seasons in the mid-latitudes. Depending on the specific location on Earth, these characteristics might vary.
| Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|
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In this lesson, students will investigate the classic four seasons by creating weather report cards of their birthday season and analyzing them to identify differences and similarities between them. Based on their observations, they will explain how weather conditions change between seasons and discuss how we adapt to seasonal changes.
