What Season Is This?
Summary
Overview
In this lesson, students will investigate seasonal patterns by matching various pictures to the different seasons. In small groups, students will analyze the pictures for clues to a specific season, describe what they observe, and explain what evidence they have found in each picture to identify the season. By comparing the images, students will be able to recognize patterns and identify seasonal changes over time.
Learning Objectives
- Name at least three weather characteristics of each season.
- Identify seasonal patterns based on observations.
- Explain how weather conditions change between 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.
| Science & Engineering Practices | Disciplinary Core Ideas | Crosscutting Concepts | |||
| 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. |
Crosscutting Concepts | Patterns.
Patterns in the natural world can be observed, used to describe phenomena, and used as evidence. |
Materials
For each student group:
- Paper plates (5)
- One set of season images, printed and cut out
For the teacher:
- Printed season wheel (northern hemisphere or southern hemisphere)
- Printed four-season tree
- 4 sheets of paper
- Marker or pen
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 seasonal patterns by matching various pictures to the different seasons. In small groups, students will analyze the pictures for clues to a specific season, describe what they observe, and explain what evidence they have found in each picture to identify the season. By discussing and comparing the images, students will be able to recognize patterns and identify seasonal changes over time.
