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It's March which means we're right on time to celebrate the seasons changing - even if Southern California wants to be stubborn and go back to chilly weather.
Either way, my bilingual students are in for a fun week as we explore all things weather!!
Kicking off our newest unit on weather this week, I've created a wonderful little companion workbook that'll help keep my kids on track and their work safe as we learn all about...
- The job of meteorologist
- The tools meteorologists use to study the weather (with a focus on a thermometer)
- How to record the temperature and reading a thermometer
- The 4 seasons (and sequencing them!)
- Tracking the weather all month long
- Tracking the weather Monday-Friday
- Sorting weather words
- Weather writing prompts, read aloud reflections
- Weather Word Search
- and more!
What is a meteorologist?
In launching our study of the weather it's only right to discuss and introduce my students to the profession of meteorology - both as scientific researchers and news weather reporters. I mean, it all starts here. Next, we'll discuss the tools meteorologists use with a focus on thermometers. They'll learn to read and record the temperature using the practice thermometers in our workbook
Tracking the weather all month long
I'm excited to tie in a little calendar work with my kinders as we discuss the weather patterns each day. It's a great time to review English vocabulary around days of the week, how to read a calendar, and use a key to record the weather each day. I also can't wait to discuss the word 'predict' and how we can make guesses both in our reading, but also in how we can use clues to predict the weather.
This month long tracker is for March 2020, but I do have an editable section where you can overlay your own calendar to match the month you plan on teaching this unit.
Also, I've included daily recordings where students practice key skills such as sentence writing using weather vocabulary, creating drawings with details to convey a message about the type of weather, demonstrating their understanding of weather patterns and what to wear, and finally how to record the temperature using a thermometer (a link from the beginning of the unit).
The Four Seasons
Although we don't experience the same kind of weather during each season as other places in our country (or around the world), it's a great introduction to students nevertheless! In order to build upon their knowledge later on, I like beginning with seasons and how weather during those seasons look and feel different - and even moreso around the world where there are different climates.
This section is all about introducing my students to the four seasons throughout the year. Key vocabulary include the seasonal words, concepts of a cycle, and tie in their schema about temperature and how that affects the environment during each season. I've created this flip book style page where students cut and glue their flip pages and reveal the trees underneath where they'll fill in the colors associated with the weather during that season.
Thus far in kindergarten we've learned about the desert and the arctic in which we've had in-depth conversations about environmental and animal adaptations. This will be wonderful background knowledge as we discuss a little more about how weather also impacts those habitats and these adaptations. #winwin
Season Sequencing
Students demonstrate their understanding of the four seasons and cycles (lending to our next unit on life cycles!) by cutting and pasting the seasons in order as they happen during the year. I like starting the cycle with Winter since we just wrapped up our themed unit on winter - it only seemed natural. But, feel free to have your students start with whatever season you are in when you're teaching your weather unit.
Drawing the Seasons
In this section I use paint with Q-Tips (or simple markers) for students to draw what each tree looks like during that season. It's a variation of the popular activity and I thought a fun activity to include!
Teacher Tip: Use these plastic containers like these to store paint! Since I travel from class to class, this helps keep the mess to a minimum and allows my students the use of paint for English activities!
Although it makes for a pretty thick packet, I'm super excited to use this as a means to track my student's learning and cut down on the missing papers. Plus, it's flexible in that you can pick and choose what activities you'd like to include in a workbook and which ones you'd prefer to have as individual handouts. Either way, it's going to be a fun week wondering (and thinking!) about weather!
