Central Focus of Weather and Water Unit Plan
Throughout my experience of teaching science I have learned so much about creating appropriate lesson objectives and central focuses depending on what I want to teach or the goals that I want my students to reach. Read below to understand the Weather and Water Unit Plan central focuses, standards and objectives for my Direct Instruction Lesson Plan, Inquiry Lesson Plan, and even my ThingLink Challenge Mini Lesson Plan!
Direct Instruction Lesson Plan
Central Focus:
The students will understand weather and water and how it is essential to our earth's environmental balance. This lesson will introduce the key terms that will be the major focus of the overall unit plan. To explore this focus, the students will answer questions during check for understandings, fill out a graphic organizer with academic vocabulary regarding weather and water, and complete an exit ticket to show their understanding of the lesson.
Standards:
Next Generation Science Standards
4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
Common Core State Standards
Performance Indicator 2.1- Describe the relationship among air, water, and land on Earth.
2.1a Weather is the condition of the outside air at a particular moment.
2.1b Weather can be described and measured by:
- temperature
- wind speed and direction
- form and amount of precipitation
- general sky conditions (cloudy, sunny, party cloudy)
2.1c Water is recycled by natural processes on Earth.
- evaporation: changing of water (liquid) into water vapor (gas)
- condensation: changing of water vapor (gas) into water (liquid)
- precipitation: rain, sleet, snow, hail
- runoff: water flowing on Earth's surface
- groundwater: water that moves downward into the ground.
Objectives:
Given a blank weather and water graphic organizer, students will fill in at least three facts. Also, given the "weather and water exit ticket" with five multiple choice questions and two short answer questions, the students will identify correct facts about weather, water, and the academic vocabulary taught throughout the lesson.
Inquiry Lesson Plan
Central Focus:
The students will use their background knowledge and understanding of weather and water to develop a hypothesis based on the question presented in class. The students will also be forming a conclusion based on the collected data in regards to the water crisis in Cape Town, South Africa.
Standards:
Next Generation Science Standards
4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
Objectives:
Given a comprehensive issue of trying to help solve the water crisis in Cape Town, South Africa, the students will take a journey through different hints, tasks, and sources requiring their use of previous learned concepts and accurately form a hypothesis to solve the water crisis in Cape Town to increase environmental sustainability. By answering the questions and completing the tasks appropriately, it will be evident that the students understand multiple routes in helping areas around the world such as Cape Town to limit the water crisis.
ThingLink Inquiry Mini Lesson Plan
Central Focus:
The students will understand weather and water and how it is essential to our earth's environmental balance, specifically plant survival. To explore this focus, students will interact with the ThingLink sensory garden experience by exploring articles, watching videos, creating diagrams, and reflecting on why water is so important using different facts and academic vocabulary learned throughout the lesson.
Standards:
Next Generation Science Standards
4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
Objective:
Given a Thinglink: Weather & Water in a Sensory Garden, and the task to follow the steps of inquiry, the student will write a short essay following the criteria of the checklist.
