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Seasonal Changes

Science Year 1 Wonderful Weather

Think about what you already know about weather, look at weather forecasts and video your own school weather forecasts. Do weather observations and make collages about the seasons. Have fun with shadows. Make a class weather station that can measure rainfall, wind direction and temperature.

block outcomes Key Concepts

Session 1 What do we know about weather?

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Objectives

Think about what we already know about weather and look at how weather forecasters tell us what weather to expect. Make forecasts about the weather at school, using weather symbols and notes made 'on location' in the playground.

Science Objectives
i) Observe changes across the four seasons.

ii) Observe and describe weather associated with the seasons and how day length varies.

Working Scientifically

  1. Ask simple questions and recognise that they can be answered in different ways.
  2. Observe closely, using simple equipment.
  3. Perform simple tests.
  4. Identify and classify.
  5. Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
  6. Gather and record data to help answer questions.

You Will Need

Provided Resources

  • Weather symbols and Weather Symbol Snap
  • Talking about Weather resource

Additional Resources

  • Large sheets of paper
  • Glue
  • Pencils and clipboards
  • Recording devices
  • Enlarged maps of the school area (e.g. photocopied road map, aerial image on the IWB or Smart boards, simple outline drawn on sugar paper or vinyl maps of the UK)
  • Sticky tack

Weblinks
Archived weather forecasts from the Met Office from www.metoffice.gov.uk

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Consider what they already know about weather and generate questions.
  • Make observations and respond appropriately.
  • Look at weather forecasts and the symbols used by forecasters.
  • Create weather forecasts about the weather at school.

Activities

  1. Consider what they already know about weather and generate questions.
  2. Go outside and look at the weather, observe the temperature, wind, etc.
  3. Apply their understanding by the dressing up of a teddy appropriately for weather conditions.
  4. Show their understanding, and ability to use their observations, by devising their own weather forecasts.

Investigation - exploring, pattern seeking
Go outside and look at the weather. Observe the temperature and wind.
Suggest how to dress a teddy or doll appropriately for the current weather conditions.

Vocabulary
Rain, snow, storm, thunder, lightning, cloudy, clothing, warm, cold, forecast

Session 2 Weather Watching

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Objectives

Go outside and observe the weather, drawing what you see and describing what you hear and feel. Then go back inside to create a seasons collage for the classroom.

Science Objectives
i) Observe changes across the four seasons.
ii) Observe and describe weather associated with the seasons and how day length varies.

Working Scientifically

  1. Ask simple questions and recognise that they can be answered in different ways.
  2. Observe closely, using simple equipment.
  3. Perform simple tests.
  4. Identify and classify.
  5. Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
  6. Gather and record data to help answer questions.

Other Curriculum Areas
Art and Design

  • Use a range of materials creatively to design and make products.
  • Use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination.
  • Develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space.

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Observe, record and discuss the weather.
  • Understand how the observed weather is typical (or not) of the weather for the season.
  • Create a collage of the current season, weather and wildlife and compare to other seasons in the year.

Activities

  1. Learn about the weather for the season and consider if the weather they are expecting is typical.
  2. Understand more about the different seasons of the year, including the current season.
  3. Consider the different elements of summer (current season) and represent in a group collage.

Investigation - exploring, pattern seeking
Take the temperature outside in the morning and the afternoon.
Record these observations in the classroom and discuss the changes.

Vocabulary
Rain, snow, storm, thunder, lightning, warm, cold, forecast, summer, autumn, winter, spring, seasons

Session 3 Shadow fun

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Objectives

Go outside and have fun with shadows. Make them jump, chase each other and play shadow tag. Draw round them to see if they change during the day.

Science Objectives
i) Observe changes across the four seasons.

ii) Observe and describe weather associated with the seasons and how day length varies.

Working Scientifically

  1. Ask simple questions and recognise that they can be answered in different ways.
  2. Observe closely, using simple equipment.
  3. Perform simple tests.
  4. Identify and classify.
  5. Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
  6. Gather and record data to help answer questions.

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Understand that the day length changes each day and varies from season to season.
  • Investigate shadows and their shapes.
  • Consider the questions: Does my shadow always look like that? What was it like first thing in the morning? Is it better to play shadow tag at lunchtime or after school?

Activities

  1. Understand that the day length changes each day and varies from season to season.
  2. Explore shadows and how they change during the day.
  3. Consider what life would be like if the sun didn't rise and create daylight.

Investigation - exploring, researching and analysing secondary sources
Play shadow tag and look at the shape of shadows.
Consider the questions: Does my shadow always look like that? What was it like first thing in the morning? Is it better to play shadow tag at lunchtime or after school?
Track a shadow by observing and measuring it over time.
Make a bar chart of paper strips of shadow length plotted against time intervals.

Vocabulary
Shadow, sun, earth, spin, day, night, light, dark

Session 4 Your weather station: rainfall

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Objectives

Look at weather in the playground, at the rain falling and what it sounds like. Design a weather station to help collect data about the weather at school. Make a rainfall gauge and record the results.

Science Objectives
i) Observe changes across the four seasons.

ii) Observe and describe weather associated with the seasons and how day length varies.

Working Scientifically

  1. Ask simple questions and recognise that they can be answered in different ways.
  2. Observe closely, using simple equipment.
  3. Perform simple tests.
  4. Identify and classify.
  5. Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
  6. Gather and record data to help answer questions.

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Consider what effect rain has on us and our daily lives.
  • Design and make a weather station.
  • Record the rainfall over a period of time.
  • Make predictions about the results from the rainfall gauges.
  • Use the scientific vocabulary: weather, rainfall, precipitation and data.

Activities

  1. Talk about rain and how it affects our lives.
  2. Design and make a rainfall gauge.
  3. Set the rainfall gauges up in the playground and understand how to record the rainfall over a period of time.
  4. Make predictions about the results from the rainfall gauges.
  5. Use the scientific vocabulary: weather, rainfall, precipitation and data.

Investigation - exploring, pattern seeking
Set the rainfall gauges up in the playground and record the rainfall over a period of time.

Vocabulary
Weather, rainfall, precipitation, data

Session 5 Your weather station: wind direction

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Objectives

Look at the wind in the playground and wonder if there is a link between wind direction and rainfall. Does the wind change direction during the day? Make a wind-sock to measure the direction of the wind in the playground.

Science Objectives
i) Observe changes across the four seasons.

ii) Observe and describe weather associated with the seasons and how day length varies.

Working Scientifically

  1. Ask simple questions and recognise that they can be answered in different ways.
  2. Observe closely, using simple equipment.
  3. Perform simple tests.
  4. Identify and classify.
  5. Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
  6. Gather and record data to help answer questions.

You Will Need

Provided Resources

  • How to make a wind sock
  • Daily Weather Watch and Watching the Weather resource
  • My Beaufort Scale sheet

Additional Resources

  • Plastic bottles
  • PVA glue
  • Tissue paper & ribbons
  • String
  • Chalk

Weblinks
Windsocks and their uses from www.YouTube.com

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Make a wind sock to measure wind direction.
  • Observe and record wind direction over time and notice patterns between rainfall and wind, and changes in direction.
  • Use the scientific vocabulary: wind, direction, gauge, patterns and data.

Activities

  1. Understand that wind direction is measured using a wind sock.
  2. Observe the wind direction over time and notice any patterns between rainfall and wind.
  3. Consider if the time of day has an effect on the wind direction.

Investigation - observing over time, pattern seeking
Make a windsock to measure wind direction and a wind vane to measure the direction of the wind.

Vocabulary
Weather, rainfall, precipitation, data, wind, direction, gauge, patterns

Session 6 Your weather station: temperature

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Objectives

Measure the temperature inside the classroom and outside and wonder how different that would be in different seasons. Make a thermometer box to house a thermometer and use it outside in the playground.

Science Objectives
i) Observe changes across the four seasons.

ii) Observe and describe weather associated with the seasons and how day length varies.

Working Scientifically

  1. Ask simple questions and recognise that they can be answered in different ways.
  2. Observe closely, using simple equipment.
  3. Perform simple tests.
  4. Identify and classify.
  5. Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
  6. Gather and record data to help answer questions.

Extended Writing Opportunities
Information text: Write a weather report describing the weather you have recorded.
Labels, lists and signs: Make notices and signs to go with your class weather station.

You Will Need

Provided Resources

  • Fake Snow Recipes
  • How to make a thermometer box
  • Measuring Temperature sheet

Additional Resources

  • Ingredients for chosen fake snow method
  • Sturdy plastic or wooden boxes that can stand on their sides
  • White paint
  • Thermometers
  • Sticky tack
  • Frozen lollies

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Consider warm and cold weather and measure temperature.
  • Understand air temperature changes across the seasons.
  • Make a thermometer box to use outside to measure temperature.
  • Use the scientific vocabulary: wind, direction, gauge, patterns and data.

Activities

  1. Understand that warm and cold weather, including snow, can be specific to different seasons.
  2. Understand that air temperature changes with the seasons, and that usually summer is hotter than winter.
  3. Make a thermometer box to use outside to measure temperature.

Vocabulary
Weather, rainfall, precipitation, wind, direction, gauge, patterns, data, temperature, thermometer

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