Popular searches in the last week:

plants, 2024, maths, geography, 2023, science, romans, instructions, english, poetry
Seasonal Changes

Science Year 1/2 Wild Weather

In this block, think about the weather, learn how to present data and make your own weather forecast to present to the class. Play shadow tag and create bar charts to record shadow length over time. Set up rain gauges to observe rainfall and bring all the learning together in a recorded weather forecast for the school website!

block outcomes Key Concepts

Session 1 What do we know about the weather?

Download all files

Objectives

Think about what we already know about weather and look at how weather forecasters tell us what weather to expect. Explore making 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. Identify and classify.
  4. Perform simple tests.
  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
  • Clipboards and pencils
  • Recording devices
  • Enlarged maps of the school area (photocopied road map, aerial image on the IWB or Smartboards, simple outline drawn on sugar paper or vinyl maps of the UK, etc.)
  • Sticky-tack

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

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Make appropriate observations.
  • Suggest how to dress appropriately for different weather conditions.
  • Look at weather forecasts and the symbols used by forecasters (Yr1).
  • Write phrases, using typical words used by weather forecasters, to present the weather observed in the playground (Yr2).

Activities

  1. Show their understanding by suggesting how to dress a teddy or doll appropriately for different weather conditions.
  2. Look at weather forecasts and the symbols used by forecasters (Yr1).
  3. Write phrases, using typical words used by weather forecasters (Yr2).

Investigation - exploring, problem solving
Go outside and look at the weather, observe the temperature, wind etc. Suggest how to dress a teddy or doll appropriately for different weather conditions.
Year 1 - Look at weather forecasts and the symbols used by forecasters.
Year 2 - Write phrases, using typical words used by weather forecasters, to present the weather they have observed.

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

Session 2 Wondering about weather

Download all files

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 collage about the seasons 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. Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
  5. Gather and record data to help in answering questions.

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Understand how the weather they have observed outside is typical (or not) of the weather for the season.
  • Record their weather observations in the classroom and discuss the changes (Yr1).
  • Listen to Vivaldi's Four Seasons and create a collage of the current season.
  • Take the temperature outside in the morning and again in the afternoon and discuss how to do this accurately (Yr2).

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 current season and represent in a group collage.

Investigation - pattern seeking
Understand how the weather they have observed outside is typical (or not) of the weather for the season. Listen to Vivaldi's Four Seasons and create collage of the current season.
Year 1 - Record weather observations in the classroom and discuss the changes.
Year 2 - Take the temperature outside in the morning and afternoon and discuss how to do this accurately.

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

Session 3 Shadow surprises!

Download all files

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. Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
  2. Gather and record data to help answer questions.

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Understand day length changes each day and varies from season to season.
  • Go outside and look at shadows (or create them in the classroom) and look at how they change.
  • Photograph them and draw around them on the playground in pairs with chalk (Yr1).
  • Track a shadow by observing and measuring over time and record the results (Yr2).

Activities

  1. Observe the weather outside and record in the classroom using symbols (Yr1).
  2. Report on the weather they have observed and learn how to measure the temperature (Yr2).

Investigations
Understand day length changes each day and varies from season to season. Look at shadows (or create them in the classroom) and look at how they change.
Year 1 - Photograph them and draw around them on the playground in pairs with chalk.
Year 2 - Track a shadow by observing and measuring over time and record the results.

Vocabulary
Day, night, shadow length, change, light, dark

Session 4 Weather stations! Rainfall

Download all files

Objectives

Look at weather in the playground, at the rain falling and what it sounds like. 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. Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
  5. Gather and record data to help answer questions.

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Consider what effect rain has on us and our daily lives.
  • Set the rainfall gauges up in the playground, record the rainfall over a period of time and make predictions.
  • Begin to look at how to record the results of the rain gauge in a clear way and use results to generate questions (Yr1).
  • Look more closely at how to record the results of the rain gauge in a variety of ways (Yr2).

Activities

  1. Make and set up rainfall gauges up in the playground.
  2. Make predictions about how much rain will fall in the week?
  3. Begin to look at how to record rainfall.

Investigation - pattern seeking
Consider what effect rain has on us and our daily lives. Set up rainfall gauges, record rainfall and make predictions.
Year 1 - Begin to look at how to record the results of the rain gauge in a clear way and use results to generate questions.
Year 2 - Look at how to record the results of the rain gauge in a variety of ways.

Vocabulary
Weather, rainfall, precipitation, data

Session 5 Weather stations! Wind direction

Download all files

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. Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
  5. Gather and record data to help answer questions.

You Will Need

Provided Resources

  • How to make a wind sock resource
  • Daily Weather Watch
  • My Beaufort Scale sheet
  • How to use a compass and measure wind direction resource

Additional Resources

  • Plastic bottles, PVA glue, tissue paper
  • Ribbons and string
  • Chalk

Weblinks
Windsocks and their uses from www.YouTube.com

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Make a wind sock to measure wind direction.
  • Record the direction of the wind over a period of time. Does the direction of the wind change from the morning to the afternoon? (Yr1).
  • Observe wind direction over time and notice any patterns between rainfall and wind: is it always windy when it is raining? Does the wind change direction in the rain? (Yr2).

Activities

  1. Make a wind sock to measure wind direction.
  2. Begin to record the direction of the wind and consider if it will change? (Yr1).
  3. Observe wind direction over time and notice any patterns between rainfall and wind (Yr2).

Investigation - observing over time, pattern seeking
Make a wind sock to measure wind direction and a wind vane to measure the direction of the wind. Record the observations.
Year 1 - Does the direction of the wind change from morning to afternoon?
Year 2 - Observe wind direction over time; notice rainfall and wind patterns: is it always windy when it is raining?

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

Session 6 Weather stations! Temperature

Download all files

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. Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
  5. Gather and record data to help answer questions.

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 the temperature inside and outside the classroom.
  • Make a thermometer box to use outside to measure temperature.
  • Understand that air temperature changes with the seasons, and that usually summer is hotter than winter (Yr1).
  • Begin to understand how a thermometer box works (Yr2).

Activities

  1. Consider warm and cold weather and measure the temperature inside and outside the classroom.
  2. Make a thermometer box to use outside to measure temperature.
  3. Understand that air temperature changes with the seasons.

Investigation
Consider warm and cold weather and measure the temperature inside and outside the classroom. Make a thermometer box.
Year 1 - Understand that air temperature changes with the seasons, and that usually summer is hotter than winter.
Year 2 - Begin to understand how a thermometer box works.

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

This site uses cookies to give you the most relevant information.
Learn more

Log in or sign up to get access to this resource

School Subscription

Reduce teacher workload

From £155 (+ VAT) per year. Access to all key stages for multiple users.

Sign up

Individual Subscription

For inspirational teaching

Just £45 (£37.50 + VAT) per year to get access to all resources.

Sign up

Early Career Teacher

Develop your teaching

Just £33 (£27.50 + VAT) to get access to all resources for 2 years.

Sign up

Taster Account

100s of resources

Register to access all free resources.

Sign up

Already subscribed?

Log in to get access.