KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Teacher Candidate: Nicole Talarico

Date: Day 3

Cooperating Teacher: Dr. Varano

Coop. Initials

Group Size: 20 Students

Allotted Time 30 minutes

Grade Level 3

Subject or Topic: The Water Cycle: Weather and Instruments Section

STANDARD: Standard - 3.3.3.A4- Connect the various forms of precipitation to the

weather in a particular place and time.
I. Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes): Students will identify and describe
appropriate instruments to study and measure weather elements by creating a weather
instrument foldable.
II. Instructional Materials
A. Thermometer
B. Barometer
C. Sling psychrometer
D. Rain guage
E. Wind Vane
F. Wind Sock
G. Chalk Board
H. Chalk
I. Smart board
J. http://www.weatherwizkids.com/?page_id=82
K. Weather Instrument Guide for each student
L. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb5Zs5lYg9Y
M. Weather instrument foldable and picture page for each student
N. Science notebook for each student
O. Weather.com
III. Subject Matter/Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea, outline of
additional content)
A. Prerequisite skills
1. Students know each part of the water cycle and how it works.

2. Students can identify different kinds of precipitation.

B. Key Vocabulary
1. Thermometer- measures air temperature
2. Barometer- measures air pressure
3. Sling psychrometer- measures relative humidity
4. Rain Gauge- measures amount of rain fallen over a specific time
5. Wind vane- determines the direction from which the wind is blowing
6. Wind sock- indicates wind direction and relative speed
C. Big Idea
1. Students will understand ways to measure precipitation and other
key weather elements that are related to the water cycle.
D. Content
1. The water cycle causes weather to occur.
2. The weather can be measured by different kinds of instruments.
IV. Implementation
A. Introduction
1. Teacher will put on her desk different weather instruments
(thermometer, barometer, sling psychrometer, rain gauge, wind vane,
wind sock) and ask the students what they think all of the items on
the desk have in common.
2. The teacher will ask the students to brainstorm different kinds of
weather or words to describe weather and will write their ideas on
the board.
3. The teacher will explain that since theyve been learning about the
water cycle, today we will be learning about how the water cycle
effects us with the weather.
B. Development
1. The teacher will remind the students that they have focused on
evaporation, condensation, and precipitation, which creates clouds,
humidity, and all of the kinds of precipitation we have talked about.
2. The teacher will bring up the website of weather instruments
(http://www.weatherwizkids.com/?page_id=82) on the Smart Board.
3. The teacher will pass out the weather instrument guide (attached) for
the students to follow along with as each instrument is introduced.
4. The teacher will first hold up the thermometer and write the name on
the board and give a brief description using the weather instrument
website. The teacher will pass around the thermometer for each
student to look at after it is explained.
5. The teacher will go through each example (barometer, sling
psychrometer, rain guage, wind vane, wind sock) and repeat step 4
for each weather instrument.

a. When the teacher gets to the sling psychrometer, the teacher

will play the video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=rb5Zs5lYg9Y) to clarify how it works.
6. The teacher will walk around and make sure that each student is
completing the weather instrument guide.
7. The teacher will pass out the foldable sheet and pictures to each
student (attached).
8. Students will be told to cut out the foldable around their big box and
take out their science notebooks.
a. Teacher will explain to cut on the strips and put it in their
science notebook. Under each flap, the student is to write what
the instrument measures and glue on the picture that matches
the word.
b. The students will be given iPads to look up more information
about each instrument to include one extra fact about each
instrument.
c. The teacher will collect the science notebooks and grade it as a
performance assessment.
C. Closure
1. The teacher will pull up weather.com on the Smart Board.
2. The teacher will type in their current location and show the students
where they can find the wind speed, wind direction, humidity, air
pressure, and temperature at the current time.
3. The teacher will explain that all of these instruments are used to
measure these and they constantly update the website so you always
know the weather wherever you are.
4. The teacher will hand out the exit slip and tell the students to match
the instrument to what it measures.
5. The teacher will collect the exit slips and remind the students that the
cause of weather is based on the water cycle.
D. Accommodations/Differentiation
1. E.M. has a hearing impairment and will have preferential seating to
where the teachers desk where the instruments are being shown so
she can hear the explanation.
2. The lesson will be differentiated by having physical objects as
visuals and iPads for more research.
E. Assessment/Evaluation Plan
1. Formative
a. Teacher will have a checklist to make sure each student is
completing the weather instrument guide.

b. The teacher will grade the foldable based off of a rubric (see
attached).
c. The teacher will grade the exit slip out of 6 points. One point
per correct matching of weather instrument to what it
measures.
2. Summative
a. At the end of this unit, there will be a unit test.

V. Reflective Response
A. Report of Student Performance in Terms of Stated Objectives (Reflection on
student performance written after lesson is taught, includes remediation for
students who fail to meet acceptable level of achievement)
Remediation Plan
B. Personal Reflection (Questions written before lesson is taught. Reflective
answers to question recorded after lesson is taught)
1. Were there enough activities to help get the information across?
2. Did the students understand each instrument?
VI. Resources (in APA format)
V. (2014). How a sling psychrometer works. Retrieved November 21, 2016, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb5Zs5lYg9Y
@. (n.d.). National and Local Weather Forecast, Hurricane, Radar and Report. Retrieved
November 21, 2016, from https://weather.com/
Standards Aligned System. (n.d.). Retrieved November 18, 2016, from https://pdesas.org/
Weather Instruments. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2016, from
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/?page_id=82

Weather Instrument Guide (Teacher Guide)

Thermometer
Measures the air temperature
Contains liquids such as alcohol or mercury
o When the air around the tube heats the liquid, the liquid
expands and moves up the tube

Barometer
Measures air pressure
A rising barometer means sunny and dry conditions
A falling barometer means stormy and wet conditions

Sling Psychrometer
Measures relative humidity
It uses the cooling effect of evaporation

Rain Gauge
Measures the amount of rain that has fallen over a specific
time.

Wind Vane
Determines the direction from which the wind is blowing

Wind Sock
Indicates wind direction and relative wind speed

Weather Instrument Guide

Thermometer
Measures the _________ ______________________
Contains liquids such as __________________ or
________________
o When the air around the tube ______________
the liquid, the liquid expands and moves up the
tube
Barometer
Measures ________ ___________________
A rising barometer means ____________ and
___________ conditions
A falling barometer means _________________ and
_________________ conditions
Sling Psychrometer
Measures relative ___________________
It uses the _________________ effect of evaporation
Rain Gauge
Measures the ________________ _____
_____________ that has fallen over a specific time.

Wind Vane
Determines the ___________________ from which
the wind is blowing

Wind Sock

Indicates wind _________________ and relative wind

___________

W
E
A
T
H
E
R
I
N
S
T
R
U
M
E
N
T
S

Thermometer
Barometer
Sling Psychrometer
Rain Gauge
Wind Vane
Wind Sock

Name _____________________________
Exit Slip
Directions: Draw lines to match the weather instrument to what it measures.
1. Barometer

a. measures air temperature

2. Wind Sock

b. measures amount of rain over a

specific time

3. Rain Gauge

c. determines the direction from

which the wind is blowing

4. Sling Psychrometer

d. measures the relative humidity

5. Thermometer

e. indicates the wind direction

AND relative wind speed

6. Wind Vane

f. measures air pressure

Exemplary-4
Pictures

Accompished3
Students match Student
all pictures to matches 4 or 5
the correct
pictures to the
instrument.
correct
instrument.

What does it Student

measure?
accurately
writes what
each
instrument
measures
under the flap
to every
instrument.
One fun fact Student writes
one fun fact
for every
instrument.

Developing
-2
Student
matches 2
or 3
pictures to
the correct
instrument.

Beginning-1

Student
accurately
writes what
each
instrument
measures
under the
flap to 2 or
3
instruments.
Student writes Student
one fun fact
writes one
for 4 or 5
fun fact for
instruments.
2 or 3
instruments.

Student
accurately
writes what
each
instrument
measures
under the
flap to 0 or 1
instrument.

Student
accurately
writes what
each
instrument
measures
under the flap
to 4 or 5
instruments.

Student
matches 0 or
1 pictures to
the correct
instrument.

Student
writes one
fun fact for 0
or 1
instrument.