Title

of Seasons Grade 1
unit Level
Curriculum English Time 2-3 weeks or 7 total
Area(s) Science Frame lessons.
Math - Elements of this
unit will
continuously be
referenced
throughout the
course of the year
to solidify
understanding.
- The unit could be
lengthened to
include more field
trips and guest
speakers.
Programs of Study Foundations
1.) Science
Students will be able to describe seasonal changes and interpret the effects of
seasonal change on living things while demonstrating and fostering positive
learning attitudes related to the study of science and the application of
science in responsible ways.
2.) Math
Students will learn to use patterns to describe the world and solve problems.
3.) English Language Arts
Students will talk with others, make observations about activities and
experiences with oral, print and other media texts as well as experimenting
with different ways of exploring and developing ideas and grouping
information and ideas into categories and asking questions to get additional
information on topics of interest.

Programs of Study foundations have been taken directly from the Alberta
Education Program of Studies.

Essential Question and Unit Overview
Students will address the essential question: What are the four seasons and what
are the effects f seasonal change and patterns on living things, including humans,
animals and plants? Students will employ and develop specific Science, Math and
English skills and competencies in their exploration of this question while
strengthening and expanding their English Language Literacy.
Unit Plan Outcomes
Science
Students will show growth in acquiring and applying the following traits.
- Curiosity
 - Confidence in personal ability to explore materials and learn by direct study.
- Inventiveness.
- Perseverance: staying with an investigation over a sustained period of time.
- Appreciation of the value of experience and careful observation.
- A willingness to work with others and to consider their ideas.
- A sense of responsibility for actions taken.
- Respect for living things and environments, and commitment for their care.

- Students will describe seasonal changes and interpret the effects of seasonal
changes on living things.

- Students will describe the regular and predictable cycle of seasonal changes,
including changes in sunlight and changes in weather.

- Students will identify and describe examples of plant and animal changes
that occur on a seasonal basis, including changes in form and appearance,
changes in location of living things, changes in activity and production of
young on a seasonal basis.

- Students will identify human preparations for seasonal change and identify
activities that are done on a seasonal basis.

- Students will record observable changes over a period of time.

Math
- Students will use patterns to describe the world and to solve problems.
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of repeating patterns (two to
four elements) by describing, reproducing, extending and creating patterns
using manipulatives, diagrams, sounds and actions.

English Language Arts
- Students will talk with others about something recently learned.
- Students will make observations about activities, experiences with oral, print
and other media texts.
- Students will experiment with different ways of exploring and developing
stories, ideas and experiences.
- Students will group ideas and information into categories determined by an
adult.

All outcomes have been cited directly from the Alberta Education Program of
Studies.
Additional Resources, Field trips & Guest Speakers
Depending on budget or accessibility, it would be a useful addition to this unit to
bring in a guest speaker. A few options for guest speakers could be meteorologists,
outdoor educators, or environmentalists who can educate the class about plant and
animal behavior.
Field trips could include trips to local parks (for example, Nose Hill Park or Fish
Creek Park) to observe wildlife, or to the zoo to learn about how different animals
behave in different seasons.

Assessment
Assessment Overview Formative assessment will be utilized
consistently throughout the unit in
order to ensure comprehensive
understanding. The teacher will employ
formative assessment by asking
questions, observation and reviewing
student work, while offering consistent
and detailed feedback in both written
and oral form. Repetition of oral
feedback is key in ensuring correct
pronunciation and guiding
understanding of conversation. The
teacher will make note of repeated or
widespread mistakes in order to address
them specifically. The majority of
assessment will be formative but there
will be one cumulative summative
assessment that will assess learning in
all three disciplines.
Summative Assessment The final summative assessment will be
for each student to produce a
representation (a drawing or a list of
words, depending on the student’s
choice) of a season of their choosing.
They will have to identify a variety of
elements about that season, such as:
what the season generally looks like,
which seasons come before and after it,
typical weather, a holiday that occurs in
that season, and an example of
behavioral change in that season for
each a plant, an animal and humans.
There will be an element of matching
vocabulary words with the
corresponding season. Students will also
be asked to reproduce patterns of 2-4
elements through drawing, writing using
manipulatives or orally. Students will be
offered the choice to complete this
 assessment in written form, visual form,
or have an oral one-on-one conference
with the teacher. The teacher will
evaluate the ability of the student to
complete all the individual elements (or
answer the questions, should it be
orally). For oral and written assessment
the teacher will reference the ESL
Benchmarks as a resource for assessing
English language literacy.
Assessment Differentiation The biggest element of differentiation in
regard to assessment of this unit is
offering the students choice in
assessment. Students will be able to
demonstrate learning through whatever
means they feel most comfortable and
confident with. This may include
drawing, writing, speaking or using
manipulatives. For low-level ELL
students, the expectations for how much
information they produce will simply be
lowered.

Lesson # Primary Objectives and Assessment
Lesson Overview
1. The initial lesson will begin Assessment at this stage
with an introduction to the is limited as this lesson is
four seasons. As a class, we introductory. Teacher
will informally brainstorm will pay attention to
vocabulary related to seasons students that are eagerly
in general as well as participating and which
specifically related to each of students are holding back
the four seasons. Vocabulary in order to guide
may include, weather, participation in attempt
seasonal activities, holidays to include everyone for
or anything the students feel future lessons.
is relevant. The teacher will Teacher will review
write the vocabulary on the journals at the end of the
board, asking the students to lesson to evaluate
help sound out the word as it spelling, printing,
is written on the board. After drawing and depth of
the brainstorming is engagement.
complete the class will
choose key words and copy
them into their work journals
 in order to practice spelling
and printing as well as to use
for reference later in the unit.
The students will also be able
to draw pictures that
correspond with each word.
By the end of this lesson, the
students should be able to
identify general vocabulary
words related to the seasons
and communicate them
through speaking, listening
and drawing.
2. We will begin class by a brief Teacher will be able to
oral review of what we gauge general
discussed last class, understanding by
reiterating some of the evaluating conversation
vocabulary words and during the oral review
themes we had discussed. and during the
Students are able to refer to brainstorming session.
their journals.
Formative assessment
Next, the teacher will ask the used throughout the
class “What Season is it lesson as the teacher
now?” If weather is circulates and checks in
permitting, the teacher can on groups and individual
take the class outside for the students. Teacher will
following part of the lesson. ask questions to assess
Assuming this is occurring in understanding, offer
the Autumn/Fall (questions words of guidance,
could be adapted for reiterate guiding
whichever season is questions, and offer
currently is), the guiding consistent feedback.
questions will be as follows:
- Which months fall into Mind maps will show
the fall? assessment of
- What is the weather vocabulary, grouping
usually like in the fall? ideas, spelling and
- Is it warm/cold? collaboration within
Rain/snow? group work.
- What activities do we
do in the fall?
- What clothes do we
wear?
- What holidays are
 during the fall? Does
anyone have a
birthday during the
fall?
- Use the five senses:
What do we
see/smell/hear/feel/t
aste during the fall?
These questions will be
used to guide an informal
class discussion to get
students thinking about
the season and begin to
think deeper about other
seasons. As the class is
brainstorming the teacher
will make a mind map on
the board that includes all
the words and themes
that have been
brainstormed for this
season.
3 The focus on this lesson will Teacher will pay
be to incorporate attention to conversation
mathematics in teaching that to gauge general
seasons come in a sequence understanding by
or pattern. The teacher will evaluating the
provide examples of patterns conversation but will be
using images and mindful that not all
manipulatives, such as blocks students actively
or Lego pieces. The class will contribute in class
look at patterns of 2-4 discussion and that this is
recurring elements. The not necessarily an
teacher will ask students to accurate reflection of full
look around the room and class comprehension.
see if they can find patterns
in the room. (Ex: Clothing Formative assessment
with stripes) The class will used throughout this
work in small groups or pairs lesson as the teacher
to create patterns using circulates and checks in
manipulatives and will use on groups and individual
colored pencils or markers to students. Teacher will
document different patterns ask questions to assess
in their journals. The teacher understanding, offer
may provide the students words of guidance,
with blank grids, which they reiterate guiding
can use to color in patterns questions and offer
and keep these in their consistent feedback.
journals.
Once the class has spent time The teacher will be able
exploring patterns using to assess understanding
colors, the teacher will give of patterns by observing
other examples of patterns, students work in
such as numbers. The teacher replicating patterns in
will explain that the sequence their journals.
of night and day is an
example of a two variable The teacher will observe
pattern, and then use how students group
morning, afternoon, evening words according to
and night is a four-variable categories.
pattern. The teacher will
introduce the pattern of the
seasons as also being a four
variable pattern. Autumn,
Winter, Spring and Summer.
Guiding Questions include:
- What time of day
comes after morning?
(Interchange times of
day)
- What time of day
comes before
afternoon?
(Interchange times of
day)
- Which season comes
after winter?
(Interchange seasons)
- Which season comes
before summer
(interchange seasons)

The students will be given
cards that have both the
words as well as pictures that
correspond to the 4 seasons
as well as day and night and
will work in groups to put
them in order.

 By the end of this lesson,
students will be able to
identify that times of day and
seasons occur in predictable
sequences or cycles which we
call patterns.
4. To begin this lesson, we will Teacher will pay
be watching the video attention to conversation
“Seasons” by Bill Nye the to gauge general
Science Guy. Before the video understanding by
begins, the teacher will evaluating the
encourage students to listen conversation but will be
for key words and themes we mindful that not all
have learned and listen for students actively
any new words that may be contribute in class
related to our topic. discussion and this is not
After the video, the teacher necessarily an accurate
will debrief how the Earths reflection of full class
rotation and movement comprehension.
around the Sun causes both
night and day as well as The teacher will evaluate
seasons to occur. Using a understanding by the
globe that spins on its axis successful completion of
and a flashlight, the teacher the visual scenario
can model how the “Sun” hits activity.
the Earth at different times of
day and at different distances
at different times of the year.
The teacher will also be sure
to address the fact that
seasonal weather differs
dramatically across the world
and can use this opportunity
to invite students who may
be new to the country or city
to discuss differences in
seasons in Calgary as
opposed to where they call
home.
The teacher will provide
visual scenarios that depict
the sun in relation to the
earth at different relative
distances and ask the
students to explain whether
 they think that the image
depicts day or night, and
summer or winter.
By the end of this lesson,
students should be able to
identify regular and
predictable changes in
sunlight that coincide to day
and night, as well as how the
seasons change according to
the Earths distance from the
sun.
5. The teacher will introduce Teacher will pay
seasonal changes in plant and attention to conversation
animal behavior. Discuss how to gauge general
plants change throughout the understanding by
seasons using examples such evaluating the
as the leaves changing color conversation but will be
in the Fall, flowers blooming mindful that not all
after Winter ends in the students actively
Spring. Discuss how animal contribute in class
behaviors change using discussion and this is not
examples such as bears necessarily an accurate
hibernating in the winter, reflection of class
rabbits changing color to comprehension.
camouflage in the snow, the
presence of insects in the The teacher will assess
various seasons and birds the student’s
flying south for the winter. comprehension of this
The teacher will present the lesson by evaluating the
class with images on the provided worksheets.
smart board that clearly The teacher will make
reflects nature in the four notes of any recurring
seasons. The teacher will ask misunderstandings, so
the class to identify which they can be addressed at
season the image reflects and a later time.
point out some reasons why.
Guiding questions:
- Which season do you
think this is?
- What do you see that
makes you think that?
- What else might you
add to this picture to
make it more
 detailed?
The teacher will provide
worksheets that offer
both images and words
reflecting natural
behavior according to the
four seasons and the
students will work
individually or in small
groups to determine
which season the images
belong to.
By the end of this lesson,
students will be able to
understand that many living
things have seasonal
behavioral changes and
provide one example for each
season.
6. Building off the last lesson Teacher will pay
that covered plant and attention to conversation
animal changes in seasonal to gauge general
behavior, the teacher will understanding by
introduce discussion on evaluating the
human behavior in conversation but will be
preparation for seasonal mindful that not all
changes. This lesson will also students actively
cover activities that are done contribute in class
on a seasonal basis. The class discussion and this is not
will brainstorm together necessarily an accurate
vocabulary related to reflection of class
seasonal clothing, activities, comprehension.
and holidays.
The teacher will divide the Teacher will assess the
class into pairs and provide ability of students to sort
each group with a bag of words and themes into
words and pictures based on the categories as they
all the vocabulary we have work in their groups by
covered so far in the unit. The circulating consistently
students will work in their as activities are
groups to divide everything completed.
according to the four seasons.
This will give the teacher the
opportunity to evaluate the
comprehension of students
 on a more individual level as
the teacher circulates.
By the end of this lesson,
students should be able to
confidently identify
vocabulary and concepts that
correlate to seasons and
seasonal change and be
prepared to record
observable changes over a
period of time.
7. The final class will be focused The final summative
on the final summative assessment will be for
assessment as outlined in the each student to produce a
Assessment section above the representation (a
lesson details. drawing or a list of
words, depending on the
students choice) of a
season of their choosing.
They will have to identify
a variety of elements
about the season, such as:
what the season
generally looks like,
which seasons come
before and after it, the
typical weather, a holiday
that occurs in that season
and an example of
behavioral change in that
season for each a plant,
animal and a human.
There will be an element
of matching vocabulary
words with the
corresponding season.
Students will also be
asked to reproduce
patterns of 2-4 elements
through drawing, writing
using manipulatives or
orally. Students will be
offered the choice to
complete this assessment
in written form, visual
 form or have an oral one-
on-one conference with
the teacher. The teacher
will evaluate the ability of
the student to complete
all the individual
elements (or answer the
questions, should it be an
oral conference). For oral
and written assessment
the teacher will reference
the ESL Benchmarks as a
resource for assessing
English Language
Literacy.


Differentiation
All lessons in this unit will provide opportunities to be easily differentiated to suit a
variety of specific learner needs if necessary. As this is a grade one class and
presumably (for the sake of this assignment) this class has a large population of ELL
students, the focus will be on strengthening language skills at the same time as
delivering the science outcomes. The teacher will present the material orally,
visually when possible and in written for, as the students will be acquiring a variety
of vocabulary and strengthening their pronunciation and spelling skills. The class
employs multiple methods of language teaching, including Total body response,
which is especially beneficial for young students as it helps give them body breaks
as they learn.
Additional Notes
Every day, it will be a new students job to add weather related stickers onto the
class calendar that correspond to the temperature and weather that morning. We
will create a chart that will follow the weather trends throughout the year and
continue to revisit seasonal changes. We will keep the seasonal mind maps up on the
board and add to them throughout the year.
When taking attendance, the teacher will choose a specific category of words for the
students to use as their attendance response. For example, instead of responding
“here” or “present” the teacher will ask the students to respond with specific
vocabulary words, such as naming their favorite season or naming a month that
occurs during the winter, or an activity that they would do during the summer.








References:

Alberta Education. (2011) English as Second Language Proficiency Benchmarks.
Retrieved from: http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/eslapb/

Alberta Learning. (200). Programs of Study.
Available online at: https://education.alberta.ca/programs-of-study/

Coelho, E. (2004). Adding English: A guide to teaching in multilingual classrooms.
University of Toronto Press.

Graski Roki. (2018) Bill Nye the Science Guy- S01E15 Seasons.
Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9z-aGB3atg