Concordia University Nebraska Education Department Lesson Plan Scaffold
Name: Emma Noel Grade Level: Kindergarten
Topic/Central Focus Subject: Science
Weather and Weather Patterns
Time Frame: 25 minutes
Standard(s) to be met in the lesson:
SC.K.12.3.B Ask questions to obtain information about the purpose of weather
forecasting to prepare for, and respond to, severe weather.
Learning Objective: Assessment Tool(s) and Procedures:
Students will be able to make observations Students journal entries and drawing about
about how clouds form and use this their experiment observations will be used
information to determine how we can use this to assess their ability to make observations
information to respond to these weather about cloud formations.
patterns.
Research-Based Best Practice used in lesson and why it is appropriate/useful
Concept mapping is a helpful method that allows students to see how vocabulary and ideas
are all interconnected.
Student Engagement used throughout the lesson
Students will engage with this lesson as they work on an experiment in their small groups
and work together to draw their observations and discuss the things that they see.
Academic Language:
Observe, cloud cover, identify, describe, weather patterns, weather changes, condensation,
and pollution.
Materials: Technology:
Glass jar, hot water, hairspray, ice, journals, PowerPoint presentation,
Assets (Knowledge of Students: personal, cultural, community)
This lesson will build on students’ prior knowledge about how different weather patterns
function together. Students will be asked to draw upon their prior experiences with weather
patterns based on the things that they observe when the go outside during different times of
the day or when they get dressed for the changing seasons.
Updated 8/15/19
Concordia University Nebraska Education Department Lesson Plan Scaffold
Differentiating Instruction
This lesson can be differentiated to the different abilities of students by allowing them to
either draw, diagram or vocalize their observations. Providing a variety of explanations that
are voiced and then scaffolded would be helpful for students to clearly hear and see what
they are expected to do.
Procedure with time allotments:
A) Hook/Engage/Pre-Assess Students
Use concept map to show interconnecting ideas that have been covered so far. So far
in our lesson, we have been discussing about the different ways in which scientists
and meteorologists collect weather data. We’ve been learning about how they use
different symbols to communicate weather patterns that we can learn about in
newspapers or on a weather app.
B) Communicate the purpose of the lesson to students (objective/assessment)
Help students see that the purpose of this lesson is for us to identify one of our big
“why” question: “Why is it important for us to make observations about the weather?”
C) Instructional Sequence:
Open the lesson by discussing the primary topic of clouds and how this
connects with our big picture (concept map) of weather.
To pre-assess students, they will be asked to turn to their partners to answer
the following question: What are clouds and why are there clouds only
sometimes?
Student will then be called upon to share about their discussions with their
partners.
Tell students that today we are going to learn about what makes a cloud and
how clouds are formed.
Distribute supplies: jars filled with hot water, lids and ice cubes.
Instruct students to draw their observations of this first stage of the
experiment. Walk around the room and ask students to share what they see
and what they think might be happening.
Assist the students by spraying hair spray in the jars and instructing them to
put the lid on quickly and then watch as the cloud forms in their jar
Instruct students to record their observations.
While students are observing their clouds, explain how condensation is what
happens when water evaporates and lands on a surface. Once we add
something like hair spray which acts like the particles, dust or pollution in the
sky, the water droplets latch onto those little particles to create a foggy
appearance.
Students can now let their clouds out and draw their final observations.
D) Closure:
Give students the chance to do an artwork to see each other’s drawings and
observations. Close the lesson by explaining that fog, clouds and mist are just a few
of the weather patterns that we see that we can now add to our weather wall.
Updated 8/15/19
Concordia University Nebraska Education Department Lesson Plan Scaffold
Analyzing Teaching (Reflection):
Complete after the lesson is taught.
Give evidence that the lesson was successful for students meeting the learning
objective(s). Students’ journals and drawings of their observations will be used to
measure their meeting of the objectives of the lesson.
If you could teach this lesson to the same group of students again, what are two or three things you would do
differently to improve the learning of these students based on their varied developmental and academic needs and
characteristics? Consider missed opportunities and other aspects of planning, instruction, and/or assessment.
Explain in the table below.
Clearly state each change you would Explain why and how you would change
make. it.
I think that it would be a good idea to This might not be the most age-
make this a more observation-based appropriate lesson for students to do by
learning activity. themselves, so having a more guided
learning approach with group
conversation might be more beneficial.
Updated 8/15/19
