ETE 328 Integrated Unit Plan First Grade: Weather

ETE 328 Integrated Unit Plan
First Grade: Weather
Table of Contents
Introduction 2
Goals and Vision 3
Daily Schedule 6
Two Week Schedule 7
Week One 8
Week Two 10
Learning Environment Design 14
Morning Work 16
Specials 17
Learning Centers 20
Week One Lessons 22
Monday 23
Tuesday 26
Wednesday 32
Thursday 36
Friday 41
Week Two Lessons 43
Monday 43
Tuesday 49
Wednesday 55
Thursday 59
Friday 62
Parent Involvement 66
Interactive Bulletin 67
Resources 68
Topic Box 70
Reflection 71
Appendix 74
1
Introduction
This project is an integrated unit plan on weather. This project is valuable to students
because it uses multiple subject areas to teach about weather, which is a critical topic for all
children to learn because it affects everyone across the globe. By integrating weather into all
subject areas, we are able to provide all students with engaging learning experiences and can
effectively teach to all different types of learners. Our unit plan connects weather to all of the
different components of a child: interpersonal, intrapersonal, creativity, spiritual, mathematical,
linguistic, kinesthetic, and visual/spatial components.
Over the course of two weeks, we will be teaching children the basics of weather, and
then diving deeper into how weather affects all people across the globe. By educating students
on weather and how it affects all people, we can deepen their understanding of the world and
open their eyes to bigger issues in the world. In this unit, we will be discussing temperature and
climate, as well as seasons and natural disasters, to educate students on weather that affects
both their daily lives, and the lives of others around the globe.
In the presentation, one can expect to view a daily schedule of our class, a two-week
schedule of the plans for the weeks, lesson plans for the two weeks of the unit, a family
involvement plan, an interactive bulletin board, a topic box, and our resources. This unit plan will
be useful for any early childhood educator who is looking to incorporate weather into their
curriculum. This unit is very hands-on, informative, and fun. Our lessons relate to real-life
experiences, which is important in order for students to make strong connections in their
learning.
2
Goals and Vision
The purpose of this unit is to inform children on how crucial weather is to everyone and
everything. We want our students to explore and investigate weather and how it affects people,
animals, and plants. We want our students to be able to answer essential questions that require
students to critically think, discover, and make connections to prior knowledge and to their lives.
Some of these essential questions may include:
● What is weather?
● How does climate differ from region to region?
● Compare/Contrast seasons
● Investigate natural disaster and how they affect people around the world.
Our vision for this project is to give students the opportunity to learn about weather and
all of its various components, while providing them with active, and engaging learning
experiences. We want to teach our students in a way that relates the components of weather
back to their lives in order to spark their interest and explore the world they live in. Our vision as
educators is to teach to the whole child and children with various learning styles. We want to
provide all children with an equal opportunity to learn in a way that is best for them.
Topic/Concept Web
3
4
5
Topic Web Explanation
When creating our original topic web, we didn’t have a solid idea of what we wanted our
focus to be for this unit. We knew we wanted to do weather, but weather is such a large topic
that we needed to narrow down our focus. In our second topic web, all of our lessons and foci
are represented. We narrowed down a few subtopics of weather that we wanted to focus on,
and then wrote our lessons based around that. The way our final web is constructed, is that our
main subtopics are branched off of the broad topic of weather. Off of those subtopics, we wrote
questions that either students would want to know about the topic, or that we want our students
to know about the topic. Branching off of that is our different lesson plans. Our final web is much
more inclusive than our original one, and encompasses all of the ideas that we incorporated in
our lesson plans and throughout the whole unit.
Daily Schedule
8:30-9am: Breakfast
6
9-9:15am: Daily warm up-- Morning worksheet or journaling
9:15-9:30am: Morning meeting
9:30- 10am: Reading Center
10-10:30am: Writing Center
10:30-10:45am: Snack
10:45-11:15am: Specials
11:15-Noon: Social studies/Science
12-12:30: Recess
12:30-1pm: Lunch
1-2pm: Math
2-2:30pm: Clean-up/Jobs
2:30pm: Dismissal
Two Week Schedule
7
Week One
Week 1: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Temperature
and climates
8:30-9am: Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast
Breakfast
9-9:15am: Daily Journal time Daily warm up Journal time Daily warm up Journal time
worksheet
warm up Prompt: worksheet Prompt: Prompt:
What do you What do you What is the

know about enjoy doing in climate like
weather? cold/hot where we live
temperatures?
9:15-9:30am: Morning meeting Morning meeting Morning meeting Morning meeting Morning meeting
Morning meeting
9:30- 10am: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5:

Read to self or Read to someone Read to self or Read to someone Free Choice-
Reading Center listening to listening to Read to self or
reading reading Read to Someone
8
10-10:30am: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5:
Work on writing Word Work Work on writing Word Work Free Choice-
Writing Center Work on writing
or Word Work
10:30-10:45am: Snack Snack Snack Snack Snack
Snack
10:45-11:15am: Art Music PE PE Library
Specials Making rain Exploring rain Four corners of Relay Races Climate/
sticks sticks weather temperature
books
Social Studies Science Social Studies Science Science
11:15-Noon: Clouds, Rain, & Cloud and Rain Temperature and Cloudy with a Cloudy with a
Fog Science You Chance of… Chance of…
Social cont.
Studies/Science
12-12:30: Recess Recess Recess Recess Recess Recess
9
12:30-1pm: Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch
Lunch
1-2pm: Math Math Math Math Math Math
Sunny Day Cloud Graph Place Value Rain Sunshine Math Measure the Sky
2-2:30pm: Clean- Clean-up/Jobs Clean-up/Jobs Clean-up/Jobs Clean-up/Jobs Clean-up/Jobs
up/Jobs
2:30pm: Dismissal Dismissal Dismissal Dismissal Dismissal
Dismissal
Week Two
Week 2: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Seasons and
natural disasters
10
8:30-9am: Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast
Breakfast
9-9:15am: Daily Daily warm up Journal time Daily warm up Journal time Daily warm up
worksheet Prompt: worksheet
warm up worksheet Prompt: What do you like
What is your to do on a
favorite season sunny/rain/windy
and why? Write day?
about what kind
of weather you
experience in this
season.
9:15-9:30am: Morning meeting Morning meeting Morning meeting Morning meeting Morning meeting
Morning meeting
9:30- 10am: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5:

Read to self or Read to someone Read to self or Read to someone Free Choice-
Reading Center listening to listening to Read to self or
reading reading Read to Someone
10-10:30am: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5:

Work on writing Word Work Work on writing Word Work Free Choice-
Writing Center Work on writing
or Word Work
11
10:30-10:45am: Snack Snack Snack Snack Snack
Snack
10:45-11:15am: PE Art Art PE/Music Library

Nature Walk Four Season Art Create Your Weather Dancing Weather books
Specials Project Natural Disaster
11:15-Noon: Social Studies Science Science Science Social Studies
Social What is a Natural disaster Natural disaster Natural disaster Create your own
meteorologist? research project research project research project weather map
Studies/Science In-School Field presentations
Trip
12-12:30: Recess Recess Recess Recess Recess Recess
12:30-1pm: Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch
Lunch
1-2pm: Math Comparing/ Graphing With Addition Subtraction Nature Walk

Contrasting Seasons Math
Seasons
12
2-2:30pm: Clean- Clean-up/Jobs Clean-up/Jobs Clean-up/Jobs Clean-up/Jobs Clean-up/Jobs
up/Jobs
2:30pm: Dismissal Dismissal Dismissal Dismissal Dismissal
Dismissal
Our two-week plan is meaningfully planned by sub-topic. The first week is an
introduction to weather by discussing temperature and climate. This gives students the
background knowledge they need to move into week two’s topics, which is season and natural
disasters. On our schedule, you will see each day and subject area, with the plan of what we
are going to be doing that day. This gives substitute teachers a good idea of the topics and
lessons that we will be doing each day, as well as giving them an overall, big picture of the
entire unit plan. Our lesson plans will be organized in a way that follows our schedule. They will
go day-by-day and in the order that they will be taught.
13
Learning Environment Design
14
By seating students at tables, they are encouraged to work together. Since each table
has different colored chairs, the colors can represent the colors of different teams. This way,
when students are sharing their work or working in an environment outside of this classroom,
they can keep track of who is in which group. Besides the special seating arrangement, the
classroom has a discovery center for science/social studies where students are encouraged to
explore, a reading/writing center where students are supplied with books and multiple types of
writing materials, and an art area where student’s work is displayed. There are multiple
windows in the classroom for students to look outside and observe the weather, along with
nature outside for students to observe how weather affects nature. There is a Smart Board to
support teaching and engagement. There is a rug at the front of the classroom for students to
gather at while listening to books. The outdoor environment needs to have open space for the
children to draw on with sidewalk chalk. There should also be enough space clear of trees that
students can look up at the sky and observe the weather.
15
Morning Work
Every morning after breakfast, and before our morning meeting, the students will do
morning work. It will change daily so some days they will have a morning work worksheet that
have various questions and problems from a variety of subjects and topics that we are working
on. On the days that we don’t do worksheets, the students will be writing in their journal. They
will be given a prompt, which will be written on the whiteboard. The prompt for our journaling are
listed in the two week schedule and are as followed:
Week One:
● Monday: What do you know about weather?
● Wednesday: What do you enjoy doing in cold/hot temperature?
● Friday: What is the climate like where we live?
Week Two:
● Tuesday: What is your favorite season and why? Write about what kind of weather you
experience in this season.
● Thursday: What do you like to do on a sunny/rainy/windy day? Circle one and write
about it.
16
Specials
Week 1:
Monday
Art- Making Rain Sticks
Each student will receive a paper towel roll. They will begin by decorating the outside of
the paper towel roll with materials provided for them on the art table including markers, crayons,
colored pencils, sequins, glue, feathers, etc. Once students are done, they can choose
between rice or beans to put inside their paper towel roll. Students will select three pieces of
tissue paper to tape over the ends of the paper towel roll. They will tape one side of their roll, fill
their roll with rice or beans about ⅓ of the way, and tape their tissue paper onto the other side to
seal it. Students will need to make sure their name is somewhere on their rain stick before art is
over. We will be using their rain sticks in music class tomorrow.
Tuesday
Music- Exploring Rain Sticks
Students will each find their rain stick from the day before. Everyone will sit on the rug in
a circle and can test out the sounds that they can create. Once everyone has explored for
about five minutes with the various sounds they can create, everyone will repeat patterns. One
17
student will begin creating a rhythm pattern and students will repeat it. Each student will take a
turn creating a rhythm pattern for the class.
Wednesday
PE- Four Corners of Weather
All big materials will be pushed to the side of the classroom so there is space for the
students to move around. Each corner of the room will be labeled with a season: winter,
summer, fall, and spring. All student will select a corner to begin at and one student will stand in
the middle of the room. The student in the middle will close their eyes and count to ten while
the other students move around the room. When the student in the middle gets to ten, all
students have to freeze at the corner closest to them. The student in the middle will select a
season and say it outloud. The students that are frozen at that corner will be out and will sit
along the side of the classroom out of the way. The process will continue until there is only one
student moving around the the different seasons. That student will be the next student in the
middle.
Thursday
PE- Relay Races
Students will be divided into groups of four students. Each group will line up facing the
front of the room behind the line. The first student will run to the bucket at the end of their line,
select an item that they would use in the winter, and run back to the end of their line. The next
student will skip to the bucket at the end of their line, select an item that they would use in the
spring, and skip back to the end of their line. The next student will tiptoe to the bucket at the
end of their line, select an item that they would use in the summer, and tiptoe back to the end of
18
their line. The final student will jump to the bucket at the end of their line, select an item that
they would use in the fall, and jump back to the end of their line. The group that finishes first will
be the winner of that round. Each group will place their items in the bucket behind their line and
regroup to play again. The process will be the same, but students will have to find a new item in
their bucket related to their season.
Friday
Library- Climate/Temperature Books
Students will sit at their tables or sit on the rug to listen to books. Books that are related
to climate and temperature can be found in the topic box. Once a book is read, the teacher will
select five students to ask questions related to the book. The teacher will write the questions on
the board. If a student knows the answer to the question, he can answer it. Otherwise, we will
research the answer later on. We will read as many books as time allows and create questions
to be answered.
Week 2:
*See lesson plans for the week
Monday
P.E. Nature Walk
Tuesday
Art: Four Seasons Art Project
Wednesday
Art: Create Your Natural Disaster
Thursday
P.E./Music: Weather Dancing
Friday
Library
19
Learning Centers
For our learning centers, we will have reading and writing centers daily. Our centers will
be incorporating Daily 5, which is a program that provides students with structured literacy time.
This gives students time each day to work on reading and writing. During reading centers, the
students will rotate between reading to self, reading to someone, and listening to a book on the
ipads. Usually with Daily 5, the students have free choice to choose what activity they want to
choose, but we are going to structure it more to make sure our students have a chance to work
on all three reading areas. On Mondays and Wednesdays, we will be able to take the ipad cart
and the students will have the option to listen to pre-downloaded e-books. They can either listen
to an e-book, or they can read to themselves. Since it’s first grade, we expect that some of our
students will read quietly out loud since reading in their head may be difficult for students in this
age group. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, students will be reading to a partner. Some days, we
will allow students to choose their own partner, other days, we will pick their partners to give
them variety in who they interact with. On Fridays, students will have the choice to either read to
self or read to someone. During reading center time, the students will be able to sit wherever
they want in the classroom. They can sit in their desk, at the teacher’s table, on the floor, with a
pillow or beanbag. We decided this to encourage intrinsic motivation and make sure that
students are comfortable. If students are comfortable and are able to read a book of their
choice, they are more likely to want to read and develop good reading habits. For their book
choice, the students can either read a book from their library book bag, or they can choose a
book from our collection. We will have a large variety of weather books that they can choose to
read. If students choose to listen to an e-book, they will be able to choose from a variety of
20
grade-level books, as well as a variety of weather e-books that we will download on the ipad
ahead of time.
In our writing center, we will have more structure than our reading center. We again, will
be implementing Daily 5. This gives students the option to work on their independent writing, or
do word work, which focuses on sight words and gives the students the chance to practice
spelling and using words in their writing. On Monday and Wednesdays, the students will be
working on writing. For this, they will have various writing prompts about weather. The prompts
will be written on popsicle sticks so the students can randomly choose a prompt to write about.
Students can also choose to write an opinion piece, which is one of the first grade writing
standards. Some of these prompts will be about our topic of weather, and others will be about
various topics. They will use a template to write their opinion piece and then they will transfer
what they wrote into their writing journals. Students are also able to write about the weather we
are experiencing that day and draw a picture of it. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the students
will be doing word work. For this, they can practice writing either our weekly sight words, which
are high frequency words, or they can practice writing our weather words. For this activity,
students can use whiteboards to practice writing the words. There are also letter magnets they
can use to spell out words. We also have letter tiles from the game Scrabble that they can use
to spell out words. Another activity is they can cut out the individual letters of their sight words
and then glue them in the correct order on a piece of paper. Like in the reading center, students
can choose to sit wherever they want. They all have clipboards so that they have a hard surface
to write on if they choose to be on the floor. Along with the different letter materials, there are
other writing materials. They can write in markers, crayons, colored pens, etc. They can also
write in their journal, colored paper, whiteboards, fun stationery, etc. We want students to have
choice in what they are writing and what materials they use because it motivates and interests
them.
21
Week One Lessons
22
Monday
I. Title: Clouds, Rain, & Fog
II. Rationale/ Focus Statement:

Grade: 1st
Subject: Social Studies
In this lesson, students will learn how to think critically about a topic that they know a
little about. Even though the students may not be experts on the topic, each student knows
something about clouds, rain, and fog. Using a book to support them in learning more is a great
tool for children. By thinking of ideas as a class, students learn from their peers as well. A KWL
chart is a great resource for students, parents, and teachers to look back on to see how much
the student learned.
III. Objectives:
Students will be able to create questions related to clouds, rain, and fog.
Students will be able to create a KWL chart.
IV. Illinois Learning Standards

SS.IS.1.K.-2: Create questions to help guide inquiry about a topic with guidance
from adults and/or peers
Common Core
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.8
With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or
gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
Social/Emotional Learning Standards
2C.1b. Demonstrate appropriate social and classroom behavior.
V. Instructional Strategies & Learning Tasks

1. Students will gather at the front of the room to read the book Cloud, Rain, and Fog by
Fred and Jeane Biddulph. Before we read, we will look through the book to think of
topics we would like to learn about. We will also discuss topics that we find in the book
that we already know about.
2. Students will each suggest a topic from the book to share with the group.
3. Once we have brainstormed ideas, students will walk back to their seats. Each student
will be given a KWL chart. Students will fill out the first section- What I know.
4. Students can work with a partner next to them or at their table to fill in the second
section of their KWL chart- What I want to know.
5. As students finish the first two sections, they will gather on the rug again. When all
students have arrived, we will read our book.
6. Throughout the book, the teacher will emphasize sections that answered questions that
the students had.
7. At the end of the book, each student will share an idea that they learned from the book.
23
8. Students will go back to their seat and fill in the final section of their KWL chart- What I
learned.
VI. Assessment:
Student will be assessed using their KWL charts. They will be assessed based
on their ability to follow directions. They should also have at least three new ideas that they
learned from the book written down.
VII. References:
Biddulph, F., & Biddulph, J. (2015). Clouds, rain and fog. Thomastown, Victoria?: Sunshine
Multimedia (Australia) Pty Ltd,?
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from https://www.isbe.net/
Lanley, J. (2016, November 15). Home. Retrieved April 19, 2017, from
http://notebookingfairy.com/k-w-l-graphic-organizer-printable/
Preparing America's students for success. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from
http://www.corestandards.org/
(n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2017, from http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview?LPid=13664
Materials:
● KWL chart
● Cloud, Rain, and Fog by Fred and Jeane Biddulph
Accommodations:
Students that need assistance with the discussion portion of the lesson will be
scaffolded with more questions. Instead of students leading the discussion and only needing a
few follow up questions, I will lead the discussion and ask the students more specific questions
along with a few options for answers. I will also assist any students with writing as needed.
Students that need assistance with the final section of the KWL chart can look through the book
for ideas.
I. Title: Sunny Day

Grade: 1st
Subject: Science/Math
In this lesson, students will learn how to create and measure shadows. Students will
learn a song to introduce them to the topic and get their ideas flowing. This activity allows
24
students to work in a hands-on way to explain shadows and measurement. Students are
working with real life materials and not pictures printed on a page. Students are also working in
the outdoors, so they are benefitting from the fresh air and sun.
III. Objectives:
Students will be able to explain how shadows are created.
Students will be able to create their own shadow with chalk.
Students will be able to measure their shadow in inches.
IV. Common Core Standards

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.A.2
Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units.

1. Students will sit on the rugs at the front of the classroom in their own spots.
Once gathered, we will learn a weather song to the tune of “BINGO”. We will discuss how the
sun creates shadows outside.
We have weather everyday
Today is sunny weather.
S-U-N-N-Y, S-U-N-N-Y, S-U-N-N-Y
Today it’s sunny weather.
2. Students are divided into pairs and given sidewalk chalk, a ruler, and a data
chart. Students will prepare as necessary to go outside.
3. Groups of two students will work outside together. The whole class will stay
in the playground area. Each group will find a space where they can see their shadows on the
ground. One partner will stand still so that their partner can trace their shadow with sidewalk
chalk. Once this is completed, they will switch places with the shadow next to the first one. The
partner will trace the second person’s shadow on the ground with another color. The pair will
use their data charts to draw a picture of what their shadow looks like and what their partner’s
shadow looks like in the correct section. Each person will measure their shadow with the ruler
in inches. They will share their measurements and write them below the correct picture on the
data chart. Finally, the pair will discuss any differences or similarities they find.
4. Students clean up their materials and line up to go inside.
VI. Assessment:
Student will be assessed using their data charts and discussion at the beginning
of the lesson. They are expected to participate in the discussion on shadows and provide their
predictions on how shadows are created. Their shadow will be drawn on the data chart, but I
will walk around to ensure students are tracing the shadows first. Finally students will be
assessed on their measurement skills and should be within five inches of the correct answer.
25
VII. References:
Weather Walks. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from

http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview?LPid=10665
Materials:
● Sidewalk chalk
● Ruler
● Data chart
Accommodations:
along with a few options for answers. I will also assist any students tracing their shadows and
measuring them as needed.
Tuesday
I. Title: Cloud and Rain Science

Grade: 1st
Subject: Science/Math
26
In this lesson, students will learn how rain falls from the clouds. Young children have a
natural curiosity about what happens around them. This activity allows them to explore and
experiment with a concept that is very familiar to them. By talking about how the clouds fill up
with water and eventually get so full that they release that water, they will be able to think about
it and understand how it rains. Students are practicing their fine motor skills when they are
dropping the water onto the cotton balls, and their math skills when they are estimating and
counting the raindrops. They are making predictions about how much water they will need
before it starts to fall out. This activity is led by students since they are the ones asking
questions and doing the work hands-on, so they are actively engaged in their learning.
III. Objectives:
Students will be able to ask questions about weather (rain).
Students will be able to predict how many water drops it takes to fill the clouds.
Students will be able to explain how rain falls from clouds.
IV. Common Core Standards

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.NBT.A.1
Count to 120, starting at any number less than 120. In this range, read and write
numerals and represent a number of objects with a written numeral.

Once gathered, we will read a story about rain. Students will save their questions and
comments until after the story has been read. Then, students will be asked the questions:
“Where does rain come from?”, “How does rain get to the ground?”, and “Is rain good for the
earth?”. Students will raise their hands to answer the questions and will be called on one at a
time.
2. Students are divided into centers or put in a group to do table work.
3. Groups of two students will do their rain experiment during table work. Each
student will receive their experiment materials (clear cup, strainer, cotton balls, a cup of water
mixed with blue food coloring, and a dropper) after hearing instructions. The clear jar will be
prepared with the strainer on top and a few cotton balls in the strainer. Each student will receive
a data chart journal with three sections: before, during, and after. We will discuss our
predictions for how many water drops it will take to fill the clouds up and make it rain. I will
demonstrate how to use the dropper and let the students practice first. Students will begin by
drawing the set up as they see it before any water is added. Then, each student will take his or
her dropper and cup of water and will fill the dropper up. He or she will add one drop of water at
a time to the cotton balls in the strainer and will count each drop. Once the cotton balls begin
filling up, I will stop the students and they will draw what they see in the middle section of their
data journal. They will then continue until the water starts falling from the cotton balls. Once
this happens, the students will draw their final picture in the last section of their data journal. As
27
a group, we will discuss what they observed, if their predictions were correct, and how rain falls
from the sky.
4. Students clean up their centers and are called to line up to leave.
VI. Assessment:
Student will be assessed using their data journal pictures and our discussion as a
group. I will be seeing if their data journal has three pictures that show each part of the
experiment. I will listen to the discussion to hear if students can make predictions and use their
experiment to answer follow up questions.
VII. References:
Generating Questions (Before/During/After Chart). (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2017, from
http://instructionalstrats.weebly.com/generating-questions-beforeduringafter
-chart.html
Materials:
● Clear cup
● Cotton balls
● Blue food coloring
● Water
● Strainer
● Dropper
● Data journal sheets
● Book
Accommodations:
along with a few options for answers. I will also assist any students using the dropper tool.
28
I. Title: Cloud Graph

Grade: 1st
Subject: Math
In this lesson, students will learn about various types of clouds including Cirrus Clouds,
Cumulus Clouds, Cumulonimbus Clouds, and Stratus Clouds. First, the students will think of
everything that they know about clouds and they will share it with a partner. We are bringing up
their prior knowledge and building on that. The video is a great way to show the students
multiple pictures of clouds in a way that will engage them. By creating a booklet, students are
able to take home something that they created that they can share with their family and friends.
The graph is an introductory activity simply to show students the basics of a bar graph.
29
III. Objectives:
Students will be able to create a booklet about various types of clouds.
Students will be able to draw their favorite cloud and place it on the graph
correctly.
IV. Common Core

Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts
about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.

1. We will begin with a think, pair, share activity on clouds. Students will think about
everything they know about clouds, find a partner at their table, and share their ideas.
2. Once everyone has shared with a partner, each pair will share one idea with the class.
3. Each student will create a “What I Know About Clouds” booklet. On the cover page,
students will write the name of their booklet and their own name. On the second page
they will write three facts they know about clouds in general. On the fourth page, they
will draw a picture of a cloud. The fifth, seventh, ninth, and eleventh page will be titled
Cirrus Clouds, Cumulus Clouds, Cumulonimbus Clouds, and Stratus Clouds accordingly.
The sixth, eighth, tenth, and twelfth pages will have a picture of the cloud on the
previous page.
4. As a class we will discuss Cirrus Clouds, Cumulus Clouds, Cumulonimbus Clouds, and
Stratus Clouds. We will watch All About Clouds for Kids: Types and Names of Clouds -
FreeSchool.
5. As watch the video, the teacher will pause the video on each type of cloud. Students will
draw a picture of the cloud under the correct title and write a few facts that they learned.
6. After the video is finished, each student will receive a small piece of paper. On it, they
will draw their favorite type of cloud and write their name at the bottom.
7. Each student will place their cloud on the class bar graph in the correct section.
8. As a class, we will discuss what we found with the graph.
30
Here is an example of the cloud graph that we will create from
http://thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com/2015/03/all-about-weather-activities-ideas.html
VI. Assessment:
Student will be assessed using their cloud booklet. They will be assessed on
their ability to write three facts on their own and a cloud in general. They will also be assessed
on their ability to write facts from the video and draw a picture that they see.
VII. References:
The First Grade Parade. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2017, from
http://thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com/2015/03/all-about-weather-activities-
ideas.html
W. (2015, October 19). All About Clouds for Kids: Types and Names of Clouds - FreeSchool.
Retrieved April 12, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAqeFSa60TE
31
Materials:
● Cloud booklets (white paper about 7 sheet per child)
● Video: All About Clouds for Kids: Types and Names of Clouds - FreeSchool.
● Small pieces of paper
● Pencils
● Crayons
● Colored Pencils
● Large paper for graph
Accommodations:
Students that need assistance focusing on the video can sit closer to the Smart
Board. They can also watch the video multiple times. Students that need assistance writing
their books will receive verbal prompts from the teacher. Students that need assistance with the
graph will also receive verbal prompts or hand over hand instruction.
Wednesday
I. Title: Temperature and You

Grade: 1st
32
Subject: Social Studies/Language Arts
In this lesson, students will learn how to create questions about a topic. These
questions will guide their thinking when they begin writing. The writing that the students will
create is unique to their own experiences and cultures. Students learn to prepare ideas before
they write, write about their experiences and opinions, and share their ideas with a classmate.
III. Objectives:
Students will be able to create questions related to temperature.
Students will be able to write about their experiences.
Students will be able to work appropriately with classmates.
IV. Illinois Learning Standards

SS.IS.1.K.-2: Create questions to help guide inquiry about a topic with guidance
from adults and/or peers
Common Core
With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or
gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

Once gathered, we will discuss how different temperatures affect the world us. The discussion
will be mostly student led aside from a few prompts. Discussion topics will include temperature
and clothing, jobs, food, playing, animals, and plants. By the end of the introduction, students
will create questions to answer in their writing piece.
2. Students are divided into centers or put in a group to do table work.
3. Students will be given a few weather related books to generate ideas for their
writing. They may work with a partner to share and compare ideas. Once students have
prepared their ideas, they will be given a sheet of writing paper with empty space at the top for
their illustration. They will choose five to seven questions to answer from the discussion. Once
the questions are answered, students will draw a picture at the top of the page to illustrate their
writing. When all students in the group are finished, they will pair up with another student and
share their writing and picture.
4. Students clean up their centers and are called to line up to leave.
VI. Assessment:
Student will be assessed using their writing pieces. They will be assessed based
on their level of thinking, their ability to create questions, and how they work with other students.
VII. References:
33
Materials:
● White board
● Writing paper
● Pencils
● Crayons
Accommodations:
I. Title: Place Value Rain

Grade: 1st
Subject: Math
In this lesson, students will learn about place value. By creating an interactive and
hands on activity, students are more likely to understand which number goes where. This is a
base level lesson to introduce students to the idea. By having students work in a group, they
34
are collaborating with their peers and learning from each other. This lesson also focuses on a
topic that we have been discussing in detail in science.
III. Objectives:
Students will be able to differentiate between the tens and ones place value.
Students will be able to record their learning on a chart.
IV. Common Core

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.NBT.B.2
Understand that the two digits of a two-digit number represent amounts of tens
and ones.

1. Students will work in groups of four. Each group will receive two dice, a cloud with tens
written on it, a cloud with ones written on it, and a recording sheet for each student.
2. As a group, the students will take turns playing the game. One student will begin rolling
the dice. That student will then place one die under each cloud to represent a larger
number. The student will tell the group the number that he or she has created. Each
student will write the information on their recording sheet. There is a line for the first
number in the tens column, the second number in the ones column, and the number put
together.
3. Students will each take a turn until all of the lines on the paper are filled. If a student
creates a number that has already been recorded, he or she should switch the tens and
ones place numbers.
4. After every group has completed the activity, the group members will present one
number they created to the class. One student will share their paper with the document
camera and highlight the number they are choosing to present or he can write the
numbers on the board.
VI. Assessment:
Student will be assessed using their recording sheet. I will walk around the
classroom while the students are playing to see how they are doing. I will be looking to see that
they can understand which number is in the tens column, which number is in the ones column,
and how the number comes together.
VII. References:
35
ideas.html
Materials:
● Dice
● Tens place cloud
● Ones place cloud
● Recording sheet
● White board & markers/ document camera
Accommodations:
Students that need assistance with the game will work in a smaller group. I will
help this group with what questions they have, as long as they are still challenged. Students
can also use their group members as a guide for what to do.
Thursday
I. Title: Cloudy with a Chance of...

Grade: 1st
Subject: Science
In this lesson, students will learn how to think about weather in a different way. By
reading a book based on fantasy weather, students can see how weather affects a community.
36
Creating a weather report allows students to think on their own and make their own weather.
Allowing students to transfer this weather report into an art piece encourages them to be
creative. Using many different types of art materials allows the students to manipulate materials
that would not typically be used for art in a new way.
III. Objectives:
Students will be able to create a weather report with creative ideas.
Students will be able to create an art piece based on their weather report.
Students will be able to share materials with their classmates.
IV. Common Core

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

Day 1:
1. Students will gather on the rug to read Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Before we
begin reading, we will discuss what typical types of weather we usually see outside (rain,
snow, hail, wind, sun).
2. As we read, the teacher will focus on questioning if the weather is reality or fairy tale.
3. After we finish reading, we will discuss what kind of weather the characters in the book
experienced. We will also discuss why their type of weather is necessary for where they
live.
4. As a group, we will create a chart comparing and contrasting the two types of weather.
5. Students will go to their seats and write their own weather report. It can be real or
imaginary. This can take the remainder of the class time.
Day 2:
1. The next day, we will gather as a group at the front of the class to revisit what we
learned the previous day. The teacher will ask the students what can fall from the sky in
the real world and what can fall from the sky in an imaginary world.
2. Students will take turns sharing their weather reports with the class. Each student will
have the chance to report their creative weather.
3. Students will then go back to their seats and add any weather that they would like to
their weather report knowing that they will create their report in art form.
4. Each student will be given a sheet of thick white paper. Each table will have various art
materials such as cotton balls, markers, colored pencils, crayons, feathers, construction
paper, tissue paper, glue, scissors, wood chips, rice, and fruitloops. Students will share
these materials and use their creativity to make their weather report in a visual form.
VI. Assessment:
37
Student will be assessed using their weather reports and their art pieces. They
will be assessed based on their creativity of their weather report. Since students were given
ideas from the book, they should have ideas to go off of. They will also be assessed on their
ability to use what they wrote and transform it into art. Their art piece should reflect their writing.
VII. References:
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2017, from
http://lessonplanspage.com/cloudy-with-a-chance-of-meatballs/.
Materials:
● Writing paper for weather report
● Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
● Thick white paper
● Cotton balls
● Markers
● Colored pencils
● Crayons
● Feathers
● Construction paper
● Tissue paper
● Glue
● Scissors
● Wood chips
● Rice
● Fruitloops
Accommodations:
Students that need assistance with the weather report can look through the book for ideas.
Students that need assistance working with the art materials can receive help from the teacher
or another student.
38
I. Title: Sunshine Math

Grade: 1st
Subject: Math
In this lesson, students will learn about place value. This lesson builds on the lesson
from the day before in that students are expanding their knowledge of place value. By using
long strips to represent tens and a square to represent ones, students can understand that there
are ten squares in each strip. Students are working in a smaller group today which provides
them more opportunity to use the manipulatives. This lesson also follows the weather theme
that we have been focusing on.
III. Objectives:
Students will be able to represent place value using manipulatives.
Students will be able to transfer their visual work onto paper.
39
IV. Common Core
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.NBT.C.4
Add within 100, including adding a two-digit number and a one-digit number, and
adding a two-digit number and a multiple of 10, using concrete models or
drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or
the relationship between addition and subtraction

1. Students will work in pairs for this activity.
2. Each pair will be given two dice, a sunshine circle, paper cut into strips, paper cut into
squares, and a recording sheet.
3. Each student will take a turn with the materials. The student will begin by rolling the
dice. He will decide which number will be in the tens place and which number will be in
the ones place. He will place the appropriate number of paper strips to represent the
tens place around the circle to create a sun. He will then place the appropriate number
of paper squares to represent the ones place around the circle to fill in the sun.
4. On the recording sheet, each student will write the tens number under the tens column,
the ones number under the ones column, and the number put together.
5. Students will switch places and take turns with the materials until their recording sheet is
filled.
6. Partners should check each other’s work as they take turns.
VI. Assessment:
Student will be assessed using their recording sheet. I will walk around the
classroom while the students are playing to see how they are doing. I will be looking to see that
they can understand which number is in the tens column, which number is in the ones column,
and how the number comes together.
VII. References:
ideas.html
Materials:
40
● Dice
● Sunshine circle
● Paper cut into strips
● Paper cut into squares
● Recording sheet
Accommodations:
Students that need assistance with the game will work in a smaller group. I will
help this group with what questions they have, as long as they are still challenged. Students
can also use their group members as a guide for what to do.
Friday
I. Title: Measure the Sky

Grade: 1st
Subject: Math/Cooking
In this lesson, students will learn about cooking in the classroom related to math topics
we have been working on. The past two days, students have been learning about place value
with various hands-on activities. Today’s lesson allows students to create a snack that will be
enjoyable for them. By having the students count out their materials, math and cooking are
integrated together.
III. Objectives:
Students will be able to make a prediction about how much materials they need.
Students will be able to create an exit slip based on their results.
41
IV. Common Core
Understand that the two digits of a two-digit number represent amounts of tens
and ones.

1. Students will be placed at groups of five. Each table will receive a bowl of cubed jello, a
bowl of whipped cream, spoons, clear cups, and exit slips.
2. Students will begin by washing their hands and their table space.
3. Each student will take a plastic cup and a spoon
4. Students will decide how many cubed jello pieces it will take to fill their cup and how
many spoons of whipped cream they need. The jello pieces will represent the tens place
since there will be a multiple of ten and the whipped cream will represent the ones place.
5. Students will write their predictions on their exit slip before they begin making their
dessert.
6. Students will alternate between cubes of jello and spoonfuls of whipped cream as they
think looks good.
7. They will use their exit slip to keep track of how much of each material they are using.
8. When students are finished, they will write their final number on their exit slip and can
eat their dessert.
VI. Assessment:
Student will be assessed using their exit slip. Their exit slip should include their
prediction along with the process of how they got their final answer. I will walk around the room
to ensure that students are using materials appropriately.
VII. References:
Jello Cloud Parfaits. (2015, July 23). Retrieved April 19, 2017, from
http://munchkinsandmoms.com/jello-cloud-parfaits/
Materials:
● Plastic cups
● Spoons
42
● Blue jello cubes
● Whipped cream
● Exit slips
Accommodations:
Students that need assistance measuring their materials, they will receive hand
over hand assistance. They will also receive verbal cues related to making a prediction, writing
their exit slip, and making their snack.
Week Two Lessons
Monday
Title: Nature Walk

Grade: First Grade
Subjects: Weather/Movement
Rationale: This goal of this lesson is to incorporate movement into their day. Some schools do
not offer P.E. as a class, so this is a great way to incorporate movement and physical activity
into a daily lesson.
Standards (Illinois Learning Standards for Physical Development and Health:

19.A.1a Demonstrate control when performing fundamental locomotor, non-locomotor, and
manipulative skills.
19.C.1a Demonstrate safe movement in physical activities
Objectives:
Students will be able to participate in the nature walk by walking calmly around the area.
Students will be safe while participating in the nature walk.
43
Procedures:
· Prior to going on the nature walk, students will dress properly to go outside. They will wear
necessary clothing, such as coats or hats, depending on the weather. All students should wear
gym shoes.
· Students will gather into groups of 3 or 4. They will stay with this group the whole time we are
outside.
· We will walk, or drive if allowed, to a local park or forest preserve.
· We will walk around for about 30 minutes and explore nature. Students are encouraged to
interact with nature by touching and holding various objects outside.
· Throughout the walk, I will touch base with student and ask them if they have discovered
anything exciting that they want to share. I will also ask students questions about the weather
such as “how would you describe the weather we are having right now?” or “how may the
outdoors look if it was rainy or windy outside?”
Assessment:
My main concern is the students’ safety. I will be closely monitoring the groups of students at all
time to make sure that everyone is being safe.
44
Grade: First Grade
Topic: Weather
Subject: Social Studies
Title: What is a meteorologist?
Standards:
SS.CV.1.1. Explain how all people, not just official leaders, play important roles in a community
Objectives:
● Students will be able to explain what a meteorologist does after listening to a guest
speaker.
Instructional Strategies Learning Tasks
● Before the guest speaker arrives, I will ● The students will think about
prep the students for the presentation. questions they have for the
● I will facilitate a conversation by meteorologist.
asking the students what kind of ● The students will tell the teacher their
things they already know about questions so she can write them
meteorologists and what things they down.
still want to know ● The students will greet the guest
● I will write possible questions to ask speaker upon arrival.
the guest speaker on butcher paper. ● The students will actively listen to the
● When the guest speaker arrives, I will guest speaker.
introduce him/her to the class. ● The students will ask any questions
● The guest speaker will explain what they still have to the guest speaker.
they do in their career. ● The students will be active
● The guest speaker will answer any participants in the activity that the
questions the students still have. guest speaker does.
● The guest speaker will lead the class ● After the guest speaker, the students
in an activity relating to their field of will share what they learned.
45
student.
● After the guest speaker, we will
discuss what we learned.
Assessment:
For this lesson, I will be taking anecdotal notes on my students’ behaviors and what questions
they ask the meteorologist. I will also ask them what they learned at the end and take note of
that as well.
Materials:
● Butcher paper
● Markers
Content Area & Lesson title:

Fine Arts and Math: “Comparing and Constructing the Seasons”
Grade level:
First Grade
Rationale/Purpose:
Promote learning through creativity. This lesson is important because it allows students to
display their knowledge of weather and seasons through artistic articulation. The visual aspect
of the activity allows students to visually organize data into categories and compare and
contrast the similarities and differences.
Standards:
Common Core:
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.C.4
Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask and answer questions
about the total number of data points, how many in each category, and how many more or less
are in one category than in another.

Objectives:
· Students will be able to identify the seasons and their representative characteristics.
· Students will be able to organize the pictures into different categories of seasons
· Students will be able to answer questions about the data and categories.
· Students will be able to follow directions and be safe while using materials such as
scissors.
46
Instructional Strategies (What will the Learning Tasks (What will the students
teacher do?) do?)
· To grab the attention of the class I will

start by putting on a jacket, gloves, hat and · Students will guess what season the
scarf. teacher is dressed for based off of her outfit.
· After I’m obnoxiously dressed, I will · The students will listen to the
ask them if they can guess what season I’m directions for their project.
dressing for. Giving them something silly to · The students will use scissors in a
associate with a word with will serve as a safe manner to cut out the pictures.
great cue when they need to recall · The students will fold their
information. construction paper into four squares and label
· I will then walk through the directions the different seasons.
of their art project. · The students will glue each picture
· The students will be given pictures of into the correct season.
a variety of different weather conditions, such · The students will answer questions
as rain, snow, etc. such as “What types of weather did you put in
· They will cut out each of the pictures. spring?”, “How many types of weather did you
· They will take a piece of construction have in winter?”, etc. using their project as a
paper and fold it into 4 sections and label guide.
each section with the different seasons. · Students will aid the teacher in making
· They will glue each picture into the the big seasons chart by telling her what
appropriate category of season. Some types of weather belong in each of the
pictures may have more than one place, such different seasons.
as rain.
· We will then come together as a
whole class and have a discussion.
· The students will be asked questions
such as “What types of weather did you put in
spring?”, “How many types of weather did
you have in winter?”, etc.
· As a class, we will make one big chart
on butcher paper that display what types of
weather we see in each of the different
seasons.
Assessment:
The students will be assessed on their project by using a rubric. It will be a small rubric, with
point values of 0,1 and 2. If they made no attempt to correctly label and place the weather
47
pictures, they will receive a 0. If they made some attempt, but put pictures in the wrong season,
they will receive 1 point. If they were able to correctly label and place the pictures in the correct
season, they will receive 2 points.
Materials:
Pictures of various types of weather (sunshine, rain, snow, wind, etc.)
Construction paper
Markers
Glue
Scissors
Winter clothes (jacket, hat, gloves, scarf)
Butcher paper
Accommodations:
For students who are still developing fine motor skills, there will be some pre-cut pictures for
them to use instead of cutting them out. If there are any English language learners in the class, I
will label all of the pictures to help them know what the each of the pictures are.
48
Tuesday
Grade: First Grade

Topic: Weather
Subjects: Art
Rationale: This is an option for art, when your school doesn’t offer art as a special. This project
allows the students to show what they know about seasons by drawing each of the four seasons
using various art materials.
Standards: **These standards are drafts pending approval from the IL Board of Education
VA:Cr2.1.1a. Explore uses of materials and tools to create works of art or design.
VA:Re7.1.1a. Select and describe works of art that illustrate daily life experiences of self and
others.
Objectives:
● Students will be able to use a variety of materials to create their picture of the four
seasons.
● Students will be able to describe their work of art and explain how it relates to weather.
● To introduce this art project, I will ask ● The students will tell me the four
the students what the four seasons seasons, as well as characteristics for
are. each season.
● I will also ask them to describe some ● The students will listen to the
characteristics of each season. directions before drawing their lines
● After discussing the four seasons, I on their paper.
will pass out a large piece of white ● The students will label their sections
construction paper and pencils to the with each of the seasons names.
students. ● They will use their pencils to draw a
● I will have them draw three vertical large tree in the middle of the paper.
lines to divide their paper into four ● They will use a variety of materials
sections, one for each season. They such as chalk, tissue paper, and paint
will label each section with a season. to show what trees look like in the
● I will then have them draw a large tree different seasons.
in the middle of the paper whose ● When the students are done, they will
branches go across all four sections. place their project on the drying rack.
● The students will then use a variety of
tissue paper, chalk, or paint to
decorate the tree and how it would
look in each season.
49
● When they are done, their art will go
on a drying rack and when they are
dry, I will hang them up on the wall
outside the classroom.
Accommodations:
If my students are unable to draw a tree, I will draw one for them or they can use a stencil. For
students who have fine motor issues, they can either use large crayons or markers to draw, or
they can finger paint.
Materials:
● Construction paper
● Pencils
● Colorful tissue paper
● Glue
● Crayons
● Markers
● Chalk
● Paint
● Paint brushes
50
Title: Weather Writing
Grade: First Grade
Subjects: Science/Writing
Time: 3 days during allotted science time
Rationale:
One of the most important components of science, is investigation. This lesson requires
students to research and investigate a natural disaster that they are interested in. To present
this information, the students will write an expository piece on what they learned from their
investigation. Giving students the choice of topic allows for intrinsic motivation, which will in turn,
help them better learn the material. Practicing expository writing is also an important skill to
work on, because it is something they will be using for the rest of their lives.
Standards:
Common Core Standards:

Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the
topic, and provide some sense of closure.
Next Generation Science Standards:

(K- 2-ETS1-1)
Ask questions based on observations to find more information about the natural and/or
designed world(s).
Objectives
· Students will be able to ask questions about a natural disaster and research information
about it.
· Students will be able to write an expository text about a natural disaster of their choice.
Day One Day One

· To begin the lesson on natural disasters, I · Students will watch the youtube video
will show the following youtube video on about natural disasters and jot down topics
natural disasters to the class. I will ask the they are interested in learning about.
students to jot down topics they may be · Students will participate in a discussion
interested in learning more about. about the different natural disasters.
· After the video, we will have a discussion · Student will decide on the topic for their
on the different natural disasters we learned expository text.
about. · The students will copy down the model
· I will write all of the different natural graphic organizer to use as a reference for
51
disasters on butcher paper as the students their actual research paper.
discuss them. Day Two
· I will ask the students what natural disaster · Students will research their topic using
they want to investigate and write down each non-fiction books and online resources.
student’s name and their topic. · Students will take notes when needed on
· I will introduce the expository paper the what they are learning about their natural
students will be writing. We will go over the disaster.
different components of an expository paper · The students will fill out the graphic
and why what the purpose of an expository organizer for their natural disaster.
piece is. · Students will transfer the information from
· I will model a graphic organizer for them their graphic organizer to a piece of paper.
with a different topic to show them what kind Day Three
of information they will need. · Students will give an informal presentation
· I will then go over how students will to the class about what they learned about
research their topic. They will have access to their topic.
non-fiction books and online resources about
the various natural disasters.
Day Two
· I will give students approximately 45
minutes to read, research and take notes.
· I will pass out the graphic organizer for the
students to fill out.
· I will then give students paper to write their
expository paper on.
Day Three
· The students will present their topic in front
of the class and I will take anecdotal notes on
what they learned.
Assessment:
I will take observation notes while I walk around the classroom when the students are
researching their topic. The final grade of this assignment will be their paper. I will use a rubric
to grade their expository paper. I will mostly be looking at the format of the paper, but also at the
content, to see what they learned. During their informal presentations, I will take anecdotal
notes on what the information they present.
Accommodations:
For students who may not be able to read a non-fiction book, they can look at non-fiction picture
books, or listen to a book on tape about their topic. For students who may have fine motor
delays, they will be able to type their paper instead of writing it.
Materials:
52
· Crash Course Kids. (September 25, 2015). Severe Weather: Crash course kids #28.2.
Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVZExLO0MWA
· Graphic organizers for expository writing
· Lined paper
· Pencil
· Non-fiction books about natural disasters
· Books on tape about natural disasters
· Computers
References
Crash Course Kids. (September 25, 2015). Severe Weather: Crash course kids #28.2.
Grade: First Grade

Topic: Weather
Subject: Math
Title: Graphing with Seasons
Rationale: Graphing is a basic skill that all students should learn how to do, which is why it is we
will be introducing it. The students will work on organizing data into categories, and then using
53
that data to create a simple visual bar graph. This allows the students to get a better
understanding of their data because they can visually see the results.
Standards:
Objectives:
● The students will be able to organize data about their favorite seasons.
● The students will be able to visually represent the data that they collected.
● The students will be able to interpret their data and answer questions such as “How
many more people prefer spring over winter?”.
● To begin this lesson, I will facilitate a ● The students will tell me what the
discussion about the different different seasons are and will list
seasons. I will ask the students to tell characteristics of each season for me
me what the seasons are and I will to write down on the butcher paper.
write them on a piece of butcher ● The students will one-by-one, raise
paper. their hands and tell me what their
● I will then ask the students to name favorite season is, for me to tally on
different characteristics about each the butch paper.
season and I will write their responses ● The students will analyze the findings
under each season on the butcher of our classroom survey and will
paper. answer my questions such as: “which
● I will then ask the students to tell me season had the most votes for being
what their favorite seasons are and I the favorite?” “Which had the least
will write tally marks under each amount of votes?” “How many more
season on the butcher paper. votes did summer have than winter?”
● We will discuss our results and I will etc.
ask them questions such as: “which ● The students will break into small
season had the most votes for being groups and each group will go to
the favorite?” “Which had the least another first grade classroom.
amount of votes?” “How many more ● They groups will ask the students in
votes did summer have than winter?” the classroom what their favorite
etc. season is, and record it on a piece of
● I will then explain that we are going to paper.
do a similar activity, but that we are ● Upon returning to our classroom, the
going to go to the other first grade students will meet with their small
classrooms and survey the other group and organize their findings for
students. each of the seasons.
● When the students have collected ● The students will then use a piece of
their data, they will organize it into paper to make a bar graph of their
different categories by season. findings of their survey.
54
● Then, in small groups, they will use a ● They will then analyze their findings
piece of butcher paper to visually by deciding the most and least favorite
represent their data in the form of a season for the classroom that they
bar graph. visited.
● When each group is done, they will ● They will present their findings to the
explain their findings to the rest of the class.
class and we will compare the findings ● The students will participate in a
of each group. discussion on how their findings were
● When we are finished, we will write on similar and different to other groups.
the board what the most and least ● The students will help me decide
favorite season was based on our overall what the most and least
findings from the survey. favorite season is based on all of the
data they collected from all of the first
graders.
Assessment:
For this assessment, I will be mostly taking observational notes. I will take notes on how the
students work in their small groups. I will looking to see if they were able to correctly collect and
record data. Also, I will be looking to see if each group is able to make a bar graph that
represents their data. During discussions, I will record students’ responses to various questions
that I ask.
Materials:
● Butcher paper
● Markers
● Paper
● Pencils
● Clipboards
References:
Sohail, S. (2015). Which is your favorite season? Retrieved from:
https://www.education.com/lesson-plan/which-is-your-favorite-season/
Wednesday
Grade: First Grade

Topic: Weather
Subject: Art
Title: Create Your Natural Disaster
Introduction: Prior to this lesson, the students will pick a natural disaster that they will be
researching and writing an informative paper on. The natural disaster that they choose is what
they will create for this project.
55
Standards: **These standards are drafts pending approval from the IL Board of Education
VA:Re7.1.1a. Select and describe works of art that illustrate daily life experiences of self and
others.
Objectives:
● Students will be able to use a variety of materials to create their picture of the four
seasons.
● Students will be able to describe their work of art and explain the characteristics they
created that make it the natural disaster that they’re researching.
● To begin, I will preface the project by ● The students will listen actively to the
explaining that they will be creating directions of the project.
their natural disaster on a piece of ● They will write their name and their
paper. I will give them a variety of art natural disaster on the back of their
materials so that they can be creative piece of paper.
in their work. ● The students will use various art
● I will give each student a large piece materials to create their natural
of construction paper. They can disaster.
choose what color paper they want to ● When they are finished, they will place
use their project on the drying rack.
● I will then have them write their name ● During their natural disaster
and their natural disaster on the back presentation, they will showcase their
of their paper. artwork.
● They will have access to various art
materials such as chalk, paint,
markers, crayons, etc.
● When they are done, they will put their
project on the drying rack.
● Later in the week when they give their
presentation on their natural disaster,
they will showcase their project as
well to give their peers a visual of
what their natural disaster looks like.
Assessment:
I will use a checklist to check off whether or not the students used a variety of materials
on their project. I will also be looking to see if their picture resembles the natural disaster that
they are researching, but this will not be formally assessed because everyone has different
artistic abilities.
Accommodations:
56
For students who have fine motor skills, they will have access to wider utensils such as large
paint brushes, large crayons, etc. Some students might not know what their natural disaster
looks like, so I will print out pictures of each natural disaster in case the students need to
reference it while they are creating their art project.
Materials:
● Construction Paper
● Printed pictures of various natural disasters
● Pencils
● Markers
● Paint
● Paint brushes
● Chalk
● Crayons
● Cotton balls
● Glue
● Scissors
● Tissue paper
● Glitter glue
Grade: First Grade

Topic: Weather
Subject: Math (Addition)
Introduction: This lesson will focus on adding, which is a critical skill to have in life. The way that
weather will be incorporated is through weather word problems.
Standards:
CC.1.OA.1 Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction. Use addition and
subtraction within 20 to solve word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from,
putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using
objects, drawings, and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the
problem.
57
Objectives:
● Students will be able to solve addition problems using manipulatives and drawings as
visual representations.
● Students will be able to solve addition word problems where the sum is within 20.
● I will begin this lesson by modeling a ● The students will actively watch as I
problem for the students on the model a math problem for them on the
whiteboard. The problem will be 8 + 7. board. They will write the equation on
I will draw 8 circles and 7 circles and a piece of paper, draw the circles with
we will group them together into tens me, show the regrouping, and then
and ones. This will produce an answer they will circle their answer.
of 1 group of tens, and 5 ones, which ● The students will use manipulatives
is 15. and drawing to work on a practice
● I will then explain that we use problem.
manipulatives to help us visually see ● The students will get with a partner,
our math problems. We can use math take their answer sheet and clipboard
manipulative blocks to count out our and go to their assigned starting spot.
ones and regroup with sticks of ten ● They will work on each problem for 3-
when needed. 5 minutes and will rotate clock-wise
● I will give the students manipulatives when it is time.
at their desks and they will practice ● They will use the manipulatives and
the problem 5+9 using the ones and drawings to represent each problem.
tens block manipulatives. ● When the students have answered all
● Around the room, there are various of the problems, they will sit at their
addition problems hung up with desk.
manipulatives at each. The students ● As a class, we will go over the
will be working with a partner on the answers to each of the problems.
problems around the classroom. The ● The students will turn in their answer
students will take their answer sheet sheet for me to look over when we are
and clipboard to each station and will finished.
do each math problem.They will use
this sheet to draw out the problem and
to record their answers.
● Every 3-5 minutes, I will have the
students rotate clock-wise to the next
math problem.
● At the end of the activity, I will go over
the answers with the students.
● I will look over each students’ paper
when they turn it in at the conclusion
of the activity.
Assessment:
I will be walking around throughout the time the students are moving around the room to provide
assistance and to make sure they are working on the problems. At the conclusion of the activity,
58
the students will turn in their answer sheets and I will check them for accuracy. If they get
problems wrong, I will write the correct answer and draw a visual representation to show them
how I got the correct answer.
Accommodations:
If I have students who are struggling in math, I will consider pairing partners by ability. I
will pair a struggling student with a student who is more proficient so that they can help each
other out and teach each other.
Materials:
● Math manipulatives (ones and tens blocks)
● Answer sheets
● Clipboards
● Math problems for around the room
References:
Miller, M. (2010). Regrouping in addition. Retrieved from:
http://www.homeschoolmath.net/teaching/a/regrouping_addition.php
Thursday
Grade: First Grade

Topic: Weather
Subject: PE (Movement)
Rationale: Movement is crucial to children’s learning, so we are going to incorporate dance into
a lesson since P.E. is not offered separately as a special.
Standards:
19.A.1a Demonstrate control when performing fundamental locomotor, nonlocomotor, and
manipulative skills.
19.C.1a Demonstrate safe movement in physical activities.
Objectives:
● Students will be able to participate in the movement activity
● Students will be able to demonstrate safety while participating in the movement activity,
which includes not running into others or injuring others.
59
● I will select music that represents ● The students will listen to the music
different natural disasters and types of that is being played.
weather. ● The students will dance safely to the
● I will play the music for the children. music and try to mimic the natural
● I will observe the children while they disasters in their dancing.
dance to make sure everyone is being ● The students will be aware of their
controlled and safe in their surroundings and be safe while
movements. participating in this activity.
Assessment:
The assessment for this will be by observation. I will just be walking around making sure that the
students are being safe.
Accommodations:
If I have students in my class who struggle with gross motor skills, they can move however is
developmentally appropriate for them. If I have students who cannot walk or dance, they can sit
in a chair and use their arms and scarves to show movements instead.
Materials:
● Scarves
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LVfsrS7fUk
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjImQaJIDks
Grade: First Grade
Topic: Weather
Subject: Math (Subtraction)
Introduction: This lesson will focus on subtraction, which is a critical skill to have in life. It builds
on the lesson that we did yesterday on addition. The way that weather will be incorporated is
through weather word problems.
Standards:
CC.1.OA.1 Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction. Use addition and
subtraction within 20 to solve word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from,
putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using
objects, drawings, and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the
problem.
Objectives:
● Students will be able to solve subtraction problems using manipulatives and drawings as
visual representations.
● Students will be able to solve subtraction word problems where the difference is within
20.
60
● I will begin this lesson by modeling a ● The students will actively watch as I
problem for the students on the model a math problem for them on the
whiteboard. The problem will be 14 - board. They will write the equation on
5. I will project manipulatives on the a piece of paper, draw the circles with
board by using an elmo projector. I will me, show the regrouping, and then
show the students how to subtract they will circle their answer.
with regrouping. ● The students will use manipulatives
● I will then explain that we use and drawing to work on a practice
manipulatives to help us visually see problem.
our math problems. ● The students will get with a partner,
● I will give the students manipulatives take their answer sheet and clipboard
at their desks and they will practice and go to their assigned starting spot.
the problem 11-4 using the ones and ● They will work on each problem for 3-
tens block manipulatives. 5 minutes and will rotate clock-wise
● Around the room, there are various when it is time.
subtraction problems hung up with ● They will use the manipulatives and
manipulatives at each. The students drawings to represent each problem.
will be working with a partner on the ● When the students have answered all
problems around the classroom. The of the problems, they will sit at their
students will take their answer sheet desk.
and clipboard to each station and will ● As a class, we will go over the
do each math problem.They will use answers to each of the problems.
this sheet to draw out the problem and ● The students will turn in their answer
to record their answers. sheet for me to look over when we are
● Every 3-5 minutes, I will have the finished.
students rotate clock-wise to the next
math problem.
● At the end of the activity, I will go over
the answers with the students.
● I will look over each students’ paper
when they turn it in at the conclusion
of the activity.
Assessment:
I will be walking around throughout the time the students are moving around the room to provide
assistance and to make sure they are working on the problems. At the conclusion of the activity,
the students will turn in their answer sheets and I will check them for accuracy. If they get
problems wrong, I will write the correct answer and draw a visual representation to show them
how I got the correct answer.
Accommodations:
If I have students who are struggling in math, I will consider pairing partners by ability. I
will pair a struggling student with a student who is more proficient so that they can help each
other out and teach each other.
61
Materials:
● Math manipulatives (ones and tens blocks)
● Answer sheets
● Clipboards
● Math problems for around the room
Friday
Grade: First Grade

Topic: Weather
Subject: Social Studies/Art
Title: Create Your Own Weather Map
Introduction: This lesson incorporates social studies and art, which I think is important. Creating
a map can help the students visually represent the different natural disasters and see where in
the U.S. they occur.
Standards:
SS.G.1.1. Construct and interpret maps and other representations to navigate a familiar place
Objectives:
● Students will be able to use various art materials to create a weather map.
● Students will be able to create a weather map depicting where different natural disasters
occur in the U.S.
● To begin this lesson, we will read the ● The students will attentively listen to
book Extreme Weather! This book is the book that is being read aloud,
about various disasters and where making mental note of the different
they occur. This book will be a great natural disasters and where they
62
precursor to our lesson because it will occur.
remind the students of the various ● The students will attentively listen to
natural disasters and they will get a the directions for the project.
better idea of where they occur. ● The students will use a variety of art
● I will explain the directions of this materials to draw or create the
project to the students. They will be different natural disaster on their U.S.
creating a map of the U.S. and map where they occur.
drawing various natural disasters in
the part of the U.S. that they occur.
● I will pass out the large map of the
U.S. It will be a blank U.S. map that
the students will decorate with the
different natural disasters.
● I will give the students a variety of art
materials, such as colored pencils,
stickers, markers, and crayons to use
to draw the various natural disasters.
● I will walk around and observe while
they are working to make sure they
are on-task and answer any questions
they have.
● When grading these maps, I will use a
simple rubric to assess their final
project.
Accommodations:
If I have students with fine motor skills, they can either use larger writing utensils such as large
crayons, or they can use stickers with different types of weather to depict each natural disaster.
Assessment:
This project will be assessed using a simple rubric. I will be looking to see if the students drew a
variety of different natural disasters, and if they drew the natural disasters in the correct
locations on the map. I will put an X in the box of the correct point value for each of the given
criteria.
Materials:
● Annett, L. (2013).Extreme weather! Amazon Digital Services LLC. Seattle: WA.
● Large, blank U.S. maps
● Crayons
● Markers
● Stickers
● Colored Pencils
Rubric:
Criteria 5 Points 3 points 1 point
63
Was able to use a
variety of art
materials
Drew a variety of
natural disasters,
such as the one listed
in the book
Drew the natural

disasters in the
correct location on
the map
Grade: First Grade

Topic: Weather
Subject: Math
Introduction: This lesson takes place on the last day of the weather unit, so this lesson will
incorporate several math topics that we’ve learned in the past two weeks, while still focusing on
our topic of seasons that we’ve been learning about this week.
Standards:
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.NBT.A.1
Count to 120, starting at any number less than 120. In this range, read and write numerals and
represent a number of objects with a written numeral.
Compare two two-digit numbers based on meanings of the tens and ones digits, recording the
results of comparisons with the symbols >, =, and <.
Objectives:
● The students will be able to count to 120 using various items around the classroom.
● The students will be able to compare two digit numbers using the symbols, >, =, and <.
● The students will be able to organize and categorize their findings, and interpret their
data.
64
● This lesson will take place outside. ● The students will guess if they will find
Each student will be looking for more flowers or leaves outside.
flowers and leaves. They will count ● The students will actively listen to the
each item and try to find as many as safety rules before going outside.
they can. ● The students will safely go outside
● Before heading outside, I will go over and look for flowers and leaves.
rules for safety, such as staying with a ● The students will count their items as
buddy, being aware of their they find them.
surroundings, no running, etc. ● Once inside, the students will organize
● Also before going outside, I will ask their items into two categories: flowers
the students to guess if they will find and leaves.
more flowers or more leaves outside. ● The students will use the symbols <,
● While outside, I will monitor the >, = to compare their number of
children while they look for their items. flowers to leaves.
● When we get back inside, I will have ● The students will share their findings
the students record their findings on a with me and we will see how many
half sheet of paper. They will sort their flowers and leaves we found total.
items into two categories, flowers and ● We will use the symbols <,>, = to
leaves. compare the class’s number of flowers
● I will then have them use the symbols to leaves.
<,>, = to show if they have more
flowers than leaves.
● We will then discuss as a class what
we found.
● We will count and see how many
flowers we have as a group and how
many leaves we have as a group. I
will add up the total number of flowers
and leaves and write the totals on the
board.
● We will then use the symbols <,>, = to
show if we have more flowers than
leaves. I will write the correct answer
on the board.
Assessment:
I will be taking observational notes based on how the students do outside. I will also look at their
half sheet to see if they recorded their data correctly and was able to use the comparison
symbols correctly.
Accommodations:
If the weather does not allow for going outside, you can buy fake flowers and fake leaves
and spread them around either the classroom, hallway, or gym.
Materials:
● Half sheet for recording
65
Parent Involvement
On the first day of the unit, we will be sending home a letter to the parents talking about
our upcoming unit of weather. We will be asking families to reach out to other family members
or friends around the country and having them send in postcards for their state or city. On the
postcard, we are asking that they write about what the weather is like in their area. For example,
they can describe the daily weather they experience, the different seasonal weather they
experience, and different natural disasters or severe weather they experience. On the last
Friday of the unit, we will read all of the postcards we receive. If parents do not wish to send
postcards, they could come in and speak about different places they’ve lived and what kind of
weather they experienced. This activity strengthens the home-school connection because
families are getting directly involved in what we’re learning about in school. Family participation
also shows that the families are interested in what is going on with their child and what they are
learning in school.
66
Interactive Bulletin
There will be a bulletin board next to the window where students will select the weather
each day. We will create a pocket chart with each student’s name on the pocket. There will be
a bag of weather symbol pictures attached to the bulletin board with velcro. Each day, students
will look outside at the weather and choose the symbol that they think represents the weather
best. As the unit goes on, we can make the pocket chart more complex. Instead of selecting
the symbol for sunny, cloudy, raining, or snowing, students will think about what the weather
might be the next day. This allows students to think about what they have learned and use that
to make predictions. When families or school members come into the classroom, they are able
to see how the students are learning and engaged in the classroom. When parents are invited
in for Open House for example, their child can use this visual to help them explain what they
have been working on. This chart also allows the teacher or substitute teacher to take
attendance in a simple, quick way since each student places a symbol in their designated
pocket when they are getting all of their materials prepared for the day.
67
Resources
Annett, L. (2013).Extreme weather! Amazon Digital Services LLC. Seattle: WA.
Biddulph, F., & Biddulph, J. (2015). Clouds, rain and fog. Thomastown, Victoria: Sunshine
Multimedia (Australia) Pty Ltd,
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2017, from
http://lessonplanspage.com/cloudy-with-a-chance-of-meatballs/.
Crash Course Kids. (September 25, 2015). Severe Weather: Crash course kids #28.2.
Generating Questions (Before/During/After Chart). (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2017, from
http://instructionalstrats.weebly.com/generating-questions-beforeduringafter
-chart.html
Jello Cloud Parfaits. (2015, July 23). Retrieved April 19, 2017, from
http://munchkinsandmoms.com/jello-cloud-parfaits/
Lanley, J. (2016, November 15). Home. Retrieved April 19, 2017, from
http://notebookingfairy.com/k-w-l-graphic-organizer-printable/
Miller, M. (2010). Regrouping in addition. Retrieved from:

http://www.homeschoolmath.net/teaching/a/regrouping_addition.php
Sohail, S. (2015). Which is your favorite season? Retrieved from:

https://www.education.com/lesson-plan/which-is-your-favorite-season/
68
ideas.html
Weather Walks. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from

http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview?LPid=10665
W. (2015, October 19). All About Clouds for Kids: Types and Names of Clouds - FreeSchool.
Retrieved April 12, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAqeFSa60TE
(n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2017, from http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview?LPid=13664
69
Topic Box
The following materials are included in our topic box. The majority of the resources are
books, since they are a great source of information about weather. Since weather is a very
broad topic and differs depending on location, books are a resource to teach students about
weather that they have not seen before. Many of the books focus on the four seasons: summer,
spring, fall, and winter. These books are very child friendly and bring in other aspects of the
topic. The materials in the topic box can be used whenever there is free time and the teacher
needs something to do with the students. They can also be used during library time or put out
for the students to look through on their own. There is also a game included in the topic box
that students can play on their own during center time or free time. The instructional accents
are a resource to use to discuss weather that is not commonly discussed.
Books:
Winter by Sian Smith
Seasons by Peggy Gavan
Summer by Sian Smith
Spring by Sian Smith
Fall by Sian Smith
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
Changing Seasons by Rose Greydanus
Clouds by Roy Wandelmaier
Our Friend the Sun by Janet Palazzo
What Makes the Weather? by Janet Palazzo
Clifford’s Spring Clean-Up by Norman Bridwell
When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes
When will it be Spring? by Catherine Walters
Wake Me in Spring by James Preller
First Day of Spring by Sharon Gordon
A Book of Seasons by Alice and Martin Provensen
Others:
Natural Disasters and Weather Instructional Accents (48)
Weather Words Games and Activities by Life Over C’s
70
Reflection
Jill’s Reflection:
While I was working through the unit plan process, I believe I have followed the Illinois
Professional Teaching Standards. These standards include teaching diverse students, content
71
area and pedagogical knowledge, planning for differentiated instruction, learning environment,
instructional delivery, reading, writing, and oral communication, assessment, collaborative
relationships, and professionalism, leadership, and advocacy. Many of these standards related
to the lesson planning process and the lesson plans themselves. In the lesson plans that I
created, I tried to differentiate my instruction to various types of learners. I wanted to make my
lessons enjoyable for the students of all abilities. The assessments for my lessons are all
checklists. By having a checklist as an assessment tool, I am able to differentiate how each
student is assessed. I also had to ensure that I understood the content I wanted to include in
my lessons so that the material would get across to the students. The learning environment that
I have created allows each student to be comfortable and also has the opportunity to collaborate
with his peers. I believe that this process promoted collaboration because as a pair we had to
decide how our unit would relate in every aspect.
After completing this unit, I would have planned out my lesson plans more. In the end, I
ended up making sure that all of the lessons during the first week related to each other and the
topic of weather. However, when I was looking for lesson ideas, they did not relate to each
other at all. As I began writing, I realized this and made the necessary adjustments.
By completing this unit plan, I now have more knowledge and a greater understanding of
all the work that it takes to plan a unit. This project definitely took a long time to complete. I
now understand how everything needs to follow the theme and how much planning it takes to
carry out a large project. I did not find any hidden agendas in my approach to planning. My
only concern was making sure that every student would be successful with the lessons. As the
time to turn in this project got shorter, I worked on it more. At the time the unit plan was
introduced, edTPA was more of a priority to me. Once edTPA was completed, this project was
my next priority. Overall this project was a good experience to plan for the future and realize
how much work it actually takes.
72
Katelyn’s Reflection:
Overall, I think that this project was very beneficial to my career as a teacher. I’ve never
written a full unit plan before, and I didn’t know all of the work that it entails. It was very time
consuming, but worth it because I have the experience, and a completed unit plan that I can use
in the future. Looking back, I think I would’ve taken a slightly different approach to this project. I
would’ve written all of my lesson plans after deciding on my topic and leave all of the other
components such as learning centers, parent involvement, etc. until the very end because then I
would have a more comprehensive view of the whole unit overall. We tried to do those sections
simultaneously, and at times, I had to change some of the things I created because they didn’t
quite fit with the lessons and activities I had planned. In the future when I write another unit plan,
I think I will take a similar approach to how we started this project. We started with a broad topic
and then narrowed down our subtopics right away. I think it was beneficial to do that because
we knew right away what to write our lesson plans on so they all flowed together well. The
seventh teaching standards is about assessment, which is something I learned how to do with
this project. Not every assignment will have a rubric or formal assessment, so it’s important to
learn how to create appropriate assessment for every lesson.
One area that I thought was challenging in writing these lessons was differentiating
instruction. I thought this was challenging because I don’t have a real class, so I didn’t know
what kind of students I would have. I think it would be easier to differentiate if I had real students
to consider for these lessons.
The most important part of this project was communication and collaboration. Having a
partner made this project manageable and challenging at the same time. Since there were two
authors working on this, the lessons may seem like they don’t flow as well as if one person
wrote them in its entirety. However, doing a whole unit plan by yourself would be a lot of work,
so it was nice to have someone take half of the work load.
73
I think this project provided me with a valuable learning experience that I will definitely use in the
future, but I definitely will have to consider my time management a little more when I create unit
plans as a teacher in the future because it does take a lot of time and effort to put one together.
Appendix
Classroom Jobs
Teacher Helper: This student helps teacher pass out papers or collects papers and puts them in
the teacher’s bin.
Line Control: This student makes sure that the line is straight and quiet before leaving the
classroom. This student will stand in the front of the line and will be the leader.
Germ Patrol: This student gives hand sanitizer to every child before and after snack time.
Morning Leader: This student runs the class through calendar time, the days of the week, etc.
74
Gardener: This student waters the class plants every day, either in the morning when they first
get to school, or in the afternoon before they leave.
Door Holder: This student holds the door for the entire class as they enter or leave a room. They
will be the caboose to the line.
Librarian: This student brings the basket of library books down to be returned every week. In the
classroom, they will help organize the classroom books after reading center time.
Electrician: This student will turn on or off the lights when needed. The lights will always be
turned off when the class leaves the classroom.
Calendar Captain: This student will write the day and date on the whiteboard at the beginning of
the day. During morning meeting, this student will tell the class what the date is.
Pencil Patrol: This student will sharpen dull pencils that are in the “need sharpening” cup.
Clean Up Crew (2): At the end of the day, the students will go around the classroom and clean
up any trash, they will put up chairs, put away any materials, etc.
Weather Person: This student will write what the weather is like and what the temperature is on
the whiteboard. During morning meeting, they will give their weather report to the class.
Technology Helper: This student is in charge of taking out and putting away ipads and
headphones during reading and writing centers time.
Lesson Plan Materials & Assessments
Clouds, Rain, & Fog lesson:
75
76
Clouds, Rain, & Fog Assessment
Name:
___ 1. Asked a question related to the book
___ 2. What I Know section contains at least 3 ideas
___ 3. What I Want to Know section contains at least 3 ideas
___ 4. What I Learned section contains at least 3 ideas
77
Cloud and Rain Science lesson:
78
79
Cloud and Rain Science Assessment
Name:
___ 1. Asked a question related to weather
___ 2. Made a prediction about how much water it takes to fill the clouds
___ 3. Can explain how rain falls from the sky
___ 4. Section 1 of data chart includes before picture
___ 5. Section 2 of data chart includes during picture
___ 6. Section 3 of data chart includes after picture
Temperature and You Assessment
Name:
___ 1. Asked a question related to temperature
___ 2. High level of thinking in writing
___ 3. Able to work well with peers
___ 4. What I Learned section contains at least 3 ideas
80
Cloudy with a Chance of… Assessment
Name:
___ 1. Creative weather report
___ 2. Art piece reflects weather report
___ 3. Shared materials with classmates
___ 4. Understands difference between fairy tales and reality
81
Sunny Day lesson:
Name:
My Shadow: My Partner’s Shadow:
Height (in.): Height (in.):
Sunny Day Assessment
82
Name:
___ 1. Can explain how shadows are created
___ 2. Can create a shadow with chalk
___ 3. Can measure their shadow in inches
___ 4. Works well with partner
___ 5. Actively participates in discussion
___ 6. Records information on data chart
Place Value Rain lesson:
83
Name:
Tens: Ones: Whole Number:
_______ ________ _________
_______ ________ _________
_______ _________ __________
________ _________ __________
_________ _________ __________
__________ __________ ___________
__________ __________ ___________
__________ __________ ___________
__________ __________ ___________
84
Tens
85
Ones
Cloud Graph Assessment
Name:
___ 1. Can write 3 facts on clouds independently
___ 2. Can draw a picture of a cloud independently
___ 3. Can write facts about Cirrus Clouds based on the video and draw a picture
___ 4. Can write facts about Cumulus Clouds based on the video and draw a picture
___ 5. Can write facts about Cumulonimbus Clouds based on the video and draw a picture
___ 6. Can write facts about Stratus Clouds based on the video and draw a picture
86
Place Value Rain Assessment
Name:
___ 1. Differentiates between tens and ones place value
___ 2. Records learning on data chart
___ 3. Understands how the two numbers become a whole number
___ 4. Works well with group members
Sunshine Math lesson:
87
Name:
Tens: Ones: Whole Number:
_______ ________ _________
_______ ________ _________
_______ _________ __________
________ _________ __________
_________ _________ __________
__________ __________ ___________
__________ __________ ___________
__________ __________ ___________
__________ __________ ___________
Sunshine Math Assessment
Name:
88
___ 1. Can represent tens place value using manipulatives
___ 2. Can represent ones place value using manipulatives
___ 3. Transfers ideas onto data chart
___ 4. Works well with group members
Measure the Sky lesson:
Name:
Prediction
Jello cubes:
Whipped cream:
Final
Jello cubes:
Whipped cream:
Measure the Sky Assessment
Name:
___ 1. Predicts how many jello cubes are needed
___ 2. Predicts how much whipped cream in needed
___ 3. Records final number of jello cubes
___ 4. Records final number of whipped cream spoonfuls
89
Name: __________________________________
Around-the-Room Answer Sheet
90
Directions: Please number each problem that you do, both the answer and the work.
Circle your answer and be sure to show your work.
Answer Show Your Work
Addition Problems for Around the Classroom
91
1. If there are 9 clouds in the sky, and 4 more roll in from a storm, how many
clouds are there total?
2. If 11 raindrops fall from one cloud, and 7 raindrops fall from another cloud, how
many raindrops fell total?
3. If 13 flower grow in my garden, and I plant 4 more flowers, how many flowers do I
have in my garden?
4. If summer lasts for 3 months, and winter lasts for 4 months, how many months
have passed?
5. Lucy and her sister were outside looking at the clouds. If Lucy saw 8 clouds, and
her sister saw 7 clouds, how many clouds did they see total?
6. Jeff and Brandon were watching the snow fall on a snow day. If Jeff counted 9
snowflakes, and Brandon counted 11 snowflakes, how many snowflakes did they
count total?
7. Miss Tibbs counted 2 clouds. The class counted that the clouds dropped 16
raindrops. How many clouds and raindrops did Miss Tibbs and the class count in
total?
8. Jackson caught 6 snowflakes on his tongue. Daniel caught 12 snowflakes on his

tongue. How many snowflakes total did they catch?
9. Anthony went on a walk. On his street, he saw 5 leaves fall to the ground. On his
friend’s street, he saw 13 leaves fall to the ground. How many total leaves did
Anthony see fall to the ground?
10. Kalie was at the park. On one tree, she counted 4 flowers. On the second tree,
she counted 6 flowers. On the third tree, she counted 5 flowers. How many total
flowers did Kalie see on the trees?
Name: __________________________________
Around-the-Room Answer Sheet
92
Directions: Please number each problem that you do, both the answer and the work.
Circle your answer and be sure to show your work.
Answer Show Your Work
Subtraction Problems for Around the Classroom
93
1. If Miss Tibbs’ garden had 18 flowers in it and my brother picked 6 of my flowers,
how many do I have left?
2. If a maple tree has 20 leaves on one of its branches, and 12 fall off, how many
are left on the branch?
3. Jackson picked 15 flowers for his mom. Daniel took 4 of them out of Jackson’s
basket. How many flowers does Jackson have left?
4. Anthony made 11 snowballs. If he throws 5 of them, how many are left?
5. Dominic counted 17 clouds in the sky. Then 4 of them went away. How many
clouds are left in the sky?
6. Practice Using Manipulatives: 15 - 6 = ?
Flower vs. Leaves Half Sheet
94
Name: ________________________________________
1. How many flowers did you find? _____________
2. How many leaves did you find? ______________
3. How many flowers and leaves do you have all together? _______
4. Complete the equation using <, >, = : Flowers _______ Leaves
95

ETE 328 Integrated Unit Plan First Grade: Weather

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

ETE 328 Integrated Unit Plan First Grade: Weather

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ETE 328 Integrated Unit Plan

First Grade: Weather

Goals and Vision 3

Two Week Schedule 7

Learning Environment Design 14

Week One Lessons 22

Week Two Lessons 43

different components of a child: interpersonal, intrapersonal, creativity, spiritual, mathematical,

linguistic, kinesthetic, and visual/spatial components.

Some of these essential questions may include:

● How does climate differ from region to region?

our lesson plans and throughout the whole unit.

9:15-9:30am: Morning meeting

9:30- 10am: Reading Center

10-10:30am: Writing Center

11:15-Noon: Social studies/Science

Two Week Schedule

Week 1: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

8:30-9am: Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast

What do you What do you What is the

9:30- 10am: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5:

10:30-10:45am: Snack Snack Snack Snack Snack

10:45-11:15am: Art Music PE PE Library

Social Studies Science Social Studies Science Science

12-12:30: Recess Recess Recess Recess Recess Recess

1-2pm: Math Math Math Math Math Math

2-2:30pm: Clean- Clean-up/Jobs Clean-up/Jobs Clean-up/Jobs Clean-up/Jobs Clean-up/Jobs

2:30pm: Dismissal Dismissal Dismissal Dismissal Dismissal

Week 2: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

9:30- 10am: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5:

10-10:30am: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5: Daily 5:

10:45-11:15am: PE Art Art PE/Music Library

11:15-Noon: Social Studies Science Science Science Social Studies

12-12:30: Recess Recess Recess Recess Recess Recess

12:30-1pm: Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch

1-2pm: Math Comparing/ Graphing With Addition Subtraction Nature Walk

2:30pm: Dismissal Dismissal Dismissal Dismissal Dismissal

Our two-week plan is meaningfully planned by sub-topic. The first week is an

go day-by-day and in the order that they will be taught.

students can look up at the sky and observe the weather.

listed in the two week schedule and are as followed:

● Monday: What do you know about weather?

● Wednesday: What do you enjoy doing in cold/hot temperature?

● Friday: What is the climate like where we live?

experience in this season.

Art- Making Rain Sticks

over. We will be using their rain sticks in music class tomorrow.

Music- Exploring Rain Sticks

turn creating a rhythm pattern for the class.

PE- Four Corners of Weather

PE- Relay Races

their bucket related to their season.

Library- Climate/Temperature Books

II. Rationale/ Focus Statement:

IV. Illinois Learning Standards

V. Instructional Strategies & Learning Tasks

(n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2017, from http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview?LPid=13664

I. Title: Sunny Day

II. Rationale/ Focus Statement:

IV. Common Core Standards

V. Instructional Strategies & Learning Tasks

Weather Walks. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from

I. Title: Cloud and Rain Science