Q405: Saturday Science

Lesson Plan
Lesson Topic: Weather Grade: 5th and 6th

Instructor Names: Kirsten Wilhelm, Katie Rozanski, Chloe Scott

Desired Results
Overarching Focus Question for the Session (the phenomenon being
explored across the 3-weeks)
● How can we use data to predict weather?

Central Focus/Topic for today: Relationship that this central

Students will understand: focus has to the overarching big
idea/question for the unit
● How weather is measured
● Different types of weather ● How can meteorologists
● How to gather different predict the weather for the
types of data upcoming days/weeks?
● How to interpret data in
different ways (graphs,
charts, journal)

Therefore, the guiding question for

today’s learning is:

● Why is taking data an

important part in
determining weather?

● 5-ESS1-2. Represent data in graphical

displays to reveal patterns of
daily changes in length and
direction of shadows, day and
 night, and the seasonal
appearance of some stars in
the night sky. [Clarification
Statement: Examples of patterns
could include the position and
motion of Earth with respect to
the sun and selected stars that
are visible only in particular
months.] [Assessment
Boundary: Assessment does not
include causes of seasons.]

Timeline of Activities for the Day

*Provide a breakdown of how long each activity will take, who will lead
the segments of the activities, when breaks will occur or other transition
points, etc.
*Identify by highlighting in blue the portion of the lesson you team wants
video-recorded each week. This should be ~45 mins

(10 minutes)- Discussion: types of weather, ways to measure weather

(5 minutes)- Create weather journal
(10-15 minutes)- create anemometer and acquire labquests
(5 minutes)- demonstrate how to use labquests
(5 minutes)- bathroom break
(1 hour)- Go outside and explore: use anemometers and lab quests to
record data, record in weather journals
(5 minute)- bathroom break
(15 minutes)- (Go back inside) discussion about data, the best place to
take the data, why?

*(10 minute)- sneak break somewhere*

 Learning Plan (First three E’s of the 5E model)
Any of these phases can be repeated should you have more than one
activity to describe OR a complex activity with multiple iterations of
some phases.
ENGAGE
● Discuss about different types of weather: rain, wind, snow, hail
● Discuss different ways you can measure weather: Temperature and
Wind Speed (slow, medium, fast)
● Create weather journal (10-15 minutes)
● Create their own anemometer to measure the wind speed (20
minutes)
EXPLORE
● Use labquest probes to take temperature of outside (do this in 3
different locations to test how data can differ in different places
due to obstructions, tree cover, etc.) (1 hour)
- Woods by Herman B Wells Statue
- Open Field
- Behind Ed Building between Spruce and Ed Building
● Briefly discuss what they observed and the data they recorded, and
record in weather journals
EXPLAIN
● Discuss how data varied in different places and why that could be.
Find averages of each place, discuss best place to record accurate
data.
ELABORATING/EXTENDING Understanding
● If time permits, introduce how to graph the groups data. What is
another way we could show this information?
Assessment Evidence (*This is the Evaluation Phase of the 5E
approach)
Performance Task(s): Other Evidence:
● Using their anemometer
and labquest to take and
record data
 ● Being able to explain why
the location you take the
weather readings matter.

Materials + Quantity:
(REMEMBER ---These need to be emailed (ahburges@iu.edu) to
Angela each Wednesday by 5:00pm)
● Anemometer: - 5 dixie cups (small paper cups), 1 pencil, a
thumbtack, 2 straws (x14 for all materials)
● Labquests + thermometer probe (x4)
● Weather Journals- colored paper, pencils, markers (enough
for one per student)

Required Accommodations/Modifications:
● Working with a partner/ in a group
Additional Modifications for Individual Students:
N/A

Q405: Saturday Science

Lesson Plan Template- WEEK 2
Lesson Topic: Extreme Weather and Collecting Data
Grade level(s): 5th and 6th grade
Instructor Names: Katie Rozanski, Kirsten Wilhelm, Chloe Scott

Desired Results
Overarching Focus Question for the Session (the phenomenon being
explored across the 3-weeks)
● How can we use data to predict weather?

Central Focus/Topic for today: Relationship that this central

Students will understand: focus has to the overarching big
idea/question for the unit
● Collecting and graphing
data is important to show ● Our central focus for this
patterns over a period of week relates a lot to our
time overarching big idea. First, it
● Patterns in weather data relates because this week we
can help us predict future will be discussing the data
weather we collected last week and
● Patterns in data can help why it is important for
us understand that some making predictions in
weather can lead to severe general. It is also relevant
weather because we are moving into
talking about severe weather
Therefore, the guiding question for so making sure students
today’s learning is: know that meteorologists
● How can weather patterns can predict severe weather
show us which types of coming by using data
severe weather could patterns is important.
happen in the future?

Student objectives (outcomes):

Students will be able to:

● 5-ESS1-2- Represent data in graphical displays to reveal
patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows,
day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars
in the night sky.
To connect our lesson to this standard, we want our students to
know how to graph data and how to find patterns within that data
that could help us to determine the weather.

Timeline of Activities for the Day

9:30-9:35 (kirsten) : Students will come in and get settled and we will
start having a class discussion about data (what we did last week).

9:35-10:05 (Katie) : Students will go to computer lab to use Inspire Data

program to graph a data set provided by us.

10:05-10:15 (Chloe) : We will break down the different types of severe

weather and what they are. (tornadoes, hurricanes, thunderstorms, &
blizzards)

10:15 (all) : Class will be put into 4 groups of 3 students. (move to same
tables)

10:20-30 (all) : BATHROOM BREAK/SNACK ( bring outside)

10:30-10:45 (all): Students will go outside and record what outside

could be affected by their specific severe weather that they were
assigned.

10:45-11:15 (all): Come back inside go back to computer lab and

research their specific severe weather (worksheet will be provided with 6
different boxes to answer all these questions) *****

11:15-11:40 (all): Students will create a poster in their groups about the
research they have done on their severe weather.
11:40-11:50 (all): Students will go on a gallery walk of their peers work
and write down one fact about each others’ severe weather.

11:50-12 (all): Wrap up discussion about what what we did today (share
projects with each other) & introduction to next week’s topic.

Learning Plan (First three E’s of the 5E model)

Any of these phases can be repeated should you have more than one
activity to describe OR a complex activity with multiple iterations of
some phases.
ENGAGE
First Activity:
● We will have a whole class discussion about last weeks data
collection and why collecting data is important. The teachers
will be leading the discussion by asking prompting questions
like:
- What data did we collect last week?
- What did this data tell us?
- Why is collecting data about weather important?
- Why do meteorologists need to collect data to do their
job?
During this activity the students will be sitting at their table
group discussing these questions as a group, and potentially
writing their ideas on a whiteboard. Then the students will
share their ideas with the class.
● We will then go to the computer lab as a class to use the
program ‘Inspire Data.’ We will give the students a set of
data to work with. This data will be weather from
Bloomington for the past week (Friday-Friday), and will be
given in a form of a table, so that the students can graph.
The students will then use the program to graph the data
given. The students will think about
 - Why is graphing data important?
- Is this data easy to read now that it in graph form?
How are we able to read it? Can you identify the
different patterns?
- Will predictions always be accurate? Yes or no? Why
or why not?
- Are patterns or trends always accurate? Why or why
not?
- 1. What kind of graph will help us best understand our
data.... what do we want to know about this set of data
by putting into graph. What kind of graph should we
use to show this (so bar for categorical, line for linear/
over time patterns, etc)
Have the kids decide for themselves! But have them
then share the kind of graph they select and what it
tells us about the data. Does it match with what we
said we wanted to know. See if you can guide them to
a consensus to the best format, which I expect you are
thinking linear.
- 2. Then building from your own questions bring the
discussion back to why graphs are important for
scientists to communicate their results, and how
different types of graphs help us to visualize different
kinds of data.
● We will then have another discussion about the activity we
just did. The teachers will lead the discussion and the
students will respond to these questions verbally using the
following prompts:
- Can collect data over a period of time help us forecast
future weather? How?
- What are some kinds of severe weather you can think
of? What have you heard about them? (tornadoes,
hurricanes, blizzards, thunderstorms)
EXPLORE
Second Activity (Outside):
● Pairs of 3 (4 groups) will each be assigned an extreme
weather (tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, thunderstorms).
● Each teacher and one helper will be assigned to each
group. With their paired teacher, students will go outside to
the arboretum area. They will record what could be affected
in the community if that extreme weather were to occur.
- What do you see that could be affected by your
extreme weather?
- How could the community be affected? What would
happen to the structures? What does this mean for the
community? How would you feel if this happened?

Third Activity:
● Class will come back inside and go back to computer
lab and research their specific severe weather with
their group (3 students to each group and one
teacher). The teachers will provide a worksheet with 6
different boxes to answer specific questions. As the
students are working, the teacher will walk around and
help groups that they may need help using the
computer or researching their weather. Students will
answer the questions on their worksheet:
○ Causes/How it is formed?
○ Aftermath/Effects?
○ Location: Where does it most likely occur?
○ What does it look like? (draw picture)
○ The most recent occurrence of their specific
weather: Where and When?
○ Category levels

● In their groups, students will create a poster including all the

information they found by answering the questions above.
 Teachers will help groups plan their poster and walk around
to help any groups if needed.
● If students want to and if time permits, they can create a
song/rap or poem about their severe weather that they can
present along with their poster. Teachers can help students
with planning this and ideas on how to perform it.
EXPLAIN
Fourth Activity:
● Next, we will do a gallery walk of our posters. The posters
will be put up around the classroom and the students will
walk around group by group and look at each poster. The
teachers will also be walking around with the students.
● Each student will write/draw one fact from each poster as
they walk around the class and look at each groups posters.
● After the gallery walk, we will give the students the
opportunity to present their rap or song if they want to.

ELABORATING/EXTENDING Understanding
Fifth Activity:
● As a wrap up activity, we will have a discussion about the
day. The teachers will lead the discussion and ask the class
some discussion questions:
- What is one fact you learned from your classmates the
poster?
- Did you enjoy this activity? Is there anything you wish
you did differently?
- Why is it important to learn about severe weather? Are
patterns of extreme weather happening more
frequently? Is this good or bad? Why or why not?

● Finally, we will introduce next week's lesson about creating

their own forecast. If time permits, teachers will allow
 students to brianstorm prop ideas with their groups that they
can bring to include in their forecast video.

Assessment Evidence (*This is the Evaluation Phase of the 5E

approach)
Performance Task(s): Other Evidence:

● (Engage) Graphing a data ● (Engage) While doing

set in the computer lab their discussions with the
during our first activity. The prompting questions we
students will think about: give them, we will
- Why is graphing data informally assess the
important? students based off of
- Is this data easy to participation and what
read now that it in they think.
graph form? How are
we able to read it? ● (Explore) Also, when
Can you identify the going outside seeing if the
different patterns? students know what
- Will predictions things outside that can be
always be accurate? affected by their severe
Yes or no? Why or weather they get
why not? assigned. The questions
- Are patterns or we will ask and their
trends always responses to those
accurate? Why or questions can give us a
why not? good idea of what the
● (Engage) They will have a students already know.
discussion about last These questions are:
weeks’ data and why data What do you see that
is important. Here we will could be affected by your
extreme weather?
 ask them some prompting - How could the
questions like: community be
- What data did we affected? What
collect last week? would happen to the
- What did this data tell structures? What
us? does this mean for
- Why is collecting the community?
data about weather How would you feel
important? if this happened?
- Why do
meteorologists need ● (Explain) The gallery walk
to collect data to do is also an informal
their job? assessment due to them
having to look and write
● (Explore) Researching their down one interesting fact
severe weather and being from each of the groups
able to identify: posters.
○ Causes/How it is
formed? ● [Explain](Students can
○ Aftermath/Effects? present their poster to the
○ Location: Where class if they want to, and
does it most likely they can also come up
occur? with a song, movement,
○ What does it look etc. about their severe
like? (draw picture) weather if time permits)
○ The most recent
occurrence of their
specific weather:
Where and When?
○ Category levels
They will be making a poster on
their severe weather and we will
check if all groups met the
criteria for what needs to be on
their posters.

● (Elaborate) Having a wrap

up discussion about the
day and what they learned
with these prompting
questions:
○ What is one fact you
learned from your
classmates the
poster?
○ Did you enjoy this
activity? Is there
anything you wish
you did differently?
○ Why is it important to
learn about severe
weather?
○ Are patterns of
extreme weather
happening more
frequently? Is this
good or bad? Why or
why not?
Materials + Quantity:
● Poster Board (x4, one per group)
● Colored markers
● Tape

Required Accommodations/Modifications:
● Working as a team: this is an accommodation that can help
students work on their communication skills. Working as a
 team is a good opportunity to share ideas and help one
another if someone in the group is struggling with the
material or even the computer programs they are using.
● Making a poster: this is an accommodation for more visual
learners. Instead of having our students write a research
paper about their findings, we are allowing them to express
their ideas in poster form. This allows them to be creative.
This also allows for students who do not know English well
to be able to draw pictures instead.
Gear up: To gear up this lesson, we will have students research
additional information. We could ask them how likely is it for that
extreme weather to happen in their hometown. Students can
present their poster board if they choose too. Create either song,
rap or poem about their extreme weather.
Gear down: To gear down this lesson, we will work with students
to navigate the Inspire Data program. We will not expect them to
do it alone, as they probably have never used the program before.
Additional Modifications for Individual Students:
Last week, we got to know our students over the 3 hours we were with
them and how we can accomodate for them in our lessons. We quickly
came to realize that 2 of our students do not speak English as their first
language, and often have trouble communicating their answers/ questions
to us. This week, we are going to give them the opportunity to draw their
answers instead of writing them. On their worksheet, they will have 6
boxes to either write their research or draw pictures representing what
they found.
 Q405: Saturday Science (WEEK 3)
Lesson Plan Template
Lesson Topic: __Weather__ Grade level(s):__5/6th__
Instructor Names: _Katie Rozanski, Chloe Scott, Kirsten Wilhelm____

Desired Results
Overarching Focus Question for the Session (the phenomenon being explored
across the 3-weeks)

How can we use data to predict the weather?

Central Focus/Topic for today: Relationship that this central focus

Students will understand: has to the overarching big
idea/question for the unit
● How to use data to predict
weather. ● We are using the things we have
● Why it is important we learn learned in previous Saturday
about the different types of science sessions about data and
extreme weather. why that data is important to be
● How to use evidence to predict able to predict severe weather
weather. that is coming. For example, if
we collect data that shows snow
Therefore, the guiding question for today’s and wind speed increasing in
learning is: consecutive days, we can predict
that if the wind continues to
 increase there could be a
● How can we use weather data blizzard.
to predict potential severe
weather forecasts?

Student objectives (outcomes):

Students will be able to:
● Use evidence based on their own data to make predictions about future
weather.
● Use evidence to form arguments that will be used to predict the
weather forecast.
● Students will obtain, evaluate and communicate information about
weather through a weather forecast about severe weather.

Timeline of Activities for the Day

*Provide a breakdown of how long each activity will take, who will lead the
segments of the activities, when breaks will occur or other transition points, etc.
*Identify by highlighting in blue the portion of the lesson you team wants video-
recorded each week. This should be ~45 mins

9:30-9:40 (all)- go outside and collect the temperature for the day.

9:40-10:05 (Chloe)- The students will then come inside and they will make a graph
using a data set that is given.

10:05-10:10 (all)- Finishing up their posters with their groups on their specific
severe weather.

10:10-10:15 (all)- Gallery walk for the posters. 1-2 minutes to look at each poster.

10:15-10:20 (Katie) - Explain forecast activity.

10:20-10:30 (all)- Create backdrop

10:30-10:45 (all)- Brainstorm with specific teacher (each group gets a teacher)
10:45-11:00 (all) - Create script and assign roles for the broadcast. (cameraman,
meteorologist, props person, bystander, interviewee)

11:10-11:35 (all)-Go back outside and record their forecast predictions about what
will be affected by their severe weather.

11:35-11:55 (all)- Come back inside and record their forecast on their specific
severe weather. (blizzard, hurricane, tornado)

11:55-12 (Kirsten)- Debrief, outro for the students and ask our leading question
again.

Learning Plan (First three E’s of the 5E model)

Any of these phases can be repeated should you have more than one activity to
describe OR a complex activity with multiple iterations of some phases.
ENGAGE
Activity 1: Go Outside
For the first activity we are going to go outside as a group to measure and record
the temperature for that day. The students will use the lab quest and the
temperature probe to do this. The students will then write the temperature they
recorded in their weather journals. While the students are doing this, the teachers
will help students with lab questions and ask questions:
● Why does the area we take the temperature matter?
● Is the temperature higher, lower or the same as the temperature we recorded
week 1?
● Why is temperature important? Do you think it plays a key role in extreme
weather types?

Activity 2: Graph Data

Next we will come back inside and use large graph paper to create a graph. The
students will do this individually. We will use the temperature the students took
the first Saturday, the temperature they took this Saturday, and then the teachers
will give the students the temperature data to fill in from the past 3 weeks. The
teachers will work with the students to explain the parts of a graph, like the x
and y axis, and how to plot the data. The students will then plot the data. After
they plot the data, they will plot 5 extra points for the next 5 days. This will be
what they predict the temperature to be for the next 5 days. Teachers will ask
questions like:
● Why is graphing data important?
 ● What do graphs show us?
● What does this data show?
● Are there are any patterns that can help us predict what next weeks
temperatures will be?

EXPLORE
Activity 3: Finish up Posters
After the students finish their graph, we will give them the opportunity to finish up
their posters with their group from last week about severe weather. Teachers
will walk around the room to make sure they are adding necessary details and
ask if the students need help
● Is there anything else from the research worksheet you can add?
● Ask students which part they contributed to.

Activity 4: Gallery Walk

Students will hang their posters and get into their groups. Next, the students will
walk around the room one poster at a time. While walking around, the students
will write down something they learned from each extreme weather poster.
Teachers will ask questions like:
● What did you learn? What was the most interesting thing you learned?
● Where you shocked by anything you read?
● Why is it important that we learn about extreme weather?
While the students are walking around, teachers will make sure students are being
responsible and sensible while viewing posters and not messing around with peers.

Activity 5: Forecast Activity Prep

Students will have time to create a backdrop for the weather forecasting inside.
Here they will be provided with poster paper and paint and draw what their severe
weather looks like. They did this last week while creating their gallery walk
posters.
Next, each group will get a cooperating teacher to brainstorm some ideas to talk
about in their forecasting. We will prompt them by asking:
● What needs to happen in order for your severe weather to happen?
● What do you think will be affected by your severe weather?
● Does wind speed matter in predicting your forecast? What about
temperature?
After brainstorming for 5-10 minutes students will be asked to create a script of what
they will say on their 2 broadcasts. For the first broadcast they will talk about the
patterns that are happening in the weather right now that could lead to potential
severe weather in the upcoming days.
For the second broadcast, the students will talk about how they were right in
predicting their severe weather and what components went into predicting that
weather.
EXPLAIN

Activity 6: Forecast Activity

For this activity the students will go outside first and create their own forecasting
segment. Here the students will have different roles like camera person,
meteorologists (1-2), and props person. They will go off their scripts they wrote
earlier and talk about the different patterns they have seen recently and predict what
severe weather could occur. They will need to talk about the wind speed,
temperature, precipitation levels, etc.
After filming outside the students will come back inside and film a segment on ‘what
is happening now.’ They will use their backdrops that they made earlier and explain
how/why they knew that their severe weather was going to happen. In this segment
they will talk about why this severe weather is happening (wind speed, temperature,
precipitation, etc.), and also touch on what will be affected during this severe
weather.
● Will the trees be affected by this severe weather?
● What will happen to the cars, rivers, buildings?

ELABORATING/EXTENDING Understanding
Activity 7: Wrap Up Discussion
Students will be prompted with the initial question of:
● How can we use data to predict the weather?
After this we will reask some questions prompted in their activities:
● What needs to happen in order for your severe weather to happen?
● Why is it important that we learn about extreme weather?
● Why is graphing data important?
● What do graphs show us?
● Why is temperature important?
In this discussion students will be given whiteboards to write or draw down their
ideas to these questions. The teachers will be walking around as well to ensure that
all students are participating. After working in table groups for 1-2 minutes, we will
bring the whole class together and ask some students to share their ideas with the
class.
Assessment Evidence (*This is the Evaluation Phase of the 5E approach)
Performance Task(s): Other Evidence:
● Severe Weather Posters- From ● Responses to questions
this task we will know the during discussion- Hearing
students understanding of their students responses will help
specific severe weather topic us gage what the students
from last week. We will be understand about their severe
looking for the specific sections weather and knowledge they
that we told them to research obtained from previous weeks.
and if they have the correct
reasoning as to why the severe
weather formed.
● Temperature Graph- From this
task we will understand the
students knowledge about how
to graph a data set and how to
predict future weather data.
● The students weather forecast
plan/ script- This will tell us
what the students know about
what will be affected by the
severe weather and what
components need to happen in
order for a severe weather to
occur.
Materials + Quantity:
(REMEMBER ---These need to be emailed (ahburges@iu.edu) to Angela each
Wednesday by 5:00pm)
● Large graph paper (x14)
● Markers
● Poster Boards (x4)
● Paint (different colors)
● Labquests & temperature probes (x6)
● Cameras (x3)

Required Accommodations/Modifications:
● Working as a team: this is an accommodation that can help students work on
their communication skills. Working as a team is a good opportunity to share
ideas and help one another if someone in the group is struggling with the
material or even the computer programs they are using.
 ● Gear Up: To gear up the lesson we could have the students think of other
graphs they could use the display the information. Would a bar chart work? A
line graph? A scatter graph?
● Gear Down: To gear down the lesson we will help the students use the video
cameras. The students will probably have never used them before, which is
why it is necessary for us to give them some guidance before they use them
individually. This will probably help speed up the process when they actually
begin filming.
Additional Modifications for Individual Students:
● A lot of students in our class are sometimes afraid to speak up and voice their
answers/ opinion. Therefore, the forecast video activity may seem a little
intimidating for them to be in front of the camera. To accommodate for these
students, we are allowing them to participate in the forecast video in a
number of different ways. They don’t have to just be in front of the camera,
they can also be the cameraman, help with props or be a director.