Developmental Lesson Plan

Teacher Candidate: Emma Rissinger Julia McGregor Date: April 9 2018

Group Size: 20 Allotted Time 60 Minutes Grade Level 3rd

Subject or Topic: Science/Extreme Weather

Common Core/PA Standard(s):

3.3.3.A4 Connect the various forms of precipitation to the weather in a particular place and
time
3.3.3.A5 Explain how air temperature, moisture, wind, speed and direction, and make up the
weather in a particular place

Learning Targets/Objectives:
 Students will be able to illustrate what they know, what they want to know and what
they learned by writing it on a KWL chart.
 Students will be able to demonstrate what they learned from the text and the video by
creating a tornado simulation.

Assessment Approaches: Evidence:

1. KWL Chart 1. Students have at least 2 comments in each
2. Tornado simulation column
…. 2. Students will be able to explain how their
experiment simulates a tornado and relate it to
the definition of a tornado.
…
Assessment Scale:
1. KWL Chart
 Checklist verifying that students have two comments in each spot.
2. Tornado Simulation
 Write a paragraph about how their experiment simulates a tornado and write at least
three related facts.
 3- Student describes the simulation and relates it to the facts from the video.
 2- Student describes the simulation but is unable to relate it to the facts from the video
 1- Student is unable to describe the simulation
 See attached rubric.
Subject Matter/Content:
Prerequisites:
 Students will have knowledge of the water cycle
  Students know the types of precipitation and clouds
 Students know how to use a KWL chart
Key Vocabulary:
 Hurricane- A huge storm that can be up to 600 miles across and have strong winds
spiraling at speeds of 75 to 200 mph. Hurricanes gather heat and energy from contact
with warm ocean waters. Evaporation from the sea-water increases their power.
 Eye- The center of the storm, or the calmest part
 Tornado- A violent rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the
ground. The most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous destruction. Tornado
wind speeds can get up to 300 mph. They can destroy large buildings, uproot trees and
hurl vehicles hundreds of yards.
 Blizzard- A long-lasting snow storm with very strong winds and intense snow fall. To
have a blizzard you need cold air at the surface, lots of moisture and lift. Warm air
must rise over cold air.
 Mesocyclone- A wide tall tube of spinning air
Content/Facts:
 Types of Extreme weather
o Hurricane
o Blizzard
o Tornado
o Eye
 Tornadoes are a violent rotating column of air
 How Do Tornadoes Form? – James Spann
o Most tornadoes form from thunderstorms
o Tornadoes can cause tremendous destruction
o Tornadoes form when the warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and cool dry air
from Canada meet, they create instability in the atmosphere
o A change in wind direction and an increase in wind speed with increasing height
creates the invisible horizontal spinning effect
o Mesocylcone is a wide tall tube of spinning air
o A tornado is when the mesocyclone touches the ground
o Tornadoes end when the temperature difference disappears and conditions grow more
stable or the moisture in the air dries up
Introduction/Activating/Launch Strategies:
 Quick review as a class of the five clouds.
 Ask students if anyone remembers which cloud produces severe weather. Elicit
students to say cumulonimbus clouds.
 Introduce the three types of severe weather and tell students we will be focusing on
tornadoes.

Development/Teaching Approaches
 Introduce the book Otis and the Tornado. Tell students that we’re going to read the
book and as we’re reading think about some things you already know about tornadoes
as well as some things you want to learn.
 Read the book Otis and the Tornado. Pass out the KWL chart. Tell students they need
 to write two things that they know and two things they want to know about tornadoes.
 Tell the students that we will be watching a video that will give us more information
about tornadoes. Students will need to write 3 facts that they learned through the video.
 Watch the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmWh9jV_1ac. Give students 5
minutes to write down facts after the video.
 After the 5 minutes, create a class anchor chart of things they learned from the video.
 Tell students they will be making their own tornado simulation to help them explain
how a tornado forms.
 Students will be in groups of 4 and will be given one bottle filled with water, a
container of soap, and glitter.
 Instruct students to put soap and a little glitter in their bottle. Ask students what they
will need to do to the bottle to create a tornado. Give students time to figure out how
make a tornado simulation.
 Walk around and observe students as they’re simulating the tornado in a bottle. Give
students 10 minutes to work with the tornado simulation in their group.
 After 10 minutes students will be a given a piece of notebook paper. Instruct students
to work independently to write a 4-sentence description of what they observed and how
this simulated a tornado.
 Students will have 12 minutes to write their sentences.
 Collect papers while students clean up materials.

Closure/Summarizing Strategies:
 Whip around- give students a plush ball and have them toss it around the room. When
a student receives the ball they have to state something they learned that day. Continue
until everyone has gotten the ball.

Accommodations/Differentiation:
 Because Student X is an ELL learner, the student will sit in the front of the class and
will be given their own worksheet with pictures of the types of extreme weather and
definitions of each. The student will be given a separate KWL chart with prompts
about tornadoes. The student will also sit with other learners that excel in this area.

Materials/Resources:
 Otis and the Tornado by Loren Long
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmWh9jV_1ac
 KWL charts (20)
 Large piece of paper for anchor chart
 Bottles for tornado simulation (5)
 Small bottles of soap (5)
 Packs of glitter (5)
 Notebook paper for tornado simulation findings (20)
Reflective Response:
Report of Student Learning Target/Objectives Proficiency Levels

Remediation Plan (if applicable)

Personal Reflection Questions

Was there a better way to introduce types of severe weather?

Was it appropriate to focus on just one type of severe weather?

Additional reflection/thoughts
A. Checklist for KWL Chart
Student Name Completed Incomplete
B. Tornado in a Bottle Rubric
3 Points 2 Points 1 Point
Content Student is able Student is able Student is not
to relate the to relate the able to relate the
tornado tornado tornado
simulation to the simulation to the simulation to an
actual tornado. actual tornado. actual tornado.
Student uses Student does not
facts learned in use facts learned
the video to in the video to
interpret the interpret the
simulation. simulation.