Developmental Lesson Plan

Teacher Candidate: Brianna, Olivia, Maddy Date: 9/24/18

Group Size: 20 Allotted Time 30 minutes Grade Level 3rd

Subject or Topic: Weather

Common Core/PA Standard(s):

3.3.3.A5: Earth Structures, Processes, and Cycles: Explain how air temperature, moisture,
wind speed and direction, and precipitation make up weather in a particular place and time.

Learning Targets/Objectives:
Students will be able to identify the four seasons and describe the different events that happen
in each by looking at and interacting with pictures of each season.

Assessment Approaches: Evidence:

1. Thumbs up/Thumbs down 1. Counts number of thumbs up or down
2. Names on chart for favorite season 2. Teacher writes down child’s responses

Assessment Scale:
Child puts name under season and...
Proficient- Accurately uses 3 descriptions of season chosen
Basic- Accurately uses 2 descriptions of season chosen
Below Basic- Accurately uses 1 description of season chosen

Subject Matter/Content:
Prerequisites: Students will need some prior knowledge of what the weather is like in the four
seasons to help identify what their favorite season is.
Key Vocabulary:
 Seasons: four different times of the year that have particular weather patterns
 Winter: the coldest season of the year and is from December to February
 Spring: the season after winter and before summer, when plants begin to grow and falls
between the months of March to May
 Summer: the warmest season of the year, is in between June to August
 Fall/Autumn: the season after summer, when the leaves begin to fall from trees and is
in between September to November
 Daylight saving time: time is adjusted to achieve longer evening daylight (in the
summer.
Content/Facts: We will be talking about the seasons; Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall and
the different weather patterns associated with each of them.
1. Winter
a. Snow
b. Shortest days/daylight time
 c. Cold
d. December- March
e. Earth tilted away from sun
2. Spring
a. Rain
b. Longer days/ daylight time
c. Warm
d. March-June
e. Earth tilted toward the sun
3. Summer
a. Dry/rain/storms
b. Longest days/daylight
c. Hot
d. June-September
e. Earth tilted toward the sun
4. Fall
a. Dry/rain/storms
b. Cool
c. Shorter days/daylight time
d. September-December
e. Earth titled away from the sun

Introduction/Activating/Launch Strategies:
Today we will learn about the four seasons that we experience in Pennsylvania. Ask the
students what the four seasons are. Then we will start the day by watching a BrainPOP video
on the seasons. Stop the video at 0:08 seconds and ask the students to answer the question,
“Why do we have seasons?” Write the answers on the board in the front of the room so they
can refer to them during the whole lesson. Stop the video again at 0:50 seconds and ask them
if they know what season has the longest daylight. Again, write those answers on the board
and ask the students why they chose that season. Finish the video then place pictures on the
board of a snowflake and snowman representing winter, flowers to represent spring, a beach
and sun to represent summer, and a tree with leaves falling to represent fall. Students will each
put their name on their and then be put into groups based off of their favorite seasons. The
groups will come up with words that go with their favorite seasons and those words will be out
on the board and discussed. Example: “I like winter because of the snow.” Snow would be
written on the board under winter.

Development/Teaching Approaches
 Students will be asked why we experience four different seasons.
 The answer will be given that the seasons reflect how solar energy is distributed to the
Earth based on its axis of rotation as well as its shape.
 After explaining this show, the students, the different ways that Earth gets titled on its
axis and have them predict what the weather would be like at each position
 Record their predictions, then tell them the answer to their predictions will be revealed
after discussing the
  It is important to have seasons as a way of letting life be possible on Earth. It will be
explained with a map of the United States and that Nevada will not experience snow
like we do in Pennsylvania due to where they are located.
 Point to the big map on the board that pulls down. Also show it on the globe in the
classroom so the students can see the difference on a rounded surround.
 Pass out a map of the United States to each student so they can get a close look at
Pennsylvania and Nevada and see how far apart they are from each other.
 Their winters will be warm like our summers are. Discuss that our weather patterns
consist of rain in the spring by using the saying “April showers bring May flowers”
and that during the months of April-May our weather is warmer and sunny. During the
summer months of June-August, we experience hot and sunny weather with it getting
very hot at the end of July and beginning of August. In the fall (September-November),
temperature is colder with the leaves falling. In the winter, it is cold and snowy during
December through March. (Throughout, when talking about temperature, talk about
our position relative to the sun)
 While discussing these, pictures will be brought up in a PowerPoint showing what
Pennsylvania looks like during these seasons.
 Now go over their predictions of what the weather is like here when the Earth is in
each position of the axis
 Ask them if they would like to change their minds knowing what they know now about
the weather, if not then reveal the correct answer to them and explain why
 Afterwards have the children put their names on a chart with the four seasons, to
indicate their first season.
 Each child then needs to give accurate descriptions of why this is their favorite season,
see scale above for grading

Closure/Summarizing Strategies:
Today we discussed the seasons in Pennsylvania and Nevada by looking at maps and pictures
of each season. Students will be asked to name the seasons again. Students will be asked if
they can name a month that is in each of the seasons. Ask if anyone can explain why the
seasons change.

Accommodations/Differentiation:
For a child who has a vision impairment have different temperatures of water for them to feel
when you are talking about the temperature of each season.

Materials/Resources:

Materials: Laminated pictures of each season, Post-It notes for students to write their names,
Map of the United States, Expo Marker

Resources:

Arntsen, Tara. “How to Teach Weather.” Busy Teacher, 18 June 2011, busyteacher.org/
4091-how-to-teach-weather.html
Education.com. “Explore the Seasons | Lesson Plan | Education.com | Lesson Plan.”
Education.com, 6 June 2018, www.education.com/lesson-plan/explore-the-
seasons/.

“Seasons.” BrainPOP, www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/seasons/.

Seasons, winter, spring, summer, autumn, daylight savings (n.d.) Merriam-Webster Online. In
Merriam-Webster. Retrieved September 25, 2018, from http://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/citation.

Reflective Response:
Report of Student Learning Target/Objectives Proficiency Levels

Remediation Plan (if applicable)

Personal Reflection Questions

1. How was the pacing of the lesson? Too quick or too slow?
2. Did the lesson take the entire allotted time or did it go over or under?

Additional reflection/thoughts