 
Lesson Plan – Warming and Melting
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Unit
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ENERGY: CONSERVATION AND TRANSFER
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Essential Standard
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5. P.3 Explain how the properties of some materials change as a result of heating and cooling.
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Clarifying Objective
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5. P.3.1 Explain the effects of the transfer of heat (either by direct contact or at a distance) that occur between objects at different temperatures. (Conduction, convection or radiation).
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Essential Questions
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What are the effects of combining warmer objects and cooler objects?
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Teacher Notes
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This lesson is intended to last one hour long class.
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Vocabulary
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radiation, thermal energy, transfer, equilibrium, convection, conduction
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Materials/Resources
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Thermometers, heating plate, beakers, water, ice, sealed containers of the same size, cooler,
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Engage
(15 min)
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The teacher will measure the temperature of a container of frozen water and a container of heated water. The students will predict what will happen when the teacher combines the two containers. The teacher will call on several students to share their hypothesis and justification. Next, the teacher will combine the two containers of water into a third container with the thermometer in it. The class will observe the temperature readings on the thermometer. The students may also make observations about the state of the water (i.e. melting)
The teacher can discuss with the class how heat energy is transferred from on object to another. Next, the teacher will place a container of frozen water and a container of heated warm water in an empty cooler. The students will predict and record their hypothesis of what will happen to the items by the end of class. The teacher may choose to model how to collect data on the containers beforehand (temperature, mass, etc). The students can share their hypothesis with a small group and/or class.
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Explore
(15 min)
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The students can work in small groups. Each group will receive a cup of warm water and cup of ice water. The students will collect temperature data and record it in a table. The students will then combine the two cups of water and immediately collect temperature data again. The class will continue to collect data every 2 minutes for the next 10 minutes. Allow the students several minutes to analyze and discuss their results.The groups will briefly share an observation statement of their data. The teacher will call on students to share other experiences where heat transfer was observed.
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Explain
(10 min)
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The class can then watch a short discovery education clip. While students watch the video, they will reflect on the following questions:
What happens to molecules when they are heated?
What happens to molecules when they are cooled?
In what other ways does heat energy transfer from one object to the next?
Define and give an example of each of the following: Radiation, convection, conduction.
Discovery Education Video Clip-(Temperature and Heat) - 5 minhttp://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=E45E9DFA-8C07-42BA-AA44-438D7AB2506F&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=DSCE
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Elaborate
(10 min)
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Have the students stand behind their chairs. Have the students move and wiggle their bodies as though they were a heated molecule. While they do this, be sure to point out their characteristics they should be portraying (moving fast, spread out). Then ask the students to move as though they were a colder molecule (moving slowly, closer together). Next the teacher will have the students change their movements as they heat up and cool off.
If time allows, the teacher may split the class into two separate groups. One group will be the warm water from the demonstration and the other group will represent the cold water. Have each group move to opposite sides of the room. The teacher will say “go” and the molecules will heat up and cool off until they are all moving with the same amount of energy.
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Evaluate
(10 min)
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The students will write a reflection to the following prompt: “When object become cool, are they gaining or releasing energy? Explain how you know using specific examples.”
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Lesson Plan – What Will Tomorrow Bring?
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Unit
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EARTH SYSTEMS, STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES
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Essential Standard
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5. E.1 Understand weather patterns and phenomena, making connections to the weather in a particular place and time.
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Clarifying Objective
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5. E.1.2 Predict upcoming weather events from weather data collected through observation and measurements.
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Essential Questions
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How can weather data be used to analyze and predict changing weather?
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Teacher Notes
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This lesson is intended to last one hour long class. It can follow a lesson on weather instruments and the type of data they collect. Students should be familiar with air pressure, wind direction, wind speed, humidity, and precipitation.
In the beginning of this lesson, the students begin a weather data collection table. This table can be used throughout the unit.
By the end of this lesson, students should be able to identify correlations between various weather conditions (for example, low pressure and precipitation).
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Vocabulary
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wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, temperature, barometer, air pressure, anemometer, rain gauge, wind vane, thermometer, hygrometer, humidity, precipitation,
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Materials/Resources
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print outs of weather charts from various months (color prints if possible)- an example is included below (http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=KNCCHARL43&day=24&year=2010&month=3&graphspan=month)
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Engage
(15 min)
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The students will watch a short video clip about predicting weather. While they watch, they will answer the following question: What kind of information do meteorologists use to predict the weather?
Discovery Education Video Clip (Predicting the Unpredictable)- 6 min. http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=211D9034-A336-4265-A5B7-9D2922237147&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
Students can share their answers after the video.
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Explore
(15 min)
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Students will create a table in their notebook. They will use this table over the next month to record weather data every day at about the same time. Research the current weather conditions using weatherbug.com, weather.com, or another reliable weather data source. Have the students record the data in their table.
Date
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Temperature
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Air Pressure
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Cloud Cover
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Precipitation
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*Be sure to collect your data from the same website each day. You may choose to also record humidity, wind speed, and/or wind direction as well. As students continue to recorder this information they will notice a correlation between air pressure and precipitation.
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Explain
(10 min)
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Students will receive a print out of weather data graphs (example included below). Give the students a couple of minutes to analyze the data and develop a few observation statements. Then have them answer the following questions using the information in the graphs.
On which day(s) was there the most precipitation? Do you notice any changes in temperature, pressure, or wind speed during this time? Explain.
On which day(s) was the pressure the highest? What other weather conditions occurred on this day?
Does temperature correlate with any other weather data? Explain.
Allow students several minutes to answer the questions and then share their understandings. The class can create a list of predictable weather patterns.
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Elaborate
(10 min)
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The teacher will display a weather map for students to see (either from a website orprovide a printout for the students). In groups, the students will identify theweather features on the map, such as fronts, pressure systems, and precipitation.
The teacher will display the following questions to help guide student discussion:
1. What weather features do you see on the map?
2. What effect will these features have on our weather?
3. What creates the weather features that you see on the map?
4. Based on the information you see on the map, what might Charlotte’s weather belike in the next 3‐4 days?
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Evaluate
(10 min)
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The students will write one concluding statement about predicting weather in 10 words or less.
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Lesson Plan Example-5th Grade – It’s Instrumental
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Unit
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Earth Systems, Structures and Processes
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Essential Standard
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5. E.1 Understand weather patterns and phenomena, making connections to the weather in a particular place and time.
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Clarifying Objective
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5.E.1.1 Compare daily and seasonal changes in weather conditions (including wind speed, direction, precipitation, and temperature)
5. E.1.2 Predicting upcoming weather events from weather data collected through observation and measurement.
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Essential Questions
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Can you design a way to evaluate data to predict changes in weather?
In what ways do weather tools aid in comparing weather changes?
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Teacher Notes
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TSW have prior knowledge of the various weather instruments and their use
TTW divide the students into groups of 5 to complete the weather station
All materials should be on the table for students to pick them up as needed
TTW create a Weather Log to be used by the entire class, this will be like the log that the small groups are using
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Vocabulary
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wind speed, anemometer, wind vane, wind direction, precipitation, rain gauge, temperature, thermometer , barometer, air pressure, cirrus, stratus, cumulus, meteorologist
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Materials/Resources
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All materials listed on the attached directions
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Engage
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TTW share the book The Sky-Watchers by Patricia Baehr with the students. The story is about a student their age who visits a friend who has a working weather station
TTW go over the directions for how the station is to be built with students working in teams of 5
Provide each group with one copy of the instructions
Each student will have a different weather tool to build which will be placed in the group station: barometer, thermometer, hydrometer, anemometer, rain gauge, wind vane, data recording folder
TTW provide each group with an outdoor thermometer and pinwheel (students can make their own pinwheel however they do not work as well)
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Explore
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TSW may work on their individual weather instruments or they can team up to build the instruments
Students assist others when their instrument has been constructed
Students take the completed station outside each day to collect data which is recorded on the weather log
After the first day, begin each class with the students checking the forecast they made the previous day for the current day weather
Discuss whether they predicted correctly, why or why not.
Allow time at the end of each class for students to forecast the weather for the following day based on the data collected
Calculate the averages from the data collected from each small group and use that data for the whole class weather log
Discuss the class data and make a whole group prediction for the following day
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Explain
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The students should take time to record data correctly
Analyze the data collected within the small groups and make a prediction for the following day
Discuss data and predictions as a whole groups
Record data on the whole class weather log
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Elaborate
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TSW work with a partner on site www.weatherwizkids.com
They will select from the left menu bar Meteorologist and complete the lesson
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Evaluate
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TSW will hand in their daily weather log and daily predictions of weather
Each week students will write a conclusion about their experience as a meteorologist
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