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Poetic text and awe-inspiring illustrations guide readers on a journey explaining the causes of climate change and how people can make the world better.

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Armani Curtis can think about only one thing: her tenth birthday. All her friends are coming to her party, her mama is making a big cake, and she has a good feeling about a certain wrapped box. Turning ten is a big deal to Armani.

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Bought this book because I like supporting Taiwanese authors, especially overseas. My kids (ages 3 and 6) and husband enjoyed reading this book. They also like the information provided at the back about Taiwan, typhoon etc.

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Typhoon Holidays: Taiwan (Global Kids Storybooks)

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Typhoon Holidays: Taiwan (Global Kids Storybooks) [Hsu, Yi Ling, Kwag, Jin-yeong] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Typhoon Holidays: Taiwan (Global Kids Storybooks)

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When fourteen-year-old William Kamkwamba's Malawi village was hit by a drought, everyone's crops began to fail. Without enough money for food, let alone school, William spent his days in the library...and figured out how to bring electricity to his village.

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Simple text and silly illustrations encourage younger students to consider how animals adapt to cold weather, stressing the importance of teamwork.

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Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 1889 is a busy factory city, where best friends Daniel Fagan, William James, and George Hoffman love to hike the mountain and spy on the rich folks at their exclusive lakeside club. Monica Fagan, Joe Dixon, and Gertrude Quinn dream of traveling the world, starting a business, and going to the city's Decoration Day parade.

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In 1999 Mr. Muth started what has been over a decade in children's books. He has received numerous awards and critical acclaim and worked with many talented people. He is the author and illustrator of "Zen Shorts" a Caldecott Honor book, which Kirkus Review described as "Every word and image comes to make as perfect a picture book as can be". He is the illustrator of the anthology, "A Family of Poems", with Caroline Kennedy. His book "The Three Questions" has been described as "quietly life-changing" by The New York Times.

Muth worked for over twenty years in comics and graphic novels; culminating in the industry's highest honor, an Eisner Award for "The Mystery Play".

In an interview with the Paris Review, E.B. White once said, "You don't write down for children. You write up." Muth wholeheartedly agrees. "Children are completely capable of intuiting wisdom as readily as adults are... they just may not have the ability to put it into words ... [but] they get this stuff very quickly. Even the kids who come to the book (Zen Shorts) because it has a giant panda tend to come back because there's some itch that's created -- in their minds or in their hearts -- to re-examine what's going on."

Mr. Muth has had a life long interest in Asian Studies, including tai chi chuan, sumi ink drawing and chado, "the way of tea". His work has been translated into more than a dozen languages and he lives with his wife and their four children in New York.

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"Come on, rain!" Tess pleads to the sky as listless vines and parched plants droop in the endless heat. Up and down the block, cats pant while heat wavers off tar patches in the broiling alleyway. More than anything, Tess hopes for rain. And when it comes, she and her friends are ready for a surp...

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When disaster strikes, the only thing you can count on is yourself!A winter trip in the remote Michigan wilderness seemed like the perfect way for Jayden to get to know his new foster family. Though he doesn’t have much in common with siblings Maggie and Connor, he’s hoping they’ll get to like each other over snow mobile races and steaming mugs of cocoa.But when the snow really starts to come down, the family van crashes and the three kids must go out into the bleak, white storm to search for help. Soon the wind is howling and night is starting to fall. Jayden, Maggie, and Connor will have to think fast, find shelter, watch out for bears, and somehow stay warm if they don’t want to end up frozen in their tracks.…

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Lavender had been looking forward to her class field trip in Chiricahua National Park, AZ-until her best friend, Marisol, ditched her for mean-girl Rachelle. Now the prospect of being stuck in the wilderness with her class for two days is no longer so appealing. But things will only get worse...While the class is hiking through an arroyo, a flash flood strikes!As the water hurtles down the ravine, everyone sprints for safety. Lavender, Marisol, Rachelle, and a boy named John end up running in the opposite direction as everyone else and scrambling up a tree while the waters rage by.When the waters finally recede, the four kids are left alone in the desert, separated from their class, shaken and disoriented. Between them, they have one pack of supplies left and only the most basic wilderness knowledge. Can they find their way back to safety? The four kids will have to learn to work together in spite of their differences-if they want to survive.

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When Ahab and his friends find a bullfrog in their town -- a real, live bullfrog, possibly the last bullfrog in North America -- they have several options:A. Report it to the Environmental Police Force. Too bad everyone knows the agency is a joke.B. Leave it be.

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Abstract

The field of citizen science is one of the fastest growing sectors in informal education, specifically because of the new opportunities that are now available within today's digitized and networked world. This paper describes a unique co-created citizen science project, WeatherBlur, which brought fishermen, elementary students, and teachers from island and coastal communities together with research scientists via an online platform to share, analyze, and interpret data about the local impact of climate change. The project was designed utilizing a sociocultural learning approach that integrated communities of practice, knowledge building, funds of knowledge, and place-based education theory. The study aimed to understand how scientists, community members, and students interact to promote learning and collaboration within an online learning community. In addition, the study addressed the impact of the program on elementary student learning outcomes in earth science and graph interpretation. Data analyses suggest that the model implemented provided a high level of interactivity across all ages and groups, and increased students' understanding of earth science and skills in graph interpretation. Findings are used to describe the utility of using citizen science projects in K-5 schools.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Martin Lodish, Nancy Miles, Marie Pryor, Jane Robertson, and Michael Weatherwax for assisting in the data collection and data coding for this study. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant numbers DRL#1217247 and DRL#1451315. We would also like to thank all of the outstanding teachers that worked hand-in-hand with us throughout the duration of this project, Laura Venger, Marci Train, Paula Johnson, Josh and Heidi Holloway, Kristin Westra, Nancy Earnest, Maggie Small, and Bev Johnson.

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Authors and Affiliations

1. Maine Math and Science Alliance, Augusta, ME, USA

Ruth Kermish-Allen PhD

2. Karen Peterman Consulting, Durham, NC, USA

Karen Peterman

3. RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA

Christine Bevc

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Correspondence to Ruth Kermish-Allen PhD.

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The authors confirm that they have no conflict of interest with CSSE, including any interest or relationship, financial or otherwise, that might be perceived as influencing an author's objectivity is considered a potential source of conflict of interest.

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Lead editor: Ruth Kermish-Allen.

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Kermish-Allen, R., Peterman, K. & Bevc, C. The utility of citizen science projects in K-5 schools: measures of community engagement and student impacts. Cult Stud of Sci Educ 14, 627-641 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-017-9830-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-017-9830-4

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# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The utility of citizen science projects in K-5 schools: measures of community engagement and student impacts - Cultural Studies of Science Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The field of citizen science is one of the fastest growing sectors in informal education, specifically because of the new opportunities that are now available within today's digitized and networked world.

# data[].attributes.body
Teaching Severe Weather: Examining Teacher Candidates' Early Field Experience in a Makerspace Environment.

https://doi-org.liblink.uncw.edu/10.1177/0022057420908061

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Incorporating an engineering context into science learning: The effects of task context and response structuring on science understanding and investigation behaviors in a simulation. https://doi-org.liblink.uncw.edu/10.1002/tea.21832

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Using Weather to Teach Graphing

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This multipurpose activity can be used in STEM education with elementary school students to reinforce scientific concepts of such weather components as temperature, precipitation, clouds, and wind by integrating manipulation of online apps (technology), knowledge of graphing and data analysis (mathematics), and creation of a wind vane (engineering). iSTEM: Integrating Science Technology Engineering in the Mathematics authors share ideas and activities that stimulate student interest in the integrated fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in K-grade 6 classrooms.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This multipurpose activity can be used in STEM education with elementary school students to reinforce scientific concepts of such weather components as temperature, precipitation, clouds, and wind by integrating manipulation of online apps (technology), knowledge of graphing and data analysis (mathematics), and creation of a wind vane (engineering).

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Cruising the Climate With Spreadsheets

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Cruising the Climate With Spreadsheets - ProQuest

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explore millions of resources from scholarly journals, books, newspapers, videos and more, on the ProQuest Platform.

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Fostering Community Engaged Problem Solvers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Rapstad, Amanda; Hammack, Rebekah; Lux, Nicholas.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explore millions of resources from scholarly journals, books, newspapers, videos and more, on the ProQuest Platform.

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A storm darkens the sky at the mouth of the Russian River, north of Bodega Bay, Calif. Weather can change from minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour, day-to-day, and season-to-season. Climate, is the average of weather over time and space.

We hear about weather and climate all of the time. Most of us check the local weather forecast to plan our days. And climate change is certainly a "hot" topic in the news. There is, however, still a lot of confusion over the difference between the two.

Think about it this way: Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get.

Weather is what you see outside on any particular day. So, for example, it may be 75° degrees and sunny or it could be 20° degrees with heavy snow. That's the weather.

Climate is the average of that weather. For example, you can expect snow in the Northeast in January or for it to be hot and humid in the Southeast in July. This is climate. The climate record also includes extreme values such as record high temperatures or record amounts of rainfall. If you've ever heard your local weather person say "today we hit a record high for this day," she is talking about climate records.

So when we are talking about climate change, we are talking about changes in long-term averages of daily weather. In most places, weather can change from minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour, day-to-day, and season-to-season. Climate, however, is the average of weather over time and space.

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national oceanic and atmospheric administration

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is the difference between weather and climate?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Weather reflects short-term conditions of the atmosphere while climate is the average daily weather for an extended period of time at a certain location

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Exploring the Water Cycle | Precipitation Education

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In this lesson, students will learn about the water cycle and how energy from the sun and the force of gravity drive this cycle. This website, presented by NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, provides students and educators with resources to learn about Earth's water cycle, weather and climate, and the technology and societal applications of studying them.

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This anchor chart helps visually distinguish the differences between Weather and Climate. The keywords at the bottom are helpful for determining if we are talking about weather or climate.

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I love this first portion of this anchor chart and think it would be cute to show in our science portion of the lesson plan. N.A

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This Pin was discovered by Stories by Storie. Discover (and save!) your own Pins on Pinterest

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https://mrsmartin47.weebly.com/science.html

This anchor chart provides the key factors of weather and a brief definition for each. Individually lessons may focus on one factor, but all of these factors work together to create the weather we see.

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https://www.brightinthemiddle.com/product/weather-instruments-weather-tools-lesson-pack-with-activities/

This provides a great visual for the weather instruments we will focus on in this unit. Each weather factor has an instrument we use to collect its data.

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These symbols are important to understand in order to read weather maps.

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This Pin was discovered by Katie Shaw. Discover (and save!) your own Pins on Pinterest

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This is a great visual of the two types of graphs we will focus on in this unit - bar graphs and line graphs. Students will need to be able to read these graphs and pull information from them. This link to the crayola activity is a great introduction to graphing in weather.

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Track the weather in your area over a two-week period. Use bar graphs and line graphs to illustrate the results of your study in a colorful way!

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Games and Simulations | Center for Science Education

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The UCAR Center for Science Education develops state-of-the-art educational experiences that connect NCAR|UCAR science including weather, climate, air quality, and the Sun-Earth connection, to diverse learners, creating pathways towards a scientifically literate society.

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WHAT’S YOUR CLEAN AIR PERSONALITY? - National Geographic Kids

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We’re sorry but cm-frontend doesn’t work properly without JavaScript enabled. Please enable it to continue.

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Weather and Climate: StudyJams! Science | Scholastic.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Climate describes what the weather is like over a long period of time. This activity will teach students about the ways that weather and climate are related.

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Forecasting Under Pressure Tree House Weather Kids - University of Illinois Extension

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By changing the Equatorward Temperature, Poleward Temperature, and Relative Humidity you can turn sunny skies into the perfect day for a snowstorm.

Interactive Weather Maker Directions:
As you manipulate the weather, remember these two rules:

1. The temperature towards the poles (either north or south) must always be less than the temperature towards the equator.

2. The maximum difference in the two temperatures is 70 degrees.

Investigate How Weather Is Made:
Follow these steps to get extra insight into how weather works:

Using the Weather Maker, observe the effects of certain changes.

Gather data: how much of a change in temperature is needed to make it snow?

Start investigating why changing individual conditions cause a specific change in the overall weather. Review ourWeather Facts (PDF) to help with your investigation.

The Flash Plug-in is required to view the Interactive Weather Maker. If you don't have it, click here to download it for free.

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Students who have mastered the concepts of observation and gathering data, now use those skills to predict the weather. Through the weather detective, students are encouraged to observe the clues, research them, and make a conclusion on weather and weather patterns.

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This is a cute and short video that uses Minecraft to demonstrate how elevation plays a part in precipitation. There are additional Minecraft videos that teach weather concepts and engage students!

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Minecraft 1.7 Altitude Weather Elevation Snow Tops!

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When learning about air pressure, which is a very difficult and abstract concept, students can create their own barometer and observe the changes in hot and cold water.

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Make a Barometer to Measure Air Pressure

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Using a can, plastic wrap, and a few other items, you can build your own barometer to measure air pressure.

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This link provides instructions for creating several types of weather tools like an anemometer, wind vane, wind sock, rain gauge, etc. This unit recommends breaking up these activities to complete one for each weather factor you cover.

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Having your preschool or early elementary age child or students do daily observations of the weather is a great way to engage them in science, and how understanding science affects the choices we make each day, such as what to wear or what to do outside. (Check out my post full of kid activities related to weather.) You can enhance that weather observation with these simple DIY tools, made of materials you have at home or in your recycling bin!

Weather Vane

What it can tell you: This tool tells you which direction the wind is blowing from, which can indicate whether the weather is likely to get warmer, cooler, wetter, or dryer. (In the northern hemisphere, if the wind is from the north, the weather will get colder. If it's from the south, it will get warmer. From the east means rain or snow is coming. From the west means the weather may clear.)

How to make one: Make the base: Take a cup with a lid. Label the 4 cardinal directions on the lid (NESW). Insert one straw, and cover the top end of the straw with a piece of masking tape. Make the top: Take a second straw - cut slits in each end, and insert a cardstock flag in one end and a cardstock arrow in the other. Balance that straw on your finger to find the center of gravity. Push a pin through that point, then through the tape on top of the straw. Make sure the top straw spins freely. (Find more details and design options with alternate materials here.)

To use: Fill the cup with water to weigh it down, then put this outside in the wind, with the letter N on the cup in the north.

Anemometer

What it is, and what it can tell you: This tool measures how fast the wind is blowing.

How to make one: Make the base, as described in the weather vane instructions. Make the top: Take four dixie cups. Punch two holes in each, across from each other. Then take two straws. Make a plus sign (+) with the two straws. Poke a pin through the center of both straws, and then tape them together. Slide a cup on each straw end. Make sure they're all facing the same way around the circle. Mark one cup in some way (like choose a different color cup, or mark an X on it.)

To use: Fill the cup with water, then put this outside in the wind. Each time the marked cup passes you, count one rotation. Set a timer for one minute and see how many times it rotates in one minute. (Find more design options and learn how to calibrate your anemometer here.)

You could also test them inside with a fan, as we did in this video (note, you'll also see some weather vanes at work):

Wind Sock

What it can tell you: Approximately how strong the wind is blowing.

How to make one: Just search online for countless ideas! Most are made of paper, and wouldn't survive rainy weather. I THINK you could make a working wind sock by cutting off the bottom of a plastic cup, tying a string to four holes punched around the bottom of the cup to hang it up by, and tying lots of fluttery plastic ribbons to holes punched around the top of the rim. Someone try this, and let me know if it works!!

Rain Gauge

What it can tell you: This tool measures how much rain has fallen over a period of time.

How to make one: (Directions from education.com, which cites What's Up by Hixson.) Cut the top off of a two liter plastic bottle. Put pebbles or glass beads in the bottom of the bottle. These prevent it from blowing over in the wind. Turn the top of the bottle upside down, so it forms a funnel, and put it in the bottom part of the bottle. Tape the two cut edges together. Put in water so it just covers the pebbles.

Make a vertical line of tape from the top to the bottom of the bottle. Draw a horizontal line on the tape where the water line is above the pebbles. This will be the bottom, the "zero" point of your rain gauge. Now draw horizontal lines going up the tape, every centimeter (or ever quarter inch) above that zero point. Then label them from bottom to top.

To use: Put the gauge outdoors, someplace level that's open to the sky, and not under any trees or other things that would cause extra drips to fall in. 24 hours later, check your rain gauge to see how high the water is now. That's how much rain has fallen in those 24 hours.

Thermometer

What it it can tell you: The relative temperature... is it warmer or colder than when you last checked? Look at the level of the water inside the straw. It will rise as the air gets warmer, and lower when the air cools.

How to make one: My original directions, and the picture at the top of the post, are from What We Do All Day. (The picture to the right is from Life Hacks.) Take a clear plastic or glass bottle. Fill it 1/4 of the way with rubbing alcohol. Then add water till the bottle is half full. (Note: you could use just water, but it responds more slowly than with the alcohol.) Add food coloring or liquid watercolor so it's easier to see the water level. Place a clear straw in the bottle so that it is suspended where the bottom end is in the liquid, but not touching the bottom of the bottle and the top end is poking out the top of the bottle. (In the picture, the straw just barely reaches the top of the bottle - it's fine if yours sticks out a little or a lot.) Now anchor the straw in place with clay (we used Model Magic, but play-dough or silly putty would work). Do not seal the top end of the straw - it needs to be open to the air in order to work. (When the water and air in the bottle heat up, they expand, but can't escape the bottle, so the water is pushed up the straw.)

To use: Test it - what level is the water in the straw at? Place it somewhere cooler - like in the refrigerator. What happens to the water level? Now take it back out to room temperature. How does the water level change?

Finesse your design, or calibrate it: it's easiest to see the changes in level if "room temperature" is about in the middle of your gauge. To get it there: when the bottle is at room temperature, use an eye dropper to drip some colored water into the straw, just enough to raise the water level to halfway up the straw. If it's cooler than room temperature, you'll be able to see the temperature drop down the straw.

To prevent evaporation, use an eye dropper to add a few drops of vegetable oil into the straw. This will float on top of the water, and minimize evaporation.

To calibrate your home-made thermometer. Use a regular thermometer to check the temperature. Where is your straw's water level when it's at 70 degrees? Mark and label that on your bottle. Where is the water level when the bottle is at 50 degrees? Mark that...

You can find a more detailed tutorial, including info on how to calibrate it, on Scientific American's website, or on Wikihow.

Sundial

Check out my post on making a DIY Sundial.

Barometer

I haven't tried this yet, but here's instructions for a DIY barometer.

Pinecone Weather Station

For a fun nature connection, add a pinecone to your weather station. If the scales are open, the air is dry and getting dryer. If they close tight, the air is wet and getting wetter. Learn more about this phenomenon in my Pinecone Experiment post.

Weather Chart

When we teach our children to observe the weather, we're teaching one of the key science process skills. When we use these tools to make comparisons in how the weather changes from day to day, we're teaching measurement, another process skill. Designing a weather chart is all about communicating our observations. Ask your child what types of weather they want to track. Ask them what drawing they could use to represent each type of weather - it's easy to come up with icons for sunny, cloudy or snowy, but kids may discover it's harder to come up with an icon to depict fog or wind. I searched online for "kids weather chart" or "preschool weather" and found several examples for us to examine and talk about. Once kids have drawn their weather chart, you can either fasten an arrow to the center of the chart with a brad, then they can spin the arrow to point at the weather or you can clip a paperclip to the outer edge of the paper, near the icon that depicts current conditions.

I also designed another weather chart that allows kids to separately track: cloud level, wind speed, precipitation and relative temperature. You place a paper clip along each side of the chart, and slide it to the icon which best represents current conditions. You can find your free printable weather chart here. If you would like to keep a record of your observations from day to day, consider making a table to track the data on, such as this sample weather table or a simpler version, such as you'll find here.

Setting Up Your Weather Station

You may make one or all of these tools. Or, you could buy one or all of these tools on Amazon, for not a lot of money. ( Thermometer , Rain Gauge , Weather Vane , Anemometer, and wind socks) Once you've got your equipment, set up a station outside, where your child could check it each day. (Or whenever the whim strikes...) The rain gauge will, obviously, need to be out from under cover so the rain falls on it. The other tools can be out in the open, or under cover.

Media Extension

Watch the TV weather with your child. Then, watch this video on weather forecasting, which provides a nice overview of weather, the job of a meteorologist, and info on how green screen weather maps work.

More Weather Fun

For lots of other fun weather related STEM activities for kids, check out our lesson plans on Weather, Rainbows, and Wind and Flight.

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Kids can make weather tools using simple materials you have at home: make a rain gauge, a wind vane, an anemometer, a thermometer and more.

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This is an engaging way for students to "create fog" in a jar and also learn how to follow lab procedures.

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MAKE FOG

MATERIALS:

glass jar

strainer

water

ice cubes

PROCESS:

Fill up the jar completely with hot water for about a minute.

Pour out almost all the water, but leave about one inch in the jar.

Put the strainer over the top of the jar.

Place a few (3-4) ice cubes in the strainer.

Watch what happens!

EXPLANATION:

The cold air from the ice cubes collides with the warm, moist air in the bottle causing the water to condense and forming an eerie fog.

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Weather Wiz Kids weather information for kids

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Weather Wiz Kids is a fun and safe website for kids about all the weather info they need to know. It contains tools for weather education, including weather games, activities, experiments, photos, a glossary and educational teaching materials for the classroom.

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This experiment is a fun and hands-on way to explain air pressure to 5th grade students

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How to do egg in a bottle science experiment

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Weather Poems by J.T. Roque

These poems can be used as an introduction to the weather unit, or used throughout the unit. Poems have a different reading level from 1st to 5th grades and contain academic vocabulary.

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Students need a visual to help them distinguish the different types of clouds we see in and what weather is typically associated with those clouds.

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A Clever Apple | Weather science, Science anchor charts, Earth science activities

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In my class we are learning about weather! I got so many great ideas from pinterest and will do my best to give credit to where it's due!   ...

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Weather Choice Board - students chose 5 in a row to complete

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Weather study guide for students to complete throughout different lessons

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Use this as a quick pre assessment to evaluate students' abilities to read a bar graph and analyze information from it.

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Exit ticket to guide instruction and evaluate if the whole class needs reteaching or maybe just a small group.

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Exit Ticket or Think-Pair-Share discussion questions

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Summative Quiz

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Students use this website to create digital graphs to represent weather data.

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The NCES Kids' Zone provides information to help you learn about schools; decide on a college; find a public library; engage in several games, quizzes and skill building about math, probability, graphing, and mathematicians; and to learn many interesting facts about education.

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A dynamic pattern across the country with accumulating heavy wet snow expected across the northern Rockies late this weekend. Meanwhile, deep tropical moisture is expected to move ashore across the Gulf Coast States with the threat of heavy rainfall. This threat extends into the upper Midwest where flash flooding will be possible. In addition, a heat wave is building from the Plains into Northeast Read More >

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A dynamic pattern across the country with accumulating heavy wet snow expected across the northern Rockies late this weekend. Meanwhile, deep tropical moisture is expected to move ashore across the Gulf Coast States with the threat of heavy rainfall. This threat extends into the upper Midwest where flash flooding will be possible.

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Classroom Activities & Lesson Plans - NC Climate Education

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Below you will find a variety of classroom activities and lesson plans categorized by grade level. Elementary School Show More Seasons Lesson Plan (PDF) Supplemental Materials: Printable Graphs (PDF) Sun Facts Reading Graphic Organizer (PDF) Earth Sun Graphic Organizer (PDF) Printable Manipulatives (PDF) Alternative Book List (PDF) All Supplemental Materials (.zip) Where Does Weather Come

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60-Day Extended Weather Forecast for Southeast

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The Old Farmer’s Almanac is your trusted source for long range weather forecasts, moon phases, full moon dates and times, gardening tips, sunrise and sunset times, Best Days, tide charts, home remedies, folklore, and more.

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This interactive game allows students to travel back in time and into the future to explore the changes in Earth's climate at different periods of history.

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Travel back and forward in time and see the effects of climate change.

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Explore how we use water, discuss why we need to protect our freshwater sources all across the globe.

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Resource Overview

Students investigate how much water they use in their lives, both directly and indirectly.

Students will be able to:

Measure the amount of water they use on a daily basis.

Analyze their water use, both directly and indirectly.

Identify ways they can save water in their daily lives.

Features of This Resource

Template for a student-led water audit

Students collect and analyze their own data

Opportunity for public speaking

SEL core competency of responsible decision-making

How Do I Get This Lesson Plan?

This lesson plan must be purchased as part of a lesson packet or as part of a full curriculum that is available in our store.

What Would You Do?

In groups, students consider several environmental and social dilemmas and discuss the consequences of various reactions. Students will be able... Read more "

Waste A-Weigh

By weighing and recording their lunch waste every day for a week, students learn how conservation efforts can reduce the... Read more "

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Every Drop Counts - Population Education

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Students investigate how much water they use in their lives, both directly and indirectly. Students will be able to: Measure the amount of water they use on a daily basis. Analyze their water use, both directly and indirectly. Identify ways they can save water in their daily lives.

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Students can use these cards to discuss climate concepts in groups or think-pair-shares.

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Global Warming Fact and Discussion Cards

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Local Weather Station Meteorologist for WITN. Set up a zoom call or class visit from local meteorologist, OR a field trip to the local news station.

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Dustin's First Alert Forecast: A hot, but not as humid Father's Day; More sunny & dry days persists this week

Summer heat is locked in across ENC

Happy Father's Day to the all the dads and father-like figures. Expect another warm day ahead, with less humidity, and no rain chances. Highs will be in the upper 80s to low 90s, and lows in the mid 60s. We will see a shift in the winds from the north and northeast from 10-15 mph. If you have plans to head to our area beaches, continue to watch the rip currents, as all of our beaches will be at from low to moderate risk.

Happy Father's Day to the all the dads and father-like figures. Expect another warm day ahead, with less humidity, and no rain chances. Highs will be in the upper 80s to low 90s, and lows in the mid 60s. We will see a shift in the winds from the north and northeast from 10-15 mph. If you have plans to head to our area beaches, continue to watch the rip currents, as all of our beaches will be at from low to moderate risk.

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Sustainable goals that align with this weather unit are goal 6 – clean water and sanitation, and goal 13 – climate action. In 5th grade, we focus on the water cycle and the importance of protecting our limited sources of freshwater.  There is a shortage of clean, freshwater that globally impacts the health and wellbeing of people in other parts of the world.  There is also alignment with climate action.  Students are introduced to climate patterns in 5th grade, but climate change as a global issue is not expressly written into the 5th grade standards.  We really dig deeper into climate change in 7th grade.  Still, 5th graders are old enough to understand patterns in climate and learn how our climate has changed over the past decades, while being introduced to the human impact on climate change.

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Model precipitation using lego blocks

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Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of a unit (1/2, 1/4, 1/8). Use operations on fractions for this grade to solve problems involving information presented in line plots. For example, given different measurements of liquid in identical beakers, find the amount of liquid each beaker would contain if the total amount in all the beakers were redistributed equally.

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Educator Guide: Precipitation Towers: Modeling Weather Data | NASA/JPL Edu

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This lesson uses stacking cubes as a way to graph precipitation data, comparing the precipitation averages and seasonal patterns for several locations.