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6th grade STEM students at Longfellow Middle School participate in a three week long unit about weather. In this unit, students learn the difference between weather and climate, cloud coverage, types of weather, extreme weather, and weather forecasting. To showcase all they have learned, students are assigned a city in the US and create a weather forecast. Using iPads, green screens, and the Keynote app, students produce and present their weather forecast.

This collection of books supports the learning students will participate in at the start of the unit to build their knowledge about weather and weather related vocabulary. While creating their weather forecasts, student's can reference these books while writing their scripts.

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What's the Weather by Fraser Ralston and Judith Ralston

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What's the Weather by Fraser Ralston and Judith Ralston

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ISBN: 9780744026573

Ages: 7-9

An eco-concious explanation on why the weather is always changing. Explains the science behind weather phenomenon by exploring the history of weather on Earth and predicting the future.

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ISBN: 9780744052312

Ages: 9-12

This book covers broad weather related topics such as weather forecasting, clouds, low and high fronts, wind, and various types of storms. Rich photographs accompany the facts.

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The Weather Encyclopedia by Janine Ungvarsky

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The Weather Encyclopedia by Janine Ungvarsky

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ISBN: 9781532198779

Ages 9-14

Weather encyclopedia with engaging photos. Covers weather basics and extreme storms including thunderstorms, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, hailstorms, blizzards, ice storms, droughts, wildfires and firestorms, dust storms, and heat waves.

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Ages: 8-10

This set of 8 books explains the science behind extreme forms of weather. Weather phenomenon described by this set include: blizzards, droughts, floods, hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes, tsunamis, and wildfires. Because all forms of extreme weather can impact the United States, all should be purchased and made avaiable for students while researching their region.

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Climate Change and Extreme Weather by  Isaac Kerry

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Climate Change and Extreme Weather by  Isaac Kerry

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ISBN: 1728463920

Ages: 8-11

With ample pictures and diagrams, this book serves as a brief introduction to climate change. The author makes connections between climate change and the increase in extreme weather world wide.

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ISBN: 1914087038

Ages: 9-12

Using photographs and diagrams, this book explains the differences between weather and climate while educating readers on the basics of other weather related topics such as sunshine, the water cycle, and meteorology.

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ISBN: 9781728490755

Ages: 8-12

By exploring odd weather phenomena around the world, the facts in this book, along with the photographs, can convince even the most reluctant student to open the book and take a peek. While the weird weather events might not apply to the region students are researching, it would be important to include to increase student engagement.

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Urgent Message from a Hot Planet: Navigating the Cimate Crisis by Ann Eriksson

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Urgent Message from a Hot Planet: Navigating the Cimate Crisis by Ann Eriksson

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ISBN: 9781459826328

Ages: 12+

This deep dive into the impact of climate changes explains the science of climate change while providing actionable steps young people can take to make change. While diagrams and images are included, it is text heavy and recommend for more advanced readers.

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How do meteorologists predict the future? A  Science Book about Meteorology by Lisa Spencer; illustrated by Srimalie Bassani

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How do meteorologists predict the future? A  Science Book about Meteorology by Lisa Spencer; illustrated by Srimalie Bassani

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ISBN: 9781486729845

Ages: 7-10

This book briefly describes how meteorologist predict the weather. Illustrations and diagrams explain how to forecast and weather instruments. The glossary in the back make this a helpful resource if it is the students first introduction to meteorology.

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The Ultimate Kids Guide to Weather by Jenny Marder

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The Ultimate Kids Guide to Weather by Jenny Marder

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Ages: 8-12

This book should be included as a resource for students due to it's chapters defining weather and weather forecasting. The other chapters on dangerous weather will also interest students.

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ISBN: 9781641281881

Ages: 7-10

This book takes a look at the career of a meteorologist. Topics covered include their day-to-day responsibilities, tools they use, and how to become one.

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The Science of Weather and Climate by Julie Danneberg and Michelle Simpson  

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The Science of Weather and Climate by Julie Danneberg and Michelle Simpson  

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ISBN: 1619308509

Ages: 12-15

This more detailed, nuanced look on the why behind weather is suited for more advanced readers. This book explores the differences between weather and climate and details the role our atmosphere has on both. While it is text heavy, illustrations reinforce key concepts.

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This collection is based off an experience I had during my middle school field placement shadowing Longfellow Middle School's LMS. One day, the 6th grade STEM teacher approached us asking to collaborate on their new weather unit. She told us they were starting tomorrow (!!!) and that she needed books on weather. She also shared that she wanted students to create a video production of a weather forecast and if we would assist. Because she needed the books immediately, we gave her everything we had in 551. She had not shared much with us, and we did not have much time to ask questions, but when student's returned to us two weeks later to record weather forecasts, I gained a better understanding of what resources the students needed. They needed books that explained the basics of weather, they need books about storms and other extreme weather, and they needed to know about meteorology.

These twelve books are what I would have shared with that teacher if we had properly collaborated together and identified earlier on the key concepts about weather that students were to take away from the unit. However, without knowing how she would be using these books in her classroom, choosing these books was a struggle. To better know if this collection meets her students needs, I would need to ask her about her mini lessons. Was she teaching a new concept each day and using passages from these books as tools? Were students being given these books and asked to form their own knowledge? Or are these simply supplemental materials to have in the classroom for students to browse and read if they had extra time/desire? Understanding how these resources will be used in instruction is crucial in determining if they are the right fit or not.

I was able to find plenty of materials covering the basics of weather and even more on extreme weather. I could have found several books on each type of extreme weather, but because extreme weather is not the sole focus of their unit, I only chose a few that covered several types of extreme weather briefly. Because climate change is a hot topic right now, almost all of the books had a chapter dedicated to climate change and its effects. This is something I would make sure to point out to the teacher so she could consider adding it to her unit. The one area that was most difficult to find books for was on meteorology. Several of the encyclopedias included chapters on meteorology but there were very few books only about meteorology. They were either too young (for students 3rd grade or younger) or too old (for adults). This was frustrating as I wanted the bulk of the resources to be about meteorology since the final assessment requires students to create their own weather forecast.

Overall, without being able to consult the teacher and ask them questions during this process, it was challenging to find a collection of books for this weather unit. I was forced to assume how I would use these books in the unit, which probably differs greatly from how the teacher and students will actually be using them. Ideally, I would want the teacher to provide the unit's standards, daily learning objectives, details of student's use of the resources, and final assessment.