U.S. and World Weather

Grade Levels: 3 - 5

Objectives

• Students will read a weather map on an Internet site.
• Students will use a map key to tell the temperature.
• Students will name outdoor activities that are appropriate for high and low temperatures.

Materials

• U.S. and World Weather worksheet

Procedures

1. Introduce key vocabulary: degree Fahrenheit, key, temperature, thermometer.
2. Have students go a weather website to complete the U.S. and World Weather worksheet.
3. Remind students to record all temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Students may work in pairs or in small groups.
5. Schedule time for students to share their findings with the class. You may want to print out the map and key and refer to it during the class discussion.

Assessment

• Use students' worksheet responses in addition to class discussion to evaluate their ability to find and use data on an Internet site, read the key for a map, suggest activities and clothing appropriate for different outdoor temperatures, and participate in group discussions. Assign a point value for each response.
• Find a variety of assessment techniques to use with this lesson.

Extension Activities

• Choose from a large collection of cross-curricular activities for all grade levels.
• Explore outstanding lessons and activities in the Weather theme.
• Have students make their own thermometer. Go to /weather/lesson-plan/4131.html and use simple materials to make a thermometer. (Student-made thermometers won't give the exact temperature, but they will show students how thermometers work.) Experiment to see how changing weather conditions affect students' thermometers.
• Direct students to Weather Basics (http://www.wxdude.com/basics.html). Have them read the entire online book and do the interactive activities, or select chapters that you think are especially important. When students are finished, have a class sing-along!