Literacy:

The students will learn the literacy embedded in activities the meteorologist and weather anchor do to predict the weather forecast. Symbolic competence – students will learn the symbols associated with meteorology such as low and high pressure systems, wind direction, humidity levels, barometer readings, cloud structures etc. Students will be able to encode and decode these symbols and analyze what they mean. Discourse forms- students will interpret what symbols mean on a weather map, weather almanacs, newspaper and other discourse available to meteorologist. Cognitive Processes- Students will be able to determine the weather patterns for the week using the internet and other discourse forms

Problem-Solving:

My problem I pose to the student is "What is the weather going to be like tomorrow, this week, next week, or next month?" I want my students to start thinking like meteorologist. J.S. Adame is going to start broadcasting a weather segment via the internet every Monday morning. We are looking for qualified meteorologist to predict the weather for each week. Are ready to take the challenge of being Adame's Meteorologist?

Knowledge:

Disciplinary Structures: Meteorologist, clouds, weather, temperature, humidity, Barometric pressure, wind, fronts, pressure systems, hurricanes, tornadoes, and thunder storms. Disciplinary Processes: Predicting weather, reporting, analyzing, evaluating, informing, describing, interpreting, researching, and collecting data Disciplinary Discourse: cold and warm fronts, pressure systems, precipitation, moderate wind, extensive cloudiness, flooding, rainfall

Using Information:

Students will be able to predict the weather by researching information on the internet, newspaper, almanacs, and weather maps. Students will work in groups and predict the weather forecast for the week by using the information they have learned from the activities they have done.

Community:

Students will collaborate together. They will also collaborate with real meteorologist from the news station and the Brownsville weather station.

Authentic Activities:

1. Students will take a virtual tour of the Brownsville weather station. 2. Students will have a class visit by a meteorologist. 3. Student will take a field trip to the kids’ museum in Brownsville and check out the weather exhibit. 4. Students will learn how meteorologists predict the weather.

Background Building Activities:

1.Students will research all the symbols related to weather using the internet and what each symbol means. For example what are the symbols for warm and cold fronts, high and low pressures, what kind of day it is outside, whether it is sunny, cloudy, partly cloudy, raining, and etc.. 2.Students will learn about natural disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes. 3. Students will learn about fronts, pressure systems, wind and wind direction, barometric pressure, dew point and humidity from different websites such as brain pop, web weather for kids, and streaming video. 4.Students will look at different websites that they can use to help them predict the weather such as the national weather service, the weather channel, and weather underground. 5.Students will learn about the different types of clouds. What each type of clouds there are and what it means when you see each cloud in the sky. Then they will go outside and look at clouds, take pictures, and then analyze the pictures.

Constructing Activities:

1. Students will look at weather map and report what the map is telling us for a particular day. 2.Students use a program on the internet and go through the Edhead weather activities where they will practice reporting the weather and predicting the weather using a simulated model. Once they have master the three levels for reporting and predicting the weather, they will get their meteorologist badge. 3. Students will study the forecast in the newspaper, televisions stations and websites to see if they all predict the same weather. 4.Students will create their own weather station set.

Sharing Activities:

1. Students will practice predicting the weather for several weeks in front of their classmates. 2.Students will get to predict the weather for the week and share it with the school in the morning announcements. 3. Students will also develop a weather segment news cast using a video camera and the school will be able to view it on the internet.

Contents:

(1) Scientific processes. The student conducts field and laboratory investigations following home and school safety procedures and environmentally appropriate and ethical practices. The student is expected to: (A) demonstrate safe practices during field and laboratory investigations; and (2) Scientific processes. The student uses scientific methods during field and laboratory investigations. The student is expected to: (A) plan and implement descriptive and simple experimental investigations including asking well-defined questions, formulating testable hypotheses, and selecting and using equipment and technology; (B) collect information by observing and measuring; (C) analyze and interpret information to construct reasonable explanations from direct and indirect evidence; (D) communicate valid conclusions; and (E) construct simple graphs, tables, maps, and charts using tools including computers to organize, examine, and evaluate information. (3) Scientific processes. The student uses critical thinking and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions. The student is expected to: (A) analyze, review, and critique scientific explanations, including hypotheses and theories, as to their strengths and weaknesses using scientific evidence and information; (B) draw inferences based on information related to promotional materials for products and services; (C) represent the natural world using models and identify their limitations; (5) Science concepts. The student knows that a system is a collection of cycles, structures, and processes that interact. The student is expected to: (A) describe some cycles, structures, and processes that are found in a simple system; and (6) Science concepts. The student knows that some change occurs in cycles. The student is expected to: (A) identify events and describe changes that occur on a regular basis such as in daily, weekly, lunar, and seasonal cycles; (B) identify the significance of the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles; and 4th grade TEKS (6) Science concepts. The student knows that change can create recognizable patterns. The student is expected to: (A) identify patterns of change such as in weather, metamorphosis, and objects in the sky;

Tools:

Meteorologist tools, internet, video, databases, spreadsheets, graphics programs, telecommunications

Assessments:

Students will be tested on each activity using traditional methods of questions and answer. They will also have a rubric to follow when they are predicting the weather for the T.V. segment and for predicting the weather over the PA system. Students will also get a grade for presenting their predictions in front of the classroom.

Environment:

In the background activities the students will be place in groups of four and will work together during those activities during initial instruction in the classroom. The students will also have to go to the computer lab to do the constructing activities because they deal mostly with using the internet. For the most part students will need access to the computer lab to do this lesson.