Research Based Lesson Plan

Content Area: Science

Grade: 2
Text: Watching Earth from Space
Standards:
Science
Observe and describe that some weather changes occur throughout the day and some changes
occur in a repeating seasonal pattern.
Describe weather by measurable qualities such as temperature and precipitation.
Language Arts
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.1
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate
understanding of key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.8
Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a
question.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.2
Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to
develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
Assessment: Teacher observation
Strategies:
Background Knowledge
Quick writing with Knowledge Rating Scale- I chose this strategy because I wanted to know
what background knowledge my students had regarding weather topics. It gives students time to
free write and set a purpose for learning.
Vocabulary
Personal Clues- I chose this strategy because expository text has a lot of technical terms. I
wanted to give my students an opportunity to make a personal connection to important terms in
their text to help comprehend the text. This helps me achieve my goal determining words and
phrases in text and use these terms to describe weather. (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.4)

Comprehension
I-Chart- I chose this strategy because I wanted to give my students the opportunity to use
computer research to answer questions. This strategy allows students to answer questions in an
organized fashion and cite the sources they use to answer their questions. The chart allows the
students to write a summary using the information they research from computer and text.
(CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.8 and CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.1)
Application/Extension
Learning Logs- I chose this strategy because I wanted to give the students an opportunity to write
what they learned which helps me meet my objective of writing explanatory text. (CCSS.ELALiteracy.W.2.2)
Websites
www.weatherwizkids.com
www.weather.org

Jennifer Wilson

Name: __________________________________________________

Date: __________________

Quickwriting with Knowledge Rating Scale

Quickwriting

Knowledge Rating Scale

Words

Have No
Idea

Have
Seen

Can
Define

Can Use in
a Sentence

-climate
-precipitation
-satellites
-seasons
-temperature
-thermometer
-weather

Climate

The climate is how the weather is in an area.

Precipitation

Satellites

Seasons

Temperature

Thermometer

Precipitation is the same as rain.

A satellite is in the sky and takes pictures of the
earth.
There are four seasons.
The temperature is how hot or cold it is outside.

Weather is what is happening outside in the sky.

Weather

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A thermometer tells you the temperature.

Jennifer Wilson

Name: __________________________________________________ Date: __________________

Personal Clues
Word:

Climate

Personal
Clue:

Florida- Hot and Humid

Word:

Satellites

Personal
Clue:

Space Photographs

Definition:

Definition:

The weather conditions of an area during a season.

An object that circles the Earth and takes pictures.

Word: Temperature

Word: Thermometer

Personal
Clue:

Personal
Clue:

degrees

Sick, fever

Definition:

Definition:

The measure of how hot or cold something is.

A device that measures temperature.

Word:

Precipitation

Personal
Clue:

wet

Word:

Weather

Personal
Clue:

sunny, snowy

Definition:

Definition:

Any water that falls from clouds including rain, snow.

sleet and hail.

The condition of the air at a particular time.

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Jennifer Wilson
Name: __________________________________________________
Date: __________________

I-Chart

What we know:

Q1:

Q5:

Very cold and snowy June- 5 in./5 in.

in the winter. Warm July- 4 in./6 in.
Aug.- 3 in/ 5 in.
in summer, but not
too hot.

Today, 42, 32
degrees last year and
35 the year before.

Continental climate
which means there
are four distinct
seasons.

Today- 43
2013- 45
2012-42

They can cover one

area over a 12 hour
period or just cover
one continuous area
to see how weather
changes.

To tell us when bad

weather is coming.

To track storms
developing in the
ocean.

www.weather.og

The satellites are

used to take pictures
of the earth and track
weather. They orbit
over a space in 12
hour period or one
continuous area to
track weather
changes.

Compare the rainfall in

June, July and August
2013 and 2014

Q6:

What was the temperature

today? Last year? Two
years ago?

They watch for

storms developing
and can warn people
of dangerous weather
approaching.

Source:

Summaries:

Q4:

They take pictures of

storms.

They see the "big

picture" and can see
Text: Watching Earth From
climate changes and
Space
pollution damage.

www.weatherwizkids.com

Q3:
Describe the climate in
Cleveland Ohio.

Source:

Source:

Q2:

What can satellites tells us Why do we need satellites

for weather?
about weather?

Satellites are
necessary to track
bad weather and
issue warnings to
those areas affected.

Summers are hot

and humid and
winters are cold and
snowy.

June 2013- 3.43 in.

2014- 6.27 in.
July 2013- 3.46 in.
2014-3.99 in.
Aug. 2013- 3.51 in.
2014-4.59 in.

Today- 41
2013- 46
2012-42

It has a continental
climate which means
it has four distinct
season with hot
summers and cold,
snowy winters.

The rainfall in 2014

was anywhere from
2.5 inches to a half
inch more than it was
in 2013.

The temperature in
Cleveland on this
date was similar for
the last three years in
the low to mid 40's.

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Topic:
Weather

Jennifer Wilson
Learning Log

I learned that satellites play an important part in weather. They take pictures of the earth
and can move across the same section over a twelve hour period or stay in one spot to take a
constant picture. Weather satellites are important for areas that dont have a storm warning
system. Scientists look at pictures from the satellites and predict the path the storm will take.
This allows them to warn people in advance in the targeted area to seek cover.

ThinkingWorks Lesson Planning Guide

STRATEGIES
Background
Knowledge

Teaching Comprehension: A Systematic and Practical Framework ThinkingWorks, Scholastic Teaching Resources

COGNITIVE PROCESSES

Vocabulary

Application/
Extension

Comprehension

Quickwritingand
KnowledgeScale

PersonalClues

IChart

LearningLogs

DevelopBackgroundKnowledge
ExpandVocabularyKnowledge
UseTextStructure
SetaPurposeforLearning
Infer/SelectInformation
CreateImages
Relate/Connect Ideas
Clarify/Monitor Understanding
Analyze
Synthesize
Evaluate/Justify
Create/Invent
LANGUAGE PROCESSES
Read
Write
Listen/View
CommunicateOrally

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