Name: Alicia Bernard 6th Grade & Science

Lesson Cycle (Gradual Release of Responsibility)

Lesson Title/Topic: What does a meteorologist do?

Standards: Exploring Careers – The student identifies and explores technical skills essential to
careers in multiple occupations, including those that are high skill, high wage, or high demand.
EC.8.A – The student is expected to complete actual or virtual labs to stimulate the technical
skills required in various occupations.

Lesson Objectives: Assessment:

The student will understand the daily The student will understand the job of a
responsibilities of a meteorologist and learn meteorologist by doing hands-on labs that
how to read and draw warm and cold fronts represent weather conditions and by drawing
conditions correctly 80% of the time. weather fronts.

Materials:
• Large sheets of paper
• Markers of all colors
• Mixing bowl or plate
• Baking soda
• White hair conditioner
• A jar with a lid
• Hot water
• Ice
• Hairspray
• Measuring cup

The teacher will: The student will:

Focus:
• Have the sounds of lightning playing • Watch the thunderstorm to start
with a visual of a thunderstorm on the thinking about the weather.
screen as students enter the room.
• Help the students brainstorm on what • Discuss in table groups what they
they know about a meteorologist. believe a meteorologist does.
• Play video about what a meteorologist • Actively watch the video and take
does: notes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htad
59289Ek
• Play video that explains how to read a • Watch the video and take notes.
weather map :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkE
3F5AuWBQ
Name: Alicia Bernard 6th Grade & Science

Teacher Input (I Do):

[Intro to career]
• What is the average pay for a • Use their chrome books to search
meteorologist? (Median Pay is $92,460 current pay.
per year and $44.45 per hour.).
• Education Required? Minimum required • Look up degrees required.
is a bachelor’s degree. (Atmospheric
Sciences and Meteorology Degrees)
• What universities offer this degree in • Look up Texas Universities that offer
Texas? (Texas A & M University in these degrees.
College Station and Corpus Christi,
University of Houston, Texas Tech
University, Howard Payne University)
• How long does it take to get these • Look up average time to finish
degrees? degrees.
(Bachelor’s - 4 years, Master’s 1+ years
and Doctoral 1-2 years.)
Guided Practice (We Do):
• What are some of the weather conditions • Brainstorm answers such as rain,
meteorologist have to know about? In wind, lightning, snow, clouds, etc.
your opinion, why is it important to Discuss that it can help us prepare for
know what the weather is going to do? a storm, plan our week, track severe
weather conditions as well as learn
more about them.

• A cloud is formed when water vapor • Discuss what a cloud is and how it is
condenses into water droplets that attach formed.
to particles (of dust, pollen, smoke, etc.)
in the air. When billions of these water • Create their own cloud in a jar.
droplets join together, they form a cloud.
Now we are going to create a cloud in a
jar. Start by pouring about 1 ½ inches of
hot water into a jar. Swirl it around a bit
to warm up the sides. Turn the lid upside
down and place it on the top of the jar.
Place several ice cubes onto the lid, and
allow it to rest on the top of the jar for
about 20 seconds. Remove the lid,
quickly spray a bit of hairspray into the
jar, and then replace the lid with the ice
still on top. Watch the cloud form. When
you see a good amount of condensation
form, remove the lid and watch the
Name: Alicia Bernard 6th Grade & Science

“cloud” escape into the air.

• Explain that snow is atmospheric water

• Discuss what makes snow and why
vapor frozen into ice crystals and falling
they think it is important to know
in light white flakes or lying on the about snowfall.
ground as a white layer. Pour about 3
cups of baking soda into a large mixing • Make in class “snow” and then build a
bowl. Add a half cup of white hair snowman.
conditioner to the mixture to give it that
fluffy texture as needed. Mix it up with
your hands to make it have a consistency
of snow. Pour it onto a baking sheet and
then make a snow man.

• Throw a cotton ball into the air to see • Saturate cotton balls until they “leak”
how light it is. Saturate it slowly until it water to represent a cloud raining.
“rains”. Discuss how this is what
happens when a cloud is full of water
and how we get raindrops.

• Discuss how warm and cold fronts are
shown on a weather map. Teach the
students that warm air rises and cold air
sinks.
• the cold front as heat rises.
• Divide evenly and into two groups and
use their hands to represent either a
warm front or cold front. The warm
front will be represented by the hands
out in a rounded position (warm and
round like the sun) and a cold front by
a pointed position (cold and pointed
like an icicle). One hot and cold will
come at each other to represent a front
moving. The warm front will go over

Independent Practice (You Do):

• Discuss project in which students will • Get into table groups.
draw a picture of a cold front and warm
front showing how it would move across • Together draw a cold front and warm
the state. front moving across the state.

• Instruct students to draw a cloud and the • In groups, draw and label particle’s
microscopic items that make them up that make up a cloud.
such as dirt, pollen, etc.

• Instruct students to complete weather • Complete quizlet on weather using the

Name: Alicia Bernard 6th Grade & Science
unit quizlet flashcards and quiz.
• https://quizlet.com/_4joatm
Closure:
• Ask students how would you rephrase
the job of a meteorologist? In their
opinion why it is important to study
weather? Check students understanding
as they discuss why it is important to
predict weather patterns.
• Review with students what a cloud and
snow are made up of.
• Ask students to summarize some of the
weather conditions a meteorologist
studies.
Bloom’s Level(s)
Evaluation – Determine what a meteorologist
does and why their job is important.
Extension:
• Watch a video on weather instruments:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySS
yT44nma4
• Have the students draw pictures of
several of the tools discussed in the
video on an index card and then write
the word on a separate index card to use
for a matching game.
• Ask what can you say about the job of a
meteorologist? Define what they do.
flashcards and quiz.
• Get with their shoulder partner and list
reasons why knowing what the
weather is doing is important and
discuss why the job of a meteorologist
is very significant. (Monitor a drought,
track a hurricane, chase a tornado and
develop a weather forecast to help
with daily activities.)
• Discuss what a cloud and snow are
made up of.
• Summarize conditions.
Technology Integration
• Watch a video about what a
meteorologist does:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q
mDLawcz3y8
• Read all about a meteorologist:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/scienc
e-engineering-careers/earth-physical-
sciences/meteorologist#whatdotheydo
Reteach:
• Watch video and take notes.
• Divide into groups and make the index
cards for matching.
• Match the cards and then engage the
whole class in a discussion about how
one tool is used and what it does.
(Each group presents one item.)
• Answer comprehension and
Name: Alicia Bernard 6th Grade & Science

How would you describe their job? Can knowledge questions.

you select some of the most important
reasons that a meteorologist needs to
understand science and math for this
position?

Accommodations / Modifications:
 Place vocabulary words on the word
board for all students to see:
Thermometer, sling psychrometer,
barometer, rain gauge, wind vane and
anemometer.
 Have the students use listening
(watching the video’s), speaking
(discussing what causes certain weather
conditions and how we represent them)
reading (read the attached link on
meteorologist) and writing skills
(making flash cards and writing the
words of the instruments).
 Follow the IEP.