Seasonal Changes Lessons

Spring Changes: Day 1

Student Outcomes : Students will be able to identify specific changes that occur in plants during the season of spring.   

Standards :  9.) Identify seasons of the year.

•  Describing seasonal changes in the weather

1.      Materials/Media/Technology:  It’s Spring by Linda Glasser, real flowers, chart paper, construction paper, markers, pencils

2.     Teaching/Learning Procedure:  

        a).   Launch of Lesson – I will call students to make a circle on the rug. I will read to students It’s Spring by Linda Glasser. Before I read, I will ask the students if they know about anything that happens outside as the seasons change from winter to spring. If the students do not say something about plants, I will offer the idea and then ask if they notice how the plants change. Then, I will ask the students to pay close attention to the flowers that bloom/appear in the book.

        b).   Investigation/Presentation – After reading It’s Spring by Linda Glasser,  I will have a researched list of flowers that bloom in spring to extend the students knowledge of spring flowers. Also, I will have one of each of the listed flowers for the students to touch and personally examine. Flowers will include: lilac, daffodil, tulip, and peonies. We will compare the flowers and look at what they all have in common. I will ask the students:

“Do you notice any thing that the flowers all have in common?”

“Why do you think that?”

“Why do you think these flowers only bloom in the spring?”

“What would happen if you tried to grow these flowers in the winter?”

“Does the Spring weather affect these flowers?”

I will then tell the students about the project that they will do. They will select a their favorite spring time plant. I will give them a round paper to fill in their favorite flower, they will then use construction paper cut into strips to surround the round piece and create “petals”. The students will write sentences/words to describe their favorite spring time flower. These can be words that we discussed as a group or what they noticed on their own as they observed the flower. The students will then turn and tell their partner what their flower is and what they will say to describe it.

        c).    Accommodations/Modifications – Students can choose to either write sentences or just a word to describe the flower. Also,  I will leave the list of Spring time flowers on the board.

        d).    Extensions/Challenges – Students can use what we learned about Spring and Spring time flowers to create their own flowers.

        e).    Closure– I will have students turn to their neighbor and share their flower and what they wrote about them. I will then ask about key vocabulary discussed and have a few students share their flowers with the class.

3.     Assessment –Students will be assessed using a rubric.

4.     Personal Reflections – To be done after lesson. 

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Example:

Spring Changes: Day 2

Student Outcomes : Students will be able to identify specific changes that occur in animals during the season of spring.   

Standards :  9.) Identify seasons of the year.

•  Describing seasonal changes in the weather

1.      Materials/Media/Technology:  It’s Spring by Linda Glasser, paper, markers, deer hids

2.     Teaching/Learning Procedure:  

        a).   Launch of Lesson – I will call students to make a circle on the rug. I will use It’s Spring by Linda Glasser to reinforce what we learned about spring the previous day. Discuss how we talked about how flowers change and how they look. I will then ask the students if anything else changes in the Spring. I will ask if they knew of any animals that changed from Winter to Spring. The class will then discuss how some animal’s fur changes from Winter to Spring and now this is called “adapting”.

        b).   Investigation/Presentation –I will then show the students a slide show of all the different animals that change color in the Spring. These animals will include: caribou, arctic hare, collard lemming, ermine, and arctic fox. I will show the students what the animal looks like in the winter and then how it looks in the spring. I will ask the class:

“Why do you think that animals change color?”

“Does it have anything to do with the weather?”

“Why do you think this?”

“Does it change anything else about the animal?”

The students will then choose one of the animals that were discussed to write about. They will show how the animal changes and tell me why it changes. I will have the students turn and talk about which animal they will write about with their partner. The students will then return to their seats to complete their writing. As they return to their seats, I will have real deer fur for them to touch so that they can experience what the fur feels like.

        c).    Accommodations/Modifications – Students can choose to write  their own beginning sentence or use my sentence. I will be circling the room to help as needed.

        d).    Extensions/Challenges – We learned about animals today that really do change their color, students can then show me what other, non-color changing animals, would look like if they also changed the color of their fur. They can tell why this would benefit the animal or why not.

        e).    Closure – Students will share their writing with the class. I will reemphasize the word “adapt” and also any other key points in the lesson.

3.     Assessment –I will use a rubric to assess the student’s work.

4.     Personal Reflections – To be done after lesson.

Student writing page:

Example:

Spring Changes: Day 3

Student Outcomes : Students will be able to identify specific changes that occur in the weather during the season of spring.   

Standards :  9.) Identify seasons of the year.

•  Describing seasonal changes in the weather

1.      Materials/Media/Technology:  Who Likes Rain? by Linda Glasser, real flowers, chart paper

2.     Teaching/Learning Procedure:  

        a).   Launch of Lesson – I will read Who Likes Rain? by Wong Herbert. I will have the students listen to why it is raining.

        b).   Investigation/Presentation – After the reading, the class will make a web of why if would rain so much in spring. I will remind them of past lessons on spring involving animals and flowers. I will ask:

“Why does it rain so much in Spring?”

“Does it have anything to do with the flowers?”

“What about the weather?”

“Is the heat  factor?”

After we complete our chart, the students will then write about April Showers. They will have a prompt that reads “During an April Shower….” and they will then describe what they would do during an April shower or what they would see.

        c).    Accommodations/Modifications – Students will have the option of how much they write. The teacher will be available to assist as needed.

        d).    Extensions/Challenges – Students can get in groups and use a large paper to illustrate what would happen if they were caught in an April Shower.  

        e).    Closure – I will have students share their writing with the class. We will then create a class book with our pages.

3.     Assessment –I will use a rubric to assess the students work.

4.     Personal Reflections – To be done after lesson.