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I am a pre-service teacher that is to address a common science misconception about weather and then take away that misconception and put into place actual evidence, facts, and information. My goal is to engage, interest, and create a lesson that is complimented with an activity for Kindergarten students regarding weather. What is the best lesson or activity for me to use that would cement science concepts in a meaningful and interactive way?
I would appreciate your expertise!
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Hi Cami,
Weather systems may change within hours and it may take several months of collecting data to be able to see a pattern in the weather.
Read Science and Children editor Linda Froschauer's April 2010 'Editor's Note' about weather misconceptions. Changing a misconception, also called an 'early idea,' or 'developing understanding,' takes time as children have experiences and discussions to integrate those experiences into their prior ones and framework. Meaningful weather lessons are on-going and include children making observations and collecting data, while talking about what is going on. Teacher-demonstrations are not successful in connecting with children's prior understanding. An on-going activity and discussion is more like how scientists work--understanding the nature of science will help your students in all their science lessons. See the NGSS Appendix H: Understanding the Scientific Enterprise and be sure to read the chart beginning on page 5.
These Early Years columns may be helpful:
July 2009 about measuring and charting rainfall.
October 2015 describing counting and charting the type of outerwear children have on to go to school as a way to relate to the weather.
January 2013 about collecting weather data (see NSTA Connection for recording sheets).
Kindergartners love having jobs, including weather watcher or reporter.
Best wishes,
Peggy
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Thank you Peggy! That is very helpful advice and I appreciate you taking the time to explain and make sense of the need for ongoing activities. I will have to provide students with proper scientist work rather than teacher demonstration.
Thank you! =
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I totally agree with the idea about keeping a weather log. Discerning the difference between weather and climate is a struggle all the way through the upper elementary grades.
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Thank you Peggy! That is very helpful advice and I appreciate you taking the time to explain and make sense of the need for ongoing activities. I will have to provide students with proper scientist work rather than teacher demonstration.
Thank you!
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You might enjoy being part of the NAEYC Early Childhood Science Interest Forum (ECSIF) as well as the Student Interest Forum. There is a reduced membership fee for students. You can find the ECSIF on Facebook as well as on the NAEYC Interest Forum pages.
Best wishes,
Peggy
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Cami, you can also search the Learning Center here by choosing lessons and then elementary, scroll through the results and search for Kindergarten and you can always use the search bar up above. I like to read the articles they provide because it helps me to decide what kind and how much information I give students.
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From experience, weather logs are so great for kids to see the pattern of the weather. Make two kids the weather person for the day and report the weather in the morning and in the afternoon (I live in Texas, so the weather can be vastly different between morning and afternoon!).
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