A.

Title of Lesson:​​ Severe Weather Public Service Announcement

B. Context of Lesson: ​This lesson serves the purpose of teaching students about

three different types of storms (hurricanes, tornadoes and thunderstorms. In order for

the students to deeply engage with the content, they will need to have a sufficient

amount of background knowledge about weather systems. More specifically, they will

need to be familiar with the different vocabulary terms that are associated with the

weather. That is why this lesson will be done towards the end of the unit. This lesson will

allow the students to start connecting different concepts together and develop a deeper

understanding of weather systems.

This lesson will span the course of two days and will be inquiry based. The

students will be taking on the roles of meteorologists and researching the characteristics

of different types of storms to be presented to the class via a public service

announcement. The students will be conducting their research through a teacher

designed “Webquest”. This webquest will provide the students with an introduction to

set the stage, a specific task that the students must complete, a description of the

process the students must go through in order to complete the task, and a conclusion

that brings a closure to the task. The link to that webquest can be found here:

http://severestormswebquest.weebly.com​.

On day one of this lesson, the students will be introduced to the topic, conducting

their research, and organizing their public service announcements with their group. Day

two is when they will have the opportunity to record their public service announcements

via imovie and then share their videos with the class. Depending on how fast or slow

students move through the activity, some groups may get to record their video on day

one while other groups may have to orally present their public service announcements

to the class as opposed to recording it.

 C. Unwrapping the Virginia Standards of Learning:

The student will investigate and understand how weather conditions and phenomena

occur and can be predicted. Key concepts include

a) Weather phenomena

b) Weather measurements and meteorological tools; and

c) Use of weather measurements and weather phenomena to make weather

predictions

Overview: This standard focuses on weather conditions and a more technical

understanding of the tools and methods used to forecast future atmospheric conditions.

Weather is introduced in science standard 2.6. It is intended that the students will

actively develop and utilize scientific investigation, reasoning, and logical skills (4.1) in

the context of the key concepts presented in this standard.

 Unwrapped Concept Unwrapped Skill (verbs) Taxonomy Level
(nouns) (SOLO)

Changes in Weather Over -predict -Multistructural (2)

Time -analyze -Relational (3)
-temperature -design -Relational (3)
-air pressure

Weather Maps -illustrate -Unistructural (1)

-high/low pressure air -label -Unistructural (1)
masses -differentiate -Multistructural (2)
-warm and cold fronts -analyze -Relational (3)
-temperature and -report -Relational (3)
precipitation

Cloud Types -differentiate -Multistructural (2)

-Cirrus
-Stratus
-Cumulus
-Cumulo-nimbus

Precipitation Types -compare and contrast -Relational (3)

-rain
-snow
-sleet
-hail

Storm Types -recognize -Unistructural (1)

-thunderstorms -describe -Multistructural (2)
-hurricanes -explain -Relational (3)
-tornadoes

Meteorological Tools -design -Relational (4)

-anemometer
-rain gauge
-thermometer
-barometer

D. LEARNING INTENTIONS and SUCCESS CRITERIA

Learning Intentions​: Today I am learning about severe weather so that I can understand

how and why different kinds of storms form.

Success Criteria​:

I’ll know I have it when…

 -I can recognize what tornadoes, hurricanes, and thunderstorms are.

-I can accurately describe the characteristics of tornadoes, hurricanes, and

thunderstorms.

-I can explain why tornadoes, hurricanes, and thunderstorms occur in our

atmosphere.

E. ASSESSING LEARNING

For this lesson, I will formally be assessing students’ learning through their

presentations. This will be a group project, however, if individual students do not

actively participate in either the presentation or the investigation process, points will

only be deducted for that student. Below is the rubric that I will use to assess the

students’ work. The main aspects that I will be grading them on is the content of the

presentation as well as participation in the investigation process. Throughout the lesson,

I will be informally assessing the students’ learning by listening in on group

conversations and looking at their information charts. I will continually “check-in” on

the students by asking them probing questions specific to what they are working on at

the moment. By doing so, I will be able to give the students the necessary feedback to

help them increase their understanding and move forward with the project.

Beginning Developing Qualified Exemplary Score

1 2 3 4

Creativity The presentation The presentation The presentation has The presentation
shows little shows an attempt at some creative aspects shows creativity and
creativity and creativity and the to it that help the effort by all group
effort. The audience is partly audience to stay members and the
audience is left entertained and entertained and audience is
uninterested or informed. informed. entertained and
lost. informed
throughout.
 Storm Storm content or Storm content is Storm content is Storm content is
Content information is attempted in the mostly correct but completely accurate.
incorrect or presentation but not some facts may be All important
missing major every bit of necessary missing from information is
facts to help with information is presentation. included.
understanding. accurate/present

Safety Safety content is Safety content is Safety content is Safety content is

Content incorrect or not attempted in the mostly present, with completely present
present in the presentation but a only a few bits of with all important
presentation. lot of facts or clear information being information being
explanation might be excluded/inaccurate. accurate.
missing.

Participation None of the Some students Most of the students All students actively
students actively participate actively in the group were contributed to the
contributed to the with the actively collaborating group throughout
group in the presentation. Some with one another, the entirety of the
process of making students may not with 1-2 exceptions. lesson.
the public service have contributed as
announcement. much as others.

Organization Audience is not Audience has some Audience can mostly Audience is able to
able to understand difficulty follow along to the understand the
the approaching understanding the information being content of specific
storm and/or how information about presented, but there storm, as well as the
to stay safe. the storm and safety are 1-2 points where safety content.
procedures information is Information is
unclear. presented clearly
and is easy to follow.

Investigatio Student failed to Students attempted Students did a good Students did an
actively participate to investigate, but job investigating the excellent job
n Process in the did not collect most storm and helped to investigating the
investigation of the necessary collect a decent storm and collected
process. information. amount of data to all important data
help their group. that was necessary
for the presentation.

F. MATERIALS NEEDED

● Chromebooks (provided by the school)

● Information chart (provided by me)

● Video recording device

 G. PROCEDURE

Activity Procedures and management Students

Element
& Time (in
minutes)

Day 1:
Approximately
1 hour total

Engage 1. To start my lesson, the first thing I am going to do is
-Introduction explicitly state the learning intentions and success
criteria of the lesson. I will also ask the students to
5 min share any prior knowledge that they have about storms
first with a neighbor, and then with the whole class.
The students will be listening as I
go over the learning intentions
and success criteria. They will
also be activating their prior
knowledge on the topic by paired
and whole group discussions.

Event 1 I will then tell the students that they are going to be The students will be collecting
5 min completing a webquest. After they have gathered their their chromebooks, opening up
chromebooks, I will wait for the students to pull up the the website, and following along
webquest before asking if any students would like to as their peer reads aloud the
volunteer to read the introduction and task to the introduction.
class. The students will be allowed to work in groups
between 2 and 4 people and will conduct their
investigation as a team.

Transition After that, I will answer any questions that the The students will be listening and
5 min students have about their task before allowing them to asking clarifying questions.
move on and begin their research. If necessary, I will
re-explain my expectations for what the students must
do. It is during this time that research templates will
be passed out to whomever needs them.

Event 2 During this time, I will be going around the classroom, Once students are familiar with
offering help to the students who need it. I will also be their task and have formed
30 min filling out an observation form so that I can remember groups, they can begin their
which students are actively involved in the research research. They will be given a
process and which students are not as involved. choice to become “experts” in the
Participation in the investigation is a part of their topics of thunderstorms,
grade, so it is important that I take note of what hurricanes, or tornadoes. On the
students are doing on their chromebooks. webquest there is a set list of
websites that the students can
visit to gather information about
their topic. They can record their
information onto the templates
that I provided them to guide
them as they research. Once they
are done researching, they can
begin to organize their public
 service announcements. With
their group members, they will
divide up the information that
each person is going to talk about
in the video.

Transition Once there is only five minutes left, I will tell the Students will be stopping at
5 min students to wrap up whatever it is that they are doing whatever point in the activity they
and put away their chromebooks. I will ask each group are at and shut down their
how far along they have gotten with the activity and chromebooks. They will be
explain what the expectations for tomorrow will be. listening as expectations for
tomorrow are explained.

Day 2: On day two, I am going to quickly go over the activity The students will be listening as I
Approximately the students were working on the day prior and re-explain expectations.
1 hour total re-explain my expectations for what is to be completed
by the end of the lesson (a public service
3 min announcement, either on video or reported verbally).

Transition I will then ask for the students to take out their Students will be taking out their
chromebooks and begin working with their groups at chromebooks, and meeting up
2 min whatever point they left off at the day prior. The with their group mates.
expectation is that at this point, the students will have
completed their investigation process and are now
focusing on the planning and recording of their public
service announcement. If some groups are not yet at
this stage in the activity, I will explain to them that it is
okay, but they may just have to present their public
service announcements orally if they run out of time to
make a video.

Event 4 I will be going around the classroom, once again Students will be working in their
20 minutes observing student participation and offering help to groups to finish their public
any groups or individuals who need it. If I see that service announcements. They can
there are any groups who are particularly behind, I will use the classroom ipads to record
offer my assistance so that they are able to finish up themselves.
their public service announcements before it is time to
present. Once students are ready to record their public
service announcements, I will let them go out into the
hall right outside of the doorway and record
themselves.

Transition Once each group has either a video finished or an oral Students will be gathering back to
presentation ready for the class, I will tell the students their seats and preparing
3 min to gather back at their original seats so that we can themselves to either present
listen to each group’s public service announcement. orally or play their video for the
class.
Event 5 At this time, it will be time to listen to each group’s The students will be presenting
public service announcement. Depending on how their public service
15-20 min many groups need to present, the amount of time this announcements to the class.
takes may vary. After each group presents I will ask the When the students are not
class to give their peers a round of applause and will presenting, they will be actively
ask the group any questions that I have about their listening to each
public service announcement before moving on. presentation/video filling in the
information about the two storm
types that they did not research
into their interactive notebooks.

Transition After each group has presented their public service Students will thank their group
announcements, I will once again tell the students to mates for their hard work.
give themselves a big round of applause and to thank
their group mates for their hard work.

Event 5 Under the doc-cam, I will show the students my list of Students will be looking onto the
important notes about each of the storm types. If the smart board to see if there was
10 min students had missed any of this information in their any important information that
research or while listening to other people’s they had missed about any of the
presentations, they can copy this information down storm types.
into their interactive notebooks.

Conclusion To conclude the lesson, I will once again go through Students will be collaborating
each of the success criteria and ask the students to pair with their peers to talk about
5min up with a peer to review what they have learned. They what they learned from the
will be asked to share with a neighbor three new things lesson.
that they learned about one of the storm types that
they did not research.

H. DIFFERENTIATION

English Language Content Process-how you’re gonna Product- how’re you going to
Learners ask them to engage scaffold their products

Interest -Allow the students to
choose which type of storm
they would like to research
-Allowing students the -Giving students the option of
option of choosing their creating making a video as their
own groupmates final product or presenting their
-Giving students using a final product orally
investigation chart to
guide them as they of
referring back to the book
while they are completing
the task

Readiness -Find websites that have -ELLs can any -Students can write down their
the same content written collaborative activities definitions, facts, and opinions in
in the ELL’s native with other students in the their native language into their
language (translate and class who speak the same interactive notebooks
print out any website pages language
that could not be found in -Some definitions and facts can
the student’s native be typed up with a blank space to
language) fill in with important information

-An aide can be present to help

-Provide the spanish the student present their public
translations of the service announcement (give the
worksheets and charts student the option of speaking
their part in their native language
-Pre-expose ELLs to the as a translator translates for the
content- specific class what is being said)
vocabulary terms
necessary for
comprehension of the
lesson