Graphing the Seasons

1. Graphing the Seasons By: Melissa Webb and Shannon Finneran

2. Grade and Performance Expectation Grade: Third Performance Expectation:3-ESS2-1 Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season. [Clarification Statement: Examples of data could include average temperature, precipitation, and wind direction.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment of graphical displays is limited to pictographs and bar graphs. Assessment does not include climate change.]

3. Lesson Overview and Materials Lesson Overview: After completing this lesson, students will be able to create and explain information represented in bar graphs and pictographs. They will also be able to describe weather that is typical to each of the four seasons. Materials Needed: Elmo Four pre-made collages to represent each season Student worksheet Data collected on the monthly average high and low temperatures in Ann Arbor, Michigan for 2012, and average precipitation for each month. Large sheet of paper Markers Colored pencils White paper Construction paper Magazines

4. Engage As a class, the students will analyze four different collages (suggestion: analyze using the classroom Elmo if available so that every student can see the details). Each collage will represent different elements of each season. These elements should include temperature, precipitation, activities that could be done, etc. that pertains to the particular season represented. Based on what the students see, they will make inferences about the season, discuss the months that this season covers, and discuss what they observe in the collage including the activities, the wardrobe, etc.

9. Explore The class is divided into four groups and each group is given a data sheet for the monthly average high and low temperatures for 2012 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They will also receive data related to the average precipitation for each month. Each group will be assigned a season. The teacher should note that these are meteorological seasons not astrological seasons. Meteorological seasons are based on the time of year where as astrological seasons are based on astrological events. For example: meteorologists say that winter begins December 1st; astrologically, winter begins on December 21st because that is when the winter solstice is. Spring: March, April, and May Summer: June, July, and August Fall: September, October, and November Winter: December, January, and February In groups, students will create a bar graph showing the monthly average high and low temperatures for the season they were assigned. Once the group is finished with their bar graph, they will look at the average precipitation for each month of the year and create a pictograph to represent that information. If the month is typically warm, they will use rain drops to represent the amount of precipitation and if the month is cold, they will use snowflakes to represent the amount of precipitation.

11. Temperature in °F

12. Example of Pictograph

13. Explain Using the group created bar graphs, the class will create a large bar graph representing the average highs and lows for the entire year. Next, the class will discuss how the average temperature changes throughout the year. They will also discuss how the change in temperature affects the precipitation during the seasons. The students will also analyze the temperature and precipitation data they have created graphs for by answering questions on a worksheet.

16. Elaborate After analyzing the average temperatures for each of the months in a particular season, the students will have to expand their thinking about what effects the temperature and precipitation have on what people do or wear. In order to do this, the students have to individually create a poster or a brochure (their preference) to represent what the temperature/precipitation will be like if someone were to travel to a particular location at a particular time of the year in the United States. The students must also be sure to show what somebody should wear/pack or what they can do. The students may draw their own pictures or get pictures from magazine. They may also bring in pictures from home that they get off of the internet. The students may go to: http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/state.php3?c=US&name=United+States+of+America to choose a state and a city that they would like to use. Each student must look at the average temperatures (high and low) as well as the precipitation to decide what the weather would be like. They must include some of this data on their brochure. They may also go to http://www.wunderground.com/ to find more data on their chosen city. For example, if I were traveling to Vermont in January, it would be cold and snowy. I would want to wear warm clothes and layers. My activities might be ice skating, sledding, and drinking hot chocolate. If a student were to create a poster or brochure for this place, it must represent all of these ideas.

17. Evaluate The evaluation of this lesson takes place in two places. First, the students must turn in their worksheets that they used throughout the lesson. These worksheets should have the bar and pictograph the students created in their groups. It will also include their Analyze and Interpret worksheets. The second place the evaluation happens is when the students present their poster/brochure to the class. This poster or brochure will be turned in and assessed by the teacher before being displayed in the classroom.

18. References Monthly Average Temperature data: http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KARB/2012/12/2/MonthlyHistory.html?MR=1 Monthly Average precipitation data: http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=32002&units Cites for students to do research on: http://www.wunderground.com/ http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=32002&units