PST Names: Ashleigh Danes & Buj Marriott

Topic: Earth & Space Science- Weather

Year Level: Grade 1
Table 1. Unit outcomes
Victorian Curriculum (Learning Areas, Strand, Sub-strand, Content description):
SCIENCE- SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING:
Observable changes occur in the sky and landscape; daily and seasonal changes affect everyday life (VCSSU046)
SCIENCE- SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY SKILLS:
Respond to and pose questions, and make predictions about familiar objects and events (VCSIS050)
Use a range of methods, including drawings and provided tables, to sort information (VCSIS053)
Compare observations and predictions with those of others (VCSIS054)
Represent and communicate observations and ideas about changes in objects and events in a variety of ways
(VCSIS055)
Concepts (number C1, C2 ) and Skills (number S1, S2 ):
C1- Changes in weather are seasonal.
C2- Changes in weather can lead to natural disasters.
C3- Natural disasters affect our lives.
S1- Predict weather patterns and events.
S2- Represent observations about weather formations leading to natural disasters.
S3- Compare ideas about natural disasters and their effects on human life.
S4- Sort information about weather/ natural disasters using a range of skills.

Unit outcomes: (Consider: Content, Skills/processes, Science as a Human endeavour, Other domains)

- Students understand that daily weather changes affect our daily lives. (VCSSU046
- Students make predictions about familiar weather changes. (VCSIS050)
- Students compare their observations and predictions about daily weather changes with their peers. (VCSIS054)
- Students communicate their observations and predictions about changes in the weather in a variety of ways. (VCSIS055)
- Students collect, explore and sort data, and use digital systems to present the data creatively (VCDTDI015)
- Students consider personal reactions to situations or problems and how these reactions may influence thinking (VCCCTQ002)
- Students use basic skills required for participation in group tasks and respond to simple questions about their contribution to
group tasks (VCPSCSO014)

Table 2. Linking
concepts to
representations

Teachers need to clearly identify big ideas, key concepts and their representations, at the
planning stage of a topic in order to guide refinement of representational work

Teachers will need to understand:

- Simple weather terms and the way weather changes affect our lives.
- A range of natural disasters and simple concepts about how, why, where and when they occur.
- Aspects of weather that lead to a range of natural disasters.
CONCEPTS

REPRESENTATIONS mapped to the phenomenon how are they LIKE and NOT LIKE the
phenomenon?

C1
Changes in weather are
seasonal.

Pictures of seasons (Week 1)

Weather reports (Week 2)

C2
Changes in weather can
lead to natural disasters.

Models and videos of different natural disasters (Week 3)

C3
Natural disasters affect
our lives.

Table 3. Assessment

Role plays (Week 4)

Assessment tasks, representations included

How this assessment contributes to

learning

DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT
usually in the Engage
lesson

- Individual drawing of a season.

- Group brainstorm of weather
words.
- Individual organisation of
weather words.

These assessment tasks allow us, as

teachers, to gauge students prior
knowledge on the concepts we are
implementing in this unit. These tasks allow
students to critically think about the world
around them, considering the way the
weather changes daily.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
(Assessment for)
(Assessment as)
usually in the Explore,
Explain and Elaborate
lessons

- Observations: Work samples of

what was seen outside
- Weather report
- Link to natural disasters

These assessments will serve the learners

because they will be able to apply recent
knowledge and acquired data in the real
world. They will extend and reflect on their
weather vocabulary through the weather
report, and outside when they become
scientists, they will actively search for
changes in weather patterns and identify
what has changed, thus making weather
patterns and changes in weather applicable
to their everyday lives.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
(Assessment of)
usually in the Elaborate

Poster on specific natural disaster This assessment task will allow students to
Link to self on poster
demonstrate what they have learnt in their
own way. They may wish to incorporate ICT

and Evaluate lesson

or craft skills. This allows student the

opportunity to summarise their own learning
and display it freely for their peers.

Table 4. Unit Overview (Structure from Primary Connections unit overview)

Phase/ Lesson

Lesson 1
(Engage)

Science outcomes
- Students
make predictions
about familiar
weather changes.
(VCSIS050)
Students
understand that
daily weather
changes affect our
daily lives.
(VCSSU046)
- Students
compare their
observations and
predictions about
daily weather
changes with their
peers. (VCSIS054)

Literacy and/or maths

outcomes
- Use
basic skills
required for
participation in
group tasks and
respond to
simple questions
about their
contribution to
group tasks
(VCPSCSO014)

Lesson Summary
- Begin by
discussing what we
know about weather.
Present picture of
different weather events
and natural disasters.
Probe the prior
knowledge students
have about natural
disasters and weather.
- Get students to
draw a picture of a
different season each,
gaining their prior
knowledge of what they
know about seasons.
- Create a wordwall of words that the
students know about
weather. Ask students to

Assessment
opportunities
Diagnostic
assessment- Probing
prior knowledge of
what students know
about weather and
natural disasters.

place these words under

different season
headings.
- 2 stars and a
wish. Ask students to
describe two things they
learnt and one they they
want to know next time.
Lesson 2
(Explore)

- Students
communicate their
observations and
predictions about
changes in the
weather in a variety
of ways.
(VCSIS055)
- Students
make predictions
about familiar
weather changes.
(VCSIS050)
- Use informal
measurements in
the collection and
recording of
observations
(VCSIS052)
- Participate
in guided
investigations,
including making

- Identify,
describe and
use different
kinds of
question stems
to gather
information and
ideas
(VCCCTQ001)
- Collect,
explore and sort
data, and use
digital systems
to present the
data creatively
(VCDTDI015)
- Explore
how people
safely use
common
information
systems to meet
information,

- Outside.
Learners become
scientists and will
observe changes in the
weather every twenty or
so minutes (on going
throughout lesson).
- Weather report.
Learners will create a
weather report similar to
what they might see on
the news
- Natural
disasters. Link changes
in weather to natural
disasters.

Formative
assessmentObservations from
outside changes,
weather report
(weather word vocab).

Lesson 3
(Explore/Explai
n)

observations using
the senses, to
explore and answer
questions
(VCSIS051)

communication
and recreation
needs
(VCDTCD018)
- Identify
and explore
digital systems
(hardware and
software
components) for
a purpose
(VCDTDS013)

- Participate
in guided
investigations,
including making
observations using
the senses, to
explore and answer
questions
(VCSIS051)
- Students
communicate their
observations and
predictions about
changes in the
weather in a variety
of ways.
(VCSIS055)

- Respond
to texts drawn
from a range of
cultures and
experiences
(VCELY185)
- Use
materials,
components,
tools, equipment
and techniques
to produce
designed
solutions safely
(VCDSCD020)

- Begin by
discussing the links we
made between weather
and natural disasters
last week.
- Present the
models and videos of
each natural disasters.
- Give students a
chance to investigate
these models and have
a go with them.
- Discuss which
model/video they think
links to weather changes
theyve observes, Eg.
hot, storms, cold, wind,
etc.
Inform students

Formative
AssessmentObservations of
presentation and
worksheet from each
pair of experts.

that, in pairs, they are

going to become
experts on one certain
natural disaster.
- Get students to
fill out worksheets on
each natural disaster,
allowing them to
research as necessary.
- Have each pair
of experts present on
their natural disaster.
- 2 stars and a
wish
Lesson 4
(Elaborate)

- Students
understand that
daily weather
changes affect our
daily lives.
(VCSSU046)
- Participate
in guided
investigations,
including making
observations using
the senses, to
explore and answer
questions
(VCSIS051)

- Consider
personal
reactions to
situations or
problems and
how these
reactions may
influence
thinking
(VCCCTQ002)
- Use
basic skills
required for
participation in
group tasks and
respond to
simple questions

- Begin by revisiting the models and

videos we saw last
week. Have experts reexplain what they learnt
about each natural
disaster.
- Discuss how
some of these natural
disasters occur in
Australia, sometimes
even where we live.
Brainstorm how we
might respond in each of
these situations (fire,
flood).
- Get students to

Formative
AssessmentObservations during
role play creation and
presentation.

about their
contribution to
group tasks
(VCPSCSO014)

create a role-play of
what they might do in a
fire/ flood.
- Play videos
(online) of what we
should do in these
situations.
- 2 stars and a
wish.

Lesson 5
(Elaborate)

- Students
understand that
daily weather
changes affect our
daily lives.
(VCSSU046)
- Students
communicate their
observations and
predictions about
changes in the
weather in a variety
of ways.
(VCSIS055)

- Use
materials,
components,
tools, equipment
and techniques
to produce
designed
solutions safely
(VCDSCD020)
- Consider
personal
reactions to
situations or
problems and
how these
reactions may
influence
thinking
(VCCCTQ002)

- Discuss the
different natural
disasters students have
learnt about.
- Explain that they
are going to be creating
a poster to describe a
natural disaster.
- Explain the
rubric.

Formative
AssessmentAssessment of
students as they
create their poster.

Lesson 6
(Evaluate)

- Students
understand that

- Use
materials,

- Continue working Summative

on posters.
Assessment-

daily weather
changes affect our
daily lives.
(VCSSU046)
- Students
communicate their
observations and
predictions about
changes in the
weather in a variety
of ways.
(VCSIS055)

Celebration Day

components,
tools, equipment
and techniques
to produce
designed
solutions safely
(VCDSCD020)
- Consider
personal
reactions to
situations or
problems and
how these
reactions may
influence
thinking
(VCCCTQ002)

- Complete selfassessment.
- Present their
posters to the group.

Assessment of poster
against rubric.
Self-assessmentStudents assess their
own work against
rubric provided.

Showcase posters.
Learners can explain to other learners about natural disasters and explain their posters.