Lesson Plan for Preschool-Grade 2

Name
Weather wheel fun

Content What content area(s) does this lesson cover?

area(s)/developmental
domain(s) addressed This lesson will cover the content area of Art.

How does this lesson support all five domains of child development?

This lesson will cover all the developmental domains and support them as follows:

Cognitive development: Students will create their own weather wheel, this will give them an
opportunity to experiment with different art materials, which can allow them to make choices and
evaluations about their art work. This can strengthen their critical thinking and decision-making
skills. Students will use their acquired background knowledge of weather to make sense of what
they observe in their environment and use the wheel to represent the current weather. This can
aid their cognitive development.

Social/emotional development: Students will work in small groups during the scavenger hunt.
This will promote social interaction and strengthen their cooperation skills to work as a team to
find the weather flash cards around the classroom.

Language development: Students will participate in an open discussion about their weather
wheel. They will be encouraged to describe their work, this can give them the opportunity to use
different vocabulary to refer to colors, materials and tools used. This can help them enhance the
development of their language skills. Students will also participate in a scavenger hunt where

Brief description and
rationale for the lesson
This lesson is:
Timeframe
Objective(s) of the activity
Lesson Plan for Preschool-Grade 2
they will verbalize their knowledge about each weather, such as what activities they do in
different weathers and what clothing they wear.
Physical development: Students will strengthen their fine motor skills and hand eye coordination
by elaborating a weather wheel. Students will have the opportunity to use their small muscles by
using pencils, markers, hole puncher and other art supplies to create their wheels. They will also
strengthen their gross motor skills by participating in a scavenger hunt; they will have to move
around the classroom to find the different weather flash cards.
Why is there a need for this lesson (include citation)?
The goal of this lesson is to identify different conditions of weather with the use of a weather
wheel. This can help children learn to identify the signs of weather and help them make
connections between what they experience and the effects on their environment around them.
The identification of weather can help students choose what clothes to wear or what activities
they can do. This lesson will provide students an opportunity to use their creativity to design their
own weather wheel. According to Vygotsky, “art enables us to experience things that we would
never otherwise experience and is the organization of our future behavior” (Vygotsky, 1925). For
this reason, it’s important that children are exposed to situations where they can express
themselves through art.
A continuation of a previous lesson/ activity.
15-20 minutes
What will children know, or demonstrate as a result of this learning experience? SMART
OBJECTIVES
 Lesson Plan for Preschool-Grade 2
Lesson objectives must align with the assessment of student learning.

• Students will create their own weather wheel with the use of different types of art
materials.
• Students will identify different types of weather of their environment using a weather
wheel.
• Students will describe types of weather with their peers.

Connections to guidelines/ Which NYS Early Learning Guidelines or Next Generation ELA Standards are addressed? Are there
standards/milestones other standards used?

From the NYS Pre-kindergarten Learning Standards:

PK.PDH.5. Demonstrates eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills

PK.SEL.4. Develops positive relationships with their peers

PK.AC.2. Demonstrates they are building background knowledge

PK.AC.4. Demonstrates a growing receptive vocabulary

PK.AC.5. Demonstrates a growing expressive vocabulary

PK.ELAL.23. [PKSL.5] Creates a visual display (e.g., drawing, art work, building, writing)

PK.ARTS.16. [VA:Cr1-3.PK] Creates Visual Arts


Language Objectives
Resources/materials needed:
(Include any worksheets or
sources of evidence for
children’s learning you will use
during the activity)
Technology inclusion (if
applicable)
Procedures (step by step
Lesson Plan for Preschool-Grade 2
What language/vocabulary, communication, or literacy skill(s) do I want my students to develop in
this lesson? Which academic language demands am I targeting? Choose one, including language
functions, vocabulary, syntax, or discourse that is central to this learning segment. How is this
activity using the specific language demand? Language objectives must align with the assessment
of children’s language learning
In this lesson students will strengthen their language discourse skills:
• Students will be encouraged to describe their art work (weather wheel).
• Students will participate in a scavenger hunt, where they will describe the weather
condition shown on the flash card.
• Paper plate
• Paper split pin paper fastener
• Hole puncher
• Paper arrow
• Circle piece of cardboard
• Pencil
• Crayons
• Markers
• Art supplies (cotton balls, yarn, paint, glitter, etc.)
• Weather flash cards
N/A
Objective(s) SAME FROM ABOVE
 Lesson Plan for Preschool-Grade 2
• Students will create their own weather wheel with the use of different types of art
materials.
• Students will identify different types of weather of their environment using a weather
wheel.
• Students will describe types of weather with their peers.

Anticipatory Set (Connection/Motivation) What will you do to get children’s attention, or to

introduce children to this learning activity? Describe the process of getting them interested and
engaged.

The lesson will begin with a weather song: “How’s the weather?”

How’s the weather?

How’s the weather?
How’s the weather today?
Is it sunny?
Is it rainy?
Is it cloudy?
Is it snowy?
How’s the weather today?

Let’s look outside.

How’s the weather?
Is it sunny today?

Let’s look outside.

How’s the weather?
Is it rainy today?
 Lesson Plan for Preschool-Grade 2

Let’s look outside.

How’s the weather?
Is it cloudy today?

Let’s look outside.

Is it snowy today?
How’s the weather?
How’s the weather?
How’s the weather today?
Is it sunny?
Is it rainy?
Is it cloudy?
Is it snowy?
How’s the weather today?

Sing the song twice. Encourage the students to repeat the second time.

Instruction/Mini Lesson (Outline the procedures or sequence activities that will make up this
learning experience; for instance, you might follow a routine wherein you model (I try); and ask for
active involvement (we try) during a whole group session.

After singing the weather song, I will begin discussing about the different types of weather. Then
I will tell the students we are going to create a weather wheel.
Then I will ask questions such as: “Do we know what a weather wheel is?” I will encourage
students to share their ideas.
 Lesson Plan for Preschool-Grade 2
I will explain that a weather wheel helps them identify the weather conditions they see when they
look outside.

Then I will show them the materials I have (Paper plate, hole puncher, paper arrow, pencil,
crayons, markers, other art supplies, etc.). I will ask them, “How do you think we can make a
weather wheel with these materials?”. I will encourage the students to express their ideas.

Then we will start creating the weather wheel. I will let each of the students use the art
materials they prefer.
• Each student will be given a paper plate, split pin paper fastener, a paper arrow and a
circle shape cardboard.
• Students will divide the paper plate in four sections (rainy, sunny, cloudy and snowy).
• Students will elaborate their own drawing for each section and will use any art materials
to decorate.
• A hole will be punched in the middle of the wheel.
• The arrow will be attached to the wheel with a split pin paper fastener.
• The wheel will be glued to piece of cardboard.

Then students will have the opportunity to describe their art work to the rest of the class.

Independent Practice (small group activity, working with partners, or independently- You TRY)

We will divide the class in smaller groups. Students will participate in a scavenger hunt to seek
weather flashcards around the classroom. After finding one card they will work as a team to
describe the weather condition on the card to the class. They will also describe the types of
clothing used in that weather and activities they like to do.
 Lesson Plan for Preschool-Grade 2
Closure (sharing/reflection, next steps)

At the end we will sing the song “How’s the weather?” and each student will use their weather
wheel to show the different weathers mentioned in the song. Then they will transition into our
next activity.

Method of assessing Pre-assessment Assessment of Student Assessment of Children’s

children’s understanding of
lesson/activity/objective(s)
(Be sure to include any tools,
rubrics/checklists and/or
worksheets you will use for
assessment(s)
Group discussion: Anecdotal
notes
Rubrics: Use of weather
vocabulary to describe weather
conditions and match the
weather wheel to weather
conditions observed.
Outline the steps you will take
to evaluate student’s prior
knowledge (i.e., What are the
skills and/or content
knowledge the students need to
effectively engage in the
activity?).
• Group discussion to
understand student’s
prior knowledge of the
types of weather.
Learning Outline the steps you
will take to evaluate students’
learning. What evidence will I
have to assess whether students
have successfully achieved the
content objectives (i.e., rubrics,
checklists)?
● Group discussion and rubrics to
assess student’s usage of
vocabulary words related to
weather to describe weather
conditions.
● Group discussion to
assess student’s
comprehension of the procedure
of making a weather wheel.
● Group discussion and rubrics to
assess student’s comprehension
of weather by matching weather
wheel to conditions observed.
Language Learning
Outline the steps you will
take to evaluate students’
language learning. What
evidence will I have to assess
whether students have
successfully achieved the
content objectives?
• Oral language: How
well do students use
weather vocabulary
to describe different
weathers.
• Comprehension:
How well do
students describe
the procedure of
making the weather
wheel and describe
the weather

Plans for differentiated
instruction/instructional
modifications
Describe how you will support
struggling learners.
Struggling students:
Students will be re-asked appropriateness, and ability
questions if they are unclear and levels for all learners?
provide support with any
additional questions about how
to create their weather wheel.
Students will be provided with
support in using art supplies, in
the scavenger hunt or using their
weather wheel.
Describe how you will support
learners who have mastered the
concepts and need additional
challenges.
Advanced students:
Lesson Plan for Preschool-Grade 2
conditions they
observe.
Supporting children with Supporting English Language Learners, a culturally
identified delays or responsive pedagogy, and anti-bias/anti-racist curriculum
disabilities (i.e., IEPs and 504 What modifications should I make to the activity to ensure all
plans) students are included and engaged in all steps required to meet
What considerations should I the lesson’s objectives?
keep in mind regarding
cultural relevance, age • Translate teaching points to students.
• Translate any directions to create the weather wheel.
• Translate the song “How’s the weather?”
• Ensure that follow up activities are available in different
• Using different ways of languages.
communication to • Take into consideration different cultures when selecting
describe their art work songs.
such as sign language,
flash cards.
• Support children using
the different tools and
art materials to create
the weather wheel.
• Extend children’s
responses (e.g. If
student responds with
one or two words,
repeat their response in
 Lesson Plan for Preschool-Grade 2
Students will be encouraged to a sentence, helping
create different weather wheels them formulate
with different types of weather sentences).
and seasons. • Encourage students to
repeat sentence
structure at least 2
times.

Follow up/Extension How can I provide an opportunity to remediate, reinforce, or expand on students’ learning today in
activities class?

• Make a journal to track the weather.

Family Engagement Activities • Incorporate discussion about how weather changes into seasons.
• Incorporate discussion about how weather can affect plants and animals.
• Learn about tools that track weather.
• Learn rhymes about weather.

How can I support families in extending the learning in their home environment?

• Share the weather song with parents to sing at home.

• Provide parents with a weather art project resource list.
• Use the weather wheel to track the weather during the weekend.
 Lesson Plan for Preschool-Grade 2

INCLUDE ASSESSMENT TEMPLATES

● FOR PRE-ASSESSMENT
● QUANTITATIVE
● QUALITATIVE

Rubrics 1 2 3
Student uses 0-1 weather Student uses 2-3 weather Student uses 3-4 weather
Vocabulary use to describe vocabulary words to describe vocabulary words to describe vocabulary words to describe
weather weather conditions. weather conditions most of weather conditions
the time. frequently.
Matching weather wheel to Student is able to match 0-1 Student is able to match 2-3 Student is able to match 3-4
weather conditions observed. weather conditions using the weather conditions using the weather conditions using the
weather wheel. weather wheel most of the weather wheel frequently.
time.