Identification
This assignment will help elementary students increase their social justice awareness by teaching them to recognize their impact on the world. Students will meet ELA standards by communicating their understanding through writing and drawing, specifically by creating visuals that convey weather conditions. Using the NGSS (science) standards, they’ll learn that weather can be observed and recorded; therefore, they will need to practice making simple observations and collecting weather data. Finally, mathematical standards will be addressed as students learn to classify weather-related objects based on their characteristics.
ELA Standard
To meet the standard, students will need to understand that:
- Informative texts should consist of specific facts and explanations.
- Useful information can be exchanged not only during the study of theory, but also through various forms of communication, including writing and drawing.
To understand, students will need to consider such questions as:
- What are the features of explanatory texts that provide useful information?
- What are the alternative ways to share weather information?
To consider such questions well, students will need to know:
- The purpose of writing informative texts is.
- Understanding the nonstop vocabulary that refers to the weather (e.g., rain, clouds, sunniness, humidity, temperature).
To consider such questions well, students will need to be able to:
- Simple weather information texts.
- Create drawings, dictate and write texts that convey information about weather conditions.
NGSS Standard
The standard is met when students comprehend that:
- Weather conditions can be recorded and observed.
- The weather can change periodically, and it is essential to be aware of these changes.
For comprehension, students should explore:
- What are the ways of observing and recording weather patterns?
- What can be the weather conditions?
To effectively address these questions, students must be familiar with:
- Basic observation skills that include pattern recognition.
- Ability to name types of weather conditions (for example, rainy, cloudy, sunny, hot, cold, windy).
Students will need the following competencies to address these questions properly:
- Determine weather patterns over time.
- Making simple observations and recording weather data.
Mathematics Standard
Meeting this standard requires students to grasp that:
- Categories can be sorted based on the number of objects they contain.
- Objects in categories can also be divided into different categories.
Understanding requires students to reflect on these questions:
- How can you sort categories based on the number of objects in them?
- How can we classify weather-related objects?
Students will need the following knowledge to properly analyze these issues:
- The concept of comparing numbers and counting.
- Existence of objects related to the description of the weather (e.g., cloud, sun, wind, rain).
To effectively analyze these questions, students must possess the ability to:
- Count the number of objects in each category and sort them by number.
- Classification of objects having relations to the weather (such as, for example, rainy, solar, wind objects).
Construction
The performance-based task will include a trip to the city to observe the phenomenon of clouds and rain, following an explanation of the theory. After observing, you will be required to submit a sketch reflecting the phenomenon of the water cycle in nature. The goal of this assignment is to raise awareness of the need to conserve water as part of addressing the water inaccessibility situation in developing countries.
Your role will be to bring information to the general public. The target audience will be the public, who need to clearly understand the importance of water conservation, and your product will be the proper visual representation. The successful result of the implementation will be a drawing of a natural phenomenon and an oral story about how humanity can save water.
Description
For gifted students, the assignment will include an extensive oral presentation on how water can be conserved and its applications in everyday life. For students whose native language is not English, the theoretical discussion will be simplified, with a focus on the visual basis of the task. Those students who are not confident in their oral skills will have the opportunity to respond fully in writing and drawing.