Speaking and Listening: Sharing and Celebrating Our Learning about Weather | EL Education Curriculum

You are here

Home › Our Curriculum › ELA Grade K › ELA GK:M2 › ELA GK:M2:U1 ›

ELA GK:M2:U1:L13

Speaking and Listening: Sharing and Celebrating Our Learning about Weather

In this Lesson

You are here:

These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • SL.K.4: Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
  • SL.K.6: Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
  • L.K.6: Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts.
  • W.K.2: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
Download Materials

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can share information about the weather with others. (SL.K.4, SL.K.6, L.K.6)
  • I can write with pictures and words to answer one of Sofia's questions. (W.K.2, L.K.6)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Circulate and observe students as they share during Work Times A and B and use the Speaking and Listening Checklist to track students' progress toward SL.K.4 and SL.K.6 (see Assessment Overview and Resources).
  • Collect students' Teaching Sofia response sheets to assess progress toward W.K.2 and L.K.6.

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Song and Movement: Singing Songs about Weather (10 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Sharing Our Learning, Part I: Meteorologist's Notebooks (20 minutes)

B. Sharing Our Learning, Part II: Class Weather Journals (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Reflecting on Learning (15 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • This lesson serves as the culmination of this unit. Students share their meteorologist's notebooks and one of the class weather journal entries from the unit with visitors. Sharing and celebrating work not only supports students' speaking and listening skills, but also cultivates a sense of pride and ownership in the work.
  • During the Closing and Assessment, students reflect on their learning using the Teaching Sofia response sheet. This exercise gives them time to formally keep track of and reflect on their own learning. This self-reflection supports metacognition and pride in work and learning.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • In this lesson, students share a couple of pages from the meteorologist's notebooks they have completed during the unit. Through these notebooks, students should show evidence of understanding that weather is made up of different components (temperature, moisture, and wind). The notebooks also contain fact pages where students drew and wrote and about weather words such as rain, snow, sun, and clouds.
  • Continue to use Goals 1 and 2 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may feel uncomfortable sharing their writing with visitors. Ensure that they have had time to practice and provide support and encouragement as necessary.
  • During the Closing, some students may have difficulty recalling something they have learned or are proud of. Encourage them to use visuals around the room to prompt their memory if needed.

Down the road:

  • In Unit 2, students will build upon their scientific understanding of weather as they learn about weather in different parts of the world. They will also think more deeply about how weather affects people through the study of weather in narrative texts.
  • In Unit 2, students also will continue the weather journal routine; however, this will change from a class interactive writing experience to independent writing.

In Advance

  • Create name tags for students and visitors. This will support the conversation during Work Times A and B.
  • Determine student presentation groups for Work Times A and B and create an accompanying visual (see supporting materials). Ideally, there will be four students and one or two visitors per group. Determine locations within the classroom where each small group will present.
  • Based on the student presentation groups, distribute the meteorologist's notebooks and Weather Questions for Visitors to student workspaces.
  • Prepare the Teaching Sofia response sheet and attach it to clipboards for the Closing and Assessment. Do not distribute in advance.
  • Post: Learning targets, "What Makes Weather?" song, "What's the Weather like Today?" song, and class weather journal entries.

Tech and Multimedia

Consider using an interactive white board or document camera to display lesson materials.

  • If students were recorded singing "What Makes Weather?" or "What's the Weather like Today?" in previous lessons, consider playing this recording to remind students of the songs.
  • Video-record students presenting to post on a teacher web page or on a portfolio app such as Seesaw for students to watch at home with their families. Most devices (cellphones, tablets, laptop computers) come equipped with free video and audio recording apps or software.
  • Students complete the Teaching Sofia response sheet using word-processing software, such as Google Docs.
  • Students use speech-to-text facilities activated on devices or use an app or software like Dictation.io.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards K.I.C.9, K.I.C.10, and K.I.C.12

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs through the opportunity to use oral language in a structured way and to celebrate and take pride in their hard work.
  • ELLs may find it challenging or intimidating to speak in front of an audience. Encourage them and assist them with light prompting if necessary.

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Take note of areas in which students struggle with oral presentations, such as projecting their voices or annunciating their words. Focus instruction in subsequent units on their challenges. Focus on aspects that obscure meaning, such as stress and intonation.

For heavier support:

  • Allow students to present their work in partnerships. When one student gets stuck, he or she can "tag team" the other to continue the presentation.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): During the Closing and Assessment, students are asked to complete the Teaching Sofia response sheet. Customize the display of information by placing Sofia on the document camera to help remind students of the writing and drawing purpose.
  • Multiple Means of Action & Expression (MMAE): During the celebration, students are asked to perform a song and share their learning in front of a group. Provide differentiated mentors by seating students who are less comfortable performing or speaking in front of audiences next to students who may be more comfortable.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): During Work Time A, groups present their meteorologist's notebooks to visitors. Before they do so, emphasize the importance of effort and shared learning.

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T); Vocabulary Used in Writing (W)

Review:

  • reflect (L)

Materials

  • "What Makes Weather?" song (from Lesson 2; one to display)
  • "What's the Weather like Today?" song (from Lesson 5; one to display)
  • Meteorologist's notebooks (from Lesson 2; one per student)
  • Presentation Groups chart (one to display)
  • Ways We Share Our Work anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Weather Questions for Visitors sheet (one per visitor)
  • Class weather journal entries (one per small group)
  • Paper microphones (from Lesson 12; one per small group)
  • Teaching Sofia response sheet (one per student and one to display)

Assessment

Each unit in the K-2 Language Arts Curriculum has one standards-based assessment built in. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Song and Movement: Singing Songs about Weather (10 minutes)

  • Invite students and visitors to the whole group area.
  • Tell them that today is an exciting day because they are going to share the songs they have learned with their special visitors!
  • Invite students to stand up.
  • Display the "What Makes Weather?" song. Invite students to join you as you sing the song aloud and act out the motions.
  • Repeat this process with the "What's the Weather like Today?" song.
  • Invite the visitors to applaud students' performances.
  • Consider providing differentiated mentors by seating students who are less comfortable performing next to students who may be more comfortable. (MMAE)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Sharing Our Learning, Part I: Meteorologist's Notebooks (20 minutes)

  • Tell students they will now share parts of their meteorologist's notebooks with the visitors.
  • Briefly explain that they will gather in small presentation groups with a few other classmates and one or two visitors. Once they are in their groups, they will take turns sharing their selected pages from the notebooks.
  • Move students into predetermined groups using the Presentation Groups chart. The chart tells who is in their group as well as the order in which they will present.
  • Remind students that they practiced reading their writing aloud in the previous lesson.
  • Direct their attention to the posted learning targets and read the first one aloud:
    • "I can share information about the weather with others."
  • Invite students to take out their imaginary bows and take aim at the target.
  • Direct students' attention to the Ways We Share Our Work anchor chart and briefly review it.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"While other students are sharing, what should you do?" (keep voices off, listen carefully, look at the speaker)

"When it's your turn to speak, what should you do?" (use a loud and proud voice, read the words clearly)

  • Tell students that once the first reader has shared, they should move to the second reader, and so on. Answer clarifying questions.
  • Ask the visitors to help keep the group moving along and offer support as needed. Remind visitors that they should also ask each presenter at least one question after they share. Distribute the Weather Questions for Visitors sheet.
  • Invite students to move with their small group to the predetermined locations in the room, direct them to their meteorologist's notebooks located at their workspaces, and encourage the first student to begin sharing.
  • Circulate as students share and offer guidance and support as necessary.
  • Before groups present, emphasize the importance of effort and shared learning. Say: "Kindergartners learned a lot about weather during this unit by working hard and collaborating. This learning was a team effort." (MME)
  • For ELLs: Prepare for interacting in presentation groups by asking students to generate some good questions they can ask to their group members. Record and display some questions so students can use them as they participate. (Examples: Where did you learn that fact? What kind of weather do you prefer?")

B. Sharing Our Learning, Part II: Class Weather Journals (15 minutes)

  • Gather students whole group.
  • Remind them that just like in the previous lesson, they will now have a chance to share a class weather journal entry with their visitors.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"When it's your turn to share, what behaviors are important to remember?" (use a loud and proud voice, read the words clearly)

"While other students are sharing, what should you do?" (keep voices off, listen carefully, look at the speaker)

  • Ask the visitors to help keep the group moving along and offer support as needed. Also remind them that there are some questions on the Weather Questions for Visitors sheet if time remains after all students have shared.
  • Move students into predetermined small groups and invite them to move safely to their assigned class weather journal entry. Distribute paper microphones.
  • Refocus whole group.
  • Tell students that once the first reader has shared, they should move to the second reader. The microphone should be passed around the group.
  • Invite the student who is holding the microphone to begin sharing.
  • Circulate throughout the room as students share and offer guidance and support as necessary.
  • Once all groups have shared, ask students to thank the visitors for coming and invite them to depart.
  • Invite students to transition back to the whole group area while quietly acting out their favorite weather word.
  • For ELLs: If some students are uncomfortable or unable to share the journal entry by themselves, allow students to pair up on the microphone, and to read their parts together.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning (15 minutes)

  • Tell student that they will now have a chance to reflect on their learning about weather.
  • Briefly review the definition of reflect. Say:

"When we reflect, we think about something we have done or learned."

  • Read aloud the second learning target:
    • I can write with pictures and words to answer one of Sofia's questions.
  • Display the Teaching Sofia response sheet and read the prompt aloud:
    • "Tell Sofia something you have learned about weather or preparing for weather."
  • Invite students to turn and talk with an elbow partner:

"Tell Sofia: What is something you have learned about weather or preparing for weather?" (Responses will vary, but may include: Rain and snow is part of weather. Temperature is part of weather. Wind makes weather. You might want to carry an umbrella and wear boots to be comfortable in rain.)

  • If productive, cue students to listen carefully and seek to understand:

"Who can tell us what your classmate said in your own words?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Share with students that they now will have a few minutes to draw a picture and write some words to show one thing they have learned.
  • Direct students back to their workspaces and distribute the Teaching Sofia response sheets. Focus students on the appropriate space for their drawing and writing using the displayed Teaching Sofia response sheet. Ask students to put their finger on this space on their own version.
  • Invite students to begin drawing and writing.
  • As students draw and write, circulate and ask them to tell you what they learned. Scribe a short phrase on their response sheet if needed.
  • After a few minutes, refocus whole group.
  • Give students specific, positive feedback on their hard work and thinking. (Example: "I noticed Josiah included details in his drawing of cumulus clouds. I noticed Veronica explained how a hat might help Sofia feel prepared when the weather is chilly.")
  • If time permits, close the lesson by singing a song from the unit.
  • Before students complete the Teaching Sofia response sheet, customize the display of information by placing Sofia on the document camera. This will help remind students of the writing and drawing purpose. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: Display the texts that students have read throughout the unit, and display some samples of student work to remind students about the content as they reflect.

Copyright © 2013-2024 by EL Education, New York, NY.

Get updates about our new K-5 curriculum as new materials and tools debut.

Sign Up

Help us improve our curriculum.

Tell us what’s going well, share your concerns and feedback.

Terms of use. To learn more about EL Education, visit eleducation.org

Leave feedback