Name: Hannah Reed

Title of Unit: Weather

Title of Lesson: Where do you want to live?
Grade Level: 4th Grade
Objectives:
1. Students will collect
and record data on a
graph.
2. Students will analyze
temperatures of a
given place in the
United States.
3. Students will
describe why the
temperatures differ in
the various cities of
the United States.

Standards:
PA CORE MATH:
2.6.4.A: Gather data
from surveys and
observations within the
classroom or homes.
2.6.4.B: Organize and
display data using tables,
pictures, tallies, bar
graphs, line graphs, or
pictographs
PA SCIENCE:
3.3.4.A5. Describe basic
weather elements.
Identify weather patterns
over time.
NCTM STANDARDS:
-Systematically collect,
organize, and describe
data
-Construct, read, and
interpret displays of data

Formative Assessment:
1. The students can graph
data appropriately.
2. The Students
determine what factors
affect the temperature
in each city.
3. Student will create a
similar graph of where
they want to go on
vacation.
(HOMEWORK).

Rationale: Students need to be aware of the weather. This lesson is to show them how the
temperatures can vary within our country. I want to the students to think about the weather in a
different way. I want them to think about it in different regions and, why the weather is different
in those regions.

Student Knowledge:
Prior: Students know that the weather is different in all places on the Earth. They understand the
concept of changing weather.
Current: Students will understand that the geographic location of a city has an effect on the
weather conditions.
Future: Students will be able to understand specific weather patterns for different regions
around the world.

Lesson Beginning:

Teacher: Good morning class! Today we are going to look at the data you turned into me last
week. Who remembers what data we collected?
Student Expected Response: We collected the temperature of a place in the United States for 5
days.
Teacher: Correct! We looked at Nome, Alaska (Where the Iditarod takes place), New York City,
Phoenix, Arizona, Disney World in Florida, and Topeka, Kansas. I have looked at your data and
made each group a data sheet. Today we are going to graph the data and take a look at what they
graphs mean to us. In math class we have learned about PICTOGRAPHS and BAR GRAPHS.
Which graph do you think will help us best represent the data?
Student Expected Response: Bar Graphs.
Teacher: I have made an example of what your graph should look like. My graph shows the high
and low temperatures of where we live, Clarion, PA. In each group, we have 4 jobs, Reader,
Grapher, Calculator and Presenter. If you only have 3 people in your group then everyone should
be the calculator and check each others work.
*Make sure all students have the materials needed to complete the group activity.

Lesson Development:
Teacher: Assist each group as needed with their graph. Ask some of the following questions to
get the students thinking about the weather in their assigned place.
Lower-level questions:
Teacher: Do you think you would like to live here?
o Student expected responses: Most students will agree to live in a warmer
climate if that is the place they are given, but elect not to live in a place with a
cooler climate.
Teacher: Do the seasons effect the temperature of the area?
o Student expected response: The seasons effect the temperature in the northern
places more than the southern places
Teacher: Which way should you drive if you want warmer/colder weather?
o Student expected response: Drive north for cooler weather. Drive south for
warmer weather.
Higher-level questions:
Teacher: Why do you think it is so cold/hot here?
o Student expected response: It is cold/hot here because it is further/closer to the
equator.
Teacher: What factors contribute to the weather? Sunny? Rainy?
o Student expected response: The mountains around the city change the climate.
Some may say that closer to the equator means it is more sunny. *not true.
Teacher: Why do you think that it is warm every summer and cold every winter? How
do that happen?
o Student expected response: The way the Earth turns around the sun.
Teacher: Everyone is done with their graphs, who wants to present their graph first?

*Allow students to present the name of their location the MEAN high and LOW and if their
group wanted to stay there. Lets take a poll and collect some class data. If you could live in any
of these five general locations, what would it be? *Collect data below each graph.
*EXAMPLE OF POSSIBLE GRAPH:

Phoenix, Arizona

Temperature (F)

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day
Day

Column2

Lesson End:
Conclusion:
Teacher: We made a bar graph of the temperature of each place researched, then as a class we
each decided which of the five places we wanted to live. You have two homework assignments
tonight. The first is that you need to tally how many people want to live in each place and make a
PICTOGRAPH of the data. Then, I am handing out a worksheet for you to collect some data on
your dream vacation location, you can pick anywhere in the world, and make a BAR GRAPH of
the data. (This will lead into a conversation about the way the planet is positions during different
seasons and how it effects the world differently.)
*If time activity:
Students will be given a chance to look at a city they choose in the United States (as a
class) and look for a newscast for that city on that week. I would ask students to think about the
weather and why the weather is as it is there. This will help the students lead into their weather
project assignment. We can look at cities that they students have visited and cities around the
world. The hope is that the students can look at what they can do to find the weather data they
need for the assigned project.

Materials:
Data worksheets (Temperatures they have collected)
Premade posters for students to make graphs
Markers/colored pencils/crayons
Dry erase marks/white board-Chalk/black board
Computer and Projector
Who wants to live where? (Worksheet, data collections)
Where is your Dream Vacation Assignment

References:
AIMS Book:
The Weather Channel website
Mode: Group work and class discussion
Special Adaptations: Write what the Jobs are on the board if the projector isnt working.
Anticipated difficulties:
Students may make errors in making a bar graph. Some students may inadvertently make
a histogram which is something that has not been taught yet.
Students may forget the units in which temperature is measured
Students may need assistance in getting the labels on the graph correct and in the
appropriate place.

Group Members:_______________________________________

What is the Temperature in Nome,

Alaska?
DAY 1: High= 20F Low= 9F
DAY 2: High= 20F Low= 12F
DAY 3: High= 23F Low= 14F
DAY 4: High= 25F Low= 11F
DAY 5: High= 21F Low= 5F

What is the MEAN high temperature?

What is the MEAN low temperature?

Group Members:__________________________________________________________

What is the Temperature in New York City, New York?

DAY 1: High= 63F Low= 31F
DAY 2: High= 41F Low= 30F
DAY 3: High= 46F Low= 33F
DAY 4: High= 40F Low= 36F
DAY 5: High= 53F Low= 33F

What is the MEAN high temperature?

What is the MEAN low temperature?

Group Members:___________________________________________________

What is the Temperature at Disney World

in Florida?
DAY 1: High= 88F Low= 63F
DAY 2: High= 86F Low= 66F
DAY 3: High= 86F Low= 64F
DAY 4: High= 89F Low= 65F
DAY 5: High= 87F Low= 64F

What is the MEAN high temperature?

What is the MEAN low temperature?

Group Members:________________________________________________________________

What is the Temperature in Phoenix,

Arizona?
DAY 1: High= 91F Low= 67F
DAY 2: High= 78F Low= 62F
DAY 3: High= 83F Low= 62F
DAY 4: High= 82F Low= 60F
DAY 5: High= 88F Low= 62F

What is the MEAN high temperature?

What is the MEAN low temperature?

Group Members:_____________________________________________________

What is the Temperature in Topeka,

Kansas?
DAY 1: High= 60F Low= 37F
DAY 2: High= 48F Low= 36F
DAY 3: High= 57F Low= 37F
DAY 4: High= 71F Low= 43F
DAY 5: High= 70F Low= 38F

What is the MEAN high temperature?

What is the MEAN low temperature?

Where would you rather live?

DIRECTIONS: Collect the data from class and make a pictograph. Remember your graph
needs: Title, x and y-axis labels, and a key.
NAME OF PLACE

NOME, ALASKA:

NEW YORK CITY:

DISNEY WORLD:

PHOENIX, ARIZONA

TOPEKA, KANSAA

HOW MANY PEOPLE WANT TO LIVE

THERE?

DREAM VACATION GRAPHING PROJECT

DIRECTIONS: Collect data on the HIGH and LOW temperature of a place that you dream to
go on vacation in the chart provided. Make two separate graphs on one poster board. One graph
should show the HIGH temperature and the other should show the LOW temperature. Find the
MEAN HIGH and the MEAN LOW temperature and report that on your graph.

PLACE:
DAY:
DAY 1:

DAY 2:

DAY 3:

DAY 4:

DAY 5:

MEAN HIGH TEMPERATURE:

MEAN LOW TEMPERATURE:

HIGH TEMPERATURE:

LOW TEMPERATURE: