Benchmark Lesson
There are many different reasons why benchmark lessons are important. They help to establish a foundation of knowledge for the lesson at hand. They provide students with the basic skills, concepts and ideas that they will need throughout that particular lesson or unit. They provide teachers with a perfect opportunity to capture the students attention and get them interested in a particular topic. Also, benchmark lessons are a great way for teachers to help discover what students already know about a given topic, what they want to know and help to dispel any false information they students may already hold about the topic. The aspects addressed in this particular lesson that will benefit students in the future include the following:
-Weather is in constant fluctuation
-Knowledge of weather vocab, tools and recording devices
-Observing and analyzing data and drawing conclusions from it
-Ability to graph data
Benchmark Lesson:
Weather is a phenomenon that affects every living thing, no matter how big or small. It is mysterious, powerful and at a constant change. Because weather plays such a big role in our daily lives, it is of the utmost importance that students from a young age get a firm grasp on many of the important components involving weather. In order to teach students about a topic such as weather, it is important that they witness real life examples and become very hands on in their learning. This particular lesson (aimed at third through fourth graders) requires the students to observe and record on a chart their local weather conditions for a week’s time. Before the students individually observe and record the weather for a week, the class as a whole will observe different weather conditions over a three day period. This allows the teacher to demonstrate how to properly take temperature, observe different weather conditions, etc. It also allows the instructor to assess what the students already know about weather and how it is recorded. This classroom demonstration gives each student a proper background to weather observation and allows for the students ask questions if needed. After the students gather their results, they will report them back to the class and a discussion will take place about findings. The students will then make a graph of their findings in class. The lesson serves many educational purposes and involves many important skills the students will use throughout life and rest of their academic career. Observation and data collection is key in this lesson. The students are challenged to really become aware of what’s surrounding them. They are forced to not just observe, but interpret and analyze the weather conditions. Through these various observations, it is vital that students realize weather patterns. They must understand that weather is never constant. It is constantly fluctuating and can changes every day, hour, minute, perhaps even second. This lesson also emphasizes the importance of routine, organization and consistency. The students learn to take their observations at a particular time everyday and to take pride in their work. Also, by keeping a chart of the daily weather conditions, students begin to gain understanding of how to organize data. By lesson’s end, the goal is to have the students have a basic understanding of some of the components of weather. Topics such as temperature, precipitation, wind, etc. will be heavily emphasized and reinforced during this lesson so the students have a solid understanding of weather’s most basic components. The skills used in this lesson act as a “springboard” for future science tasks. This lesson greatly emphasizes the importance of observation, data collecting, analysis and proper listening skills. All of these skills will be vital to each student in the future. They are the foundation for many concepts in science and will be used greatly throughout their academic careers.
There are several National Science Educational Standards that can be addressed in this particular lesson. According to Content Standard D of Earth and Space Science, all k-4 students should be able to understand the properties of earth’s materials, objects in the sky and changes in the earth and sky. This entire lesson encompasses what this content standard strives to achieve. By having the children participate in a hands-on activity, such as observing the weather individually, they take ownership of their own learning. For example, one of the main goals of this lesson is to get the students to understand that weather changes constantly. It is stated that students should understand that “weather changes from day to day and over the seasons. Weather can also be described in measurable quantities, such as temperature, wind direction and speed and precipitation.” By observing the weather conditions for a week straight, students are forced to compare and analyze their data. Through the evidence they have collected and engaging classroom discussion, they begin to understand that weather conditions fluctuate. Another component of Content Standard D is also emphasized in this lesson. Through this lesson, students become more aware of what importance objects in the sky, such as the sun and clouds, hold. Of course, the students had prior knowledge of what function the sun served. This activity, however, forces them to think of the implications of a cloudy day, per say. The students will have to make the connection between temperature, wind speed and conditions such as sun or clouds. A second National Science Educational Standard that is addressed in this lesson is Content Standard A. This standard focuses ondeveloping students’ ability to perform and understand scientific inquiry. This lesson is a wonderful starting point for scientific inquiry skills. For example, students must contemplate the question of why weather changes and what are the forces behind it. They then must conduct a simple investigation using their observational and data analysis skills. They must learn how to use equipment such as a thermometer. They must learn how to interpret their own data results and gain knowledge about weather patterns from them.
Because this lesson is meant for third and fourth graders, the science content covered will be very basic. The most important thing is that the students get a solid foundation for weather knowledge. The students will learn how to use a thermometer and will learn how to perfect their observational skills. During the three day in class observation, the teacher should ask thought provoking questions about what exactly should be observed in the weather. Students should learn to take note of temperature, conditions such as sun, clouds, etc., general wind speed and precipitation. By observing these various weather components, students will begin to learn about scientific inquiry and gathering answers through observation and analysis. For example, when the students are done with their week long observation, they will hopefully be able to notice the different weather conditions they observed. By observing this, they will be able to conclude that weather is ever changing and is affected by many different factors.
The data that will be gathered will simply be the weather conditions over a week’s time. The class will start off with a KWL discussion about the various components of weather. As stated before, the class will have a “trial” three day observation period before they are expected to conduct their own observations and data gathering at home. Observations will be based on what the students see (sun, clouds, rain, snow, etc.), feel (wind, temp) and read (temperature from a thermometer). There will not be a hypothesis taken in this experiment. Even though an investigation is being conducted, the point of the lesson is not to have the students prove their original predictions right or wrong. The point is to have the students form a basic understanding and appreciation for weather and it’s ever changing nature. The rules of graphing will be important for this lesson. Although the students will not have to do this on their own, graphing their individual results will be an in class activity. With graphing, detail is key. It is important that they are aware of the difference between the X and Y axis, the value of the graph and what it represents. Graphing is an important skill to know and master at a young age, seeing as it will be used throughout the rest of schooling. The students will naturally come up with their own conclusions during and after the observations. However, an official class conclusion will be discussed when the students have collected their results. The class will discuss different conditions observed, how they relate to one another, trends observed, etc.
Students will be assessed on this activity in a few different ways. First, this lesson will be assessed for completeness. The students will be given a grade for their efforts concerning their daily observations. Their daily observation charts will be checked for completeness and efficiency. Next, there will be a class discussion about the students various findings. This is strictly to stimulate thought and understanding on the children’s part. The discussion will be lead and guided by the teacher. However, the students will be free to express their findings, and come up with their own conclusions. Finally, the students will graph their various observations in class. This graph will be graded on accuracy and knowledge of how to construct a proper graph (seeing as that will be part of the lesson).
