Materials & Prep
- Set the pocket chart beside the window with three labeled picture rows: Sky (sunny/cloudy), Rain (yes/no), and Wind (windy/not windy).
- Prepare one picture card for each choice and a simple weather-observation board or paper for each partner pair with the same three pictures. Provide crayons.
- Confirm the school procedure for looking outside and for any weather-related safety concerns.
Gather and model
Ask“Look out our window quietly. What do you notice in the sky?” Invite children to point, gesture, or say what they see: clouds, sun, moving trees, wet ground, or rain. Then ask, “What do you predict might happen later?” Accept all predictions without calling them observations.
Connect“You used your eyes to notice clues. Weather scientists first say what they observe, then they can make a prediction.” Place a cloud card in the Sky row only if clouds are visible.
ConfrontSay, “Sometimes we see clouds and say, ‘It is a storm!’ Is every cloudy day a storm?” Have children show thumbs up or down. “Cloudy tells what we see in the sky. A storm needs more evidence, such as rain, strong wind, or thunder. Today we will record only what we can observe right now.”
ModelLook through the window and think aloud: “I see clouds, so I choose cloudy. I do not see raindrops falling, so I choose no rain. I can look at the tree or flag. If it is moving, I choose windy; if it is not moving, I choose not windy.” Model placing the matching cards in the pocket chart. If the actual weather differs, select the cards that match it. Emphasize the common mix-up: do not choose rain just because the sky is cloudy.
Check for understandingHold up the cloud card and ask, “What can I say I observe?” Expected: “Clouds” or “Cloudy.” Ask, “Does this card alone prove a storm?” Expected: “No.”
Weather detectives
TransitionSend pairs to a window-viewing spot or give them a clear view from their seats. One partner is the sky watcher; the other is the rain-and-wind watcher. After one minute, partners switch jobs.
Partner talk: Partners point to the picture on their observation board that matches what they see. Use the spoken stem: “I observe . I see .” Children may point, gesture, or draw instead of speaking.
CirculateAsk each pair, “What did you actually see that helped you choose that picture?” Listen for evidence, such as “I see gray clouds,” “I see drops,” or “The leaves are moving.” Redirect predictions, such as “It will rain,” to present observations: “What do you see right now?”
StudentsBring each pair’s selected cards to the rug. Pairs hold up or point to their choices while the class compares evidence. As a class, place the agreed picture cards on the pocket chart. The teacher writes the date and records children’s words beside the pictures if desired.
ScaffoldKeep the two choices for each row side by side. Point to the sky, ground, and tree while repeating the short choices: “Cloudy or sunny? Rain or no rain? Windy or not windy?”
ExtensionInvite ready children to add an evidence drawing beneath one chart row, such as clouds, raindrops, or a bent tree, and explain, “I chose because I saw .”
Come back together
DiscussRead the completed chart aloud together: “Today our sky is . We see rain: . The wind is .” Have children echo each observation.
Show me: Remove one card at a time and ask a different child to replace it using the window evidence. Prompt: “Which card belongs here? What do you see?” Accept pointing or placing the card as the response, then invite the child to give or gesture evidence.
ClarifyRevisit the cloud card: “Clouds are an observation. We use the chart to show what we see, not to call every cloudy day a storm.”
Close: Have children turn to a partner and complete orally or with pointing: “I observed . Our chart shows .” Listen for a weather observation matched to the correct chart card.