Heat Wave Literacy Lesson Plan

Picture
Name: Charlotte Fullerton

Date: 11/27/10

Grade Level/Subject: 1st/Science/Literacy

Prerequisite Knowledge: Basic understanding of hot weather and what a flood looks like. What a heat wave is.

Approximate Time: 45 minutes

Student Objectives/Student Outcomes: Students will identify the signs of a heat wave.

Students will plan a set of procedures for responding to a heat wave.

Students will verbally justify the procedures they chose.

Students will draw a picture representing a heat wave.

Content Standards:

STATE GOAL 12:  Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences.

12.B.1a  Describe and compare characteristics of living things in relationship to their environments.

12.E.1b  Identify and describe patterns of weather and seasonal change.

Materials/Resources/Technology:

Large piece of paper and marker

Copy of the book Heat Wave by Eileen Spinelli

Template sheet for brochure (attached)

Implementation:

3 minutes         Opening of lesson: (Objectives, hook, behavior expectations)

Ask the students if they know what a heat wave is.

Write down what they know about heat waves on the paper under the heading “What we know about Heat Waves”

Introduce the book:  “ I am going to read aloud the book Heat Wave by Eileen Spinelli. In this book Abigail Blue and her brother are some of the main characters. Their town is experiencing a heat wave. All of the people think of different ways to keep themselves cool. I want you to pay attention to these different ways while I read the story”

20 minutes       Procedures: Include critical thinking questions and accommodations for individual needs

Read the book aloud.

Ask the students to turn to a partner and talk about how Abigail and other people in the town felt during the heat wave.

(Hot, sweaty, tired, sticky, etc. )

Call on a few students to share what their partner said.

Ask the students what some of the ways were that the town helped people stay cool. (1or 2)

Explain to the students that they will be working with a partner to fill in signs of a heat wave on the top and then ways to stay safe during a heat wave below. We will be adding this to our brochures about different storms.

Allow students to spread out around the room and fill in their page and color in the picture.             

Summary/Closing:

Share 2 to 3 great examples of the work page.

Write on the piece of paper what they learned about heat waves.

Summarize that heat waves are when it is extremely hot outside for a long period of time. They can make people feel tired, faint, and get dehydrated. It is important to wear light clothing, drink a lot of water, and not do too much exercise, etc.

Preview that in the next lesson they will make a model of how a heat wave affects plants and the environment. 

Student Assessment:

Collect sheet and check for completion, at least 2 points for what happens during a heat wave, and 2 suggestions to stay safe, also, that the drawing represents a heat wave.