Science Learning PacketGrade 3, Week 1:
Weather and Climate Suggested science learning activities for SPS students during the COVID-19 school closure.
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Due to the COVID-19 closure, teachers were asked to provide packets of home activities. This is not intended to take the place of regular classroom instruction but will help supplement student learning and provide opportunities for student learning while they are absent from school. Assignments are not required or graded. Because of the unprecedented nature of this health crisis and the District’s swift closure, some home activities may not be accessible.
If you have difficulty accessing the material or have any questions, please contact your student’s teacher.
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Elementary Science Learning Activity
Materials to accompany Chapter 1: Lessons 1-3
Grade 3
Weather and Climate: Establishing an Orangutan Reserve
Investigation Packet
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Hello Families,
We have been thinking of you and hope you and your family are well and safe during this time. Being at home is different than HAVING to be at home and we wanted to offer you instructional opportunities. If we were at school, we’d be in a 3rd grade classroom beginning a study on weather and climate. However, since we’re all at home, you are welcome to invite family members to join you in these series of lessons. We all know learning is more fun when we share our ideas and learn from one another.
Amplify Science is the science program we have been using in some of our classroom this year. It is our officially adopted instructional material for science.
A collaboration between the science education experts at University of California Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science and the instructional technology experts at Amplify, Amplify Science was built to empower students to investigate, talk, read, write, think, and argue like real scientists and engineers through investigations of real-world problems and scientific phenomena.
While Amplify Science lessons are designed to be done in the classroom with peers, there are some activities that students can complete at home with your support. To make it as easy as possible to do these activities at home, I am providing you with the following resources:
● Lesson Overview. The activities I am sending are all part of larger lessons. The full lesson would be very difficult to do at home, but I have provided the lesson overview so that you have some context for the purpose of the individual activity.
● Packet for the specific activity in the lesson. This will provide step-by-step instructions if you wish to guide your students through the activity. Please note, however, that the instructions will only be included for the specific activity I have assigned. Not the whole lesson. Use the space provided to draw and/or write your ideas, you can also include what other family members contribute.
● Videos to use with the packet. The Seattle Public Schools’ Science Department created this packet to be used with or without the video. We created a series of videos you can access either online or through Seattle’s Public television programming on SPS TV (local channel 26), social media (Facebook and Instagram: @SeattlePublicSchools, Twitter: @SeaPubSchools), and our SPSTV YouTube channel. KOMONews.com will also host on-demand videos under the tab “Lesson Plan” and broadcast on channel KOMO 4.3. These supplemental learning videos feature short segments supporting a variety of subjects and grade levels. All videos will be close captioned on YouTube.
Should you have the option to use the internet, these are the device requirements.
However, you can complete these lessons WITHOUT electronic devices!
● Desktops and Laptops (Windows 7+, Mac OS 10.11+) - Suggested browsers: Chrome & Safari ● Chromebooks - Suggested browser: Chrome ● iPads that support iOS11.3+ (iPad5+) - Suggested browser: Safari
Sincerely,
Scientist Kate and Seattle Public Schools Science Department
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Pre-Unit Writing: Explaining Weather Data
Name: _______________________________________ Date: ________________
Weather and Climate—Lesson 1.1© 2016 The Regents of the University of California All rights reserved. Permission granted to photocopy for classroom use.
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Directions:Read the messages to the Wildlife Protection Organization. Answer the questions that go with each message.
Part 1
Dear WPO,I want to adopt a rabbit. I have a big hutch outside in my yard. I read somewhere that rabbits shouldn’t be in temperatures over 80 degrees. Where I live, it sometimes gets pretty hot. I need to wear a T-shirt and shorts, and I drink a lot of water. If I adopt a rabbit, is it safe for me to keep him in the hutch outside?
Thanks for your help.Carissa
Do you think it is safe for Carissa to keep a rabbit outside where she lives?
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Is there any other information she could provide that would help you figure this out?
___________________________________________________________________
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Name: _______________________________________ Date: ________________
Weather and Climate—Lesson 1.3
Daily Written Reflection
What kind of weather do you like best? Why?
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Make a drawing if it helps you explain your thinking. Label your drawing.
© 2018 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Permission granted to photocopy for classroom use.
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Name: _______________________________________ Date: ________________
Weather and Climate—Lesson 1.2
Directions:1. Take turns pouring water into the rain cup so it rains over Cup X and Cup Y.2. Measure the rainfall in Cup X and Cup Y in a way that will allow you to
compare the two amounts.3. Draw or describe your measurements for Cup X and Cup Y.
Cup X:
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
Cup Y:
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
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Which cup had more water? __________________________________________
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Measuring Rainfall
© 2018 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Permission granted to photocopy for classroom use.
Chapter 1, Lesson 2: Measuring Rainfall
1. In this lesson, we learned more about measuring rainfall. Explain why we need to know how much rain falls at the three islands in order to make a decision about where to put the orangutan reserve.
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2. Here is the weather data for one day at the three islands.
Do you think it is easy or difficult to tell which island has the hottest temperature? ___________________________________________________________________ Do you think it is easy or difficult to tell which island has the most rainfall? ___________________________________________________________________
3. Why do meteorologists need to measure rainfall using a standard measurement like millimeters?-
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4. Write one question you have about measuring weather:
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Name: _______________________________________ Date: ________________
Weather and Climate—Lesson 1.3
Directions:1. Circle your cup (X or Y).2. Put your pointer finger into the water in the cup.
3. Wait for 1 minute.4. Circle the word or group of words that describe the
temperature of the water in your cup.
5. Put the same pointer finger into Cup Z for 1 minute.
6. Circle the word or group of words that describe the temperature of the water in Cup Z.
Temperature Investigation: Cups X, Y, and Z
Cup X or Y
Cup Z
© 2018 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Permission granted to photocopy for classroom use.
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Name: _______________________________________ Date: ________________
Weather and Climate—Lesson 1.4
Daily Written Reflection
Why do meteorologists use tools (for example, a thermometer) to measure weather data?
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Make a drawing if it helps you explain your thinking. Label your drawing.
© 2018 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Permission granted to photocopy for classroom use.
71Weather and Climate
argument: the use of evidence to say why one idea is the bestargumento: el uso de evidencia para decir por qué una idea es la mejor
claim: a proposed answer to a questionafirmación: una respuesta propuesta para una pregunta
climate: the typical weather in a place over a long period of timeclima: las condiciones atmosféricas típicas de un lugar durante un largo periodo de tiempo
data: observations or measurements recorded in an investigationdatos: observaciones o mediciones apuntadas en una investigación
evaluate: to judge how useful or accurate something isevaluar: juzgar qué tan útil o acertado es algo
evidence: information that supports an answer to a questionevidencia: información que respalda una respuesta a una pregunta
graph: a way of organizing numbers that can help you see patternsgráfica: una manera de organizar números que te puede ayudar a ver patrones
measure: to use a tool to find out information such as how heavy, how big, how fast, or how hot or cold something ismedir: usar un instrumento para averiguar información tal como qué tan pesado, qué tan grande, qué tan rápido o qué tan caliente o frío es algo
meteorologist: a scientist who studies and predicts weathermeteorólogo/a: un/a científico/a que estudia y pronostica las condiciones atmosféricas
Glossary
© 2018 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Permission granted to photocopy for classroom use.
72 Weather and Climate
Glossary (continued)
natural hazard: severe weather or another natural event that can cause damagepeligro natural: condiciones atmosféricas severas u otro evento natural que puede causar daño
pattern: something we observe to be similar over and over againpatrón: algo que observamos que sea similar una y otra vez
precipitation: water that falls to Earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hailprecipitación: agua que cae a la Tierra como lluvia, nieve, aguanieve o granizo
range: the span between the lowest and highest numbers in a grouprango: el intervalo entre el número más bajo y el número más alto en un grupo
seasons: times of year when certain kinds of weather are more commonestaciones: épocas del año en las que ciertas condiciones atmosféricas son más comunes
temperature: how hot or cold something istemperatura: qué tan caliente o frío está algo
visualize: to make a picture in your mind using information from different sources
visualizar: hacer una imagen en tu mente con información de diferentes fuentes
weather: what is happening outside with the air and sky, including precipitation, temperature, and windcondiciones atmosféricas: lo que está sucediendo afuera con el aire y el cielo, incluyendo la precipitación, la temperatura y el viento
© 2018 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Permission granted to photocopy for classroom use.