Watch a Video: Wild Weather
Ask: What are some examples of extreme weather mentioned in the video? Which, if any, have you experienced?
Students will understand how changes in Earth’s climate are affecting weather around the globe.
Lesson Plan - 5 Big Questions About Extreme Weather
Learning Objective
Text Structure
Question and Answer
Content-Area Connections
Earth Science
Standards Correlations
CCSS: RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.3, RI.3.4, RI.3.5, RI.3.6, RI.3.7, RI.3.8, RI.3.10, L.3.4, SL.3.1
NGSS: Weather and Climate
TEKS: Science 3.8
1. Preparing to Read
Wild Weather
Watch a video to learn more about types of extreme weather.
Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.
- drought
- gradual
Set a Purpose for Reading
Point out the "As You Read" question, and have students identify ways experts think humans are affecting Earth's climate.
2. Close-Reading Questions
1. Why does the author mention the drought in Western states? The author mentions the drought as an example of a weather event that scientists believe is linked to climate change.
(RI.3.6 AUTHOR’S CRAFT)
2. According to most scientists, what part have people played in today’s warmer temperatures? Scientists say humans have contributed to the warming temperatures by burning fossil fuels like oil and coal. People burn these fuels for energy. This gives off greenhouse gases. An increase in these gases has caused Earth's temperature to rise over time.
RI.3.2 KEY DETAILS
3. What is the greenhouse effect? The greenhouse effect is what happens when gases like carbon dioxide act as a blanket, trapping some of the sun's heat in Earth's atmosphere.
RI.3.7 DEMONSTRATE UNDERSTANDING
3. Skill Building
FEATURED SKILL: Text Features
Use the skill builder "Focus on Text Features" to have students analyze various text features in the article. RI.3.7 TEXT FEATURES
Text-to-Speech