Learning about weather and seasons is a cornerstone of the Earth Science domain in the lower elementary NGSS, primarily framed within the core idea of "Earth's Systems." The focus is on making observations, identifying patterns, and understanding the impacts on the living world. The learning progression is clear and developmentally appropriate.
- Kindergarten (K-ESS2-1, K-ESS3-2, K-PS3-1 and 2): This is the primary grade for this topic. Students use their senses to observe and describe daily weather conditions (sunny, cloudy, rainy, etc.). The critical leap is to use these collected data to identify patterns. They learn that weather patterns predict seasonal patterns, recognizing that it is colder in winter and warmer in summer. They also begin to connect these patterns to their daily lives, understanding how severe weather impacts human communities and how sunlight affects the Earth's surface.
- First Grade (1-ESS1-2): The focus expands to space. Students make observations of the sun, moon, and stars to identify patterns. A key understanding is that seasonal sunlight and temperature patterns are caused by the amount of daylight in a day, with more daylight hours in summer and fewer in winter.
- Second and Third Grade: While not the main focus, the concepts are reinforced through other standards. In second grade, students connect weather to the water cycle (2-ESS2-3). In third grade, they may study how seasonal weather patterns affect animal life cycles and migrations (3-LS1-1, 3-LS2-1).
Throughout K-3, the emphasis is on hands-on data collection, pattern recognition, and understanding the cause-and-effect relationships between the sun, weather, and seasons.
|
