Long-term Lesson Plan: Good Foods

LaTresha Cox
Rationale Statement: (What is your hook, why have you chosen this set of objectives/unit/project?
Which childrens interests have you noted that you are using to create your theme/project?):
I have chosen this topic because children are fascinated by changes in the weather. The weather
can be a very complex topic for young children and is often very scary. Children always have
questions about how and why it rains. The goal of this lesson is to simply concepts of weather so
that young children gain understanding of how we are affected by the weather and can make
sense of the world we live in. I feel that it is important to teach this lesson so that children are
more comfortable when changes in weather patterns occur. It is designed to help students
recognize differences between the four seasons while stimulating all areas of development. Many
of the activities provided for this lesson are progressive and allow children to observe, document
change, and build upon prior knowledge.
Objectives (What are the goals of the activity/ies? What will children learn? What are the expected
outcomes?):
The goal of this activity is to teach children all about weather patterns and events. They will
learn to identify changes in seasons and temperatures. They will explore the wind and learn
where rain comes from. It is expected that children will satisfy curiosities about the weather and
gain knowledge about how it affects our daily lives.
State Standards (Which standards are met by the activity/ies?):
Language and Literacy 1, 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, Approaches to learning 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Science 1 & 2, Social
Studies 2.1, Physical 1.1 &1.2, Fine Arts 2.1 3.1, Mathematics 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4
Environmental Plan: Materials/activities you will add to learning centers to encourage curiosity,
thinking, mathematics, language and vocabulary related to objectives, theme, and/or project.
Literacy

Science

Manipulatives

Music/Movement

Children will be
introduced to the
book Little Cloud to
understand clouds
and rain

Children will use plastic

water bottles, craft
materials, and glitter to
create weather sensory
bottles sunny, rainy,
snowy, and windy

Children will use

numbered cloud and
bucket picture cards
and to identify
numbers. Children will
match like numbers
then use fingers to place
the correct number of
rain drops in each
bucket

Children will sing and

dance to songs Mr.
Sun, Rain Rain Go
Away, and If all the
rain drops

Children will use

paint and paper to
create their own
story books following
the same format

Children will also

create a tornado in a
bottle to explore wind
and velocity

Dramatic Play

Computer/Technology

Outdoor

Sand/Water

Children will use

formal dress up
clothes, precut
weather shape
patterns and toy
video cameras and
role play as
Meteorologist
putting on a news
weather report

Children will watch a

short video clip of a
tornado in progress

Children will go
outdoors and observe
and discuss the clouds.

Children will engage

in water table play
using thermometers to
explore temperatures
hot verses ice cold

Blocks

Art

Children will use

blocks to create a
letter W and learn
that it begins the
word weather

Children will use hands

and multicolored paints
to create a rainbow

Children will also

build structures and
test to see if they
could stand during
windy weather using
paper towel rolls to
blow them down

Children will also use

kites to explore the
wind

Children will also use

paper and craft
materials to create a
weather scene around
the classroom
constructing rain drops,
clouds, umbrellas, the
sun, and snow flakes

Special Needs
Adaptations

ELL Adaptations

Some play groups will

be specifically assigned
by the teacher

Some activities will be

explained in both
English and Spanish

Students with mobility

issues will be allowed to
sit during all activities

Number cards will be

labeled in both
English and Spanish

ELL Adaptations

Children with visual

impairments will be
provided cue cards

Assessment (criteria by which the students progress will be evaluated, how will you know the student
met the objectives?):
Childrens understanding, learning, and growth from this activity will be documented through
naturalistic assessment. I will be taking photos of the children during the process of pretend play
and experimentation. Photos will be placed in student portfolios. I will also be taking anecdotal
notes through the day to be placed in student logs. I will be paying close attention to student
movements, use of muscle control both fine and gross, understanding and use of vocabulary
words, understanding of concepts, concentration, and interactions with peers. Children will also
be asked to document their understanding though drawing and dictation.
Developmental Domains (What areas of development are promoted by the activity/ies? Must include
specific examples from all four areas-Physical, Cognitive, Social and Emotional, and Language
Development):
Physical development is promoted by this lesson because children will be getting out the class a
getting active as the explore concepts about the weather. Through music and movement activities
children will be requires to use gross motor skills such as jumping, hopping, lifting, and twirling.
Math manipulative and art activities allow children to strengthen fine motor control by
requiring them to utilize their hands and fingers to manipulate tools during play. This lesson also
stimulates children cognitively by enabling them to discover new concepts of about the weather
2

with science inquiry and application. They will explore new tools and how to use them properly
during water table play and dramatic play. Children will develop socially and emotionally
through direct interactions with the teacher and peers while engaging in pretend play and will be
required to have verbal and physical exchanges. They will also gain inter personal skills and
partake in gave and take interaction skill while enjoying pretend play as Meteorologist by
following social norms and using manners during dialogue. Language development is a huge
part of this lesson. Children will become aware of concepts of print, identify letters of the
alphabet, identify numbers 1-10, rote count to 10, develop role playing skills, use receptive
language, develop new vocabulary words, and develop rhythm through song and dance.
Materials (What materials do you need to gather? What resources do you need to locate? What do you
need to prepare in advance?):
Materials needed include: blue construction paper, white tempera paint, stapler, writing utensils,
formal dress up clothes, a toy video camera, a map of the United States, and weather picture
cards, tape 10 precut cloud shapes numbered 1 through 10, 10 precut bucket shapes numbered
one through 10, a set of math manipulatives (circle gem drops) at least 60, note pad, pen, and
camera, access to tap water source, 4 12oz plastic bottles with lids, 1 2 liter plastics bottle with
lid, blue food coloring, blue glitter, small blue pom poms, 1 large yellow pom pom, white glitter,
black, glitter, yellow sequins, orange sequins, small amount of sand, 2 large white pom poms,
liquid dish soap
Locate sources: Book Little Cloud by Eric Carle, Tornado Video Clip, Extreme Weather Video

Lesson Reflection (How well did the plan work, was enough planned? Too much? Did children
maintain interest or go in other directions? Were children engaged? Was the activity meaningful?
What will do the same if you repeat this? What will you differently the next time?):

When completing this lesson in the classroom with my students I think it went very
well. The children were all into this topic and were eager to do activities and explore about the
weather. I found this to be a challenging and complex topic to investigate in depth with young
children. However, I am pleased at how I modified and information to simplify concepts. I was
able to integrate aspects of the lesson into all interest centers in the classroom. I believe activities

planned over the course of this two week investigation was enough to give my three year olds
enough insight on the weather. I also believe that one investigation will continue so that children
can expand on concepts and answer new questions.
The inclusion of Math, Science, Social Studies, and Literacy activities students were
given various outlets to explore the topic. The children really enjoyed the science and sensory
activities. They were able to be hands on and experience things directly through
experimentation. This lesson provided us with opportunities to discus and make inferences in
and out of the classroom. Activities were easy for children to complete and required them to
build upon their developing skills. There was little direction for the teacher only during time of
discussion and evaluation. After completing activities with the students I found that they wanted
to explore more. I also found myself pondering the possibilities.
I feel that this activity was meaningful because it allows students to create instances
for their own learning and growth. Childrens interest were in mind when planning and
implementing activities which allowed then to satisfy their curiosities. As growth and
understanding was assessed the children seemed to understand concepts about the weather and
were able to answer questions posed prior to completion of activities. Children can now identify
the four seasons as well as weather events. Children can now relate letters of the alphabet and
numbers to concepts relating to the weather. Children were able to develop math skills with
number identification and one on one correspondence.
I have noticed that children are more comfortable discussing the weather and are
more at ease when experiencing instances of rain on the playground. The most drastic
development students gained from this lesson is in language and literacy. They now have so
much more vocabulary and learned to use words in the correct context. Children also displayed

growth in social interactions with other students after the completion of this lesson. This lesson
allowed children to inquire, infer, experiment, and use critical thing skills to investigate the
weather.
As I plan to continue with this lesson I am also considering any modifications which
can be made. When this lesson is taught in the future I will keep everything planned. Next time I
will however, expand the lesson to teach children more about Mother Nature. I would also like
to add a vocabulary game and food aspect. My students interest tells me that this is a lesson
which can be taught over a great period of time. This will allow children to actually experience
changes in weather patterns as they learn about them thus giving them the opportunity to apply
knowledge, make connections, and show understanding.