Weather: Notes for Teachers and Parents

At a glance

Grades: Written for First Grade. Works well for Kindergarten with a helper, and for Second Grade as a review.
Time: About three to five short sessions of 20 to 30 minutes.
You need: A computer, Chromebook or tablet with internet. A microphone or headset for the weather report. A printer is nice but not required.
Students will: Look up real weather, record it, show it on a map with symbols and temperatures, and share it out loud like a TV meteorologist.

Where this fits in a weather unit

These activities work best in the middle or near the end of a weather unit, after students have spent some time noticing and describing the weather where they live.

Before: go outside and describe the weather each day. Talk about sun, clouds, rain, snow, wind and temperature, and make a class chart with weather symbols.
During: find the weather for your own town, then for four places around your state, and build a weather map and report.
After: compare the forecast with what really happened, track the weather for a week, and talk about how forecasts help people get ready for storms.

Science standards

This unit connects to two Next Generation Science Standards. They are Kindergarten standards, so the activity is a good fit for review and enrichment in First Grade.

K-ESS2-1: Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time.
K-ESS3-2: Ask questions to obtain information about the purpose of weather forecasting to prepare for, and respond to, severe weather.

Recording a weather report also builds speaking skills: telling about a topic clearly, in complete sentences, to an audience.

Tips for each step

Finding the weather: on weather.gov, students type a city name in the box near the top of the page. The current conditions box shows the temperature, a picture of the weather, wind and humidity.
Watching a TV weather report: watch one or two together first and notice how the meteorologist talks, points to the map and uses weather words.
Choosing four places: help students pick places in different parts of the state, such as one in the mountains, one near water and one in a big city. The weather is often different!
Building the map: students choose their state, add each city with a weather symbol and the high temperature, then drag the city to where it is on the map. Today or Tomorrow at the top matches the research sheet.
Recording: the first time, the browser asks to use the microphone. A headset helps in a busy room. Students read the script that builds itself from their map, or press Write it my own way to change the words. They can listen and record again as many times as they like.
Weather show: Play my weather show fills the screen with the map while the recording plays. It is a fun way to share with the class or family.

Sharing the weather report

Every weather person needs an audience! Plan a time for each child to share their report. Speaking to real listeners is a big part of the fun, and of the learning.

In class: press Play my weather show on a projector or interactive board, or choose a Weather Reporter of the Day for morning meeting.
Send the sound: Save my recording keeps the audio file on the computer, ready to email or turn in through class tools.
Make a video for family: press Show my map full screen, start a screen recording with the microphone on, and let your child give the report live while the map fills the screen. Grandparents love these!

Free screen recorders usually record the microphone, not sounds playing on the computer. That is why a live report over the full-screen map works best for a video.

ScreenPal (opens in a new tab)Free plan records in the browser, including on Chromebooks, up to 15 minutes. A grown-up sets up the free account.

Chromebook: Built in: open Quick Settings, choose Screen capture, switch to video, and turn on the microphone.
Mac: Built in: press Shift, Command and 5. Choose Options and pick a microphone.
iPad or iPhone: Built in: in Control Center, press and hold Screen Recording to turn the microphone on.

Please share videos of children privately, such as by email or a private link, and check with a parent before posting anywhere public.

Saving work and privacy

The map and the recording are saved in the web browser on that device, so students can stop and finish later. Nothing is uploaded to this site.
Students who sign in to their own Chromebook or computer account get their own saved work.
Check marks on the I did it! buttons are saved the same way, and a Welcome back note shows which step is next.
On shared computers, the next student will see the last map. Use Start a new map between students.
To turn in a recording, students press Save my recording and send the file through your usual class tools. Printing the map works well for a gradebook or a bulletin board.

Some school devices block the microphone for websites. If the Record button says the microphone is turned off, your technology team can allow it for this site.

At home

Watch your local TV weather report together, then let your child be the weather person for the family.
Choose places that matter to your family, such as where grandparents live or a place you plan to visit, even if they are in another state.
Keep a weather journal for a week. Draw the weather symbol each day and compare it with the forecast.
One child can do two places instead of four. The goal is noticing and talking about weather, not finishing a list.

Weather words

weather, forecast, temperature, degrees, high temperature, meteorologist, symbol, wind, humidity, sunny, cloudy, rain, snow, storm

More ideas

Compare the weather map for your state with a classmate’s or a cousin’s state.
Check tomorrow whether the forecast was right, and talk about why forecasts can change.
Talk about weather safety for the kinds of storms that happen where you live.
Make your own weather symbol for a kind of weather that is not on the map.