Wonderful Weird Weather
In this post, I’ll share a grade-wide approach to a task. When we have our planning meeting before each new month, we always set a goal to do something amazing with our classes—taking time to plan an interactive lesson or something worth sharing. Here is the report we wrote to communicate to the grade parents. I hope you enjoy it!
Wonderful weird weather! - The Science Approach
This month in K2, we dove deep into different types of extreme weather. Teaching the classes vocabulary about weather events that they would otherwise not experience.
During our classes, we discussed causes, safety and the differences between types of weather. This topic was entertaining and gave the teachers an incredible opportunity to create great practical science activities. Allowing students to experience firsthand what different types of weather look like.
In K2E, the class took part in two experiments.
In the first experiment, the students were taught the water cycle. Why it rains and what causes it. Students were then given their very own “clouds” with an analogue for rain. Using shaving foam, floating on water, students dropped food colouring into the jars. Counting each drop until their “cloud” became too heavy and the rain began pouring. This was taken a step further, showing students how air currents look by mixing two fluid types into a glass.
The following experiment was a demonstration of wildfires! Teaching students about the causes, prevention, and most likely areas to be affected. This demonstration was done using steel wool and a 9v battery. Although very simple and safe, it created awe-inspiring visuals for students to grasp the concepts. They were looking at the differences between dry and wet, dense and sparse.
In K2D, an additional two experiments were held.
The first activity looked at creating tornados (or whirlpools) was achieved quite easily. They were using a mixture of soap and water inside a bottle. Students would spin the bottles to create a vortex inside; with this, they were simulating a tornado! To take things a step further, students added small pieces of aluminium foil to show how debris could be moved around by the strong forces inside a tornado. The students enjoyed playing with this fascinating new toy.
The second activity for this class was a classic natural science project. Volcanoes!
The students were given the materials to make their mini volcano. Going through an explanation on what a volcano is and how what effects can cause one to erupt. The class teacher guided students through one of the most fun chemical reactions in a classroom. Using a simple mixture of bicarbonate soda and clear vinegar, students were able to watch as their handmade volcanoes erupted! Bubbling over and showing how the lava would flow over different surfaces. No volcanoes reacted the same way, leading students to have dialogues about the various interesting paths their lava chose to flow!
In closing, this topic has proven to be a lot of fun for students and leaves them with a lasting vocabulary lesson that they won’t soon forget! These lessons didn’t teach English; instead, our students acquired English through the experience. A far more exciting approach to learning!
