In this learning module, learners explore the four seasons in Maine, learn about changes in animals and plants throughout the seasons, listen to songs, read digital books, complete interactive activities, and track weather conditions in their area.
There are teacher instructions provided and students will have the chance to demonstrate their learning with a final project.
Teaching Tips
Positives
There are many different crafts and activities for learners to choose from.
Movement breaks are provided for learners to support their physical and mental health as they work through the module.
Additional Prerequisites
Some students, including English language learners, may need the terms temperature, den, hibernate, scarce, migrate, sprout, hike, and predator.
Students will need access to a device and the Internet for some activities.
The video links in the skills practice portion of the module are not actual links that can be clicked.
The summer video song is on YouTube and may contain ads.
Differentiation
In math classes, students can answer questions about their graphs to extend their learning about representing and interpreting data. Students can look at which type of weather occurred the most, the least, how many times, etc.
Students can talk about the importance of the changing seasons to plants and animals, and how change in the climate may affect these plants and animals. They can also talk about why these plants and animals are important to their living.
This module would fit nicely with a unit on animal adaptations. Students can create a log or chart of the adaptations they read about in the four books and also add adaptations from their background knowledge.
Students with advanced reading skills can attempt to read the books themselves with adult guidance, while those who need to can use the read-aloud function in the learning platform.
Scientist Notes
This website from the Maine Department of Energy provides activities for students about the seasons in Maine. A book that discusses each season in Maine is provided, containing discussions on animal behaviors, the impact on fruits and vegetables, weather during the seasons, and outdoor activities. A brief vocabulary list is also provided. This resource is recommended for teaching. Additional matching/counting/ordering online activities are provided. A link to a song and ideas for crafts are also included. This resources is recommended for teaching.
Standards
This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.
English Language Arts
Reading: Foundational Skills (K-5)
RF.1.1 Demonstrate mastery of the organization and basic features of print including those listed under Kindergarten foundation skills.
Reading: Informational Text (K-12)
RI.1.10 With prompting and support, read informational texts at grade level text complexity or above.
Speaking & Listening (K-12)
SL.1.5 Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
SL.2.4 Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.
Mathematics
Counting & Cardinality (K)
K.CC.B.5 Count to answer "how many?" questions about as many as 20 things arranged in a line, a rectangular array, or a circle, or as many as 10 things in a scattered configuration; given a number from 1-20, count out that many objects.
Measurement & Data (K-5)
K.MD.A.2 Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has "more of"/"less of" the attribute, and describe the difference. For example, directly compare the heights of two children and describe one child as taller/shorter.
1.MD.C.4 Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask and answer questions about the total number of data points, how many in each category, and how many more or less are in one category than in another.
Science
ESS2: Earth's Systems
K-ESS2-1. Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time.
K-ESS2-2. Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs.
