Padlet, QR Codes, Amusement Parks and Weather

I love when I can sit down with a teacher and within a few minutes we have created an engaging lesson that students are going to love!

She brought the standards and I brought the technology. The standard was . . . identify the importance of weather and seasonal information to make choices in clothing, activities, and transportation;

A great way to start a weather unit (or any unit for that matter) is to use Padlet  - formerly known as Wallwishers. Create a wall where students can post questions that they have about weather. It's as simple as having your students double click on the wall and post their question.

Once, students have posted their questions share, Why does Lightening Strike? with your students.
It is such a cute book about questions students ask about weather.

Simple text and great pictures.

 Add in another book, World Book Encyclopedia's, Weather.

We took a lesson from StemScopes and tweaked it a bit . . . ok, a bunch. The task was to have each student travel to various amusement parks around the world, investigate the temperature and determine what clothing to pack. Students used a QR Code to take them to the weather for that day for each location. The weather for that day helped them determine what items to pack in their suitcase. 

As each student traveled from station to station, they took their file folder with them to record their findings. The file folder contained a map of the world with each amusement park location, one suitcase per location full of clothing (they circled the appropriate clothing), a box to write the temperature, and finally a writing prompt asking which location they would choose for their next holiday and why. Students traveled to Hong Kong, California, Florida, Paris . . . 

I love that a map of the amusement park was added to each station. It was fun to listen to students compare what was at each amusement park.

These second graders tweeted about their experience! Check it out and follow this awesome 2nd grade classroom, @learninginTX!

Head over to Collaboration Cuties for some other science mentor texts!

Happy Sunday!