Grandma Bird / After Reading / Writing Opportunities /
Weather Reporting
Writing and presenting a weather report.
Lesson length: 2 sessions
Lesson from Grandma Bird series
Required reading: Whole book
Text potential
- Writing opportunities: Report
- Wider learning opportunities: Science: weather and seasons
Subjects
- English
- Science
- Writing
Purpose
Draw on pupils’ knowledge of different types of weather. Learn the conventional symbols used in weather forecasts and associated vocabulary. Develop an understanding that forecasting the weather means being able to calculate what the weather will be like in the future.
Write and present a weather report.
Preparation
- Print copies of the weather symbol cards
- Print copies of key vocabulary cards
- Make available a recording of a weather forecast. Where possible, make it relevant to the time of year. If you can record the forecast for the actual day, even better,
Process
Show a recording of a simple weather forecast.
Consider why people might want to know what the weather is going to do in the future.
Introduce the vocabulary forecast. Ask:
- Has anyone heard this word before?
- When did you hear it?
- Can we work out what it means?
Give a child-friendly definition. Use the word in some sentences. Write and display the sentences on your working wall. Working in pairs, ask the children to create their sentences, and then share one or two examples.
Encourage the children to draw on their experiences to consider the reasons that a weather forecast might be important.
Ask:
- Would seeing the weather forecast have changed Noi’s plans when he crept out of the cottage?
Introduce the weather symbols for light clouds, dense clouds rain, lightning storm, sunny, wind.
Talk about how the weather changes in the story. And then use the weather symbols and map to create your forecast.
Write a short weather forecast. You could film the weather forecasts for viewing later.
Extension: set up a weather station in the role play area, with maps, weather symbols, compass points, photographs of different types of clouds and weather.
Final reflection
Read or view the weather forecasts with the class. Ask:
- What would you wear if you heard this weather forecast? Would you take an umbrella with you?
- Do we have different weather at different times of the year?
- Did we use our weather vocabulary to explain the weather forecast clearly?
Key vocabulary
cloudy, stormy, thunder, lightning, forecast
Additional vocabulary
precipitation
Contributors
Nikki Gamble
Director, Just Imagine
Nikki has worked extensively in schools across the UK and internationally. She is the author of Exploring Children’s Literature (4th edit) (2019) and co-author of Guiding Readers (2016) which was awarded the UKLA Academic Book of the Year Award 2017. Nikki is KS2 reading advisor and series consultant for Oxford University Press and content creator for the Oxford School Improvement and Oxford Owl websites. Nikki is Associate Consultant at the University of London, Institute of Education and Honorary Fellow at the University of Winchester
