AQUINAS COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
LESSON PLAN FORMAT
EN 275: Earth Science
Lesson Title: Colliding Air Masses: Creating Weather
Grade: 6th
Subject: Science
Standard (Learning Target)
MS-ESS2-5. Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of
air masses results in changes in weather conditions. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on
how air masses flow from regions of high pressure to low pressure, causing weather (defined by
temperature, pressure, humidity, precipitation, and wind) at a fixed location to change over time,
and how sudden changes in weather can result when different air masses collide. Emphasis is on
how weather can be predicted within probabilistic ranges. Examples of data can be provided to
students (such as weather maps, diagrams, and visualizations) or obtained through laboratory
experiments (such as with condensation).] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include
recalling the names of cloud types or weather symbols used on weather maps or the reported
diagrams from weather stations.]
Rationale/Purpose for Lesson (student friendly)
TLW know how weather is created
TLW know how and why air masses collide
TLW know where weather comes from
TLW know how tornados start and where they come from
Resources/Materials Required:
Paper/ Notebook
Pens/Pencils
Tornado(s) in a bottle:
o 2 liter bottles (2)
o Duck tape
o Dawn dish soap
o Water
Deck of cards
Inquiry Activity:
The lesson is a question based lesson and focuses on starting with guiding questions to get the
learners mind ready for the collaborative/ discrepant event.

Introduction/ Guiding Questions: (Discrepant events/ guiding questions)

To begin, students will recall their previous knowledge regarding different weather
events.
Guiding Questions:
1. What is weather?
2. Where does it come from?
3. How is it made?
Students will:
1. Talk with group/tablemates
2. Make a list
3. Share with class
Procedures (collaborative groups + experiment)
1. Pass out the tornado in the bottle to each of the four groups.
2. Have the groups experiment with the bottles to see what they find on their own.
3. Have the groups pick a different speaker and share with the class what they observed.
4. If the groups did not figure out that the bottles represented a tornado, have them go back
to the experiment and swirl the bottle in a clockwise rotation creating a tornado.
5. Have each group create a list of good words. Then create the good words into better
words then create a favorite word. (Form
6. Have each group share their favorite word and explain why they picked that word.
7. End the class by asking the students different questions based on todays activity.
What temperature does the air have to be for a tornado to form?
What layer in the atmosphere do tornados develop?
What do tornados look like?
How do they form?
How do tornados stop?
How did this experiment represent weather in the real world?
8. Students can leave class after they discuss with a partner what they liked best about
todays lesson and what they least liked or would change.
Formative Assessment (Writing in science)
After students experiment with the tornado in the bottle activity, the students will create a list of
good, better, and favorite words. Each group will share with the class their favorite word, which
will identify the main points in todays lecture.
Guided Study/Homework:
Students will research further in weather and write a short paragraph on their new findings or any
questions they come across.
Closure (sharing results and collaborative protocols):
The end of the lesson will be inquiry based by asking the students a series of questions
relating to todays lesson. This will get students critically thinking, which will help the students

with their homework. Students can leave the classroom when they are finished discussing with a
partner their favorite and least favorite things about the lesson.
Evaluation/Reflection:
Assessing the students in the beginning by asking questions will inform the teacher(s) what the
students already know and what they need to learn. This gives the teacher(s) a better idea on
what to focus on.