Component: Vocabulary/Study Study
Earth and Space

Competency: Participate in meaningful and rich word study when reading that includes synonyms.

Recognize that when it is daytime on one half of the earth, it is nighttime on the other half of the earth.

Objective: Students use the knowledge of opposite hemispheres to create a book about the seasons in America verses Australia.

Materials: outline of Australia, globe, flashlight, construction paper, and markers, Internet, desktop publishing program.
 

Procedure:

1. Using a globe and flashlight teacher demonstrates that when one half of the earth is having daylight the other is having nighttime.

2. Teacher continues explaining that this also the same in regards to seasons. Teachers can take a seasons tutorial at Vortex/Plymouth. Students can view a movie about the seasons at Brainpop.

3. Teacher explains how the U.S. is located in the Northern Hemisphere and Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere, so we have opposite seasons.

4. Students begin to make a book in the shape of Australia. Students can see an online map of Australia. View a physical map of Australia.

5. For the cover students write "A Book of Seasons" 
On the second page write "Did You Know?"  
On the left side page write, "When Are We Having Fall" 
On the write side of the page write "Australia Is Having Spring"

6. The next two pages have them write "When We Are Having Winter and Australia Is Having Summer."

7. As illustrations have students include pictures of what they would be doing during that season and what they believe the kids in Australia would be doing the opposite season.

8. Students can also use desktop publishing to write text and add graphics and drawings. These can be printed out and glued to Australia shape book.

9.As an extension to this lesson, students make mini book about antonyms and synonyms.  Teacher relates it back to the opposite seasons that we have on earth because of our location.

Evaluation: Teacher examines each book and determines if text is accurate, illustrations appropriate for the season, and writing shows clarity and is legible.
 

Extension Activity: Weather Graph

• Using book marked weather Web sites, students collect data on Australian temperatures (high temperatures in select cities) The Weather Web site. Type in the name of the city and click Go

• Open a spreadsheet and begin to insert data: in column A, enter the names of the cities

• In Row 1 enter, the days of the week

• Enter the temperature data in Cell B2 and beyond

• Add the graph to the screen. Use a bar or line graph

• Add chart title

• Print

Homework: Find information about local weather, visit USA Today Weather,  and compare to weather of Australia. Make a graph of data.

HOME