I had the honor of working at a nature center for nearly a decade coaching teachers to use nature as a vehicle to teach science through authentic and place-based experiences. I am now a nature preschool teacher by day and content creator by night sharing my love of science and ELA with other educators. Let's make science a priority in your classroom by making it more approachable, digestible, and enjoyable!

Outdoor Education

Science

Illumination and Weather: 1st and 4th Grade NGSS Activities [Ep. 61]

Ep. 61: Illumination and Weather: 1st and 4th Grade NGSS Activities

Weather illumination activities

Teaching children about light reflection and its role in illumination can be quite an abstract and challenging topic. However, weather is a way to make this concept more concrete. Thankfully, March and November are months with variable weather and wonderful opportunities to capitalize on nature’s natural variation with your 1st and 4th graders.

In this episode, we’ll talk about activities to investigate weather and light that are paired with Next Generation Science Standards for grades 1st and 4th. I’ll share the standard that inspired the activity, how the activity relates to illumination and weather, and descriptions of how to use the activity with your learners.

The following standards are paired with weather illumination activities:

1st Grade: 1-PS4-2: Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that objects in darkness can be seen only when illuminated
4th Grade: 4-PS4-2: Develop a model to describe that light reflecting from objects entering the eye allows objects to be seen