Water, weather, and the world play a significant role in our lives. For our survival, water is an integral part of our diet. We travel to beaches and lakes for rest and relaxation. We listen to weather broadcasts to prepare for rain and other severe storms. For children, water is a fun and exciting medium to explore. One can observe the powerful impact water has on the earth and its weather. I intend to expand my students’ realm of experience with their environment. New Haven has an exciting supply of resources, museums, and field trip locations to explore. With such a rich supply of information, I feel that I have planned an exciting, child-centered thematic unit that will peak and satisfy my class’s curiosity.
WATER, WEATHER, AND THE WORLD is a multisensory thematic unit which closely examines water and its properties; pollution and conservation; weather and safety; and water’s impact on the earth through hands-on scientific exploration and experimentation. This unit is intended for low functioning students with special needs, however, teachers for kindergarten through second grade may find this information appropriate for their students. This integrated curriculum unit will span many subject areas such as math, language arts, daily living skills, and art. WATER, WEATHER, AND THE WORLD will provide the teacher with a variety of resources to assist in the planning of the unit. A vocabulary list with teaching suggestions; background knowledge with corresponding experiments; and a bibliography of children’s literature and science resources will be included.
