Weather Word Fun

Overview

Unit Title: German Language Adventures
Lesson Number: 10 of 20
Lesson Duration: 45 minutes
Class Size: 25 students
Year Level: Year 1
Subject Area: Languages (German)
Curriculum Link: Australian Curriculum – Languages: German (Years F–2)
Strand: Communicating — Socialising / Understanding – Systems of Language
Sub-Strand Focus:

• Participate in guided group activities and simple exchanges that involve taking turns and using formulaic expressions
• Notice and use the distinctive sounds and written forms of German

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WALT (We Are Learning To)

We are learning to identify and say different types of weather in German.

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Success Criteria

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

✅ Say at least three German weather words correctly (e.g. Sonne, Regen, Wolken)
✅ Match German weather words to visual symbols
✅ Participate in a class weather chart activity using German weather terms

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Vocabulary Focus

• die Sonne – the sun
• der Regen – the rain
• die Wolken – the clouds
• der Schnee – the snow
• der Wind – the wind
• der Sturm – the storm
• das Wetter – the weather
• Es ist sonnig – It is sunny
• Es regnet – It’s raining

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Resources Used

• Illustrated German-English flashcards (weather images and words)
• Large laminated class weather chart
• Mini weather puppets or masks (sun, raincloud, etc.) for role-play
• Blu-tack, A3 paper, crayons/markers
• ‘Wie ist das Wetter heute?’ song (without hyperlinks—teacher to prepare audio in advance)
• Visual sentence support posters (e.g. “Es ist sonnig”, with picture cues)

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Lesson Breakdown

Introduction – 10 Minutes

Hook (5 min)
Begin with a cheerful greeting in German: “Guten Morgen! Wie geht’s?”
Play a short energetic German weather song (teacher-selected, age-appropriate). Encourage light movement while listening (e.g., sway like wind, stretch hands like sunshine).

Explicit Teaching (5 min)
Use flashcards to introduce today’s vocabulary: one at a time, say the word in German with energetic gestures and visuals.
Have students repeat after you chorally and then individually. Focus on 3–5 words depending on class ability.

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Main Activity – 25 Minutes

1. Match & Speak (10 min)

Place weather image and word cards around the room in stations. Students rotate in small groups to each station.
At each station, they:

• Say the weather word together
• Use the phrase “Es ist…” + word (e.g., “Es ist sonnig”)
• Draw a little image on whiteboards/paper of that weather symbol

🎯 Differentiation:

• For students needing support: Match only image with word (no sentence phrases)
• Visual learners focus more on icons and gestures; auditory learners can repeat out loud with a partner
• Each station includes an adult/teacher aide prompt card to scaffold vocabulary

2. Weather Chart Forecasting (10 min)

Gather back as a group around a large, laminated classroom weather chart.
Ask, “Was ist das Wetter heute?” (What’s the weather today?)
Choose 3–5 student volunteers to play ‘Weather Reporters’ — wearing weather puppet masks or headbands — who give the daily forecast using German terms, pointing to matching icons.

• Example: Student holds a cloud mask and says, “Es ist wolkig!”
• Trace the sentence structure with visual cues (sentence strip and icons)

🎯 Visual scaffolds: Use a sentence builder poster with picture prompts
🎯 Support: Buddy less confident reporters with a peer who can model

3. Create-a-Chart Mini Posters (5 min)

Each student is given a quarter-A4 page to create their own daily weather chart card using crayons. They draw one weather type (e.g. sun) and write a simple sentence underneath: “Es ist sonnig.”

✔ These will be used in the next lesson for a partner speaking activity
📌 Display student charts on the German display wall

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Conclusion & Reflection – 10 Minutes

Bring students together in a semi-circle. Ask:

• “Was ist dein Lieblingswetter?” (What is your favourite weather?)
• Encourage students to respond using the German word only or “Ich mag Sonne!” (I like sun!)

🎯 Extension for advanced learners: Complete whole sentences using “Ich mag…” or “Ich finde… schön.” (I find… beautiful.)

Check for Understanding:
Quick thumbs up/down as you show a weather flashcard and say a word.

• Do students recognise it and respond correctly?
• Can they say the German term without prompting?

Finish with a fun rally chant:
Teacher: “Wie ist das Wetter?”
Students: “Es ist sonnig!” / “Es regnet!” (vary to review learned words)

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Assessment Opportunities

• Observational notes during chart activity (pronunciation, word recognition)
• Informal speaking opportunity when giving 'weather report'
• Student sentence strip from mini weather chart drawing

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Differentiation

Learner Type	Strategy
Visual Learners	Use icons and flashcards, colour-coded sentence prompts
Auditory Learners	Song, rhyming repetition, echo reading
Kinesthetic Learners	Mask role-play, gesture association with each weather word
Students Needing Support	Peer modelling, bilingual support if available, reduced vocabulary load
EAL/D Students	First language comparison encouraged, slower support in rotations

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Extension Activities

• Weather Diary in German: Encourage advanced students to begin a week-long 'Weather Diary' where they draw the weather each day and try to write a sentence in German.
• Weather Story Time: Write and act out a very short German weather story using puppets and sentences (“Es regnet. Ich habe einen Schirm!”).
• Add Adjectives: Introduce descriptive words for extension learners, such as „heiß“, „kalt“, „nass“, and „stark“.

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Teacher Reflection Prompts (Post-Lesson)

• Did students engage with the vocabulary in both written and spoken form?
• Which scaffolds helped most for diverse learners in your class?
• Is the class ready to begin using full weather sentences independently?

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Next Lesson: Lesson 11 – Clothing and the Weather
Connecting what we wear to the weather vocabulary introduced today

Let the German language adventure continue! 🎒🗺️