Weather Coding Basics

Overview

In this 240-minute session (lesson 9 of 10), students will collect, organize, and represent simple weather data, then use basic “coding-like” steps to automate how a weather report is created. The Year 1 and Year 5 learners share the same big theme—weather and systems—but at different levels of complexity.

Learning intentions

• Students will collect weather information and record it in a clear table or chart.
• Students will identify patterns in weather data and use them to make a short statement.
• Students will use step-by-step logic (sequences) to represent a weather condition and display a result.
• Students will test and improve their data-collection and weather-report process.

Success criteria

• I can record weather observations accurately using a table or chart.
• I can explain what my weather data shows (a pattern or trend).
• I can use a simple set of instructions to match a weather condition to a result.
• I can debug by changing one step and explain how it improved my result.

Curriculum links

• CCSS for mathematics: interpreting and representing data, and describing patterns in graphs/tables.
• CCSS for ELA: writing and speaking to present information clearly and with correct details.
• CCSS for foundational skills (Year 1): using phonics/reading strategies to decode labels and sentences for charts.
• CCSS for writing (Year 5): planning, revising, and using evidence from data to support explanations.

Lesson structure (240 minutes)

1. 0–20 min | Start with the system

• Teacher models the “weather system”: Observe → Record → Sort → Decide → Display/Report.
• Students predict what today’s weather might be and name one variable (temperature, sky, wind, precipitation, or “feels like”).

2. 20–70 min | Collect real weather data

• Year 1: Use picture icons or a simple word card set (sunny, cloudy, rainy, windy) and record one observation per time (e.g., every 15 minutes).
• Year 5: Record the same variable set in a table (date/time, condition, and optional numeric measure if available).
• Both students do a quick “check” for accuracy: “Did we write the right symbol/word/number for what we saw?”

3. 70–105 min | Organize and graph

• Year 1: Make a tally chart or bar chart using stickers/cutouts (e.g., how many times “sunny” appeared).
• Year 5: Create a simple bar graph or line graph (depending on collected data) and label axes/units appropriately.
• Students write one sentence: “Most days we saw ___” or “The pattern shows ___.”

4. 105–145 min | Build a weather decision sequence

• Year 1: Use “if/then” cards with icons (If rainy → show umbrella icon; If sunny → show sun icon).
• Year 5: Create a decision chain for a weather report, using multiple conditions (e.g., If cloudy and windy → show “windy cloudy” message).
• Teacher helps both students turn decisions into clear step order: Step 1, Step 2, Step 3.

5. 145–190 min | Code-like creation (no-computer option + Scratch-ready)

• Year 1: Arrange picture/label blocks in the correct order to “run” the program manually (robot walk cards or instruction cards).
• Year 5: If a computer is available, use a coding platform such as Scratch to implement the decision sequence:
• Input: a chosen weather condition (button press or dropdown equivalent).
• Process: if/then logic.
• Output: text/sprite message and maybe an icon.
• If technology is limited, both students complete “algorithm drafts” on paper with clear “when X happens, show Y” steps.

6. 190–220 min | Test, debug, and improve

• Run the weather program/report using at least 3 different conditions (some might not match today—practice inputs).
• Students identify one mismatch (“When I choose rainy, it shows sunny”) and fix one step.
• Year 5 adds a brief explanation of why the change worked (link back to the logic).

7. 220–240 min | Share and reflect

• Year 1: Share the weather chart and one “if/then” rule they used.
• Year 5: Share their graph pattern and one paragraph summary: data → pattern → how the algorithm uses the pattern for a report.
• Exit reflection: “Today I changed one step because ___.”

Resources

• Weather observation chart template (paper)
• Tally chart and bar chart templates (Year 1-friendly)
• Table template (date/time, condition, optional numeric measure)
• Weather icon cards (sunny/cloudy/rainy/windy) and word cards
• If/then decision cards (picture-based for Year 1; text-based for Year 5)
• Coding instruction cards (for manual “algorithm runs”)
• Graphing paper or printed graph templates
• Writing paper and sentence starters for both students
• Optional: Scratch accounts/devices, projector or teacher device for modeling
• Timer for observation intervals
• Markers, stickers, and colored pencils

Assessment

• Data accuracy check: teacher reviews recorded observations and chart correctness.
• Reasoning check: students explain at least one pattern from their graph/table.
• Coding/algo check: students demonstrate a working decision sequence and describe one debug improvement.

Differentiation

• Support for Year 1:
• Use only 1–2 weather categories at a time.
• Provide sentence frames and picture-first options for recording and speaking.
• Use fewer algorithm steps (one decision rule).
• Support for Year 5:
• Provide a partially completed algorithm they can extend (add one more condition).
• Offer a checklist for debugging (confirm the chosen condition, confirm the output).
• EAL/SEN strategies (both):
• Use visuals consistently (icons + labels).
• Allow oral responses before writing, and use cloze sentence starters.
• Provide reduced writing load: short phrases for Year 1; one focused paragraph for Year 5.
• Extension for advanced learners:
• Add a second variable (e.g., “windy yes/no” or temperature range) and require a two-step logic rule.
• Year 5: create two different graphs (for condition counts and time order) and compare what each shows.