Science // Earth's Systems

Local weather patterns

Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time, recording temperature, rainfall, and other conditions

Ages
5 to 6
Type
Method
Builds on
2 topics
Leads to
2 topics
Standards
1 code

Quick check

Has the learner kept a weather diary for a week or more, recording whether it was sunny, rainy, or windy, and noticed any patterns?

Ask this to see whether the topic is secure.

Topic // Mastery

What mastery looks like

What a learner can do once this topic is secure.
  • Observe and record daily weather conditions (temperature, cloud cover, precipitation, wind)
  • Identify patterns in weather data over days or weeks
  • Use observations to make simple predictions about upcoming weather

Topic // Map

Where this fits

What to learn first and what this topic opens up, with the reason for each link. Required links come first.
  • RequiredMust come first
  • HelpfulHelps, but not essential

Before this

2 topics
  • Seasonal changesRequired

    Earth's Systems // Ages 5 to 6

    Must observe seasonal changes before recording weather patterns systematically

  • Days, Weeks, Months & YearsHelpful

    Mathematics // Measurement // Ages 5 to 6

    Recording local weather conditions over time requires vocabulary for days, weeks, and months

You are here

Local weather patterns

Ages 5 to 6 // Method

Leads to

2 topics
  • Seasonal changes (age 8+)Required

    Earth's Systems // Ages 8 to 9

    Must record weather observations before organising data in tables and graphs for seasonal patterns

  • Using Weather InstrumentsHelpful

    Weather & Climate // Ages 7 to 9

    Measuring weather parallels curriculum observing/recording local weather

Topic // Research-informed

Teaching notes

From the Marble Skill Taxonomy. These notes have not been validated in classrooms, so treat them as a starting point for your own judgement.

The approach

For 5–6 year-olds learning local weather patterns, the core skill is procedural: children gather their own daily weather observations with agreed picture symbols, record them over days and weeks on a visible chart or pictograph, then READ the accumulated record together to describe simple patterns (e.g. 'more rainy days than sunny days this week') and make a simple, tentative prediction grounded in that record. The goal is descriptive, not explanatory — no causes of weather yet. The main activity is an ongoing record-and-read routine; vocabulary priming and reading a pre-made pictograph are useful scaffolds with stated limits.

Common misconceptions

  • Thinking a single day's weather represents the whole season or that 'today = always'.
  • Confusing weather (what it's doing now) with season, or expecting weather to be identical every day.
  • Reading a pictograph by counting the wrong thing (e.g. the shortest column) or ignoring that each symbol stands for one day.
  • Believing weather is fully predictable, or conversely totally random with no patterns.
  • Recording what they wish the weather was rather than what they observe.

Useful representations

  • A daily weather chart / calendar filled with picture symbols.
  • A weekly pictograph or bar of weather types (count of sunny vs rainy days).
  • Standard weather symbols (sun, cloud, rain, wind, snow).
  • A warm/cold marker or simple temperature cue.
  • A 'read the chart' prompt comparing column heights.

Teaching practices

  • Make it a repeated daily routine so a pattern emerges from many observations over time, not a one-off.
  • Use agreed picture symbols (sun, cloud, rain, wind, snow) so young children can record consistently without writing.
  • Keep records visible on a class chart/pictograph and regularly READ it together to describe patterns.
  • Keep the goal descriptive — what the data shows — not explanatory (no causes of weather yet).
  • Link the weather record back to the current season so observation and seasonal knowledge reinforce each other.

Activities to try

  1. 1

    Daily weather station: record over time, then read your own chart

    Why it works: A pattern emerges from many observations collected over time; children can describe what their own data shows, and base a simple prediction on it, rather than being told a fact.

    1. Each day, look outside and choose today's weather symbol(s) from an agreed set: sun, cloud, rain, wind, snow. To tell if it is sunny, look at shadows on the ground (sharp shadows mean sunshine) and the overall daylight — never look directly at the sun.
    2. Add a simple warm/cold marker (is it warm or cold today?).
    3. Place that day's entry onto a growing weekly chart or pictograph so a column builds up for each weather type.
    4. At the end of the week, step back and READ the chart: which column is tallest? Say the pattern aloud — e.g. 'this week was more rainy than sunny.'
    5. Use the pattern to make a simple prediction about tomorrow, and say what on the chart makes you think so (e.g. 'it's been rainy most days, so maybe rainy again') — keeping it a guess, not a certainty.
  2. 2

    Weather-symbol vocabulary primer

    Why it works: Children learn the shared vocabulary and symbols for weather types so they can record consistently later.

    1. Explore an illustrated sky scene and tap or point to each weather type.
    2. Hear and say its name (sunny, cloudy, rainy, windy, snowy) and see its matching symbol.
    3. Match each weather symbol to its spoken name before starting the weather diary.
  3. 3

    Read a finished weather pictograph

    Why it works: Reading a completed pictograph means checking what each symbol stands for (in this chart, one symbol = one day), then comparing column heights, which works when the symbols are the same size and evenly spaced, or counting the symbols in each column.

    1. Look at a simple pre-made weather pictograph of a week.
    2. Answer aloud: which column is tallest? Were there more rainy or sunny days?
    3. Match weather symbols to their names.

Topic // Standards

Curriculum standards

Codes for the curriculum statements this topic maps to. Each publisher owns its standard text.
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) K-5
K-ESS2-1

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