4-6, Unit Five:"Winter Wanderings"

Introduction & Teacher Background

W-GIPP Weather
Winter is the season of the longest night, the shortest day, the least light, and snow, cold and wind chill. It is the slowest growing season for plant life. Food supplies dwindle and it is a hard time for animals.

Winter solstice (December 21) is the day winter “officially” begins. On this the shortest day of the year, the sun is at its lowest point in its journey through the seasons.

As the earth travels around the sun, different regions receive more direct sunlight than others. The tilt of the earth on its axis is responsible for the different seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres. More...

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Activity 1: Snug in the Snow
Grades: 4 –6
Methods: Students will demonstrate, through a creative arts project, how snow helps some animals survive winter. They will create a diorama depicting life under the snow.
Time: 1 hour
Subjects: Visual arts, life science

Activity 2: Winter-time Temps
Grades: 4 – 6
Methods: Students will become aware of temperature variations above the snow and below the snow and its affects on wildlife, by collecting and recording temperature data from a variety of locations.
Time: 1 hour
Subjects: Math, science

Activity 3: Tracks along the Trail (Field trip, preferably in W-GIPP)
Grades: 4 – 6
Methods: Students will learn to: identify some common tracks encountered outdoors, discuss some survival adaptations used by animals during the winter, and piece together stories left by tracks.
Time: 1 – 4 hours
Subjects: Life science, physical education

Activity 4: Track Traces
Grades: 4-6
Methods: Students will use their creative skills to make drawings or designs using animal tracks. This activity will help internalize the tracks they have been studying.
Time: 1 hour
Subjects: Visual arts, geometry, life science

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