Large Groups
Activities will help students understand seasons and the changes they bring.
Invitation to Learn
Class Season Chart
Season Journals
Seasons vs. Months vs. Holidays
Additional Resources
Books
A Busy Year, by Leo Lionni; ISBN 0-590-47273-9
A Tree for all Seasons (National Geographic) by Robin Bernard; ISBN 0-7922-9435-1
A Time to Keep, by Tasha Tudor; ISBN 0689811624
Around the Year, by Tasha Tudor; ISBN 0689873506
Caps, Hats, Socks, and Mittens: A Book about the Four Seasons, by Louise Borden; ISBN 0- 590-44872-2
Four Puppies, by Anne Heathers; ISBN 0-307-59753-9
I Can Read About Seasons, by Robyn Supraner; ISBN 0-8167-4719-9
Let's Look at the Seasons: Summertime, by Ann Schweninger; ISBN 0-590-616746-X
My Favorite Time of Year, by Susan Pearson; ISBN 0-590-46353-5
Science Around the Year, by Janice VanCleave; ISBN 0-439-27535-0
Season Song, by Marcy Barack; ISBN 0-439-50323-X
One of the most common misconceptions about the seasons is the idea that the seasons are a result of the varying distance of Earth from the Sun throughout the year. An easy way to see that this idea is incorrect is to remember that when it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The main cause of the seasons is due to the 23.5-degree tilt of Earth's rotation axis. As Earth goes around the sun, at times the Northern hemisphere is oriented more towards the sun, and at other times it is farther from the sun. When the Northern Hemisphere is oriented more towards the sun, we have our spring and summer seasons. As Earth continues to move on its revolution around the sun and the Northern Hemisphere begins to orient away from the sun, we have our autumn and winter seasons. The opposite is true for the Southern Hemisphere.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Autumnal Equinox (a day when day and night are of equal length) occurs on or about September 21, marking the official start of autumn. Winter officially begins with the Winter Solstice, which occurs on or about December 22 of each year. This is also the shortest day of the year. The Vernal Equinox occurs on or about March 21, marking the first day of spring and another day and night of equal time. Summer officially begins on or about June 21, which is the longest day of the year and makes the Summer Solstice.
Additionally, it is often common for students to mix up seasons, months, and holidays. We want to help them begin to understand that the holidays occur in the months and that months occur in the seasons. This lesson plan can be used over the course of a school year, covering one month's seasonal activities at a time, or as an inclusive unit completed over the course of several weeks.
1. Demonstrate a positive learning attitude.
6. Communicate clearly in oral, artistic, written, and nonverbal form.
Invitation to Learn
Provide the students with paper cutouts that represent the four seasons (e.g., a leaf for autumn, a snowflake for winter, a flower for spring, and a sun for summer.) Divide chart paper into four sections labeled autumn, winter, spring, and summer. Have each student choose which season is his/her favorite by placing a cutout in the corresponding section on the chart paper. Allow students to talk about why they chose the seasons that they did. Some students may say "fall" for "autumn." Teach them that these words can be used interchangeably. Have students write in their classroom journals what their favorite season is and why. Write down some of their responses on chart paper for later reference.
Instructional Procedures
Class Season Chart
Season and Months
In the summer it is hot
In the summer it is hot
June, July, and August
In the summer it is hot.
In autumn the leaves fall
In autumn the leaves fall
September, October, November
In autumn the leaves fall.
In the winter it is cold
In the winter it is cold
December, January, February
In the winter it is cold.
In spring new things grow
In spring new things grow
March, April, and May
In spring new things grow.
Season Journals
a. January--winter. The tree is dormant. There is snow on the ground and some piled in the tree. Use cotton balls for the snow. Students can draw a picture of themselves building a snowman, sledding, ice-skating, etc.
b. February--winter. There is still snow on the ground. Use white paint for the snow. Draw a bird feeder on the tree and discuss helping animals during the winter. Students can draw a picture of themselves putting the bird feeder on the tree. You can make pinecone birdfeeders (see Instructional Procedure number 9) as a class for the students to take home and hang on trees in their own yards.
c. March--spring. Maybe a patch or two of snow is left, but it is mostly gone. There are some leaf buds just starting to form on the tree. Use dried split peas for the buds. Students can draw a picture of themselves flying a kite.
d. April--spring. There are now blossoms on the tree as well as small green leaves. Use tissue paper for the blossoms and the leaves. Flower-shaped beads could also be used. Students can draw a picture of themselves having an egg hunt.
e. May--spring. Leaves are bigger now. Birds are building a nest in the tree. There are flowers growing by the side of the tree. Students can draw pictures of themselves picking the flowers. Use watercolors to paint the flowers.
f. June--summer. There are baby birds in the nest in the tree. The parent birds are flying around. The leaves on the tree are now a dark green. Use green-colored masking tape, green foam, or green felt for the leaves. Students can draw a picture of themselves blowing bubbles.
g. July--summer. There are still dark green leaves on the tree. The baby birds are flying, too. Students can draw pictures of themselves playing with sparklers or watching fireworks. Use glitter glue for the sparklers and fireworks.
h. August--summer. Most of the leaves on the tree are still green, but there are a few that are changing color. Students can draw pictures of themselves watching the clouds. Use colored pencils or markers for the intense autumn colors.
i. September--autumn. Most of the leaves on the tree are now red, orange, or yellow. A few have started to fall to the ground. Tear pieces of colored paper as leaves. Students can draw pictures of themselves catching the bus to school.
j. October--autumn. Most of the leaves are on the ground. Some may be in piles. Students can draw pictures of themselves raking leaves or in their Halloween costumes. Sponge paint or watercolor the leaves.
k. November--autumn. There are no leaves left on the tree. There is a light dusting of snow or frost on the ground. Use boiled Epsom salt to create the frosty effect (see Instructional Procedure number 9). Students can draw their families driving to Grandma's house for Thanksgiving.
l. December--winter. Snow on the ground. Use sequins (or colored wrapping paper) and green string to decorate the tree with colored lights. Students can draw pictures of themselves caroling.
a. In January it is cold and snowy. We dress warmly to play in the snow.
b. It is still cold in February. We can make birdfeeders to help feed the birds.
c. Spring starts in March. The snow starts to melt and there are buds on the trees.
d. Soon blossoms will begin to grow on the tree in April.
e. In May, the flowers are starting to grow. Everything is new and green.
f. In June there are lots of leaves on the trees. It is starting to get warm.
g. In July it is hot and sunny. We can play outside. We can watch the fireworks.
h. It is still sunny in August. A few of the leaves are beginning to change color.
i. In September, lots of leaves are changing color. We get to go back to school.
j. In October, it is starting to get chilly. We need to dress warmly to go trick-or-treating.
k. In November there is often frost on the ground.
l. In December it snows. We can decorate for the holidays.
a. Pinecone Birdfeeder: Have a pinecone available for each student. Tie about 8 to 12 inches of yarn or ribbon to the pinecone. Mix equal parts vegetable shortening, peanut butter, and oatmeal (or cornmeal) together. Spread the mixture over each pinecone. Roll pinecone in birdseed. Hang on a tree for the birds to enjoy. If students have peanut allergies, you can eliminate the peanut butter and just use the shortening.
b. Epsom Salt Painting: Boil together equal parts Epsom salt and water. Use it to "paint over" any dark paper or coloring. As it dries, it will leave a frosty look. You can also "paint" over the picture with water or watercolors and then sprinkle it with table salt.
Seasons vs. Months vs. Holidays
Curriculum Extensions/Adaptations/ Integration
Family Connections
Research Basis
Joshua, M., (2007). The Effects of Pictures and Prompts on the Writing of Students in Primary Grades: Action Research by Graduate Students at California State University, Northridge. Action Teacher Education. 29 (2) 80-93.
The researchers in this action research project wanted to examine the idea that when verbal writing prompts are accompanied by a coordinating picture, students will be more engaged in the process and therefore produce more writing containing more detail than the writing that they would produce without any visual aid. Quoting from the article, "Teachers can stimulate children to write by introducing children's literature and by relating writing to children's experiences. The teacher's role is to guide students in their topic development and to lead young writers to understand the purpose of the writing assignment and the intended audience." The researchers found that when the kindergarten students were given a verbal prompt and a visual aid, their writing quality and the number of words (and/or letters) both improved. Those at the earliest stage of emergent writing improved the most. This was particularly true for English Language Learners. Because of the limited experience of kindergarten students, visual aids appeared to provide concrete examples and therefore assisted them with their writing.
Furuness, L.B., Cohen, M.R. (1989). Children's Conception of the Seasons: A Comparison of Three Interview Techniques. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching. San Francisco, CA. 2-11. ERIC.com
The authors of this paper studied and compiled research from several different sources. They discussed the idea that a child's thought process has two domains of knowledge labeled "life-world knowledge" (based on and developed from day-to-day experience) and "scientific knowledge" (created by school-centered teaching). A student's preconceived ideas of the world (e.g. the four seasons) will influence how he/she will assimilate the scientific concepts about the seasons that are taught in school. In order to successfully teach the student the correct ideas about the world around him/her (e.g., the seasons), educators must find a way to link the students existing ideas to the correct ones. Educators must take what the students already know (or what they think they know/assume) and build on it while simultaneously correcting any misconceptions.