Unit 9 — Weather, Water, and Environmental Engineering
Description
Students observe and measure weather phenomena while designing solutions to weather-related challenges. The unit begins with collecting weather data and creating pictographs. Students identify problems caused by rain or weather events, then engineer solutions for roads, shelters, or activities. Later, students explore water properties and design systems for water management or protection. The unit connects observation skills, data literacy, and practical problem-solving.
Essential Questions
- How do we prepare for and protect ourselves from weather?
- What engineering solutions help us live with water and weather?
- How can we measure and understand weather patterns?
Learning Objectives
- Collect and record weather data systematically
- Organize data into charts and pictographs
- Identify real problems caused by weather
- Design solutions to weather or water challenges
- Test protective designs and refine based on results
- Understand properties of water and how to control it
Supplemental Resources
- Graph paper for creating pictographs of weather data
- Clipboards for recording outdoor weather observations
- Index cards for documenting daily weather conditions
- Markers for labeling weather problem diagrams
Algorithms and Programming
Data and Analysis
Engineering Design
Interaction of Technology and Humans
Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Earth and Space Sciences
Students investigate environmental issues including climate change, disaster relief, and human impact on natural systems while developing solutions and communicating findings.
Formative Assessments
- Weather observation journal with sketches and descriptions
- Pictograph or chart of rain or weather data
- Problem identification and brainstorm list
- Solution design sketch with annotations
Summative Assessment
Functional design solution for a weather or water problem with explanation of how it works
Benchmark Assessment
— not configured —
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding through a teacher-led discussion about weather observations while pointing to picture cards or photographs. Real objects or tactile models of data can replace pictographs, and verbal explanations can replace written descriptions.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
Students may use picture-supported weather observation journals with pre-drawn symbol banks for sun, rain, clouds, and wind so they can record data through circling or stamping rather than independent drawing or writing. Verbal explanations of weather problems and design ideas can be scribed by the teacher or recorded as voice memos in place of written annotations. During design tasks, step-by-step visual directions with numbered stages help students sequence the engineering process without relying on sustained reading. Providing a physical model or photograph of a completed sample design supports students in understanding the expected outcome before they begin.
Section 504
Students should be seated near the teacher during weather observation discussions and design work sessions to minimize distraction and support focus on multi-step directions. Extended time should be provided for completing observation journal entries and design sketches, and directions for data recording or engineering tasks should be given in short, clear segments rather than all at once.
ELL / MLL
Visual weather vocabulary cards with labeled pictures — such as rain, wind, shelter, and puddle — should be accessible throughout the unit to support both observation recording and design discussions. Simplified, gesture-supported directions during data collection and engineering challenges help students understand task expectations without heavy reliance on English language proficiency. Where possible, connecting weather phenomena or water experiences to students' home environments and prior experiences builds meaningful context for problem identification.
At Risk (RTI)
Beginning with familiar, concrete weather experiences — such as what happens to a puddle or what rain feels like — provides accessible entry points before moving into data recording or design tasks. Observation journals can be supported with sentence frames and pre-labeled templates so students can participate successfully in recording without being blocked by writing demands. During engineering tasks, pairing with a supportive peer and focusing on one design constraint at a time reduces cognitive load while keeping engagement high.
Gifted & Talented
Students who demonstrate quick mastery of data recording can be challenged to look for patterns across multiple days of weather data and make simple predictions about future weather, deepening their data literacy beyond basic pictograph creation. During engineering design tasks, students can be encouraged to identify a second constraint or real-world limitation — such as cost of materials or durability over time — and revise their design to address it, moving toward more sophisticated engineering thinking. Connecting their designs to actual weather engineering solutions in the real world, such as drainage systems or storm shelters, invites richer inquiry and discussion.