During the second half of this course, I had the opportunity to team teach a lesson on temperature conversions to the rest of my peers. My friend Nan and I taught the class how to convert from Celsius to Fahrenheit and vice versa. Then, we did a practice activity that allowed us to evaluate the students' understanding of the lesson. The lesson turned out great and everyone loved our activity!

“The Weather Channel”

Temperature Conversions from

Fahrenheit to Celsius

(and vice versa)

Lesson and Activity By:

Nan Brinker and <st1:PersonName w:st="on">Maria Cisneros</st1:PersonName>

GRADE LEVEL: 4th through 6th Grade

TOPIC: Conversions of temperature from Fahrenheit to Celsius and from Celsius to Fahrenheit

OBJECTIVE: Students will:

• Make predictions
• Use formulas to convert temperatures
• Compare their predictions to actual outcomes
• Locate different countries and cities of the world
• Report findings to the rest of the class

MATERIALS: The following materials will be needed for this lesson:

• Big world map
• Weather stickers or clip-art pictures and tape (that represent most common weather patterns, such as sunny, rainy, cold, windy, etc.)
• Scenario note cards (to be created by the teacher)

TIME: This lesson and activity can be completed in approximately 45 minutes, but we recommend an hour in order to have a thorough discussion with students

SET-UP: Hang the world map on the board or in an area easily visible and accessible to all students. Pass out scenario cards and one of each weather pattern sticker to pairs of students (or to each table if students are working in teams).  

DISCUSS: Talk to the class about the importance of being able to convert temperatures. Give examples that show relevance, then teach the lesson and leave the formulas in a spot visible to all students (perhaps have the formulas printed beforehand on a sheet for every student or every group to use as a reference sheet).

OTHER AREAS ADDRESSED: You may consider teaching this lesson alongside Geography and a weather unit in Science.

POSSIBLE BOOKS TO READ BEFOREHAND:

• Cloudy With a  Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
• 50 Below Zero by Robert Munsch

• Bobby has a pen-pal who lives in Helsinki, Finland. They are instant messaging and at one point she tells him it is 22 degrees Celsius and is raining. Is it safe to say that she can play in this rain without being too cold?

• Rita’s family won a 5 day vacation to Rome, Italy and are preparing to pack. After watching the weather channel, Rita starts to pack t-shirts, tank tops, and shorts. The meteorologist said that the temperature would be in the mid to upper 30s. If he’s talking Celsius, is Rita making the right clothing choice?

• Gloria’s cousin, Mary, has a birthday coming up soon. Gloria lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Mary lives in Santiago, Chile. If it is 15 degrees Celsius in Santiago, should Gloria’s present to her cousin be new mittens or a new bathing suit?

• Bill is an archeologist in Cairo, Egypt. He sends his friend Arthur, who lives in Sydney, Australia, a letter, in which he tells Arthur that the coolest day they have had this month was 29 degrees Celsius. Arthur replies and tells Bill that the coolest day in Sydney this month was 84 degrees Fahrenheit. To the nearest whole number, what is the difference between the two temperatures?

• Nadine is from Frankfurt, Germany. She is visiting her friend, Britney who lives in Scottsdale, <st1:State w:st="on">Arizona</st1:State>. After meeting Britney in Scottsdale, the two girls will board a plane headed for Philadelphia, <st1:State w:st="on">Pennsylvania</st1:State> where they will see their favorite band perform at the music festival. On the day Nadine leaves Germany, she watches the Weather Channel and writes down the temperatures of all three places she will be at. Frankfurt will be 7 degrees Celsius, Scottsdale will be 35 degrees Celsius, and Philadelphia will be 20 degrees Celsius. Describe the 3 outfits she will wear in the 3 different places.

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• Joe, who comes from England, is visiting Guadalajara, Mexico, and is deciding what to eat at a restaurant. It is 36 degrees Celsius. Should he have a plate of hot stew or a salad and a smoothie for desert?

• Lulu has visited 4 countries in the past 6 months. When she was in Havana, Cuba, it was 46 degrees Celsius. In Dublin, Ireland, it was 19 degrees Celsius. While visiting Winnipeg, Canada, it was 23 degrees Celsius. Finally, in Athens, Greece it was 30 degrees Celsius. In order to share her experiences with her family back home in Casper, <st1:State w:st="on">Wyoming</st1:State>, she needs to convert these temperatures to Fahrenheit and list them in order from hottest to coolest.

• While picking berries at her aunts house, Elizabeth had an allergic reaction and had to be taken to the doctor immediately. The doctor said Liz needed to stay in a very warm environment for the next month or so. Liz has family in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and in Algeria. If she wants to get better soon, she needs to go to the warmest place of the three. Will she be going to Aunt Lucy in Puerto Rico (35 C), Uncle Berto (100 F) in the Dominican Republic, or Cousin Layla (40 C) in Algeria?