Science and Technology K–6 · Kindergarten
Daily weather chart with symbols
Earth and Space (NSW 2017); Science inquiry and Science as a human endeavour (ACARA v9); Digital Technologies, Data representation (ACARA v9)
The idea
Weather changes from day to day, and recording it with the same symbols each day reveals patterns that help people plan.
What you need
- A four-week wall chart with one square per school day
- Symbol cards designed by the class: sunny, partly cloudy, cloudy, rainy, windy, stormy, hot, cold
- A window with a view of the sky and a safe outdoor spot for a one-minute observation
- A camera or tablet to photograph the sky at the same time each day
How to do it
- At 9.30 am each day go to the same spot. Look up and around for one minute. Feel the air.
- Choose the main symbol that fits best and place it in today's square. If a second thing is true (cloudy and windy), add it as a small second symbol in the corner.
- Take one photo of the sky from the same spot.
- On Friday count the main symbols for the week. Which appeared most.
- After four weeks predict tomorrow's weather from the chart and check it the next day.
What you should see
The chart fills with a record of real days: the Friday counts show which weather was most common each week, and runs of the same main symbol on following days can be seen and counted. After four weeks the class predicts tomorrow's weather from the chart and checks it the next day; the number of right predictions is the class's own figure. The learner knows it worked when the Friday counts of main symbols add up to the number of school days in the week.
What changes
This activity lists no variables to change, measure and keep the same.
Common misconceptions
Each of these ideas is wrong, and the activity is a chance to test it.
- Weather is the same everywhere on the same day.
- If it is sunny now it will be sunny all day.
Safety card
Hazards
- Sun exposure during the outdoor minute; never look at the sun
Controls
- Hats on; face away from the sun to look at clouds
Note
No chemicals or heat. Record the activity on the school's risk assessment (Primary School RiskAssess, Ecosolve Australia, riskassess.com.au).
Curriculum references
The NSW syllabus outcomes and Australian Curriculum v9 codes this activity supports. They are references, not a verified or complete curriculum alignment.
- Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus (2017), NESA. Current syllabus; NESA's timeline is 2026 plan and prepare, 2027 start teaching the 2024 syllabus. Code read from the official syllabus document on 2026-09-22.STe-6ES-SSTe-1WS-S
- Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus (2024), NESA. Implementation from 2027, so this code describes the future syllabus. Code read from the outcomes page on 2026-09-22. The 2024 Early Stage 1 content has no weather: 'Observe and record daily weather to identify changes and patterns' is Stage 1 content (ST1-SCI-01), so from 2027 this activity's weather science sits at Stage 1 and only this inquiry outcome applies at Early Stage 1.STE-PQU-01
- Australian Curriculum v9AC9SFH01AC9SFI02AC9SFI03AC9SFI05AC9TDIFK02
Sources
The pages the author read to write this activity.
- www.scootle.edu.au/ec/search?accContentId=AC9SFH01
- www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/curriculum/science/science-and-technology-k-6-2017
- primaryconnections.org.au/v84-sequences/weather-my-world
- primaryconnections.org.au/teaching-sequences/year-1/any-day-outdoors
- www.digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au/teach-and-assess/classroom-resources/lesson-ideas/weather-data-representation