You will learn
- Name weather dangers.
- Say what to do in each danger.
- Say who to tell.
- Plan a family weather safety card.
Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.
Student lesson
- In a storm we go indoors.
- We stay away from trees, water and metal in lightning.
- We stay away from floods.
- We drink water and stay in the shade in heat.
Words to know
bad weather with strong wind, rain and thunder
a bright flash of electricity in the sky
the loud sound after lightning
a safe place to be
1. Discover: The sudden storm
Dark clouds roll in as the children play. Thunder rumbles. Amaka’s teacher calls them in. “Lightning is dangerous,” she says. They go inside and wait. Soon the storm passes. “It is safe now,” says the teacher.
Think: Why did the teacher call them in?
2. Understand: Staying safe
Idea 1: Storms
A storm has strong wind, heavy rain, thunder and lightning. We go indoors to a safe shelter. We do not stand under trees or near metal fences.
Idea 2: Floods and wind
We stay away from floods and fast water. We do not play near rivers when it rains hard. In strong wind we keep away from trees, signs and power lines.
Idea 3: Heat and who to tell
In very hot weather we drink water, wear a hat and rest in the shade. If we feel dizzy, we tell an adult. We always tell a trusted adult about danger and listen to weather warnings.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Thunder
You hear thunder.
- Go indoors.
- Stay away from windows.
- Wait until it passes.
Answer: Go indoors and wait.
Example 2 (We do it together): Flood
Water rises near home.
- Stay away from it.
- Tell an adult.
- Move to higher ground with them.
Answer: Stay away from floodwater and tell an adult.
Example 3 (You try): Heat
A very hot day.
Show the steps and answer
- Drink water.
- Find shade.
- Rest.
Answer: Drink water and rest in the shade.
Did you know?
You can estimate how far lightning is by counting the seconds between the flash and the thunder.
Why this matters
Knowing weather safety protects us and our families.
4. Explore: Family safety card
Make a weather safety card for your family.
- Draw lightning, flood, wind and heat.
- Write one safe action for each.
- Add a trusted adult’s name.
- Share it at home.
Think about it: what did you notice?
What did you notice? Each danger has a safe action.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- In a storm I go ___.
- Lightning is ___.
- I stay away from ___ water.
- I tell a ___ adult.
Guided practice
Question 1. Where do we go in a storm?
Indoors.
Question 2. What is lightning?
A flash of electricity.
Question 3. Do we play in floods?
No.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- Where do we go in a storm?
- What is lightning?
- Do we play in floods?
- What do we drink in heat?
- Who do we tell about danger?
Level 2: Grow
- Why stay away from trees in lightning?
- Why avoid floodwater?
- Name two heat safety rules.
Level 3: Stretch
- Plan what to do in a storm.
- Make a safety card.
- Explain why we listen to warnings.
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Science in everyday life
What weather dangers are in your area?
Show a sample answer
Storms, floods and heat.
Another one. Tell a family member one thing from this lesson. Use the words you learned.
Show a sample answer
A clear sentence that uses at least one word from Words to know.
7. Common mistakes
Fix: Lightning can strike trees.
Fix: Floodwater can hide dangers.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can name weather dangers.
- I can say what to do in each danger.
- I can say who to tell.
- I can plan a family weather safety card.
9. Check and master
Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.
Your result appears here after you answer every question.
10. Key takeaways
- In a storm we go indoors.
- We stay away from trees, water and metal in lightning.
- We stay away from floods.
- We drink water and stay in the shade in heat.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: What is the environment. Keep going with the next idea in this course.
Exam practice
These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.
- Give two storm safety rules. [2 marks]
- Why do we avoid floodwater? [2 marks]
- Give two heat safety rules. [2 marks]
- Who do you tell about danger? [1 mark]
- Make a weather safety card. [3 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- Any two [1 each]
- Deep or fast [1]; hides dangers [1]
- Drink water [1]; shade [1]
- A trusted adult [1]
- Four dangers [1]; actions [1]; trusted adult [1]
Score guide: 9 to 10 = secure. 6 to 8 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.
Printable worksheet
- Where do we go in a storm?
- What is lightning?
- Do we play in floods?
- What do we drink in heat?
- Who do we tell about danger?
- Why stay away from trees in lightning?
- Why avoid floodwater?
- Name two heat safety rules.
- Plan what to do in a storm.
- Make a safety card.
Homework
Make a family weather safety card. Share it with your family and name your trusted adult.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Where do we go in a storm? | Indoors. | 1 |
| 2. What is lightning? | A flash of electricity. | 1 |
| 3. Do we play in floods? | No. | 1 |
| 4. What do we drink in heat? | Water. | 1 |
| 5. Who do we tell about danger? | A trusted adult. | 1 |
| 6. Why stay away from trees in lightning? | They can be struck. | 1 |
| 7. Why avoid floodwater? | It can be deep and fast. | 1 |
| 8. Name two heat safety rules. | Drink water; stay in shade. | 1 |
| 9. Plan what to do in a storm. | Go indoors; stay away from windows. | 1 |
| 10. Make a safety card. | Four pictures and rules. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 Indoors.; 2 A flash of electricity.; 3 No.; 4 Water.; 5 A trusted adult.. Level 2: 1 They can be struck.; 2 It can be deep and fast.; 3 Drink water; stay in shade.. Level 3: 1 Go indoors; stay away from windows.; 2 Four pictures and rules.; 3 They keep us safe..
Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.
Mastery and remediation
| Objective | Bronze (Developing) | Silver (Proficient) | Gold (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|---|
| O1 Name weather dangers | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O2 Say what to do in each danger | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O3 Say who to tell | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O4 Plan a family weather safety card | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.
If a learner struggles
- Find the misconception: “We can shelter under a tree.” Lightning can strike trees.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Say one safety action for each weather danger.
- Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
- Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
- Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.
For parents and guardians
In this lesson your child learns basic weather safety. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Review safety rules calmly.
- Ask, “What do we do in a storm?”
- Know where your shelter is.
- Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
- Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
- Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.
Teacher package
1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration
Lesson objectives. Learners will: name weather dangers; say what to do in each danger; say who to tell; plan a family weather safety card.
Prerequisite knowledge. None. Learners should be able to look, listen and talk about what they notice.
Materials. Cards, crayons, pictures of weather and chart paper. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.
Preparation. Prepare role-play cards. Keep the tone calm. Never go outside in real storms.
Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.
6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities
Introduction (5 min). Tell the storm story and ask, “What is the safe choice?”
Explanation (10 min). Teach weather safety rules.
Guided activity (10 min). Learners role-play safe choices.
Independent activity (10 min). Learners make safety cards.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. What is the danger? What is the safe action?
Teacher explanation notes. Start with real objects and safe, hands-on observation. Then talk about what was seen, then draw and write. Always say “how do you know?”. Keep to the safety notes, and use local, safe materials.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use real objects and pictures, short sentences and a partner. Let learners point, show or draw instead of writing. Extension. Ask learners to find a new example at home and explain how they know.
Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. “We can shelter under a tree.” Lightning can strike trees.
13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme
Use the quiz, the 10-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.
16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection
Remediation. Say one safety action for each weather danger. Enrichment. Look for one new example near your home or school, draw it and explain it to someone. Homework. See above.
Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.
Sources and standards
This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Next Generation Science Standards, Cambridge Primary Science and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.
Research used to shape this lesson. Courseversity Science curriculum, Grade 1 Unit 9, topic 10; Next Generation Science Standards, Earth’s place in the universe and Earth’s systems (weather and the sky); Cambridge Primary Science Stage 1, Earth and space; IB Primary Years Programme, sharing the planet. These sources informed the lesson.