Unit 7 — Weather and Seasons

Track E · Klasse 5 · Niveau E

Template: Activate → Input → Practise → Produce → Reflect.
Niveau: E. class test (“Klassenarbeit”) at Niveau E (30 BE).

Learning objectives Link to heading

  • I can describe today’s weather in 3 sentences.
  • I can name the four seasons and 8 weather words.
  • I can use the present continuous for right now and the present simple for general patterns.

Bildungsplan alignment Link to heading

  • 3.1.1 Soziokulturelles Orientierungswissen / Themen
  • 3.1.3.1 Hör-/Hörsehverstehen
  • 3.1.3.5 Schreiben
  • 3.1.3.7 Verfügen über sprachliche Mittel – Wortschatz

(Source: https://www.bildungsplaene-bw.de/,Lde/LS/BP2016BW/ALLG/SEK1/E1)

Lead-in story Link to heading

It is November. The sky is the colour of cold tea. Mia is wearing two jumpers. Theo is wearing his beloved green raincoat. Frida the fox is sitting in a puddle, looking comfortable. “For you,” she explains, “this is bad weather. For me, this is a spa.”

1. Activate Link to heading

Window report. Look outside for 30 seconds. Write three sentences: Today it is …, the sky is …, I am wearing …

2. Input Link to heading

Vocabulary — weather and seasons Link to heading

Seasons: spring, summer, autumn (US: fall), winter. Weather adjectives: sunny, cloudy, rainy, snowy, foggy, windy, hot, warm, cool, cold, mild, frosty, stormy. Phrases: it’s pouring, it’s freezing, it’s boiling, it’s drizzling.

Grammar — present simple vs. present continuous Link to heading

Present simple for general truths and habits:

  • It rains a lot in November.
  • We have snow every January.

Present continuous (am/is/are + -ing) for what is happening right now:

  • It is raining right now.
  • Mia is wearing two jumpers because she is cold.

Spelling for -ing: sit → sitting, run → running, make → making, fly → flying.

3. Practise Link to heading

Niveau E — controlled Link to heading

  1. Right now: It __________ (rain). The wind __________ (blow) hard.
  2. General: In Stuttgart it often __________ (snow) in January.

Niveau E — productive Link to heading

  1. Build a 3-sentence weather report for today: general (this season) + right now + your clothes.
  2. Negative right-now: It isn’t snowing. Build three true negative sentences about the weather right now.
Answer key

Controlled. 1. is raining / is blowing. 2. snows.

Productive. 3-4. Open.

4. Produce Link to heading

Weather diary — one school week. For five days, write two sentences in English: Today it is … + what you are wearing or doing because of it.

Sample Link to heading

Monday: Today it is foggy and cool. I am wearing my scarf and walking slowly because the path is slippery.

5. Reflect Link to heading

  • I can describe today’s weather.
  • I can use present simple for habits and present continuous for now.
  • I can keep a 5-day weather diary.

One thing in your notebook: Write one sentence that uses something you learned in this Unit.

Exam example Link to heading

class test ("Klassenarbeit") — Niveau E (45 minutes)
Time. 45 minutes. Total. 30 points.

Task 1 — Listening (8 BE) Link to heading

Listen twice to the forecast.

“Tomorrow morning will be foggy. By midday the fog will lift and we will have sun. Late afternoon, thunderstorms in the south. Friday: heavy rain all day, with strong wind from the west.”

  1. Tomorrow morning: ___ . 2. Midday: ___ . 3. Friday: ___ . 4. Wind direction: ___ .

Task 2 — Reading (8 BE) Link to heading

Read.

“In Stuttgart it usually rains a lot in November. December is colder and we sometimes have snow. The best month for a long walk is May.”

T or F: 1. November is dry. 2. December is colder than November. 3. Snow in December. 4. May is good for a long walk.

Task 3 — Use of English (8 BE) Link to heading

Present simple or present continuous?

  1. Right now it __________ (snow).
  2. In Sweden it often __________ (be) cold.
  3. Look! The trees __________ (lose) their leaves.
  4. We always __________ (go) skiing in January.

Task 4 — Writing (6 BE) Link to heading

Write 5–6 sentences: today’s weather, your favourite season, two things you do in that season.

Answer key
T1. foggy, sun, heavy rain all day, west. T2. F, T, T, T. T3. 1. is snowing, 2. is, 3. are losing, 4. go. T4. Open.
Notenschlüssel (von 30)
| 28–30 | 1 | 24–27 | 2 | 20–23 | 3 | | 15–19 | 4 | 9–14 | 5 | 0–8 | 6 |

Downloads Link to heading

**Slide deck timing.** 45 minutes total. Lead-in 3 min · Activate 4 min · Input 12 min · Practise 8 min · Produce 13 min · Reflect 5 min.

Differentiation. Below Niveau E (mixed group): provide a support card with the key structure. Above Niveau E: extension question linking to the next Unit’s grammar.

Common pitfalls Link to heading

  • It is rain → ✗ / It is raining → ✓.
  • It always is snowing in January → ✗ — habit takes present simple: It always snows in January.
  • L1 trap: German has no -ing form; the English am/is/are + -ing must be added.

Further reading / listening Link to heading

  • BBC Weather — child-friendly forecast.
  • Met Office Kids — Weather words.

Downloads

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Worksheet thumbnail for Unit 7 — Weather and Seasons
Worksheet
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