3-ESS2-1: Graphing Weather by Season
Also called NGSS 3-ESS2-1 · Topic: Weather and Climate · Earth and Space Science
The Official Wording
Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.
Clarification statement: Examples of data could include average temperature, precipitation, and wind direction.
Assessment boundary: Assessment of graphical displays is limited to pictographs and bar graphs. Assessment does not include climate change.
NGSS Lead States, 2013 · Read it on nextgenscience.org · checked October 15, 2026
What 3-ESS2-1 Means in Plain English
Third graders organize weather records, like temperature, rainfall or snowfall and wind direction, in tables and graphs. Then they use those displays to describe what weather is usual in a season where they live, such as cold, snowy winters or hot, stormy summers.
Graphs stay simple: picture graphs and bar graphs, and climate change is not part of this standard. It builds on daily weather watching in K-ESS2-1 and leads to comparing climates around the world in 3-ESS2-2.
3-ESS2-1 I Can Statements
- I can record weather data in a table.
- I can make a bar graph or picture graph of weather.
- I can describe the usual weather in a season.
3-ESS2-1 Worked Example
A graphing task using a month of weather the class recorded in October and again in January.
How is typical October weather different from typical January weather where we live?
Set It Up: The class weather log for October and January, with a noon thermometer reading and a sky note for each school day, plus grid paper.
- Copy the noon temperature for each school day into a table, one column per month.21 October days, 20 January days
- Sort the temperatures into ranges, like the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s, and count each.October: mostly 50s and 60s. January: mostly 30s
- Draw a bar graph with a bar for each range and a color for each month.October bars high on the right, January on the left
- Make a picture graph of rain and snow days, one cloud or snowflake per day.October: 8 rain. January: 3 rain, 6 snow
- Write a sentence for each month describing its usual weather.October mild and sometimes rainy, January cold with some snow
October was usually mild with some rain, while January was usually cold with several snowy days.
Why it works: Weather changes from day to day, but graphing a whole month shows the pattern that is typical for each season.
Common Mistakes with 3-ESS2-1
Describing a season from one day
“January is warm. It was 52 degrees on the 14th.”
Try this: Look at the whole month on the graph. One warm day is weather, but the tallest bars show what is typical.
Uneven bar graph scales
Numbers up the side going 0, 2, 5, 10, 11
Try this: Number the side in equal steps, like counting by 2s, so the height of each bar can be compared fairly.
Mixing up weather and climate
“It snowed today, so the climate changed.”
Try this: Weather is what happens today. Climate is the usual pattern over many years, so one snowy day does not change it.
Where 3-ESS2-1 Fits
Practice 3-ESS2-1
Quick Check
- Which kind of graph would show how many rainy days each month had?
- Why record the weather for a whole month instead of one day?
- A graph shows most July days in the 80s. What is July usually like?