Resources for Teaching and Learning About Fall

It's the first day of September and even though Autumn doesn't really start for a few more weeks, I'm already excited for the arrival of my favorite season of the year. The heat and humidity of summer are gone, the leaves on the trees are the prettiest they'll be all year, and I've always felt that the fall is a time of hope as the new school year begins. If you're looking for some resources for teaching and learning about Fall, here's a list of some of my favorites. 

ReadWorks is a great place to find reading-level appropriate articles on a wide range of topics including this article about the four seasons and this one about what causes seasons. Both articles include vocabulary lists, vocabulary practice activities, and question sets. ReadWorks also offers a collection of articles and lesson plans organized around the topic of weather. Through these articles and lesson plans students can learn about what causes rain, wind, and changes in temperature. 

Untamed Science offers a good, partially animated, explanation of why leaves change colors, what produces the colors, and why bright and sunny days are best for viewing red leaves. The video is embedded below.


Autumnal Colors is a short video produced by Thomas Rasel. The two minute video highlights the sights and sounds of autumn. A bugling elk and a squirrel preparing for winter are a couple of the sights and sounds included in the video.


Autumn from Thomas Rasel on Vimeo.


Autumn Stars and Planets is a short PBS video that explains why the stars and planets that we see from Earth change with the seasons. The video is embedded below.



Reactions, a great YouTube channel from the American Chemical Society, offers a nice video about the chemistry involved in the process of leaves changing color. The videos explains how chlorophyll and the glucose stored inside trees help reveal the reds, yellows and, browns of fall foliage.



SciShow Kids offers this short video lesson to answer the question, "why do leaves change color in the fall?" following video about the science of changing leaves.