Cotton Ball Clouds. Lesson Topic: Types of Clouds. Grade: 4 th grade, gifted class. Time: approximately minutes.

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1 Cotton Ball Clouds Ashlynn Meyers 1 Lesson Topic: Types of Clouds Grade: 4 th grade, gifted class Time: approximately minutes Class Information The fourth grade class is made up of 25 students and is classified as Gifted for both ELA and Math. There are nine females and sixteen males. Three students are African American and two are Hispanic; the other twenty are Caucasian. One male student in the class is Autistic, and he is mainstreamed into this class for the entire day unless otherwise needed for behavior problems. Verification Statement This lesson follows a predetermined scope and sequence for the year, and falls into place at this time. Students have previously learned in first grade to recognize clouds as objects in the sky, and in second grade, they used pictorial weather symbols to record sky conditions. In fourth grade, it is essential for students to know that there are three basic types of clouds, and they must classify them based on observable behavior. In future grades, students will classify these clouds based on their elevation and associated weather conditions. The concept of the water cycle (including how clouds are formed) and the different types has already been introduced in the previous class session, however this lesson will follow up on classification and help to reiterate the information with a more tactile activity before the test will be given on the material. Rationale Statement This lesson addresses more learning styles than a simple lecture or SMART Board presentation. As the students will be actively involved in creating clouds with specific characteristics, kinesthetic and tactile learning styles will be addressed. Research shows that students learn by doing, so this lesson helps to reinforce that concept. In regards to Bloom s taxonomy, this lesson is geared more towards higher order thinking skills since students must take the knowledge that they know and understand, synthesize it, and analyze it in order to create clouds of their own based on general descriptions given. This lesson also has a bit of a fine arts element, since students are able to use different mediums (cotton balls as opposed to just pencil and paper) in order to create clouds.

2 Ashlynn Meyers 2 Lesson Objectives The student will correctly recall the elements (water, dust, sometimes ice) that make up clouds. The student will summarize the water cycle process (specific to the formation of clouds), using the terms evaporation and condensation, without error. The student will correctly classify the three types of clouds based on their observable characteristics. Standards 4-4 The student will demonstrate an understanding of weather patterns and phenomena Summarize the process of the water cycle (including evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.) [Not all parts of this standard will be met in this particular lesson. The water cycle water taught in more detail on the previous day.] Classify clouds according to their three basic types (cumulus, cirrus, and stratus) and summarize how clouds form. Accommodations This lesson accommodates for multiple intelligences and learning styles. Kinesthetic and tactile learners will benefit greatly from this lesson, as it is very hands-on. Early finishers will complete are chart at the bottom of a handout. In this chart, they will match types of clouds with their descriptions and illustrate them using their pencil and paper, as this is how this material will be presented on the test at the end of the unit. Accommodations for the special needs (autistic) child are not specifically needed other than the fact that he does need a little extra time to write things down, and he does not like to be left behind. In order to help this, the teacher will provide ample time between slides for students to write down correct answers when necessary, and after this time, she will help the student individually while the other students are independently working on creating their clouds. Materials 25 worksheets (sample attached) 25 pieces of blue construction paper 1 bag of 200 cotton balls (students will need about 6-7 each) Gluesticks (in students pencil boxes) Dark colored markers or crayons (in students pencil boxes)

3 Ashlynn Meyers 3 Procedures 1. Materials will be passed out before students return to the classroom from special area. Each student should have one worksheet, one piece of blue construction paper, and 6-7 cotton balls on his desk. 2. The teacher will begin the lesson by asking the students to reflect on what they learned yesterday about the water cycle. Say: a. Where do clouds come from? b. What is the process called that makes them? c. What are clouds made of? 3. The teacher will direct the students to follow along with the first slide of the SMART Board presentation on their worksheets. The first part of the lesson is a review of the water cycle. This is material students will already be familiar with. 4. The teacher will read the sentences, one at a time, having students raise their hands to come up to the board and move the correct word into the blanks on the SMART Board slide. Students at their desks will write in the correct answers on their worksheet. a. If a student puts in incorrect answer in the blank, they can call on a friend to help them with the correct answer. 5. Before moving on to the next slide, the teacher will ask, Who can summarize for me how clouds form? (Correct answer: The sun warms water, it rises and evaporates, then cools and condenses to form a cloud.) 6. The teacher will then have the students fold their blue construction paper into thirds, tracing the folded lines with a dark colored marker. 7. The teacher will move on to the next slide, asking if students know the word at the top of the page (cumulus). 8. The teacher will ask the students to describe what this type of cloud looks like (there will be a picture of the cloud on the slide). a. Possible answers: puffy, cotton balls, flat bottom, big. 9. The teacher will then uncover the descriptive characteristics of the cloud on the slide and discuss them with students. 10. The teacher will say, Write CUMULUS in the top of the first box on your paper (left side). 11. After providing ample time for students to write the word, the teacher will say, Using your cotton balls and your glue stick, create a cumulus cloud in the first box on your paper (left side). Make sure your cloud has all of the characteristics we just discovered that cumulus clouds have. When you are finished, write the characteristics of this cloud in the box with it. 12. The teacher will walk around the room, observing students and making sure their clouds follow the correct characteristics. 13. When students have completed their clouds, the teacher will move on to the next slide. 14. The teacher will ask if students know the word at the top of the page (cirrus). 15. The teacher will ask the students to describe what this type of cloud looks like (there will be a picture of the cloud on the slide). a. Possible answers: thin, feather, wispy, high in the sky.

4 Ashlynn Meyers The teacher will then uncover the descriptive characteristics of the cloud on the slide and discuss them with students. 17. The teacher will say, Write CIRRIS at the bottom of the middle box on your blue paper. 18. After providing ample time for students to write the word, the teacher will say, Using your cotton balls and your glue stick, create a cirrus cloud in the middle box of your blue paper. Make sure your cloud has all of the characteristics we just discovered that cumulus clouds have. We know that these clouds are the highest in the sky, so where in the box do you think we should glue them? (at the very top) When you are finished, write the characteristics of this cloud in the box with it. 19. The teacher will walk around the room, observing students and making sure their clouds follow the correct characteristics. 20. When students have completed their clouds, the teacher will move on to the next slide, asking if students know the word at the top of the page (stratus). 21. The teacher will ask the students to describe what this type of cloud looks like (there will be a picture of the cloud on the slide). a. Possible answers: dark, thick, low in the sky. 22. The teacher will then uncover the descriptive characteristics of the cloud on the slide and discuss them with students. 23. The teacher will say, Write STRATUS in the top of the last box on your blue paper (right side). 24. After providing ample time for students to write the word, the teacher will say, Using your cotton balls and your glue stick, create a stratus cloud in your last box. Make sure your cloud has all of the characteristics we just discovered that cumulus clouds have. We just learned that these are the lowest in the sky, so where do you think we will place them in our box? (the bottom of the box) When you are finished, write the characteristics of this cloud in the box with it. 25. The teacher will walk around the room, observing students and making sure their clouds follow the correct characteristics. 26. The teacher will then say, What color did we say that stratus clouds are? (dark, grey) How can we make our clouds look like that? (Color them). The teacher will have the students use a grey or black marker to lightly color their clouds. 27. The teacher will instruct students who finish early to finish the chart at the bottom of their worksheet, then take out a book and read until the rest of the class is finished. 28. When the majority of the class is finished (only excluded maybe one or two students who are almost done), the teacher will wrap up the lesson by having the students answer the question to a review quiz (the last slide on the SMART Board presentation). 29. When the quiz is over, the teacher will tell the students to make sure their names are on the back of their blue papers, and she will collect them to be hung on the bulletin board outside the classroom.

5 Ashlynn Meyers 5 Assessment The teacher will assess the students ability to understand the water cycle using a checklist based on whether or not students raise their hands to participate and whether or not they get answers to questions correct (this checklist will be completed during the lesson). A more formal assessment of this objective was done on the previous day. Student Name Raised Hand at Least Once Correct Answer Incorrect Answer Topic of Question Answered Example X X Evaporation Process Max Kyle Rainee, etc. Students will be formally assessed on their cotton ball cloud creations using the following rubric. The score will be totaled and divided by 12 (highest possible score) in order to get the students grade on the assignment. For example, if the student gets 11 out of the possible 12 points, they will receive a score of 92%. Cumulus Cirrus Stratus The cloud has all the The cloud is missing correct one or more correct characteristics, but characteristics, and The cloud is puffy, domeshaped, and has a flat bottom. Description of cloud is included in the box. The cloud is thin and wispy and is placed at the top of the box (highest in the sky). Description of cloud is included in the box. The cloud is thick and layered, at the bottom of the box (lowest in the sky), and is shaded darker. Description of the cloud is included in the box. The cloud has all the correct characteristics, but The cloud has all the correct characteristics, but The cloud is missing one or more correct characteristics, and The cloud is missing one or more correct characteristics, and No cloud was created. No cloud was created. No cloud was created.

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