Start drawing pictures of clouds on the board. “Can you guess what I am drawing on the board? Tell someone near you what you think it is.” When students have figured out what you are drawing, explain to them the goals of today’s activity. “Today you’re going to learn about clouds. You have been hired as a meteorologist or a cloud expert for your elementary school. You will become an expert on how clouds are made and the different types of white puffs in the sky.” Take students outside on a sunny day when there are lots of clouds to observe. Ask questions about the clouds: “Are all the clouds going the same direction? Do they look alike? Have any of them formed a familiar shape?”
Activity 1
Note: It is best to preview this book before reading it aloud. It is written in prose and beautifully illustrated. You may want to paraphrase the text, but point out each illustration and time of year. The book relates clouds to different times of the year in relation to the seasons. This book may be revisited when discussing seasons.
Read Cloud Dance by Thomas Locker. Point out the different pictures of clouds in the book. Create interest by telling students that they will be making their own cloud picture. Remind students that whenever they are outside (perhaps at recess), they should look at the clouds in the sky to identify different types.
Discuss the book. Ask students if they can recall any names for the different clouds or what kinds of clouds they noticed. Ask students to describe the different types of clouds they can remember with a partner (have students do a think-pair-share). Have students come up to the board and sketch a picture next to the name of the cloud on the board. If needed, use the Cloud Types picture (S-K2-4-1_Cloud Types.doc) to help them identify the differences in cloud types.
Have students make pictures of the clouds. Materials needed to make the pictures include cotton balls, construction paper, and glue. Show students how to pull the cotton to get the effect they desire. Have students talk in groups to share what kinds of clouds they made. Display cloud pictures in the classroom. Challenge students to write the names of clouds using the posted vocabulary.
Teach “The Cloud Song” (S-K2-4-1_The Cloud Song.doc). This song is sung to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”:
Floating clouds up in the sky,
Changing shapes as you pass by.
Floating by without a sound.
Won’t you come and touch the ground?
Floating clouds up in the sky,
Changing shapes as you pass by.
Read the story It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw. Note: Before reading this story, make shapes out of white felt and let students use the book to sequence the shapes in the story. Have students discuss what they learned about clouds in this lesson.
Activity 2
Show students how a cloud is made by conducting the following investigation. Explain to students, “Clouds are a collection of tiny water droplets; they form in warm air coming up off the cold ground. Little water drops form into clouds. The water droplets are light and small enough that they can float in the air. When droplets get too heavy, they overflow and fall down as rain.”
1. Conduct a demonstration to show how clouds are made. Materials needed for the demonstration include a two-liter plastic bottle, warm water, and fireplace matches. Place just enough warm water in the two-liter bottle to cover the bottom. Light a long fireplace match and let it burn for a few seconds until the wood is burning. (You can also light a thin piece of wood in place of a fireplace match.)
2. Place the match into the bottle. Let the smoke from the match fill the bottle. After a few seconds, the smoke seems to disappear, but the invisible particles are still floating around in the bottle. All of this happens fairly quickly.
3. Screw the cap on the bottle, being careful not to let too much smoke out of the bottle.
4. Squeeze the sides of the bottle really hard six or seven times (more squeezing may be necessary).
5. Squeeze the bottle again, hold the squeeze for a few seconds, and then quickly release the squeeze. The second you release the squeeze, you should see the formation of a little fog in the bottle. This is the cloud. (Note: If the cloud is hard to see, dim the lights and shine a flashlight through the bottle or place the bottle in front of a dark background. This will illuminate the cloud for students.)
6. Ask the following questions: “What made the cloud? Where did the cloud come from?”
adapted from Homemade Cloud Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8AvfXar9zs
Have students complete the Experiment Observation Worksheet (S-K2-4-1_Experiment Observation Worksheet and KEY.doc). Read the directions and model on the board what to do. This can be done individually, in small groups, or as a class.
Extension:
After the story, do these extensions during center time:
- Language Arts Extension: Have students use cotton balls to outline the letter “C.”
- Art: Have students place a small amount of white tempera paint in the center of a piece of construction paper. Students can carefully fold the construction paper to create a “cloud.” Ask students to describe what their “cloud” looks like.
