As we continue our study of weather, first grade students are investigating clouds.  We have learned that clouds form when warm air and cold air meet.  They are defined by they way they look as well as where they are found in the atmosphere, with the three main groups being stratus, cumulus, and cirrus.  Books such as The Cloud Book by Tomie dePaola and Clouds by Anne Rockwell are guiding our classroom discussions. Other literature connections that have enhanced projects, include shared read alouds such as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and a subsequent writing project in which they are developing their own parody of catastrophic food related weather.

Putting our observation skills to work, first graders will be tracking the clouds over the next several days. Students will be determining the type of clouds they see, drawing pictures of those clouds, and labeling them.  They will also record the color of the clouds, the number of clouds, and whether or not they a dropping precipitation.  We look forward to creating cloud books and conducting cloud related experiments.