As we continue our study of weather, first grade students are investigating clouds.  First, students listened to The Cloud Book by Tomie dePaola and made their own make and take cloud books.  They discovered that clouds form when warm air and cold air meet.  They found that clouds are defined by they way they look as well as where they are found in the atmosphere.  Putting their observation skills to work, student began tracking clouds. They have been asked to determine the type of clouds they see, draw pictures of those clouds, and label them.  They are recording the color of the clouds, the number of clouds, and any precipitation.  In a follow up project, students have been asked to identify the three main types of clouds (cirrus, cumulus, stratus – as well as other types of their choosing), write about them, and create scientific diagrams showing examples of each.

In addition to our experiments, reading, and projects, our cloud theme has carried over into our writing.  Today, students continued drafting a writing piece relating to the fictional story Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.  In their writing students are focusing heavily on the writing trait word choice, as they are being asked to use descriptive adjectives.