Karen Davis
THEMATIC UNIT – DESIGN: CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION
LEARNING GOALS:
Students will be able to identify basic cloud types and understand how each cloud type relates to the
day’s weather and aids in predicting future weather and understand what causes different types of
precipitation. The four curriculum areas that will be integrated are science, language arts,
mathematics, and social studies.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Based on the Utah State Core Curriculum, students are expected to be able to
 Identify four basic cloud types (cirrus, cumulus, cumulonimbus, and stratus).
 Explain how, why, and by whom cirrus, cumulus, cumulonimbus, and stratus clouds were
named.
 Explain what the four different cloud types indicate regarding the current weather.
 Explain how the four different cloud types help predict future weather.
 Recognize that precipitation is a variety of forms of moisture that falls from clouds based
on wind and air temperature in the atmosphere.
 Diagram the four main types of precipitation: snow, rain, sleet, hail and why/when they
occur.
 Define and explain the following vocabulary words: cirrus, cumulous, cumulonimbus,
stratus, evaporation, predict, forecast, temperature, precipitation, fog, snow, rain, sleet,
hail, atmosphere, meteorologist, rain gauge.
PREREQUISITES:
 Must be reading on a third grade level
 Understand the water cycle
 Need basic computer skills
 Need basic writing skills
 Need general note-taking skills
 Learned the definitions of the following words: meteorologist, atmosphere, evaporation
 Follow details in a basic chart with teacher instruction
LEARNER ANALYSIS/MOTIVATION:
Students in this class are very eager to learn and take education very seriously. They want to gain
new knowledge and earn great grades. This is a class of accelerated learners and all are self
motivated, so the pace of instruction will be faster than usual. All students are reading well above
the fourth grade level and have good written communication skills. Students enjoy hands on
activities and discussing their learning with partners and in small groups.
Karen Davis
OBJECTIVES / BASIC PLAN / EVALUATION and TESTING / FEEDBACK:
DAY
OBJECTIVE
Introductory
Activity
Day 1
Science
Social
Studies
100% of
students will
be able to
explain, in
writing, what
clouds are
made of.
Show Cool
Clouds PPT
As a class,
students will
take a
clipboard,
pencil, and
Students will piece of paper
be able to
outside and
recognize and sketch what
name four
type of clouds
main types of they see in the
clouds (cirrus, sky.
cumulus,
cumulonimbu
s, stratus)
correctly 80%
of the time.
Classify
major
physical
geographic
attributes of
Utah.
a. Identify
Utah's . . .
natural
resources . . .
BASIC
PLAN
Instruction
Verbally
review
water cycle
previously
learned,
Play
hangman to
reveal the
word
evaporation.
Relate
evaporation
to cloud
formation.
EVAL/
TEST
FEEDBACK
Students
will label
the
drawing
they
created
during the
lesson
opener
with the
new cloud
details they
have
learned.
Walk around
room during
cloud
instruction
and check to
make sure
fill in the
blank areas
are filled in
correctly by
students.
Practice
Activity
Students
will fill
in the
blanks on
workshee
t when
discussin
g cloud
types.
Students
will refer
to cloud
chart
during
instructio
Discuss
n and
water as a
discussio
natural
n of 4
resource.
main
cloud
Examples of types and
Natural
classifica
Resources
tion of
clouds
Examples:
wood/trees, based on
water, gold, height in
silver,
sky.
copper, oil,
natural gas. Use
Nonexampl pronunci
es: cake,
ation
balloons,
rules to
cars, shoes. pronounc
e Latin
Where is the clouds
natural
names
resource of
accuratel
water
y
found?
Examples:
Utah Lake,
Review
labeled cloud
drawings of
each student
– make
positive
comments,
make
clarifications
if necessary,
put a sticker
on it, return.
Karen Davis
Greagt Salt
Lake, rivers,
lakes,
reservoirs,
streams.
Nonexampl
es: bathtub,
hose, faucet,
swimming
pool.
Clouds are
made of tiny
ice crystals.
Categorize
4 cloud
types clouds
by height in
the sky
(high,
middle,
low).
Explain fog.
Karen Davis
DAY
OBJECTIVE
Introductory
Activity
Day 2
Science
All students
will be able to
associate
names of
clouds with
Latin words –
therefore
understanding
the definitions
of each cloud
type.
Different
cloud types
generally
represent
current
weather
trends and
help forecast
weather to
come.\
Reading
By the end of
year, read and
comprehend
informational
texts,
including
history/social
studies,
science, and
technical texts
...
Review Day 1
learning by
finger painting
cirrus,
cumulus, and
stratus clouds
in correct
height order
and general
shape with
shaving cream
on desk.
BASIC
PLAN
Instruction
Introduce
Luke
Howard, his
work, and
how/why he
named
clouds the
way he did.
Define
cirrus,
cumulus,
stratus,
nimbus.
Luke
Howard
non-fiction
reading
passage.
For each
type of
cloud:
Latin Word
Define
Look like
Draw
Current
weather
Predict what
EVAL/
TEST
FEEDBACK
Name and
draw
clouds
likely in a
set of
different
circumstan
ces
worksheet.
Compare
answers
and
drawings
with a
partner. If
students
disagree on
an answer,
they will
try and
persuade
one another
why they
are right.
Teacher
will be
final
“judge” on
the ruling.
Review all
cloud
evaluation
worksheets.
Comment
positively,
write
comments to
explain
incorrect
answers and
discuss
incorrect
answers with
students
when papers
are returned.
Student may
rework
incorrect
problems for
credit.
Practice
Activity
Students
will fill
in the
blank
note
workshee
t, chart
and draw
examples
of each
cloud,
and
record
what
each type
of cloud
indicates
for
current
weather
and
forecaste
d
weather.
Define
precise.
Example
s: 1 cup,
3 gallons,
2
teaspoons
, 1234
Rainbow
Dr.
Nonexa
mples:
about a
mile,
estimate
3 yards,
approxim
ately 1
Technology:
Cloud
Summary
PPT from
Internet
Karen Davis
pint.
Karen Davis
DAY
OBJECTIVE
Day 3
Technol
ogy
Science
Use general
purpose
productivity
tools and
peripherals to
support
personal
productivity,
to remediate
skill deficits,
and to
facilitate
learning
throughout
the
curriculum.
All students
will be able to
provide
answers to the
following
questions What is
precipitation?
How do rain,
hail, sleet, and
snow differ?
How are they
the same?
Identify and
use the tools
of a
meteorologist
How is rain
measured?
How is snow
measured?
Introductory
Activity
Amazing Hail
Video Clips
Using mobile
lab and Cloud
Clues website,
students will
individually
review cloud
facts and take
an online
interactive
quiz.
BASIC
PLAN
Instruction
Practice
Activity
Review
Students
previously
will view
learned
make up
concepts of of precip
temperature, chart to
freezing
visually
temps (32F see how
or 0C).
four
Define
types of
precipitation precip we
. Using
are
precip chart, covering
walk
are
students
created.
through
visual and
Precipitat
factual
ion:
differences
Example
in rain, hail, : must
sleet, snow. fall from
clouds/sk
Measure
y
rainfall with directly.
a rain
Nonexa
gauge.
mple:
Not the
First
effect
standardized such as
rain gauge
flooding,
story –
damage,
Korea 1441 icy roads,
AD.
or
groundw
Discuss how ater
to make a
rising.
rain gauge
at home.
Finger
movemen
Measure
ts for
snowfall
differing
with a
precip.
measuring
stick.
Outside –
any
EVAL/
TEST
FEEDBACK
Online
Cloud Clues
Cloud
Quiz gives
Clues Quiz. immediate
feedback as
to whether or
not a student
While
answers the
student are questions
reading
correctly.
Snowflake
Photograph Explain hail
y, I will be correctly –
asking each get a
student
Gobstopper.
individuall
y how hail Walk around
is created.
during
When
instruction to
explanation ensure
is correct,
students are
they will
filling in
receive a
notes
layered
correctly.
candy (bc
hail is
layered)– a
Gobstopper
.
Karen Davis
precip?
What
kind?
What is
temp?
What
kind of
clouds?
Rain
gauge
Example
:
“standard
” is the
key for
measurin
g fall.
Nonexa
mple:
soup can,
cereal
bowl,
Tupperw
are
container
and all
friends
measure
the
amount
of rain
with a
ruler.
Karen Davis
DAY
OBJECTIVE
Day 4
All objectives
from Day 1Day 3
Writing
Write
informative/
explanatory
texts to
examine a
topic and
convey ideas
and
information
clearly.
Use precise
language and
domainspecific
vocabulary to
inform about
or explain the
topic.
Introductory
Activity
Riddles.
BASIC
PLAN
Instruction
Brainstorm
most often
used
weather
words this
week as a
class.
Show
portion of
Magic
School Bus
Kicks up a
Storm as it
relates to
clouds and
precipitation
.
EVAL/
TEST
Practice
Activity
“Precipit
ation
Hands”
Simon
Says
game.
Students
will
assemble
a cloud
book
with pull
tabs to
reinforce
data one
last time.
Using
class
notes,
students
will write
what they
know
about
clouds
and
precipitat
ion, using
at least
10 words
from a
vocabular
y word
bank of
science
words
discussed
in this
unit.
FEEDBACK
Readminister
cloud and
precip quiz.
Grade cloud
and precip
quiz. Record
on latest
quiz,
Summary
student’s first
and
score so they
information can see the
al writing
growth in
learning they
made in four
days.
Read and
make
positive
comments on
clouds/precip
writings.
Students to
read and
explain the
pull-tab
cloud book
they made to
a sibling as
homework.
Karen Davis
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