Learner Outcomes:
The children will participate in reading familiar words using rhymes.
The children will write weather shape poems and songs.
The children will sing and perform songs the class has written.
The children will demonstrate writing and editing skills using Microsoft Word
The children will use Microsoft Word program to type poems and create space for illustrations.
The children will demonstrate art skills by creating illustrations for original poems.
The children will demonstrate the ability to insert clip art.

Duration of Lesson: 2 to 3 days with 30-45 minute periods of time

Materials: It's Raining, It's Pouring by Kin Eagle, chart paper, markers, paper, pencils, crayon, construction paper, sentence strips, rhythm instruments, tape player, blank cassette tapes,

Technology Tools/Courseware: computers with internet access, Microsoft Word Program, camera, television, projection device, and Microsoft Powerpoint program, raindrops powerpoint

Teacher Notes: Collect weather related clip art clipart and store on a diskette for children to use in their poems.  Gather and display in a Library Center fiction and non-fiction books about weather.  Collect and display photographs of cloud formations and weather pictures.

Procedures:

Read to the class the book, It's Raining, It's Pouring by Kin Eagle.  (To order book see amazon).
Have a group discussion. Let the children answer the question: "What is Weather?" Help the children develop a definition and record it on chart paper to display.
Ask the children to name the weather words they heard in the story, It's Raining, It's Pouring. Add these words to the chart. Reread the story and have the students name the rhyming words they heard. Make a new list of rhyming words to add to the chart.
Have the students highlight the weather words. Choose some weather words, such as rainbow, sun, or snowflake, and show the children how to write a "shape" poem by using the words about this type of weather. Use descriptive and sound words to help the children write creative poems. For example: Lacy snowflakes falling down, twirling 'round, floating down. Lacy snowflakes drifting down, Soft and fluffy snowflakes.  Form the words into the shape of a snowflake by drawing the basic outline of a snowflake with black crayon or marker on construction paper. Place a plain sheet of paper over the drawing, fastening the pages together with staples or paper clips. Write the words following the shape of the snowflake to create the shape poem. Remove the top sheet of paper to view the completed poem.  Display these artistic poems on bulletin boards and in hallways around the school.
Invite the children to visit web sites on weather poems weatherwatch and cliccards to have students view and read a variety of weather related poems.
Have the children use the "writing process" to pre-write, write, edit, and publish their shape poems using Microsoft Word program. Show children how to find and insert clip art from the preselected diskette or web sites clipart and bellsnwhistles. After printing the poems, bind them together to make a collaborative class booklet to display in the school library.
Next have the children try writing weather songs, by having them brainstorm ideas and words that tell about a particular type of weather (for example: rain). Record their ideas on sentence strips with markers. Invite the children to view the raindrops powerpoint.
Review the tune and rhythm of a familiar song, such as: Three Blind Mice”.
Write some lines on the sentence strips for the students to see:
            Rain, rain, rain
            ___________
            Dribble, dribble, splat
            _________________
            It touches my head and sometimes my knees
            It rolls off of rooftops and tall, old, oak trees
            Have you ever seen raindrops as big as these
            Splish, splish, splash!
            _________________
Have the children fill in the blank lines keeping the rhythm of the song with words from their brainstorming list.
Read the poem again asking children to clap, snap, or tap the rhythm with their fingers and hands, then invite the children to use musical instruments such as wood blocks, bongo drums, and tambourines to tap the beat as the poem is repeated.
Have students use a tape player to record their new song as the children sing the words of their poem to the familiar song.
Read weather poems found in Tomie dePaola’s Mother Goose such as “One Misty, Moisty, Morning” and Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young selected by Jack Prelutsky to encourage the children to choose a variety of weather topics to create more poems. Students can also visit the web site prelutsky to learn more about the author.
 

Modifications: Modifications will be made based on those listed in the student’s Individual Education Plan.
 

Enrichment Activities:
Math and Science:
After reading the story Little Penguin’s Tale, have the children help plan a Penguin Party, in which the students dress in black and white. Help the students use the computer to create charts and graphs, tomsnyder, showing the favorite colors, animals, and adventures of the class and compare these to those found in the story. Have the children search the web, discovery, for informational facts about penguins, including the number of places in the world where penguins can be found, and the number of different species of penguins in each place. Culminate the day by having students help make penguin-shaped sugar cookies. Students can help measure and mix the dough, roll and cut it into penguin shapes using an egg-shaped cookie cutter, then help make white, black and orange colored frosting to decorate their cookies. Have students help take photographs of events throughout the day to be used to create a powerpoint program to present at a PTO open house night.

Reading:
Children’s books available for independent library activities:
    Weather Report: Poems by J. Yolen  (Students can also visit the web site yolen)
    Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
    Weather: Poems for All Seasons by Lee Bennett Hopkins
    Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
    The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons
    Flash, Crash, Rumble and Roll by Franklyn M. Branley
    Weather Whys Questions, Facts, and Riddles About Weather by Mike Artell
    Kids Pick the Funniest Poems selected by Bruce LanskyLittle Penguin’s Tale by Audrey Wood

(To find out more about these books see amazon)
 
 

Evaluation/Assessment:

Name:__________ Date:___________	4=Excellent	3=Capable	2=Developing	1=Beginning	Total Points
Participation	Students will participate in all activities 100% of the time.	Students will participate in all activities 90% of the time.	Students will participate in all activities 80% of the time.	Students will participate in all activities 70 % of the time.
Followed Procedures	Students will follow procedures in all activities 100% of the time.	Students will follow procedures in all activities 90% of the time.	Students will follow procedures in all activities 80% of the time.	Students will follow procedures in all activities 70% of the time.
Worked Co-operatively	Students will work co-operatively in all activities 100% of the time.	Students will work co-operatively in all activities 90% of the time.	Students will work co-operatively in all activities 80% of the time.	Students will work co-operatively in all activities 70% of the time.
Original Poem	Students required directions 10% of the time to write, edit, and publish their poem using the computer word program.	Students required directions 20% of the time to write, edit, and publish their poem using the computer word program.	Students required directions 30% of the time to write, edit, and publish their poem using the computer word program.	Students required directions 40% or more of the time to write, edit, and publish their poem using the computer word program.
Comments:

Overview: "Wiggles, Jiggles and Rhymes"

Lesson 1: "Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater"

Lesson 2:  "Who Took the Cookie From the Cookie Jar?"

Lesson 3: Splish-Splash Poetry

Lesson 4: Whether the Weather

Lesson 5: Making Our Own Wiggles, Jiggles and Rhymes