TITLE: CLOUDS AUTHOR: Imelda McNicholas, Our Lady of the Snow, NV GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT: This combined science, English and art lesson can be taught at all grade levels particularly grades four through six. OVERVIEW: The Cloud Unit is designed not only to teach the students information about clouds, but also to encourage abstract thinking through writing and painting. The lesson facilitates the use of higher thinking skills and encourages self expression. PURPOSE: The lesson is important because when children can manipulate information, it becomes personal rather than textual, and their chances of retaining the information increase dramatically. The purpose of the Cloud Lesson is to learn about clouds, to have fun, and be creative with the information. If children can talk, write, and paint clouds, they will have a greater understanding of clouds. OBJECTIVE: To learn how clouds are formed and have fun at the same time. RESOURCES/MATERIALS: 1. Cloud Information (written below) Gateways to Science, McGraw©Hill Science, Holmes Leake Shaw; Gr.5, Ch.13, P. 202-203 2. White Typing Paper 3. Watercolors 4. Lined Paper and a Pen ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES: To complete the lesson the children will first read and discuss the information about clouds. Next, they will choose what type of cloud they would like to be if they were a cloud, and write a composition about it. Lastly, they would paint their cloud and attach their composition. The essays and art projects make a great display. HOW CLOUDS ARE FORMED Clouds are masses of water droplets or ice crystals that are suspended in the air. When the droplets or crystals become too heavy to remain suspended, they fall to the Earth. In order for clouds to form, three things are needed. First, the relative humidity must be close to 100 percent. Second, tiny bits of matter, such as dust, must be present. (Water collects or condenses around these particles.) Third, something must happen to cool the air. If all three conditions exist, clouds form. The type of clouds that form depend on how cold the air is and how much water is in the air. CLOUD SHAPES Just by studying a cloud's shape, a meteorologist can tell a great deal about the cloud. There are three basic kinds of clouds. Cirrus clouds are thin, feathery clouds. They are high in the sky. They are so high that they are made up of the ice particles. They are generally white or whitish in color. Cumulus clouds look like puffs of cotton piled in a heap. They are commonly known as fair-weathered clouds. They are usually nearer the earth than cirrus clouds. Stratus clouds are low, flat clouds. They are often dark and bring rain. "Alto" means "high". Altostratus clouds are higher than stratus clouds. CLOUD COMPOSITION After the children have read and discussed the information about clouds, have them write a composition about what type of cloud they would like to be. Ask how were they formed? What they look like? Where are they located? Also, ask whether they are a friendly or mean cloud? Let the students be creative. The composition should be one page, so that the cloud painting can be attached to the bottom or top of the paper. CLOUD PAINTING After the students have neatly written a one page composition, have them paint the cloud they described. When the painting is dry, they can attach it to the composition. Then, have the students hang their projects in the hall for display. I used the caption, "WHAT KIND OF CLOUD ARE YOU?", but any caption you choose may be used.
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