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Cloud, Rain, and Fog

Main Core Tie

English Language Arts Grade 2
Reading: Informational Text Standard 5

Additional Core Ties

English Language Arts Grade 2
Reading: Informational Text Standard 6

Time Frame

3 class periods of 45 minutes each

Group Size

Large Groups

Life Skills

Thinking & Reasoning

Authors

Karma Bonner
Karen Lowry
Grace Wayman

Summary

Students will learn to identify information from a non-fiction text on weather, by asking questions, and focusing on the text features of the book.


Materials

  1. Cloud, Rain, and Fog, by Fred and Jeane Biddulph
  2. K-W-L on chart paper
  3. Web chart on chart paper titled, "What information about weather did we find by using the text features of this book?"
    Label the center bubble "Text Features."
    Draw seven bubbles around the center bubble.


Background for Teachers

Scholastic Atlas of Weather is a great teacher information book on weather.
ISBN 0-439-67865-X


Intended Learning Outcomes

  1. Participate with others when making decisions and solving problems.
  2. Decode, read, and comprehend written text and symbols.
  3. Share ideas using communication skills.
  4. Listen attentively and respond to communications.


Instructional Procedures

Day One

  1. Create a K-W-L chart using chart paper. Have the students help generate list of things they already know about weather. List under the K (what I know) section of the K-W-L.
  2. Have the students then generate a list of questions they would now like to know about weather. Write these questions in the W (want to learn) section of the chart.
  3. As a group, have the students take a picture walk through the big book Clouds, Rain, and Fog.
  4. Ask, "What do you think you might learn from this book?"
  5. Emphasize the text features: Title, Table of Contents, Index and then ask, "What else will we learn from this text?"
  6. Review the students questions from the K-W-L and then start reading the book.
  7. As you are reading, model how to stop and monitor what has been read and review what they have learned.
  8. After reading, pose the question, "Did this book answer your questions?"
  9. Return to the K-W-L and have the students now generate a list of things they have learned and write these items in the L (what I have learned) section of the K-W-L.

Day Two
  1. Return to the big book, Clouds, Rain, and Fog.
  2. Talk about the text features in this book and how they help us learn information about weather.
  3. Show the created web chart with "text features" written in the middle of the web. Ask, "What are the text features in this book?"
  4. Help the students recognize that Table of Contents, Captions, Photos, Headings, Questions/Answers, Diagrams, Index are all text features that help the reader learn more from a non-fiction or informational text.
  5. Write these text features into the seven bubbles around the web.
  6. Start with table of contents. Go to the table of contents in the book and ask the students to tell you what they learned from the table of contents.
    • The chapter or section headings and on what page each chapter or section begins.
    • The main subjects or ideas included in this book - cloud, rain, etc..)
  7. Record what the students learned from the table of contents next to the table of contents bubble on the chart web.
  8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for each of the other text features.
  9. Post this chart in the classroom as reference for future non-fiction books.
Day Three
  1. Using the web chart, ask, "What have we now learned about weather from the text features?"
  2. Record what the students learned on the L section of the KWL chart.


Extensions

Select another non-fiction informational book on another subject and do the same steps using the same K-W-L and web charts in a small group setting or with partners.


Assessment Plan

Students will be assessed by observing how they helped in the completion of the K-W-L and Web charts.


Bibliography

Clouds, Rain, and Fog, by Fred and Jeanne Biddulph - Wright Group/McGraw-Hill - ISBN 0-7802-1374-2


Created: 08/01/2005
Updated: 02/05/2018
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