Name: Jeanette Silvia

Class ELED 3221

Date 3/15/16

Indirect Instruction Lesson Plan

Rain

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Central Focus/Big Idea: Patterns of weather

Subject of this lesson: How rain forms

Grade Level: Kindergarten

NC Essential Standard(s): K.E.1.3 Compare weather patterns that occur from season to season.

Next Generation Science Standard(s):

K-ESS2- Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over
1. time. [Clarification Statement: Examples of qualitative observations could include
descriptions of the weather (such as sunny, cloudy, rainy, and warm); examples of
quantitative observations could include numbers of sunny, windy, and rainy days in a
month. Examples of patterns could include that it is usually cooler in the morning
than in the afternoon and the number of sunny days versus cloudy days in different
months.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment of quantitative observations limited to
whole numbers and relative measures such as warmer/cooler.]

21st Century Skills: Students are using critical thinking skills because when they are using the
sponges filled with water they need to connect that back to weather and how it can be related.
They need to think about what they are physically doing with the sponge and how something in
nature does the exact same thing with rain.
Students are using communication skills when they are talking about what is happening with the
sponges and when they are trying to explain what had happened with rain is formed.

Academic Language Demand

Language Function: The students will explain how rain forms using one sentence and a
picture.

Analyze Argue Categorize Compare/contras Describe Explain

t
Interpret Predict Question Retell Summarize

Scientific Vocabulary: rain droplets, water vapor, clouds, warm air, form
Instructional Objective: Students will be able to successfully write one sentence about how rain
is formed and draw a picture to go along with the sentence in the evaluate portion of the lesson.

Prior Knowledge (student): Students should know what rain is. They should also know what
water is and what a cloud is.

Content Knowledge (teacher): The teacher should know how rain forms. They should also
know the different types of clouds and how they are different from one another.

Accommodations for special needs (individual and/or small group):

Students who have trouble writing sentences will be given a sentence starter during independent
practice when they are required to write one sentence about how rain forms.

Students who are gifted with be able to write a more elaborate sentence during independent
practice.

Students who are English language learners will be paired with a partner during activities.
Materials and Technology requirements:
o Rain poem for each student
o Glass jar
o Ice cubes
o Water
o Clear tubs for each table
o Sponge for each table
o Paper for each student
o Cotton balls for each student
o Glue for each table
o Markers to label for each student

Total Estimated Time: 1 hour

Source of lesson: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/3705,

http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-rain.htm

Safety considerations: Make sure students do not splash water at each other, so make table
groups wisely. Students should only squeeze sponge over the tub and not on each other. Students
should stay at their seats at all times expect when directed to come to the carpet to discuss the
activities.
 Content and Strategies (Procedure)

Engage: Introduce the topic of rain. Ask the students what they know about rain. Then read a
poem with the students aloud about rain. (Students have a copy of the poem in front of them).

o Questions:
Do you know where comes from?
Where does rain go?
What do you where when it is raining out?
What happens outside when it is raining?

Explore: Before starting the activity the teacher will use a glass jar containing ice cubes to
demonstrate how rain form to help the students for the explore activity. Hold the jar where the
students can see the drops of water accumulating on the jar and then wipe the jar and wait
another few minutes so that the students can see the drops appear again. Discuss that the ice
cubes cool the air around the jar. The air around the jar condenses into water when it touches the
jar. This is similar to the moisture in the clouds that is cooled and falls to the earth as rain. (Later
describe this in explanation section of how rain forms using scientific terms). For the activity,
students will be given a small tub of water that is placed on each table. Every table needs a small
sponge. Students are instructed to dip the sponge in the water to represent a cloud being filled
with rain. Then the student squeezes the sponges, adding more or less of the water. Have each
student take turns squeezing the sponge before moving on.
o Questions:
How is this like the glass jar?
What happens when you add less water?
More water?
What do the sponges represent? Why?

Explanation: The reason that the rain droplets are forming in the air is because the air is warm
and the water droplets form from warm air. As the warm air rises in the sky it cools. Water vapor,
which is invisible water in the air will always be in our air. Warm air holds quite a bit of water.
For example, in the summer you feel wet and sticky outside which is the warm air holding water.
When enough of these droplets collect together, we see them as clouds. If the clouds are big
enough and have enough water droplets, the droplets bang together and form even bigger drops.
When the drops get heavy, they are pulled to the ground and you see and feel rain. This is like
the glass jar and sponge activity. The air is warmer outside the jar so rain droplets form outside
the glass jar just like they would in the warm air. In the sponge activity the sponges are like
clouds, or water droplets formed together, and when the sponge gets too heavy water falls from
it.

o Questions:
What is being formed to make clouds?
Why does rain fall to the ground?
 Where does rain come from?

Elaborate: Learn about clouds and the different types. Students will work with a partner to
match the name of the cloud to the picture on a piece of paper after being shown examples of
what they different clouds look like. The different types of clouds include Nimbus, Cirrus,
Cumulous, and Stratus. This will reinforce the concept of rain and allow students to see that not
all clouds are the same. A class example will be shown and can be displayed for the entire class if
students need help.

o Questions:
What are the different types of clouds?
What do they look like?
What is the difference between each cloud?
Which cloud is most likely to make it rain outside?

Evaluate:
o Formative- Students will be checked through questions and observations throughout the
lesson.
o Summative- Each student will be given a piece of paper. They will be required to write
one sentence about how clouds are formed (if need key words will be displayed on the
board) and to draw a picture with their sentence. The sentence is worth 2 points and the
picture is also worth 2 points for a total of 4 points for the assignment.

To be completed after the lesson is taught as appropriate

Assessment Results of all objectives/skills: 4 out of 14 students received 4/4. 5 out of 14

students received 3/4. 5 out of 14 students received 2/4. No student got lower than 2 out of 4.

Reflection on lesson: on weebly

CT signature/confirmation: _________________________________ Date: ________________

Rain Drops
Rain drops from the clouds and onto trees,

Down the tree trunks and off the leaves.

Down a mountain, into a brook,

Past a chipmunk in a nook.

Into a pond, off a log.

On top of a turtle and onto a frog.

Onto roads, onto the grass,

Onto trains and trucks that pass.

On top of bridges, cars and boats.

Even onto peoples coats.

Onto houses and my windowpane.

I just love to watch the drops,

The drips and drops of rain.

Clouds:

Cirrus clouds are the most common of the high clouds. They
are composed of ice and are thin, wispy clouds blown in high
winds into long streamers. Cirrus clouds are usually white and
predict fair to pleasant weather.

Stratus clouds are uniform grayish clouds that often cover

the entire sky. They resemble fog that doesn't reach the
ground. Light mist or drizzle sometimes falls out of these
clouds.
Cumulus clouds are white, puffy clouds that look like pieces of
floating cotton. Cumulus clouds are often called "fair-weather
clouds". The base of each cloud is flat and the top of each
cloud has rounded towers.

Nimbus clouds form a dark gray, wet looking cloudy layer

associated with continuously falling rain or snow. They often
produce precipitation that is usually light to moderate.