Chippewa Valley Schools Learning Activity

 

 

 


TITLE:  Cloudy With a Chance of…

 

CURRICULUM:  Science, Language Arts, Technology

 

GRADE LEVEL: Second

 

                                                                                                                            (Click here for a sample.)

PURPOSE:  Students will show how science concepts can be interpreted through creative expression such as language arts and fine arts.

 

CVS STANDARDS/BENCHMARKS:

                SCIENCE

                II. Reflecting on Scientific Knowledge:  Explore the nature of the scientific enterprise, its strengths, limitations, and connections to other ways of knowing.

q       II.1.2 Show how science concepts can be interpreted through creative expression such as language arts and fine arts.

V.      Earth and Space Science:  Explore properties of the Earth, water and how water moves, and atmosphere and weather.

q       V.3.1 Describe weather conditions and climates.

q       V.3.3 Describe seasonal changes in weather

LANGUAGE ARTS

I.1 Read with Comprehension:  Students will read and comprehend a variety of materials.

q       I.1.3 Read with developing fluency a variety of texts, such as stories, poems, textbooks (Social Studies and Science), and periodicals.

I.2 Write with Clarity:  Students will demonstrate the ability to convey meaning through writing.

q       I.2.1 Write with developing fluency for multiple purposes to produce a variety of texts, such as stories, journals, poems, learning logs, directions and letters.

q       I.2.2 Recognize and use authors’ techniques in composing their own texts and ideas expressed by others.

q       I.2.4 Recognize the mechanics of language such as nouns, verbs, adjective, capitalization rules, punctuation marks, and spacing.

 

NETS STANDARDS/PERFORMANCE INDICATORS:

1.1    Basic Operations:  Use input devices and output deices to successfully operate computers.

3.9    Technology productivity tools:  Use technology resources (e.g., puzzles logical thinking programs, writing tools digital camera, drawing tools) for problem solving, communication, and illustration of thoughts, ideas, and stories.

4.9 Technology communications tools:  Use technology resources (e.g., puzzles logical thinking programs, writing tools digital camera, drawing tools) for problem solving, communication, and illustration of thoughts, ideas, and stories.

 

DESCRIPTION:

The students will begin by reading the story Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs written by Judi Barrett.  The students will discuss the different types of weather that took place in the story.  Through the students’ science unit, the students should be able to identify the different types of weather.  Using the computer program Kid Pix Deluxe 3, the students will create a scene with a type of weather similar to those described in the book Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.   The students will then save and export this picture to Microsoft Word.  From here the students will create a short story to tell what is happening in their picture and will identify a type of weather condition.

 

 

PREPARATION:

You will want to obtain several copies of the book Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. The students should be familiar with the tools in Kid Pix in order to create their picture.  I would recommend spending one class time allowing the students to create several scenes so that they can choose their favorite.  Students can choose to use the background stamps, or they can create their own scenes using the pencil tools.  The students should also be familiar with Microsoft Word.  It is helpful if the students have knowledge of changing font, font size, and center text.

 

 

ACTIVITIES

Creating a Background…

  1. Have the students log on using their individual log in.
  2. Have the students open the program Kid Pix Deluxe 3.
  3. From the tool bar, have the students choose the Background Tool.
  4. From the tool bar at the bottom of the page, the students can choose a background.  The best backgrounds can be found in Active, Culture, Everyday, Fantasy, Nature, Photos, and Science.
  5. The students can click on a picture and drag it to the center of their page.
  6. This will become the background.
  7. **If students wish to create their own background, they can skip this step and use the Paint Can and Pencil Tools to draw their background.

 

Adding Objects to the Picture…

1.  The students can choose to use stickers or stamps to add details to their background.

Stickers      Stamps

2.  When the students are ready to choose foods to fall from the sky, they will find many food stamps in the following stamp sets:  Ad Lib, Celebrations, Cutouts, Home, Jumble, Sleuth, Write Away.  From the Sticker category the students can go to Food.

3.  Remind the students that they can change the directions of the stamps by click on the stamp and then the Pencil for editing stamps.

 

 

The Blue double arrow will flip your picture. The Purple arrow will turn your picture 90 degrees every time you click it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saving and Exporting the Picture…

  1. Once the students have completed their picture, the student should go to File/Save.
  2. Make sure the students save to their H: drive. (You will want to save the picture in case the students need to make changes to their picture.  If they just export, they will not be able to change the picture if they open it again in Kid Pix.)
  3. After the students save, have the students go to File/Export.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opening the Picture in Microsoft Word…

  1. Have the students open Microsoft Word.
  2. Using a blank document, have the students go to Insert/Picture/From File…
  3. Have the students go to the H: drive to locate the file they exported.
  4. The students should click on their file and then click Insert.
  5. Once the students have inserted the picture, they can click enter on their keyboard and begin typing.

 

Saving and Printing…

  1. Have the students go to File/Save.
  2. Make sure the students go to their H: drive.
  3. Once the students have saved, they can log on to a computer that is connected to a color printer and go to File/Print and print their story.

 

Additional Activity…

  1. Once the students have completed their stories, you may want to print them and create a class book.

2.    Or, you can open a blank presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint and insert each of the students’ stories on a blank slide.  (You can access the students’ stories by logging on as a teacher and going to the S: drive.  This drive contains the entire student H: drives.)

 

 

 

 

TOOLS AND RESOURCES:

Kid Pix Deluxe 3

Microsoft Word

 

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by: Judi Barrett

 

 

ASSESSMENT:

You will want to check to see if the students have included all of the directions to follow the pattern in the story.  The students should make sure they use complete sentences, capitals, and periods.  The students can also use spell check if they are familiar with this Microsoft Word.

 

 

CREDITS:

This lesson was created by:

 

Angela Miller

Instructional Technology Consultant

Chippewa Valley Schools

19120 Cass Avenue

Clinton Twp., MI 48038

amiller@cvs.k12.mi.us

 

COMMENTS:

This lesson is similar to the Spooky Story.  Teachers have piloted this lesson and have had success.

 

 

PREREQUISITES:

The students should be familiar with the drawing and stamping tools in Kid Pix Deluxe 3.

The students should be familiar with typing and editing in Microsoft Word. 

The students should have read the book Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.