Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 152423
Making It Rain
This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. In this lesson, students will analyze an informational text that
addresses how different types of precipitation are formed. The lesson plan includes a note-taking guide, text-dependent questions, a writing
prompt, answer keys, and a writing rubric. Options to extend the lesson are also included.
Subject(s): English Language Arts, Science
Grade Level(s): 5
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter,
Internet Connection, LCD Projector,
Speakers/Headphones, Microsoft Office
Instructional Time: 2 Hour(s)
Resource supports reading in content area: Yes
Keywords: rain, hail, freezing rain, water cycle, snow, sleet, text complexity, Grade 5, science literacy
Resource Collection: FCR-STEMLearn Literacy in STEM 2016
ATTACHMENTS
Note-takingGuide_Rain_Answers.docx
Article_Rain.pdf
Final_Recommendation_Placement_Rain.pdf
Qualitative_Rubric_Rain.pdf
Text-DependentQuestions_Rain.docx
Note-takingGuide_Rain.docx
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Explain how different types of precipitation are formed, including rain, hail, freezing rain, and snow.
Compare how different types of precipitation are formed under different circumstances.
Cite specific and relevant text evidence to support analysis of the text.
Use various vocabulary strategies to define academic and domain-specific words in the text.
Construct a written response that introduces a main point, contains details with relevant textual evidence to support that point, utilizes transitions to maintain flow,
effectively uses domain-specific vocabulary, and provides an appropriate conclusion.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
In regards to science:
General familiarity with the water cycle would be beneficial to students.
In regards to literacy:
Students should have prior experience utilizing various vocabulary strategies to determine the meaning of unknown words in a text. For this lesson, prior experience
page 1 of 4 in using context clues to determine the meaning of words in a text would be beneficial. In addition, students should have some dictionary skills that will enable them
to look up words with multiple meanings and determine the most appropriate meaning based on how a word is used in a text.
Students should be able to respond to a writing prompt in a clear, organized manner that includes use of an introduction to establish the main point, details that
support the main point and include relevant and specific textual evidence, and a conclusion that supports the main point.
Students should have some awareness that use of transition words or phrases can help a piece of writing flow smoothly from one point or idea to the next.
Teachers might wish to provide students with a sheet of transitions to help them.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
1. What role do clouds play in the formation of the different types of precipitation that fall to Earth?
All forms of precipitation begin to form from the water vapor and tiny water droplets that make up clouds.
2. How are the different types of precipitation formed?
Rain is formed when water condenses onto other droplets of water in the cloud. This causes the droplets to grow. The droplets get too heavy to stay suspended
in the cloud and fall to Earth as rain.
If the air in the cloud is below the freezing point, ice crystals form instead of rain droplets. If these ice crystals encounter freezing or below-freezing temperatures
all of the way down to the ground, then snow is formed.
Hail is formed from a snowflake that falls through a warmer part of a cloud and gets coated with water. It is frozen again when it is tossed back into a colder part
of the cloud. It goes around and around, adding more and more layers of ice. When it's too heavy to stay up, it falls to Earth as hail.
Freezing rain is formed from falling snow that encounters first a layer of warmer air that melts the snowflakes, and then, just above the surface of Earth,
encounters a very cold layer that makes the water "super-cooled." When this water hits colder-than-freezing ground or objects near the ground, it turns to ice.
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
1. Begin the lesson by showing this video clip, titled "Forms of Precipitation" (1:41, uploaded by YouTube user Tiffany Taylor).After watching the video, ask the
students the following questions:
What types of precipitation did you see in the video? (rain, sleet, hail, snow)
Can all 4 types of precipitation occur in Florida? (Actually, yes! Although it's not common, all of these types of precipitation are on record as having occurred.
However, by far the most common type of precipitation that we see in Florida is rain.)
3. Inform the students that they will be reading an article on how different types of precipitation are formed.
Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
1. Provide each student with a copy of the article "What Makes It Rain?" For the class discussion that will follow, it might be helpful to have students number each
paragraph within the article. (There are 7).
2. Provide each student with a note-taking guide.
3. Have students fill in the note-taking guide as they read the text. This can be done individually, in pairs, or in small groups. The teacher should monitor students as
they work and provide support and guidance as needed.
4. If students struggle with the meanings of the subject-specific and academic vocabulary within the text, teachers can utilize these definitions and "clues."
Photosynthesis (Paragraph 2): the process by which green plants use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water ("Photo" means light)
Suspended (Paragraph 3): left hanging somewhere (Like "suspended animation")
Updrafts (Paragraph 4): an upward movement of air or other gas (Windy conditions are "drafty")
Circumference (Paragraph 4): the distance around something ("Circum" indicates a circle)
Super-cooled (Paragraph 6): when a liquid is cooled below its freezing point without solidification or crystallization
Transparent (Paragraph 5): allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be distinctly seen (Plastic wrap is an example)
How will you check for student understanding? (Formative Assessment #1):
1. Teachers can check students' understanding by collecting students' completed note-taking guide, checking their work, providing written feedback, or grading the
assignment. Or, teachers can have students share out their responses and the teacher can provide verbal corrective feedback, allowing students to make
corrections to their work during the discussion.
2. Teachers can use the sample answer key to help them assess students' answers.
Common errors/misconceptions to anticipate:
Students may think all the forms of precipitation are essentially the same. Especially in Florida, they many not realize there are so many versions of what they
consider simply "snow."
Students may mix up the words sleet and freezing rain. While they occur generally by the same process, there is a difference. Sleet occurs when rain freezes
before it reaches the ground. Freezing rain occurs when the rain freezes on contact with the ground or other objects close to the ground.
Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the
lesson?
Provide each student with a copy of the text-dependent questions to complete. Students should be reminded to continually refer back to the text and to use
relevant and specific evidence from the text to support their answers.
How will you check for student understanding? (Formative Assessment #2):
1. Teachers can check students' understanding by collecting students' answers to the text-dependent questions, checking their work, providing written feedback, and
maybe grading the assignment. Or, teachers can have students share out their responses and the teacher can provide verbal corrective feedback, allowing students
to make corrections to their work during the discussion.
2. Teachers can use the sample answer key included in the text-dependent questions to help them assess students' answers.
For common errors/misconceptions, see above.
page 2 of 4 Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
1. To close the lesson, review responses to the text-dependent questions and writing prompt as a class, including covering any misconceptions and key points
described in the sample answer key.
2. Refer back to the guiding questions posed earlier in the lesson.
3. After students' written responses have been graded and returned with feedback, teachers might wish to use the provided sample response with the class. Students
who are struggling writers can benefit greatly from seeing a well-organized, detailed written response. Point out to students:
How the author briefly introduces the topic.
How the author treats all 3 forms of precipitation in a way that compares/contrasts them, as required by the prompt.
How each detail contains a bit of "quoted" text evidence.
How transition words like however and then aid the flow of ideas and words.
How the author manages to conclude the topic.
How all of this is accomplished in a single, dense paragraph.
Summative Assessment
Students will individually respond to the writing prompt. They should be directed to respond with a one or two paragraph response, with a clear introduction,
supporting details that address the prompt, text evidence to support those details, transition word or phrases, and a conclusion. They must refer back to the text as
they construct their response.
Go over the writing prompt with students and make sure students understand what the prompt is asking them to address. Encourage students to underline key parts
of the prompt as the teacher goes over it so they will remember to answer all the required parts.
The prompt:
The author describes how several forms of precipitation are formed. Using the information presented in this article, compare and contrast the formation of snow, hail,
and freezing rain. Under what kind of circumstances is each formed?
Teachers will assess students' written responses according to their own criteria.
Formative Assessment
Specific suggestions for conducting the formative assessments can be found in the Guided Practice and Independent Practice phases of the lesson where it says, "How
will you check for student understanding?"
Feedback to Students
Specific suggestions for providing feedback to students can be found in the Guided Practice and Independent Practice phases of the lesson where it says, "Common
errors/misconceptions to anticipate and how to respond." Also refer to the text-dependent questions answer key.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
For struggling readers:
It might help students to "chunk" the text. Have students independently read section one, then have several strong readers read section one aloud.
Then, have students highlight the selected vocabulary for section one on the article. Work with students to model ways to define a few of the academic vocabulary
words to get them started. The teacher can think aloud as he or she decides which vocabulary strategy or strategies to use to define a word, and think aloud while
deciding which meaning from a dictionary entry with multiple meanings would be the best fit for how the word is used in the context of the article.
Then, have students complete the note-taking guide for the rest of section one. When students are ready, have them share out their answers and provide corrective
verbal feedback as needed, allowing students to make corrections to their work. Then repeat this process for the other sections of the text if needed. Or, at least
have students complete the graphic organizer for the next section and receive feedback on their work before they move on.
For struggling writers:
It might help struggling writers to provide them with an outline or template to help them structure their response. The template might include places for them to
record:
Ideas on how to introduce the topic and main point(s)
A few specific details from the text they might want to use to answer the prompt
Text evidence to support each detail
Transition words/phrases
Ideas on how to wrap up the piece and connect back to the prompt
Extensions:
To extend this lesson, have students come up with a narrative comic strip that uses humor to show how the different forms of precipitation are formed. This can be
drawn on paper or created online by searching for online comic strip creators like http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/.
You might also have students identify and locate on a map where the different forms of precipitation can occur due to geographic location.
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, Internet Connection, LCD Projector, Speakers/Headphones, Microsoft Office
Special Materials Needed:
page 3 of 4 "What Makes it Rain" Article
Note-Taking Guide
Text-Dependent Questions
Writing Prompt
Additional Information/Instructions
By Author/Submitter
The grade band recommendation reflects the shifts inherent in the Florida Standards and is based on a text complexity analysis of a quantitative measure, qualitative rubric,
and reader and task considerations.
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Allie Hawkins
Name of Author/Source: Allie Hawkins
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Leon
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
LAFS.5.RI.1.1:
LAFS.5.RI.2.4:
LAFS.5.RI.4.10:
LAFS.5.W.1.2:
Description
Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5
topic or subject area.
By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and
technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4–5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
a. Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and focus, and group related information logically; include
formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to
the topic.
c. Link ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast,
especially).
d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.
LAFS.5.W.3.9:
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
a. Apply grade 5 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or
events in a story or a drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g., how characters interact]”).
b. Apply grade 5 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., “Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to
support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point[s]”).
SC.5.E.7.4:
Distinguish among the various forms of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, and hail), making connections to the weather in
a particular place and time.
page 4 of 4