Lesson Plan #: AELP-INT0116
Submitted by: Dianne Bentley, Olivia Haley, Denise Moeller, Sandy Burris
Email: angelhaley@yahoo.com
School/University/Affiliation: University of Northern Iowa Elementary Education Students
Endorsed by: Sharon Smaldino
University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA Date: November 22, 1999
Grade Level(s): 3
Subject(s):
- Interdisciplinary
Duration: Five 45-60 minute sessions Description: 5 day unit covering the topics of weather, food groups, immigration using integrated curriculum
Goals: The students will understand about certain types of weather, about the food groups, and about immigration.
Objectives:
1. After the students see the cover of Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett they will predict that the book is weather and food related. Two word walls will be produced surrounding weather and food.
2. After discussing and defining types of weather, the third grade students will define three out of the six weather types on a written handout.
3. With a pinky partner, the third grade students will demonstrate their knowledge of food groups by illustrating a picture using a food of their choice and by writing a four-five sentence story to explain their picture.
4. Through discussion, third grade students will compare the immigration of the people in Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs , Grandfather’s Journey , and The People From Kosovo for ten minutes.
5. As a group, the third grade will calculate the measurements of the ingredients for our pancakes with 95%-100% accuracy.
Materials:
- Story books
- Grandfather’s Journey
- The People From Kosovo
- Shel Silverstein’s poem: Pancakes
Procedure:
Day 1:
After an introduction to the cover of the book, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, by Judi Barrett, the third grade students will brainstorm predictions for what will happen in the book by listing 25 weather or food related topics on separate word walls.
Teacher will then read, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs to the children.
Students will compare their predictions to what really happened in the book.
Assignment: Children will bring to school tomorrow the weather forecast out of a newspaper, from the internet, television, or radio.
Day 2:
Do a five-minute review with the following questions:
1. What book did we read yesterday? 2. What two topics did we create word walls around?3. What flew across the kitchen at breakfast in the book?
Discuss and define the following types of weather: snow, fog, rain, tornado, hurricane, and flood.
Relate different types of weather that we have discussed and defined to the different food disasters in the book.
Students will share the weather forecast information they found. They need to tell the class where the information was found.
Hand out a fill-in-the-blank sheet for students to define three out of the six weather types.
Assignment: Children will bring to school tomorrow a weather-related disaster that caused people to have to move. Sources that can be recommended to use are radio, television, internet, and newspapers. Allow students time to utilize the internet and newspapers to find information during their study time (for students who do not have access to these materials at home).
Day 3:
Do a 5-minute review with the following questions:
1. Yesterday, what weather terms did we discuss that are seen mostly in cold weather? 2. What weather terms did we discuss that are considered disastrous?
3. What kind of weather resembled mashed potatoes in Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs?
Define the five food groups. Reread Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs to the students.
Explain to the students that they will be producing a story, with pictures and words, in which food falls from the sky.
Ask students to get a pinky partner.
Have the students designate a student as an author and a student as an illustrator.
Hand out a piece of blank white paper and lined paper to each group.
Explain to the students that their story needs to be 4-5 sentences long, has to include a date, and the name of the food(s) used in the story. When titling their story they must incorporate a type of weather and their food in the title. Give the students the example of a title: Carrotcane=carrots in a hurricane.
Students turn in their story with both group members names on both pieces of paper.
During P.E. class, the students will simulate walking on peanut butter and jelly using wrestling/gymnastics mats with double-sided tape in miscellaneous areas.
Assignment: Tomorrow, students will share their favorite part of the book. Every student must have a different reason why it was their favorite part of the book.
Day 4:
Do a 5-minute review with the folloiwng questions:
1. What was your favorite part of the story? 2. What is(are) your reason(s) for liking that part?
3. What did it feel like to walk on peanut butter and jelly?
Ask students to explain what immigration means.
Define immigration as: to leave one country and settle in another.
Read Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say.
Ask the students the following questions:
1. Did anyone in Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs immigrate? 2. Where did they immigrate to?
3. What do you think life would be like in a new country?
4. What challenges would you face?
Introduce Micki Terrill and children/adults from Kosovo.
Assignment: Children should try to find out what country their ancestors came from.
Day 5:
Do a 5-minute review using the following questions:
1. Where were your ancestors from, if you know? 2. Were there any interesting stories that have been passed down?
3. What would you make your raft from to travel to a new country?
Read Shel Silverstein’s poem, Pancakes.
Write on an easel the ingredients, amounts, and directions for the pancake recipe.
Have children calculate how much of each ingredient is needed to make enough pancakes for the whole class.
Make the pancakes.
Eat the pancakes.
Test: we will use questions from the daily 5-minute reviews.
Assessment:
1. Evaluate the learners with the 5-minute reviews each day, their daily assignments, the 10-point test, and their discussions.