Cloudin Around

Undesirable Behavior: Students not ready for the start of any lesson (also occur when students are transitioning from one
subject to the next) without materials or writing utensils that are needed. This interferes with learning as class time
has been wasted, because they have to return to their backpacks or desks for materials. Then they are distracting other
students and being off task for longer periods of time, causing the lesson to take longer to get started, resulting in less
instruction and learning to take place.
Expected Behavior: (60-90 seconds) Make way to your cloud

Listen for moving music (Moving music is music played by teacher at the start of each new lesson)
Conversations stop
Check the board for supplies needed for the lesson (list and picture)
Clear desk of any supplies that are not needed
Gather supplies that are listed and pictured on the board
Get to cloud space (workspace), sit down, and have eyes on teacher
Wait and listen for teachers directions

Immediate R+: As soon as a student is ready as defined, the teacher will give them a cotton ball. Students will save their
cotton balls to glue on the cloud outlines.
Ongoing R+: The cloud outlines will fill, showing the class progress. The more the clouds fill up, the closer they will be to
completing the display board, meaning the closer they are to making their own clouds.
Overall: When students have completely filled cloud display, as a class, they will get to create their own clouds using
shaving cream on their desks, based on particular nature sounds, and visuals presented to them.
Interactive Learning Activity: The students will be working together to complete the cloudin around display that will be
located inside the classroom. The display is of three different cloud shape outline (Cumulus, Stratus, Cirrus) with
their names listed beneath them. Once all students have completed the three cloud types on the display board (with
mini lesson on each cloud once filled,) students get to create their own clouds using shaving cream on their desks, to
show differences of each cloud type, based off the weather sounds and weather pictures that are shown to them.
TEKS: 1st Grade Science
(8) Earth and space. The student knows that the natural world includes the air around us and objects in the sky. The student
is expected to: (B) observe and record changes in the appearance of objects in the sky such as clouds, the Moon, and
stars, including the Sun;
How to teach the desired behavior: The teacher will lead discussion on the expectations for being ready for each new
lesson of the day (transitions between subjects.) After a short discussion time with students, the teacher will model
the standards on what is expected of them, point out and read the expectations to the class on the display board. The
teacher will have all students practice, as a class, leaving the classroom, going about their business, and then
transitioning in the way that the teacher expects them to from lesson to lesson once the moving music starts.
How to teach the plan: After teaching the desired behavior to the students, the teacher will them explain to them the
cloudin around display that has appeared within the classroom. The teacher will point out the different types of
clouds outlines on the board, but question to them as to what is exactly missing from the clouds. The inside of the
clouds! The fluff! The teacher will inform students that they will be working together to fill out the clouds that are
apart of the display. Once students have taken all steps in transitioning to different lessons, prepared at their
workstations they will receive fluff to fill each cloud type. To remind students we are working to fill the display, the
teacher will pass out cotton balls at the start of each new lesson, and make it a point to announce to the class that a
particular student is getting fluff to fill the clouds, and getting to return to the sky of clouds to glue his/her fluff when
the time is right. (For the first couple of weeks.) The teacher will have students complete a mini cloud for one day
to show how the plan works. Once the students fill the mini cloud, before the three main clouds, they will be able to
travel as a class outside to investigate and take pictures of the different clouds they see in the sky. This will allow
students to practice, and know exactly what to work for and how to glue their fluff to the three cloud types.
Options: This activity could be switched to focus on a different desired behavior. This activity could be switched in the way
in which the bulletin board is filled out (focus on one cloud first to fill up, and then the rest, instead of all three at one
time.) The ending activity could be switched to make it a lesson on the water cycle, or weather recognition. This
activity can also be used for any grade level or age group.