KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

PROFESSIONAL SEMESTER PROGRAM
LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Teacher Candidate: Kaitlyn Groff Date: Time: Am and PM

Cooperating Teacher: Mrs. Bisbing Coop. Initials: KB
Group Size: 17 Grade Level: 4th
Subject or Topic: Science

Storms
STANDARD: (Common Core):
S3.D.2.1.1 recognizes that clouds have different characteristics that relate to different weather
conditions.

I. Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes):

The fourth grade students will be able to identify different types of clouds.
The fourth grade students will be able to identify characteristics of a thunderstorm

II. Assessment/Evaluation plan -

Collecting the Rain Cloud Observation sheet to check understanding.

III. Instructional Materials:

Storm Papers.
Clear Cups
Shaving Cream Bottles
Food Coloring
Water.

IV. Subject Matter/ Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea, outline of additional
content):
Prerequisites:

● Clouds
● How the wind and air affect the weather
● The water cycle

Key Vocabulary:
 ● Cloud- a visible mass of condensed water vapor floating in the atmosphere, typically high
above the ground.
● Cirrus- thin wispy clouds high in the sky.
● Cumulus- puffy clouds scattered throughout the sky.
● Stratus- huge thick blanket cloud, covering the sky.
● Nimbus- means a cloud that already has snow or rain falling from it.
● Thunderstorm- a storm with thunder and lightning and typically also heavy rain fall or
hail.
● Hail- pellets of frozen rain that fall in showers from cumulonimbus clouds.
● Lightning- the occurrence of a natural electrical discharge of very short duration and high
voltage between a cloud and the ground or within a cloud, accompanied by a bright flash
and typically also thunder.
● Thunder-a loud rumbling or crashing noise heard after a lightning flash

Content/Facts:

● Mystery Science video.

V. Implementation:

A. Introduction –
● Watch the video. 5 min 20 seconds.
● Discussion prompt: What’s the worst thunderstorm you have ever experienced? Have you
ever noticed a thunderstorm coming toward you, before it arrives? What clues would you
look for to know if a thunderstorm was coming your way?
B. Development –
Day 1:
● Hand out the books that the students will use to identify cloud types. (These are going to
be pre-prepped for the students.
● Watch the 7 minute video filling out the types of clouds
● Watch the 2 minute video explaining cloud types.
● Finish pages 5 and 6 if you have time
● Stop once the video talks about the activity.
Day Two

1. Activity one. Making rain clouds in a bottle. Introduce the activity to the students.
Students will be creating a rain cloud in a mason jar filled with water, shaving cream, and
blue food coloring to simulate raindrops. Have the mason jars, water, shaving cream and
food coloring separated out on each table for each table to have a rain cloud to observe.
During the actual activity play sounds of rain in the background. (Prepared before class to
not take up in class time.) Prep time is about 10 minutes.
 2. Remind students of science safety rules that are in place in the classroom and the items
on the tables are tools for learning not toys right now. Begin explaining what the students
are going to be doing. Students will be observing raindrops(food coloring) being
produced from a cloud (shaving cream). (10 minutes)
3. Hand out rain clouds in a bottle worksheet. Explain it is going to be handed back in. (2
minutes)
4. Allow the students time to make the cloud. Taking the mason jar filled with water
(leaving an inch of water from the top) has students spray a good amount of shaving
cream into the mason jar. This will be the cloud. (3 minutes.)
5. Have students draw how their normal cumulus cloud looks on their raindrop worksheet.
(3 minutes.)
6. Students will drop 10 drops of food coloring into the mason jar. As the “Cloud” fills with
more and more rain, it will get heavier and begin to fall out of the cloud, like rain. Allow
time for observation of the rain.(1-3 minutes)
7. Have the students record what happened after the rain fell. (3 minutes.)
8. Clean up the experiment, carefully encouraging one student to pour out the water into the
classroom sink, and have students wipe off the tables and trays.(5 minutes)

C. Closure –
Read the reading article:
Fill out the google form on Google Classroom.

VI. Reflective Response:

A. Report of Students’ Performance in Terms of States Objectives (Reflection on student

performance written after lesson is taught, includes remediation for students who failed to
meet acceptable level of achievement)

B. Personal Reflection (Questions written before lesson is taught. Reflective answers to

questions recorded after lesson is taught.)

VII. Resources (in APA format):

VII. Resources (in APA format):
https://mysteryscience.com/weather/mystery-2/local-weather-patterns-weather-prediction/47?
r=168540842