Thunder Cake.

Thunder Cake
By Patricia Polacco

Illustrations by Patricia Polacco

Book Summary:
A personal story favorite of mine, along with numerous others of Polacco's books, this story draws on the author's loving memories of childhood visits to her grandmother's farm in Michigan. Grandma, a Russian immigrant, is both wily and wise. She knows just how to distract Patricia from her fear of an approaching storm by measuring its distance, and then scurrying to bake a ''thunder cake'' before it arrives. Patricia barely has time to notice her nervousness as she collects eggs, milk, and other ingredients. By the time the storm breaks, she and Grandma are settling down to a delicious wedge of chocolate cake and a cozy cup of tea from the samovar. Patricia is surprised to realize how brave she has been.

Lesson: 1-2-3-4... Distance from a Storm.
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Lesson Duration: 40 minutes
Standards Addressed: Science & Math:
Standard K-4: The student will demonstrate an understanding of seasonal weather changes.
Indicator K-4.2: Compare the weather patterns that occur from season to season.
Standard K-2: The student will demonstrate through the mathematical processes an emerging sense of quantity and numeral relationships, sets, and place values.
Indicator K-2.1: Recall numbers, counting forward through 99 and backward from 10.
Standard K-5: The student will demonstrate through the mathematical processes an emerging sense of coin values and the measurement concepts of length, weight, time, and temperature.
Indicator K-5.5: Understand which measure—length, weight, time, or temperature—is appropriate for a given situation.
Lesson Objectives:
-The student will identify the warning signs of a summer thunder storm.
The student will describe differences between thunder storms in the summer verses
winter.
-The student will describe the sounds thunder makes and identify the words the
author used to describe thunder.
- While listening to an audio recording of a thunderstorm, the student will count the
distance between him/she and the storm (based on the method used in the book).
Materials:
(Procedure):
-Polacco, P. (1990). Thunder cake. New York, NY: The Putnam & Grosset Group, Inc.
-2-3 minute thunderstorm audio clip and/or video:
-http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=2523
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlOJr1csOR4&feature=related
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNYdZqLLLyQ&feature=related
-Computer.
-SMART board/ screen and projector.
-Thunder Cake Song- Download and lyrics (see below) @
http://www.songsforteaching.com/readinglanguagearts/thundercakes.php
-Copies of the Thunder Cake recipe (see below).
-Large flip chart.
-Thick marker.
-Copies of the Thunderstorm Counting worksheet.
-A light bulb.
-A sponge.
-A rectangular plastic bin/tub (≈8-12”x8-12”).
-A flashlight (and batteries).
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31eqF3av5uk&feature=fvw
-A static ball and/or video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKIJKrl35as&feature=related
-Crayons, colored pencils, regular pencils, markers.
Extension A):
*You can have students bring some of the materials in from home prior to the day of the activity by sending a letter home to the parents-you can indicate what will be needed and have the parents check want they would be willing to lend, and then assign students to bring in certain materials. The parent letter would also provide a sign up list for parents to volunteer to help on the day of the activity. The letter will also have a copy of the recipe, indicating all ingredients and a place for parents to comment if their child has allergies to any of them.
-Mixing bowls (various size/2-3 per group, mixing spoons, whisks, small cake molds, oven mitts, measuring cups, measuring spoons.
-PAM non-stick spray.
-Paper towels.
-Cellophane.
-Tin foil.
-Plastic knives and forks.
-Napkins.
-Paper plates.
-4 cake platters.
-Parent Letter/Material list/Volunteer Sign-up.
-Class set of Thunder Cake recipes.
-Thunder Cake story sequencing cards.
-Access to a refrigerator.
-Access to 1+ ovens.
-Egg timer.
-CD with thunder sounds.
-Stereo/boom box.
-Thunder Cake ingredients as listed on the recipe (x4-amount recalculated in ( )’s):
- Shortening (4 cups)
- Sugar (7 cups)
- Vanilla extract (4 teaspoons)
- Eggs (1 dozen)
- Pureed tomatoes (1 1/3 cups)
- Flour (9 cups)
- Baking soda (5 teaspoons)
- Salt (5 teaspoons)
- Chocolate butter frosting (4 containers)
- Diced strawberries (4 cups).
**IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER: Any student allergies, parent volunteers to help (1/group and to do the oven portion), amount of time needed to bake, might want to see if this can be done in school’s kitchen, send the parent letters home far enough in advance.
(Extension B):
-Thunder cake song lyrics-class set and file saved on computer.
-Thunder Cake song recorded to a CD.
-Boom box/stereo
-A computer
-SMART board
-Projector
Introduction:
[The class will be seated on the carpet]
The teacher will ask the students to name some different kinds of weather patterns and the noises they can make.
1. The teacher will introduce today’s topic: Thunderstorms.
2. The teacher will activate schema by asking students about their personal experiences with thunderstorms, if they like thunderstorms, and how thunderstorms make them feel.
3.The teacher will remind the student to use their sense of hearing during the story, respect his/her neighbors by not talking while the story is being read, to stay seated on his/her bottom, and if the student has a question related to the story to raise his/her hand. The teacher will explain that they will discuss the story after reading it so to try and save comments until after the story is read
4. The teacher will read aloud the story, Thunder Cake.


5. The teacher will ask the students to predict what they think the story is going to be about by looking at the title and cover illustration.


6. The teacher will ask the student if he/she gets frightened by lightening like the little girl in the story.


7. The teacher will point out some of the words the author uses to describe the sound of thunder.


8. The teacher will take student questions and comments.


9. The teacher will ask the students to recall the signs of an approaching thunder storm that were mentioned in the story.(Very humid-“hot, heavy, damp”, dark clouds, shorter distances between thunders “booms/cracks,” by reviewing the text and illustrations in the book with the students and listing the students’ answers on the flip chart.


10. The teacher will ask the students to recall what season this story takes place in, and other than the author stating the season in the text, what other things might help to indicate the season (use illustrations, words-“hot, heavy, damp”, the student is not in school, point out where is indicates the season in the text, etc. to describe that it is summer.


11. Ask the students if a thunderstorm in the winter might be different than the one in this story that takes place in summer(temperature outside, signs of a thunderstorm, etc.).

Procedure:


1. The teacher will very briefly give the students some background on thunderstorms: Thunder and lightning storms (and rain) are common in the summer because there is so moisture in the air, which is the dampness, and stuffiness we feel; we call this humidity. The teacher will write humid on the board and ask the students to repeat the word aloud. The teacher will continue: With so much moisture the clouds are like sponges and cannot hold anymore so it rains. [The teacher demonstrates this with a tub of water and a sponge].
2. The teacher will explain what causes the loud noise thunder and the flash of lightning: The noise of thunder and the flash of lightening are caused by electricity in the sky, just like the electricity we use for light bulbs. [The teacher will hold up a light bulb] It is also the same energy you feel if you have ever gotten a shock by touching something. Electricity comes in particles that bump into each other, just like if I were to bump into (student’s name). This causes a loud noise and the light across the sky. [The teacher will share with the student a static ball/video of a static ball to show this].
3. The teacher will ask the students to think back to the book and to recall how the girl in the story used the flash of lightning and the sound of thunder (to determine the distance of the storm).
4. The teacher will demonstrate how the girl in the story started counting when she saw the flash of lightening until she heard the sound of the thunder, on the white board using tally marks. The teacher will review how to use tally marks pointing out the tally marks they use daily for counting the days on the calendar. The teacher will explain to the student that he/she will have a chance to practice this. The teacher will demonstrate how the activity will be done: The teacher will dim the lights in the room, switch the flashlight on and off (to represent lightning), and then the student will begin to make tally marks on the Thunder worksheet until he/she hears the noise of the thunder. They will repeat this several times. The student will then count eat tally up under the numbers listed on the worksheet. As a class they will talk about if they think the example of the storm is moving away from them or moving toward them. The teacher will explain how they can do this by seeing if the numbers are getting smaller or bigger each time they count. After they are done, the teacher will allow the student time to draw a picture of a thunderstorm, something he/she learned/saw in this activity, or what he/she does during a thunderstorm.
5. The student will complete the activity and the teacher will collect the student’s worksheets.
Extensions-To be done following this lesson over the course of the same week:
Extension A:
1. The teacher will give the students about 3-5 minutes to share their illustration from the previous lesson.
2. Prior to reading to the students the teacher will ask them to pay close attention to the steps the girl and her grandmother take in collecting the ingredients and the steps in making the cake. The teacher will reread Thunder Cake with the students.
3. The teacher will put the students into 4 groups, to complete a sequencing activity about the steps that the grandma and the girl in the story took when making the Thunder Cake.
4. The teacher will distribute sequencing picture cards and give them time to put them in the correct order.
5. The teacher will walk around and one the group has completed the sequencing activity in the correct order, check the names of the students off on a class list.
6. The teacher will then tell the students that they will be making Thunder Cake today and
that some parents will be arriving shortly to help with this. The teacher will go over and pass
out the recipe to the class. The teacher will also hand out a set of directions with images
illustrating the various steps, similar to the ones they saw in the sequencing activity.
7. The teacher will go over behavior and safety guidelines that must be followed during this baking lesson.
8. When the parents arrive the students will work in their groups with one parent assigned to each group and make Thunder Cake.
9. The students will clean up their cooking materials.
10. They will have the opportunity to frost and add the strawberries to the cake after it has cooled (after lunch), and then eat the cake, while the teacher reviews what skills the students have learned in the two lessons and what knowledge they have gained. The students will be encouraged to add what they have learned as individuals.
Extension B:
1. The teacher will teach the class the song Thunder Cake, by distributing a class set of song lyrics and projecting the lyrics of the song on the SMART board so that the teacher can point to each word as it is sung.
2. Once the students have practiced it several times the teacher will add music and encourage students to stand up and move/dance like a thunder storm.
Assessment:
-The teacher will use the Thunderstorm Counting Worksheet to assess addition skills and comprehension of the Thunder lesson.
- The teacher will observe and take notes re: the ways the students identify differences between summer and winter storms.
- In the extension the teacher will observe and take notes during the sequencing activity and during the baking activity.
Modifications:
-If the lesson is too difficult: The teacher will focus on the differences between summer and winter and then do the counting activity, deciding not to explain what causes thunder and lightning unless asked.
-If the lesson is too easy: The teacher will discuss the distance of the storm in more detail, including what a mile is. The teacher will go over storm safety.

Thunder Cake Recipe
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream together one at a time:
1 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs, separated
( blend yolks in. Beat whites until they are stiff, then fold in.)
1 cup cold water
1/3 cup pureed tomatoes
3. Sift together:
21/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup dry cocoa
11/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4. Mix dry mixture into creamy mixture. Bake in two greased and floured 8 1/2 inch pans at 350 degree for 35 to 40 minutes. Frost with chocolate butter frosting. Top with strawberries.
* Materials list is adjusted for each group (4 groups) to make a cake, so the recipe is quadrupled.

Thunder Cake Song Lyrics
(to tune of “Yankee Doodle”)
1.Grandma looked on the horizon and a storm was coming
The thunder rumbled loud and strong like a million drummers drumming
With the right ingredients ,Thunder Cake is yum-yum
But you need to have it baked before the storm comes
ZIP went the lightning! 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 BAROOOOOOOOOM!
2. The child was afraid of thunder and it made her shake
Grandma said, “Don’t worry, child. Let’s make a Thunder Cake!”
With the right ingredients, Thunder Cake is yum-yum
But you need to have it baked before the storm comes
ZIP went the lightning! 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 BOOM BA-BOOOOOM!
3.First they gathered up some eggs from mean old Nellie Peck hen
After Kick Cow gave them milk then to the shed they went
With the right ingredients, Thunder Cake is yum-yum
But you need to have it baked before the storm comes
ZIP went the lightning! 1-2-3-4-5-6 CRACKLE, CRACKLE BOOOOM,
KA-BOOOOOOOM!
4.Next they got some chocolate and some sugar and some flour
But that thunderstorm was getting closer by the hour
With the right ingredients, Thunder Cake is yum-yum
But you need to have it baked before the storm comes
ZIP went the lightning! 1-2-3-4-5 KA- BANG BOOOOAROOOOM!
5.Three overripe tomatoes was the main secret ingredient
The child picked them for Grandma because she was so obedient
With the right ingredients, Thunder Cake is yum-yum
But you need to have it baked before the storm comes
ZIP went the lightning! 1-2-3-4 KA-BA-BOOOOOOOOOOM!
6.Grandma taught her granddaughter that she was really brave
And all her fears of thunderstorms just simply went away
With the right ingredients, Thunder Cake is yum-yum
But you need to have it baked before the storm comes
ZIP went the lightning! 1-2-3 RRRUMBLE! CRASH!
WE MADE IT!!!http://www.songsforteaching.com/readinglanguagearts/thundercakes.php

Hello, Harvest Moon.

Hello, Harvest Moon

By Ralph Fletcher

  Illustrated by Kate Kiesler

Book Summary:
Everything is still in the world, in fact so still, that something is just waiting to happen on this night in early Fall. This is how it all begins on the night of the harvest moon and as the moon rises in the sky over the stalks of the corn, a strange sort of "magic" begins to engulf the landscape, touching all the plants, trees and animals. It also wakes up a little girl and her cat, who becomes one of the people to witness this wonderfully round golden moon. All sorts of incredible things seem to be happening in the light of this very special moon, all sorts of tiny miraculous events. It is no ordinary Fall night, as the landscape is brought to life, for example,"Milkweed pods have cracked open,/spilling out spores/like tiny moonlings/floating/up to their mother." The book is written in a poetic manner, with metaphors and similes, create exciting images for the reader's imagination which are complimented with the beautiful illustrations.

Lesson: Fall Harvest Stamp Patterns.
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Lesson Duration: 45 minutes
Standards addressed: Language Arts, Science, Math, & Visual Arts:

Standard: K-1: The student will begin to read and comprehend a variety of literary texts in print and non-print formats.

Indicator: K-1.8: Create responses to literary texts through a variety of methods (for example, writing, creative dramatics, and the visual and performing arts).

Standard: K-2: The student will begin to read and comprehend a variety of informational texts in print and non-print formats.

Indicator: K-2.4: Create responses to informational texts through a variety of methods (for example, drawings, written works, and oral presentations).
Standard: K-3: The student will learn to read by applying appropriate skills and strategies.
Indicator: K-3.19: Use prior knowledge and life experiences to construct meaning from texts.
Standard: K-4: The student will demonstrate an understanding of seasonal weather changes.
Indicators: K-4.3: Summarize ways that the seasons affect plants and animals.
Standard: K-3: The student will demonstrate through the mathematical processes an
emerging sense of repeating and growing patterns and classification based on attributes.
Indicator: K-3.1: Identify simple growing patterns.
Indicator: K-3.2: Analyze simple repeating and growing relationships to extend patterns.
Standard I: Understanding and Applying Media, Techniques, and Processes Students will:

A. Begin to identify differences among media, techniques, and processes used in the visual arts.

Lesson Objectives:

-The student will identify Fall harvest crops and how weather affects how certain plants grow.

The student will relate the story to prior knowledge and infer the meaning of "harvest moon" from the pictures.

-The student will gain a general comprehension of what "harvest moon" means

-The student will create repeating patterns.
Materials:

-Fletcher, Ralph. (2003). Hello, harvest moon. New York, NY: Clarion Books.

-Construction paper-off white (leaf rubbings), and deep brown (stamps).

-Paper towels.

-Paper plates.

-Crayons.

-Newspaper.

-Kids' Tempera Paint-off white, yellow, orange, olive green, red, tan.

-An assortment of fall leaves (not fake and of various shapes, colors, sizes, and textures).

-A medium-size pumpkin.

-Pears.

-Apples.

-Corn.

-Raw Wheat-dried.

-Radishes.

-Potatoes.

-Cinnamon

-Oven.

-Cookie sheet, oven mitt, etc.

-Pumpkin seeds.

-felt board.

-felt pieces-moon, apples, wheat, pumpkins, potatoes, squash, pears, scarecrow, etc.

-Jar.

-Class list.

-Half sheets of paper.

*Note all cutting/slicing of stamps should be done prior to class and stored in Ziploc in the refrigerator.

Introduction:

1. The teacher will ask the student if anyone knows what a "harvest moon" is and in what season could we have a harvest moon.

2. The teacher will explain the harvest moon by using a felt board and placing a large full moon on the board. The teacher will also start to talk about the word harvest and put some images onto the board like corn, pumpkins, and a scarecrow.

3. The teacher will ask questions to the student to get an idea about his/her prior knowledge about fall harvest and what he/she knows about the specific season of Fall. The teacher will ask the student if he/she knows the word harvest or if anyone has a guess at what it could be.

4. The teacher will tell the students that fall is traditionally a time when farmers harvest their crops, which means they gather them and get them ready to be sold because the crops (usually fruits, vegetables, wheat/grains) are ripe.

5. The teacher will introduce the book, Hello, Harvest Moon, do a short picture walk to see what they think a harvest moon really is, and read it aloud to the class.

6. As the teacher reads the book, she will note how the Harvest Moon is personified, or treated as if it can think and act like a person. She will also discuss how it is portrayed in the illustrations. The teacher will have the student try closing his/her eyes for parts of the descriptions and tell the students to visualize what the fall scene looks like in his/her head.

7. The teacher will say to the class that the moon almost sounds like a person and ask the class if they think a moon can really do the same things as people. The teacher will try to guide a student to explaining why the moon is personified (described by human traits).

8. The teacher will ask the students to describe some of the things that were mentioned in the story and what the landscape scenes were like.

9. The teacher will discuss the scarecrow and what its purpose is? The teacher will explain that farmers put them in their fields to scare the crows away and other birds that would normally eat the farmer's crops.

10. The teacher will ask the students what kinds of crops they think are harvested in the fall based on the story. The teacher will write the student responses on the white board, making sure to cover: apples, corn, potatoes, pumpkins, wheat, radishes, pears, squash, etc.

11. The teacher will explain that these are fruits and vegetables that grow best in the summer-fall season due to the weather and temperature. The teacher will explain that they will be doing a fun project to remember these fall harvest crops.

12. The teacher will ask the student to return to his/her seat for further instructions.

Procedure:

1. The teacher will explain that the students will be using vegetables and fruits as stamps to make art prints, and also do some leaf rubbings, for those who finish early.

2. The teacher will show the students that when plants and vegetables are sliced in half they make some really neat patterns with their seeds. The teacher will have already sliced all the vegetables and fruits into halves and will hold up to show the students.

3. The teacher will demonstrate how she uses the stamps on her construction paper to make patterns, and how she can make a repeating pattern. Then she will demonstrate how she can also create leaf rubbings by taking a maple leaf and putting it under a piece of construction paper and then rub on top of it and the leaf's shape and texture shows through. The teacher will show the students that there are many leaves to choose from and that like the fruits and vegetables art project, making patterns, they can also different leaves to make rubbings and create interesting patterns.

4. The teacher will explain that everyone should do the vegetable and fruit stamping project first and if they finish early they can start the leaf rubbing project.

5. The teacher will have already covered the tables with newspaper and she will set the crayons and leaves at the front of the room, along with a stack of off-white construction paper, for those early-finishers.

6. The teacher will explain to the student that the stamping project involves paint so they must be very cautious not to spill it on them self, his/her peer, or on the floor. The teacher will tell the student that she knows that he/she is very responsible and that she knows she can trust them to do this.

7. The teacher will hand out paints that are on paper plates, with the stamps. She will tell the student that he/she should not mix paint colors and to do his/her very best to keep the stamps with the right color.

8. The teacher will also tell the student that he/she will have to share with his/her group, which may require some patience, but the teacher will tell him/her that she has no doubt in her mind that he/she can handle this and will be respectful and fair.

9. The teacher will tell the class that when he/she is done with his/her stamping project that the student can raise his/her hand and the teacher will move it to the drying rack and that he/she can begin working on his or her leaf rubbings. Once the stamping patterns are done and all dry, they will be able to look at some of the repeating patterns created in the class.

10. The student will begin to work, as the teacher facilitates, and provides scaffolding. The teacher will carry a class list/matrix on a clipboard throughout the activity to take notes on any important observations of students.

11. Once the whole class is done with the prints, the teacher will call clean-up, where all students will be expected to help.

12. Once the stamp artwork is done, the teacher will go through some of them with the student and see if he/she can identify the vegetable/fruit/wheat that made the print and if the class can identify the repeating patterns. The teacher will hold up halves up the stamps that have been washed off and see if the student can match it to the print on the paper.

13. The teacher will ask the students to review all of the vegetables and fruits they discussed today as Fall Harvest crops and ask the class to remember the trick that the farmer uses to scare the crows away, which they saw in the story.

14. And last, the teacher will uncover a jar filled with Cinnamon covered pumpkin seeds, and tell the students that the seeds in this jar are the seeds from the pumpkin that the student used when making stampings. The teacher will explain that she has baked the pumpkin seeds and sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar and that they are edible. The teacher will tell the students that they are going to see who can guess the number closest to the exact number of seeds there are in the jar. The winner will get to take the jar home, eat the pumpkin seeds if he/she likes, then fill it with whatever he/she likes, and bring it back next week and have the other students guess the number of things in the jar. The winner of next week's jar will then get to take the jar home and do the same, until everyone has had a turn. The teacher will explain that whatever is put inside the jar should be something that the winner can keep and the things inside the jar should be all roughly the same size.

15. Before going out to recess, as an exit slip the teacher will have the student write his/her guess on a slip of paper with his/her name. While the students are at recess the teacher will make sure no two students have the same guess, and record the guesses onto a simple chart.

Heat Wave.

Heat Wave.

By Eileen Spinelli

Illustrated by Betsy Lewin

Book Summary:

The town of Lumberville is in the grip of a heat wave. There are no air conditioners, so everyone in town swelters in the heat, which only seems to worsen each day. On Monday, the movie theatre closes and Abigail and Ralphie Blue set up a lemonade stand. Tuesday is even hotter, and some of the residents in the town resort to taking long cool baths and showers. By the time Thursday rolls around it is so hot that Mr.Blue shaves off his beard, and the Pettibone sisters put their perfume and makeup in their icebox, and people are walking around town in their swimsuits. No one can imagine that it can continue to get even hotter, but it does, and the people of Lumberville must find creative (and funny) ways to keep cool in the scorching summer heat.

Lesson Plan: Weather Wear.
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Lesson Duration: 40 minutes
Standards addressed: Language Arts,Science, & Visual Arts:
Standard: K-3: The student will learn to read by applying appropriate skills and strategies.
Indicator: K-3.19: Use prior knowledge and life experiences to construct meaning from texts.
Standard: K-4: The student will demonstrate an understanding of seasonal weather changes.
Indicators: K-4.2: Compare the weather patterns that occur from season to season.
K-4.3: Summarize ways that the seasons affect plants and animals.
Standard: Creative Expression – Students will develop and expand visual arts knowledge of media,techniques, and processes in order to communicate and express ideas creatively.
Indicator: b: Use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences and stories.
Lesson Objectives:
-The student will connect prior knowledge and personal experiences about summer to the book.
-The student will identify proper clothing choices for summer after reading, Heat Wave, and then discuss and identify the best clothing suited for seasons.
-The student will identify ways that both humans and animals can stay cool on hot summer days. Materials:
-Spinelli, E. (2007). Heat wave. New York, NY: Harcourt, Inc.
-Teacher-created SMARTboard Notebook Season Clothing Match Activity.
-SMARTboard.
-SMARTboard Notebook software.
-Computer lab with 1 computer/student or 1 computer/pair of students.
-Printer w/ paper.
-Large flip chart
-A sharpie.
-Markers.
-Pencils.
-Fabric.
-Any craft supplies for decorating "people chains".
-Crayons.
-"People Chain" handouts (class set).
-Clothing templates (class set).
-Class set of scissors.
-Class set of glue sticks.
-Also see: http://www.fossweb.com/modulesK-2/AirandWeather/activities/whatstheweather.html
Introduction:
1. The teacher will ask the student what he/she does when it is really hot outside. The teacher will ask them what they do to stay cool.
2. The teacher will introduce the book, Heat Wave, to the class and ask the class if anyone knows what the expression "heat wave" means. The teacher will establish a definition with the help of the class and write the class's definition on the flip chart.
3. The teacher will ask the student what he/she thinks the story is going to be about based on the title and the illustration on the front cover. They teacher will ask the student why they think that.
4. The teacher will read, Heat Wave, aloud to the class.
5. As the teacher reads the story, she will point out the clothing that the people i the book are wearing. The teacher will ask the students why they are dressed like that and if they would dress like that during other times of the year or if they student thinks it is only that hot there in the summer.

6. As the teacher reaches the end of the story, she will ask the student what the people in the story might wear in other seasons, like winter, when they are trying to stay warm, rather than keep cool.
7. The teacher will list the students' clothing ideas under the appropriate season column on the flip chart.
8. The teacher will tell the student that the class will be going to the computer lab today to do a fun activity about what we wear depending on the season of the year.
9. The teacher will walk with the students to the computer lab, and once there meet in a circle on the carpet.
Procedure:
1. Once in the computer lab, the teacher will review the rules for appropriate and safe use of the computers, as well as the basics for using them such as how to turn the computer on and log in.
2. The teacher will open up her Notebook activity onto the smart board and go through each of the slides and how to navigate through the activity. The teacher will explain that the students will have to dress the two children on each of the four slides, appropriately for the season listed at the top of the page. The teacher will then explain that before the student can move onto the next slide, once completing a slide, he/she must first print that completed slide of the appropriately dressed children. Once the student has completed and printed all 4 of of the slides, he/she should staple them together and hand them into the teacher.
3. The teacher will explain that if the student finished early he/she can click on the links on the last page to access online, interactive games and activities about the four seasons, until the remainder of the class has finished.
4. The teacher will excuse the class to their individually assigned computers, and then walk around the computer lab, monitoring appropriate use of the computers, and answering questions.
5. Once all students are done doing the clothing match computer activity, the teacher will tell the class that they will now return to the classroom, and the teacher and class will proceed to walk back together.
6. The teacher will talk to the student on the way back to the room about what they noticed about the similarities and differences between the clothing we wear according to the season. The teacher will ask why the he/she thinks this is.
7. When the class has returned to the room, the teacher will explain to the class that they will now be doing a creative project showing people and how they dress for each season.
8. The teacher will hand out templates to the class of "people chains", giving the student the choice between a chain of boys or a chain of girls to draw on clothes for (teacher will have already cut out centers).
9. The teacher will hand out scissors and tell the student to write his/her name on the back after cutting the people out and folding them on the indicated line. The teacher will write the 4 seasons on the board so the student does not forget one or mix them up. The teacher will put the flip chart in the front center of the room as a reference.
10. The teacher will hand out pens and crayons, and walk around monitoring and helping students.
11. Once all students are done, they will have the chance to share their people in small table groups and the students will have to try and guess each of the seasons by looking at the kind of clothes the student has drawn on each of the people.
12. The teacher will then review the flip chart with the students and relate the activity back to the book before moving on to the next lesson.

A Little Bit of Winter.

A Little Bit of Winter

By Paul Stewart

Paintings by Chris Riddell

Book Summary:

Rabbit is feeling decidedly sad for himself because his best friend Hedgehog is going to sleep for the winter. There is more to it than that as well for while Rabbit will be missing his sleeping his friend very much, Hedgehog admits that he really won't be missing Rabbit. After all you "don't miss your friends when you are asleep." Hedgehog asks his friend if Rabbit will do him a favor and save him "a little bit of winter" so that he can feel and see what winter is like. Hedgehog even goes so far as to leave Rabbit a note to remind him to fulfill this request, just in case Rabbit forgets. It is a hard, cold, snowy, and hungry winter for Rabbit but he manages to remember his friend's wish to experience winter. Carefully and conscientiously he makes his preparations and sets aside "a little bit of winter" for Hedgehog.

Lesson: Animals' Winter Plans:

Grade Level: Kindergarten.

Lesson Duration: 35 minutes.

Standards addressed: Science & Language Arts:

Standard: K-4: The student will demonstrate an understanding of seasonal weather changes.

Indicator: K-4.3: Summarize ways that the seasons affect plants and animals.

Standard: K-3: The student will learn to read by applying appropriate skills and strategies.

Indicator: K-3.19: Use prior knowledge and life experiences to construct meaning from texts.

Lesson Objectives:

-When given a list of animals, the student will distinguish between animals that hibernate, migrate, and those who do not hibernate or migrate during the winter.

-The student will be able to come up with one animal that hibernates, 1 animal that migrates, and one that does neither in the winter, off the top of his/her head (without being provided with a list of animals).

-The student will be able to explain the general principal/define the word hibernate and the word migrate.

Materials:

-4 sets of animal flashcards with 20 animals in each (with the name and illustration of an animal on each one). These should all be different, so a total of 80 different animals. The animals on the cards should fit into one of the 3 categories: animals that hibernate in the winter, animals that migrate in the winter, and animals that do not hibernate/do not migrate in the winter. Each set of 20 should be printed on a colored piece of paper (to work with distinguishing the groups apart).

-3 medium/large baskets or boxes, labeled: migrate, hibernate, neither

-A parent newsletter (that was sent home at least a week prior to day of this lesson, requesting that students wear their PJ's for a fun day of learning about how animals survive in the winter).

-Duck tape.

-Flip chart.

-Sharpie.

-A poster board, divided into the 3 sections: hibernate, migrate, neither.

-Animal find worksheet (see below).

-Class list.

-Clipboard.

-Pencils.

-Crayons.

-Markers.

-Stewart, P. (1999). A Little bit of winter. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

Introduction:

1. The teacher will ask the students to come to the carpet and make a circle.

2. The teacher will ask the student if he/she likes wearing his/her pajamas to school.

3. The teacher will introduce the book, A Little bit of Winter, and explain that the book will explain and should give the student a good idea as to why he/she is wearing his/her pajamas today.

4. The teacher will read the class, A Little Bit of Winter, and ask the students throughout the story, while using the think-aloud strategy to encourage students to infer some things about the story, and also encourage students to connect to the story, by thinking about personal situations they have been in, which are similar to the characters in the story.

5. When the teacher starts to read about hibernation in the story the teacher will write the word on a flip chart and define it for the students, as: When animals sleep all winter long in the home (nests, holes, burrows, caves, inside a tree, etc.). Animals eat a lot of food in the fall and then they can sleep all winter and their body has enough energy from all that food they ate to survive. Many animals do this and it is perfectly normal and safe for them but humans cannot because it would be too unhealthy for them and be very dangerous. The teacher will explain that this is the reason why they were asked to wear their pajamas to school today since they will be learning about hibernation.

6. The teacher will finish the story and discuss the book with the student, asking the following questions: Do you think you would like to sleep all winter long?, would you miss your friends if they hibernated?, what things would you miss out on if you hibernated all winter?, and can you think of any other animals that hibernate, other than a hedgehog?

7. The teacher will make a list on the flip chart as the student comes up with animals.

8. The teacher will then introduce the word migrate to the student and define it as: animals that travel to a warmer place each year in the fall before it gets too cold and stays there until the weather gets warm again, returning home in the spring.

9. As an example of migration, the teacher will ask the students if anyone has ever seen Canadian geese flying south for the winter in a V-shaped formation.

10. The teacher will ask the class if they can name any animals that they think may migrate in the winter to warmer climates. The teacher will add these examples to the column on the flip chart labeled, Migrate.

11. The teacher will then ask the student, what the animals do, of they do not hibernate or migrate in the winter. The teacher will explain that some animals do not mind the cold, especially if they have heavy fur coats or special feathers to insulate them and keep them warm. The teacher will ask the student if he/she can name animals that choose to "stick around" and be "out-and-about" during the winter.

12. The teacher will add those animals to the list, under the column labeled "Neither".

13. The teacher will then tell the class that they will be playing a fun game about animals in the winter.

Procedure:

1. The teacher will set up three baskets, labeled: Migrate, Hibernate, and Neither.

2. The teacher will read the titles on the baskets aloud and identify the images that correlates to the word, such as a person with a suitcase next to the word migrate, a person sleeping next to the word hibernate, and an "X" next to the word neither.
3. The teacher will tell the student about the game he/she will be playing: The class will be divided into four groups and each group will be assigned a color and be given a set of 20 animal flashcards that they may not look at and must remain in a stack, facing downward. The baskets on the front table will be used in this activity too. Each team will form a line behind the masking/duck tape line stuck to the carpet. Each team will be expected to form a line behind the tape, facing the baskets at the front of the room. The teacher will explain that they will be doing a animal matching relay game. The teacher will continue to explain the "race" by demonstrating with a blank card, by picking it up, looking at it and running to the correct basket depending on the animal, in order to match the animal as one that, hibernates, migrates, or does neither. Then one the student has put the card into a basket/box, the student will run back and tag a teammate, whom will repeat the process, and then each person in the line will have a chance to be a runner in the activity. The student will go through his/her line several times. The goal is the first team to be finished and to correctly identify which animals belong in which category.

4. After explaining the directions the teacher will ask if there are any questions that the students have.

5. The teacher will count off the class into 4 groups and show each group to the piece of tape that the group will stand behind. The teacher will hand out the cards to each group. Once the student is ready the teacher will ask if every team is ready and then shout, "Ready, set, GO!"

6. The teacher will watch the class for safety and take notes on individual students during the activity.

7. When all teams are done, the teacher will go through the boxes one at a time and check to see if the student was accurate with the categories that all the animals were placed under.

8. The teacher will make changes between the basket groups when needed, and the teacher will involve the class in writing any animals they can add from the relay activity to the class lists of animals that hibernate, those that migrate, and animals that do not do either of those.

9. The teacher will then tell students that they will choose one animal from any category on the chart and complete the corresponding sentence written on the board of a piece of lined-paper. The sentences: 1. If I were a __________________, I would hibernate in the winter, 2. If I were a ________________, I would move south for the winter, 3. If I were a __________, the winter cold would not bother.

The student will then use crayons or markers illustrate a picture of the animal he/she chose to write about.

10. The teacher will explain that once the student has completed his/her sentence and illustration that he/she may work on a Highlighter's, "Find the Animals worksheet," until the rest of the class is finished.

11. The teacher will walk around the room and offer scaffolding to those who need it.

12. When the whole class is done, the class will review what was learned today and see if any students were surprised about any of the animals they learned fall into one of these categories.