Weather Word Picture

Tell students to imagine that they have to describe a kind of weather to someone who has never experienced it before - for example, a snowstorm to someone who lives on the equator. If you wish, have students brainstorm a list of phrase-starters such as the following: It looks like . . . It sounds like . . . It makes you think of . . . It makes you feel . . . Then encourage them to "paint a picture" with words, so that someone reading their description could visualize the kind of weather they are describing. Make arrangements for students to read their descriptions to another class. The audience can respond by drawing pictures based on students' descriptions.

Weather Anecdote

Most of your students probably have a story to tell about a weather-related experience they have had or heard about. For example, they may have experienced an unusual storm of some kind, witnessed large hail or a heavy snowfall, lived through a heat wave, watched a heavy fog roll in, heard an account of a tornado, or seen an unexpected rainbow. Suggest that students write accounts of their experiences. Explain that they should describe what happened, where and when it occurred, and how it made them feel. Invite students to draw pictures to illustrate their stories. When students finish, have them share and discuss their work. Then have them bind their stories into a book and display the book where others can read it.

Weather Poem

Some students may enjoy selecting a weather element as the basis for a diamond-shaped poem. Explain to students that the first line of the poem is the one-word subject of the poem. (For example, wind.) The second line consists of two adjectives describing the subject (cool, gusty). The third line contains three verbs telling what the subject does (blows, sweeps, howls). The fourth line expresses, in two words, the writer's feelings about the subject (wonderful wind). The last line repeats the first. When students finish writing, provide time for a poetry reading. Then collect the poems in an anthology.

Source: Informal Innovations® Teaching Guide