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Puddle Walk
A gentle rain is falling and you are dressed in your boots and your raincoat. Heres some fun for days that are wet and drippy.
HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED
- appropriate clothing (rain gear)
- a hand lens
HERE'S WHAT TO DO
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There may not be many people outdoors, but there will be lots of critters out and about. Look for worms that come out of the ground during the rain and end up on walkways. Look for spider webs covered with raindrops. Are you surprised that the rain hasn't washed away the webs?
With your hand lens, examine raindrops that sit like tiny bubbles on leaves or railings.
How does the rain feel? Stick out your tongue and catch a raindrop. Touch leaves, soil, and rocks. Feel the squishy ground beneath your feet.
MORE FUN!
Involve students in some of these extension activities:
Talk about the difference between summer rainy days and fall rainy days.
Play "I Spy" in the rain. Each player picks something for the other player to find. For example, "I Spy a leaping frog" or "I Spy a slippery leaf."
Look for rainy-day critters like snails, frogs, toads, and salamanders. Then go indoors, dry off, and read aloud The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer.
Look for rainbows just as the sun begins to burst forth.
ACTIVITY SOURCE
This activity is excerpted from Nancy Castaldo's Rainy Day Play, which is published by Chicago Review Press. This lesson idea is one of more than 65 imaginative activities from Rainy Day Play that are sure to inspire children as they discover and learn.
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A native of New York's Hudson
Valley, Nancy Castaldo earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Marymount College and a Master of
Arts from the State University of New York. As an environmental educator, author, and Girl Scout volunteer
and board member, Castaldo has led numerous children's workshops. Her school programs include workshops
on ocean creatures and other nature topics, creative writing, and pizza making/Italy. She has conducted
programs at the Boston Children's Museum, Atlanta Zoo, and Tennessee Aquarium. Castaldo's books include
River Wild: An Activity Guide to North American Rivers; Oceans: An Activity Guide for Ages 6-9;
Deserts: An Activity Guide for Ages 6-9; and Rainforests: An Activity Guide for Ages 6-9.
She is also author of a historical-fiction picture book, Pizza for the Queen. To learn more
about Nancy and her books, check out her Web site, Article by Nancy Castaldo
Education World®
Copyright © 2006 Education World
08/07/2006
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Subject: ELA- Reading
Grade: 5
Lesson Objective: To compare and contrast characters in a story using specific details from the text
Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3- Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).
Materials:
Printable Student Worksheet
Starter:
Say:
Why do you think that there are different types of characters in stories? (Allow the students to answer.)
Main:
Say:
Authors write about many different types of characters when they write stories. Different characters are needed to tell a story.
Some characters are main characters and we learn a lot about them while we are reading a story. They are very important to the story. The story is often about main characters.
Minor characters are in a story to help the major characters and to help move the story along.
In every story there is a protagonist. This is the character that the story is about and is a main character. The protagonist is a character that we as readers develop emotions about. Those emotions are generally good, but not always.
There is also an antagonist in every story. This is a character that goes against the protagonist. The protagonist must overcome the antagonist. For example, in “Little Red Riding Hood,” Little Red Riding Hood is the protagonist and the wolf is the antagonist. Little Red Riding Hood must overcome the wolf for the story to end.
Most characters in stories develop or change along the way. This is most noticeable in main characters, but this also happens with minor characters.
Paying attention to the character traits of the different characters in a story will help you to identify which characters are major, minor, protagonists and antagonists.
This will help you to better understand and appreciate the story that you are reading.
Now, you are going to read part of a story. You are going to think about the characters and how they are the same and how they are different and then you will answer the questions.
Does anyone have any questions?
Feedback:
Say:
Who would like to share their answers? (Allow the students to share and go over the answers.)
Written by Kimberly Greacen, Education World® Contributing Writer
Kimberly is an educator with extensive experience in curriculum writing and developing instructional materials to align with Common Core State Standards and Bloom's Taxonomy.
Copyright© 2019 Education World
Subject: ELA- Reading
Grade: 5
Lesson Objective: To identify the theme of a poem based on details in the text
Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2- Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
Materials:
Printable Student Worksheet
Starter:
Say:
Why do you think it is important to know the theme of a text that you are reading? (Allow the students to answer.)
Main:
Say:
Knowing the theme of a text helps us to better understand what the text is about and what the author is trying to tell us.
The theme is what the text is about.
When you are figuring out the theme of a text, particularly a poem, you should first look at the title. Sometimes, that tells us what the theme is. If it doesn’t, you should read the text and then think about what the author is saying and the feelings that the author is using.
You can also paraphrase when reading a poem to help you figure out what the author is saying.
After you have figured out the theme of the poem, you should go back and read it again.
This time, you should be thinking about how the author reflects on or speaks about the theme.
Reading the author’s words once you know the theme helps you to focus on the feelings and reflections that the author shares.
You should be noticing the types of words that the author uses and the feelings that those words evoke. Remember, poems are words that are put together to make the reader feel a certain way.
Now, you are going to read a poem. Read the poem two times. The first time you read it, think about what the theme is. The second time you read it, focus on how the author reflects on or talks about theme. Then, you are going to answer the questions.
Does anyone have any questions?
Feedback:
Say:
Who would like to share their answers? (Allow the students to share and go over the answers.)
Written by Kimberly Greacen, Education World® Contributing Writer
Kimberly is an educator with extensive experience in curriculum writing and developing instructional materials to align with Common Core State Standards and Bloom's Taxonomy.
Copyright© 2019 Education World
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