Text Set Collection 1: Weather

This is a text set about the different types of weather within the seasons.

Weather Poems: http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems17.html

            Ages 5-9

            I found a collection of weather poems that include themes of different types of weather, animal behavior throughout the seasons, and other weather related topics. I like to use poems as mentor texts and have students follow the structure to write a poem on their own. One of my favorite poems I found is called Wonderful Weather:

I like to watch the way the wind
can spin a weather vane.

I like to wear my big blue boots
to splash with in the rain.

I like to ride my bright red sled
on cold snowy days.

I like to feel the sun's warm rays
when I wade in the ocean waves.

Wind, rain, snow, and sun
Every kind of weather
is wonderful and fun!

  

Summer Days and Nights by Wong Herbert Yee 

            Ages 2-5

            This picture book is the story about a girl’s adventures on one summer day and one summer night. She fills her day with classic summer activities and goes to sleep dreaming of what she will do the next day. I would use this book as an interactive read aloud and have the students share some of their favorite summer time activities. 

Why Do Leaves Change Colors? By Betsy Maestro

            Ages 5-9

            This beautifully illustrated picture book explains why leaves change colors in the fall. Text features, like labeling different types of leaves, are used in the book as well. This book is written for a younger audience, but I would share it in a small group setting so that students could see the pictures more clearly.

Snowflake Bentley

            Ages 5-7

            Snowflake Bentley is the story of a boy, Wilson Bentley, who discovered that he could take pictures of snowflakes with his camera. Eventually Bentley discovers that no two snowflakes are alike. This is an interesting, inspiring, and informative true story.

Snowflakebently.com

            Ages: 8-10

            This is an informative website that expands on information presented in the book Snowflake Bentley.  I would use this website in a small group or with the whole class to learn more about Wilson Bentley and his contributions to science.

            http://snowflakebentley.com/bio.htm

Ice is Nice by Bonnie Worth

            Ages 6-8

            Ice is Nice is one of many books from the nonfiction series The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That. The story follows a fun rhyme scheme and explores characteristics of the North and South Poles. This book is also available in the form of an app that will read the story to students and allow them to follow along.

Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld

            Ages 5-6

            Cloudette is the story of a small cloud that wants to be able to do the things other big clouds can do. Throughout this story she meets new characters and finds a way to make her own storm. I would share this story with students in a small group setting. The pictures are beautiful and speech bubbles are used for some characters witty comments.

My Garden by Kevin Henkes

            Ages 6-8

            My Garden is about a little girl’s fun and imaginative garden. She envisions growing things like chocolate rabbits and jellybean bushes. I added this book to the text set because weather patterns in springtime allow things to grow. Although this is an imaginative book, I think it would lend itself well to a discussion about gardening and the process of growing something. 

Weather Whiz Kids: http://www.weatherwizkids.com/            

          Ages 8-10

          This is a website that was created by a meteorologist to inform students about different types of weather. The website is colorful, well organized, and contains kid friendly graphics. The website is also easy to navigate through as the panels on the left-hand side clearly label each topic. Students can use this website to explore types of weather more in-depth. I would use it to have students perform research on a specific type of weather pattern.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

            Ages 5-8

            This is a fun story about the town of Chewandswallow whose food comes from the sky. Instead of this town having regular weather patterns, their weather comes in different types of food. This story is imaginative and has a silly twist on weather that students will enjoy. I think this story would be a fun conclusion to a unit on seasons and weather. The story also lends itself well to creative writing.