Your kids can learn to name every cloud in the sky, and then read tomorrow's weather off today's clouds. That's what brings learning rather than just filling out worksheets!

And the great part? This unit is easy to fit into your day. It's 18 pages, 15 minutes a day for two weeks. You don't need a telescope, a weather station, or a subscription. You just need the sky, this unit, and curiosity.

What the unit involves

• Week one, learn the ten main types of clouds. You'll find a field guide that sorts clouds the way meteorologists do, along with fun activities to help your kids learn and identify them easily.
• Every day, log what you see in the sky. Every day, take a couple minutes to observe the sky and log it in your observation journal (included).
• Week two, start predicting. After spending a week observing, your kids will get to put their predictive powers to work as weather forecasters!

What you'll find in the unit

• Cloud identification chart, all ten basic cloud types
• Decision tree: a yes-or-no path to naming a cloud in five quick questions
• The few Latin words that build every cloud name
• Learn about Luke Howard, the amateur in 1802 who came up with the system we still use to name clouds today
• Four notebooking pages, one per cloud family
• Two-week observation log and a draw-the-sky page
• What the clouds are telling you: the prediction table
• How to make a cloud in a jar, with the explanation of why it works
• Word building activities and copywork
• Extension track for grades 3 to 8: learn to determine the height of a cloud along with copywork pages
• Teacher notes and a full answer key

Who it is for

The unit is written for K through 5th grade, with an extension track for grades 3 through 8 so everyone can learn together at their own pace.

What you get

• 18-page print PDF, formatted for US Letter
  
• Instant download. Print as often as you like for your own family or classroom

What you need

A pencil, a window, and a jar.

A note on how this is taught

Nothing in our units is based on rote memorization or worksheets as busywork. The unit is designed to be easy on the parent, fun for the kids, and effective for learning.

Part of the Weather & Sky series from Life Beyond the Lesson Plan.