Digital Cloud Riddle Book

Objectives:

Students will recognize the value of illustrations, photos, and descriptive language in literature.

Students will gain experience with the use of technology through the use of digital cameras and computers.

Students will distinguish between various types of clouds and identify the four main cloud formations: cumulus, cirrus, stratus, and nimbus.

Students will learn to write riddles by giving clues about an object.

Introduction:
Read “The Cloud Book” by Tomie de Paola to the class. Discuss the illustrations and ask students to tell about their experiences and discoveries with clouds.

As a group, create a bubble map of the names and characteristics of the different types of clouds discussed in the story.

Ask the class if they’ve ever noticed a cloud that looked like something else. (Discuss)

Project Activity:
Materials: (Digital cameras, scanner, MS paint, PowerPoint, Paper, Pencil)

Explain that each student will have an opportunity to use a digital camera to capture photos of clouds they find interesting and/or look like another object.

They will return the cameras with their photos to be downloaded.

Photos will be downloaded on a classroom computer. Each student will choose one photo to use as a part of a class riddle book about clouds.

The chosen photos will be printed for students to use while brainstorming and documenting their riddle ideas. (The hard copies will serve as the original book for the classroom library. The digital book will be shared with everyone.)

Each student will write a riddle giving clues to the reader to help them discover the object in the cloud picture they choose.

Writing can either be scanned and added to the photos in Power Point, or typed by the student in a text box. (Teacher preference) The original student writing adds a personal touch.

Each student will have a duplicate cloud picture on a second page with a student-generated outline of the object in the cloud. This will be the answer to the riddle for the reader. (This may be done as a center rotation to allow for teacher guided computer time)

To outline the object in the cloud picture, students will use the “brush” tool in MS Paint, which will be added as the second page (answer) to their riddle.

Students will also add a text box for a caption describing the type of cloud in their photo.

Writing will be done on separate lined paper then scanned and added to a PowerPoint file combined with the cloud picture. Each set of cloud pictures will be added to one file creating a digital “Cloud Riddle” class book.

The book will then be printed, shared with families, and added to the class website for everyone to enjoy.