Cycles in Nature: Supplemental Guide CA | Culminating Activities 185Life Story
Materials: Drawing paper, drawing tools
Have students pretend they are one of the creatures they heard
about from the previous read-alouds. Have each student write
their creature’s life story, being sure to include the stages of its life
cycle.Guest Speakers
Invite a local meteorologist from the community to visit and talk
to students about his/her work and how s/he studies the weather.
You may wish to share ahead of time the specifi c aspects of
clouds and the water cycle that you are covering in this domain.You are a Meteorologist
Materials: Drawing paper, drawing tools
Have students pretend they are meteorologists. If your classroom
has a window, give each student an opportunity to observe what
types of clouds and/or precipitation are in the sky. If possible,
select a day when the students can go outside. You may wish to
divide students into pairs or groups. Have students draw the types
of clouds and/or precipitation they see and write a caption naming
and/or describing them. You may also wish to have students view
the sky on different days so they are able to observe different
clouds and/or precipitation. As students share their weather
reports with the class, remember to repeat and expand upon their
vocabulary using richer and more complex language, including, if
possible, any domain-related vocabulary.Nature Poems
Collect various poems related to cycles that can be found in
nature. [Some possibilities might be: “Bed in Summer” by Robert
Louis Stevenson; “Bee! I’m expecting you!” by Emily Dickinson;
“Caterpillars” by Aileen Fisher; “Something Told the Wild Geese”
by Rachel Field; and “Who Has Seen the Wind?” by Christina
Rossetti.]