Weather Reports as Writing Prompts for Creative Writing

Play or sing a few songs about the weather. Good examples include "You are my Sunsine" and 'Its Raining, its Pouring."

Create simple icons (draw them on the chalkboard) such as a white cloud for cloudy days, a black cloud for days in which it might rain, etc.Then, discuss weather reports on television with the students. What kinds of things do the reporters say? What types of pictures does the television show during weather reports?

Watch actual weather reports in class, if possible. Also, look at weather maps from the newspaper and talk about what the different symbols mean.

Give students time to draw their own weather pictures. There is no right or wrong at this point, the key is to tap into their individual creativity.

Students increase their vocabulary and description in this lesson plan. Ask them to come up with a variety of words for:

• Hot Days: sweltering, summer, etc.
  
• Winter Days: snow, frosty, etc.
  
• Stormy Days: showers, lightening, etc.
• Other Words: forecast, conditions, etc.
  

Let students come up with as many words as they can for these and more categories such as Cloudy Days, Nice Days, etc.

Divide the class into small groups. Instruct the students to use what they have learned to script a complete weather report. Give them enough time to:

• Draw pictures to be used in their report,
• Develop a complete script, similar to a weather report on television,
• Write up their weather report in paragraph form, and
• Rehearse.
  

The end result is groups of students taking turns performing their weather reports for the rest of the class. Encourage the children to utilize as many descriptive vocabulary words as they can. Collect the written weather reports at the end of the presentations.

It is reasonable to assign parts of this project as homework.

A rubric for grading this project should include:

• How well-written are the reports in paragraph form,
• Use of weather vocabulary words,
• Clarity in the visual presentations, and
  
• Ability to give an oral presentation.