Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

As an extension of a weather unit, second grade students will use the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett to explore compound words using an introduction to spreadsheet.

A lesson plan for grade 2 Computer/Technology Skills, English Language Arts, and Information Skills

By Mary Rizzo

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Related topics

• Learn more about Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, compound words, language arts, phonics, read-alouds, spreadsheets, and technology skills.

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Learning outcomes

Students will use a spreadsheet to organize compound words they find in the book Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. After entering the data, they will sort the columns by alphabatizing the words. As a fun ending activity, they will re-sort, using only one column of words, thus creating “new” compound words. Students will write a sentence with their new compound word.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

40 minutes

Materials/resources

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

Technology resources

• Spreadsheet program - such as Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Works (Works 4.0 is used in the example)
• Printer

Pre-activities

The teacher will read the book Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Students will compile a list of 10 compound words from the story. There are over 15 compound words throughout the story. The teacher will decide the best way for students to compile the list. For example, the story could be read aloud again and students could write down the compound words as they hear them, or the students could make a class list as the teacher rereads the story. Also, the book(s) could be made available to the students who would be responsible for reading it and recording the words during appropriate work times. Several days may be needed to allow for this option.

Activities

Part I

1. Students would bring their lists of compound words to a computer lab where each student should have access to a computer and a spreadsheet program.
2. If the teacher has not already introduced the parts of a spreadsheet, s/he would do so before entering any data. Make sure that ‘row’, ‘column’, ‘cell’, and ‘entry bar’ have been defined.
3. Students will enter data into two columns. For this exercise, they will not have a column heading.
4. Each cell in one row will have part of a compound word. Example: ‘meat’ and ‘balls’ for ‘meatballs’. Go down to the next row for the next word.
5. Students should save no later than after having entered the fifth word. Encourage them to save early and to save often.
6. Once all 10 compound words have been entered, save again.
7. Students will select all the cells (both columns) and sort them in ascending order (alphabetically).
8. Save

Part II

Just for fun, students will now create ‘new’ compound words by mixing up the order of the word parts.

1. Select all the words in only one column and sort them in descending order. This will create ‘new’ and silly compound words.
2. Students should then choose one ‘new’ compound word and type a sentence using the new word. Encourage them to be creative and have fun. In Microsoft Works 4.0 (spreadsheet), students can type a sentence using the Text Tool in the Tool Palette.
3. Save
4. Students should made sure their name is on their document. Print.

See Attachment below for an example of how the spreadsheet would look after they have been sorted and ‘new’ compound words have been created.

Extension

• Students could write a ’sister story’ to Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs using their new silly compound words.
• Or, students could illustrate their new compound word in a drawing program such as Kid Pix.

Assessment

• As students enter their compound words, the teacher(s) circulates and observes that the students understand how compound words are formed by noting that they are divided correctly into the two columns on the spreadsheet. Individual assistance is given if needed.
• The printed copy of the spreadsheet will be evidence of the student’s ability to separate the word parts in a compound word.

Supplemental information

Comments

This lesson was designed to be an extension to a unit on weather where Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is used to introduce the unit. This language arts extension for compound words is good practice (or a starting point) for students to enter data into a spreadsheet. After this exercise, they are ready to enter data into a spreadsheet and then create a graph. Maybe they’ll collect temperature data and graph its changes!