SEASONS

Objective: Students will use previous learning of weather, precipitation, and seasons from a weather unit to create a collage for all seasons. This lesson is also a good beginning activity to familiarize students with collage applications.

Materials:

• magazine and newspaper images of seasons, seasonal weather and different types of precipitation
• white paper
• glue
• tape
• scissors
• colored construction paper
• magazines, newspapers with images of weather phenomena

Background:

1. Remind students that they have been studying weather. Ask students what is meant by precipitation. Have students recall various types of precipitation (rain, fog, snow, hale, ice).
2. Have the students list the four seasons on the chalkboard.
3. Ask students to tell you some things they have learned, especially about the types of precipitation that occur in each season. Ask for volunteers to place the list under each season on the chalkboard.
4. Ask the students if they associate certain colors with each season (winter - blue, grey, white; spring - green, yellow, pink; summer - green, blue; fall - orange, yellow, brown).
5. Tell students that they will be making a picture of the precipitation that occurs during each season.

Activity:

1. Explain the collage process. A collage is a collection of different types of already made images and paper cutouts that are glued down to a paper surface to create a new picture in your own ideas.
2. Group students into small groups allowed by the class size.
3. Assign each group of students pictures of different seasons and precipitation, glue, scissors, and paper.
4. Have students arrange the pictures into four piles, one for each season.
5. Have the students fold their piece of paper into four equal parts.
6. Have the students make a collage with the pictures for each season in each of the four parts. Make sure the students understand to keep each season separate.
7. Encourage students to cut out the parts of the image they want. They do not need to use the entire picture.
8. Encourage students to incorporate associated seasonal colors into their collage. Pieces of colored construction paper work well for this.
9. Give the students another sheet of paper the same size as the other. Have them cut four shuttered windows in the paper (2 x 2). The cuts will correspond to the placement of the seasons in the collage.
10. The students will then lay the cut out paper over the collage and tape the edges onto the collage.
11. Have the students write their name on their creation and clean up their area.
12. Collages will need to dry before evaluation.

Evaluation:

1. Ask for volunteers to share their collages.
2. Ask students what types of precipitation occur in each season?
3. Did students use the collage technique properly?
4. What creative choices did students make as far as placement of images, where multiple images put together for each season, were colored papers incorporated into the design and details?
5. Did students use the correct precipitation for each season?

Resources: 

Book: Seasons by John Burningham 

Chart paper divided into four parts - labeled summer, fall, winter, spring Lap boards or individual chalkboards for each student 

Drawing paper - five pieces for each student 

A pack of crayons for each student 

A variety of pictures representing each season 

Books about the seasons and trees (use Amazon.com to find books) 

Digital camera

Assessment: Rubric

Students can name the four seasons. Proficient 

Students can name three of the seasons. Partially proficient 

Students can name one or two of the seasons. Needs Development