Lesson Plan: The Bad Weather Song

Lesson Level:  Junior                      Duration:  40

Lesson Title:     The Bad Weather Song

Grammar and Vocabulary

Vocabulary for weather and weather related activities. .

Lesson Objectives

Reinforce weather vocabulary.

Practice pronunciation and intonation using a song.

Materials Required

Enough copies of song sheet¹ to share one to two students in class.

 Preparation

Copy song sheet.

Procedure

1

Write “The Weather” on the board.

Ask class what it means.

Ask class about today’s weather and yesterday’s weather.

Ask individual students what kind of weather they like.

2

Divide class into groups. You need no more groups than can comfortably work at the board.

3

Write on board

Groups 1,3,5… write down as many words about GOOD weather as you can.

Groups 2,4,6… write down as many words about BAD weather as you can

You have two minutes.

Check understanding and that all groups are on task.

4

While groups work, clear the board and divide into as many columns as there are groups and give each group chalk (or a board marker if using whiteboards).

At end of two minutes  get one student from each group to board to write their words.

Mark as follows.

If the word is correctly spelled, and for the right kind (i.e. good or bad) of weather, give 2 points. If the word is weather (of either kind),  but incorrectly spelled, give one point.

If the word is for the wrong kind of weather (orr could be for the wrong kind) ask the rest of the class if it is good or bad weather and score accordingly.

Have a round of applause for the winning tean.

5.

Clear the board.

Tell class you will now sing a song.

Write on board and tell class..

I will give you the song. (show the papers)

Read it.

Look for NEW words.

Write any words you don’t know in your book.

Hand out the song sheets and give two minutes to  read.

6

Read the song to the class (don’t sing).  Check which words are new and write them on the board. Explain meanings of new words.

7

Sing the song.

For this, I use the following procedure.

I sing a line.

The class sings the same line.  If they need practice or most students sit without singing  (they often do for the first verses) repeat.

Follow the procedure for the whole song.

8.

Extension activity.

There is usually time for this activity in stronger classes.

Sing the song again but this time on alternate verses have just the boys or just the girls singing so that it’s a competition. (My song has an odd number of verses. I get everyone to sing the last verse together.

Notes

1. I like to write my own songs for class so that I can control the content and vocabulary.

This is the song I wrote for this class. I’d appreciate it if anyone using it prints it out with a credit attached.

I can’t write the tune but you can sing it to any tune that fits, as long as you are consistent.

The words that come up regularly that the students don’t know are

Understood, splash, puddles, mud, sledging, wellies, delight, mist, exist.

In the printed version that I use I also add pictures illustrating each verse.

The Bad Weather Song (by Bob Hale)

There's no such thing as bad weather All kinds of weather are good It's all kinds of fun, on all kinds of days When that's understood
On rainy days splash in the puddles Get mud all over your face Take a raincoat and take an umbrella Run all over the place
On sunny days you can have picnics Play all day in the park Stay out late till the sun's going down Go home when it's dark
On snowy days you can go sledging Have snowball fights with your friend You can build a whole city of snowmen You don't want it to end
On windy days you can go walking In the park flying a kite You can kick up the leaves with your wellies Windy days always delight
On foggy days you can see nothing But shapes that move in the mist Feel like you own everything in the world Where only you exist
There's no such thing as bad weather All kinds of weather are good It's all kinds of fun, on all kinds of days When that's understood