Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

The weather in the town of Chewandswallow is tasty. Food falls from the sky, which is great, until one day the weather takes a turn for the worse. . . Ideas Read aloud Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and discuss how the author developed the idea of using food in the place of weather. Brainstorm other ideas for a story in a chart titled, "Cloudy With a Chance of. . ." Some ideas may include: toys, candy, sports, or games. Lesson Idea: After students brainstorm a list of other ideas, have them choose one to develop into a writing piece. Text to World Connection: If students see the movie, ask them to compare the movie and the book. How did the movie stay true to the author's ideas? Or use the brief movie trailer below to make some comparisons: