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23 Oct 2026
Fluffy cumulus clouds travel across the sky on a sunny day. These are only one of the many types of clouds that dot our skies. Oleksii Gotovyi/Creatas Video+/Getty Images Plu
How Do Clouds Form? The Amazing Shapes in Our Sky
Warm-up → Read & Listen → Check Understanding → Language → Use It
WARM UP
Section: Warm Up
Think Ahead: Which detail do you think appears in this story?
a) Clouds are made of cotton.
b) Clouds are made of tiny drops of water.
c) Clouds are made of smoke from cars.
Ask:
(1) What colour are clouds?
(2) Do you like rainy days or sunny days? Why?
VOCABULARY
cloud (/klaʊd/, noun)
Meaning: A white or grey shape in the sky. It is made of tiny drops of water.
Example: I can see a big white cloud.
sky (/skaɪ/, noun)
Meaning: The space above us where we see the sun and clouds.
Example: The sky is blue today.
puffy (/ˈpʌfi/, adjective)
Meaning: Round and soft, like a pillow.
Example: That puffy cloud looks like a sheep.
float (/fləʊt/, verb)
Meaning: To stay up in the air or on water and not fall.
Example: My balloon floats up to the ceiling.
ice (/aɪs/, noun)
Meaning: Water that is very cold and hard.
Example: There is ice in my drink.
fog (/fɒɡ/, noun)
Meaning: A cloud on the ground. It is hard to see in fog.
Example: I cannot see the park because of the fog.
rain (/reɪn/, noun)
Meaning: Drops of water that fall from clouds.
Example: I wear my wellies in the rain.
snow (/snəʊ/, noun)
Meaning: Soft, white, cold pieces of ice that fall from the sky.
Example: We are making a snowman in the snow.
Look up at the sky! Some clouds are flat. Some clouds are puffy. Many clouds are white and soft. At sunset, some clouds are orange and red.
What are clouds? Most clouds are tiny drops of water. The drops are very small and light. They float in the air.
The sun is hot. It warms the sea, lakes and rivers. Some water goes up into the sky. You cannot see it. High in the sky, the air is cold. The water makes little drops. Now you can see a cloud!
Very high up, it is very cold. There, the clouds are ice. They look thin, like white hair.
Fog is a cloud on the ground. It is grey and wet. Puffy white clouds are fun. Children look for shapes in them. Is it a dog? Is it a dragon?
Some clouds are big and grey. They bring rain. In winter, they bring snow. Big storm clouds make thunder and lightning. Raindrops fall fast. Snowflakes fall slowly.
Today, look at the sky. What clouds can you see?
This chart can help you identify basic cloud types and their relative altitudes.
The wispy clouds in this image, seen over the Baltic Sea from Laboe, Germany, on June 21, 2019, are noctilucent clouds. Such clouds get their start when water freezes around particles of meteor smoke. They occur at extremely high altitudes in the upper atmosphere. Matthias Süßen/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Section 8: Discussion Questions
1. What colour are the clouds today?
2. What shapes do you see in the clouds?
3. Do you like rain or snow? Why?
4. Is there fog where you live?
5. What do you do on a rainy day?
FILL IN THE GAPS
FILL THE GAPS
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
Read the article and fill in the gaps with words from the Word Bank.
Word Bank: rain | Fog | float | ice
Look up at the sky! Some clouds are flat. Some clouds are puffy. Many clouds are white and soft. At sunset, some clouds are orange and red.
What are clouds? Most clouds are tiny drops of water. The drops are very small and light. They _______(1) in the air.
The sun is hot. It warms the sea, lakes and rivers. Some water goes up into the sky. You cannot see it. High in the sky, the air is cold. The water makes little drops. Now you can see a cloud!
Very high up, it is very cold. There, the clouds are _______(2). They look thin, like white hair.
_______(3) is a cloud on the ground. It is grey and wet. Puffy white clouds are fun. Children look for shapes in them. Is it a dog? Is it a dragon?
Some clouds are big and grey. They bring _______(4). In winter, they bring snow. Big storm clouds make thunder and lightning. Raindrops fall fast. Snowflakes fall slowly.
Today, look at the sky. What clouds can you see?
Section 2: Main Idea
What is the story mostly about?
a) How to draw a dog and a dragon.
b) Why the sun is hot.
c) What clouds are and the different kinds of clouds.
UNDERSTANDING
Section 3: True or False
Read the sentences. Circle T (true) or F (false).
1. Most clouds are tiny drops of water. T/F
2. Fog is a cloud high in the sky. T/F
3. Snowflakes fall faster than raindrops. T/F
Section 4: Put Events in Order
Put the events in order. Write 1, 2 or 3.
___ The water makes little drops, and you can see a cloud.
___ The sun warms the sea.
___ Some water goes up into the sky.
LANGUAGE
Section 5: Vocab Match
1. cloud
2. sky
3. ice
4. fog
5. snow
a) Frozen water. It is hard and cold.
b) A cloud on the ground.
c) Tiny drops of water in the sky.
d) Soft, white, cold flakes from the sky.
e) The space above us. The sun is there.
USE IT
Section 6: Discussion Builder
Choose the best word to complete each sentence.
1. I like puffy clouds because I can look for ______ in them.
a) ice
b) shapes
c) rivers
2. Big grey clouds bring ______.
a) sunshine
b) hair
c) rain
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
Put the words in the correct order to make a sentence.
1. A) in B) Clouds C) float D) air. E) the
2. A) the ground. B) Fog C) on D) a cloud E) is
ANSWER KEY
Answer Key
Warm Up
b) Clouds are made of tiny drops of water.
Ask questions: Answers will vary.
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
(1) float
(2) ice
(3) Fog
(4) rain
Section 2: Main Idea
c) What clouds are and the different kinds of clouds.
Section 3: True or False
1. T
2. F
3. F
Section 4: Put Events in Order
1 - The sun warms the sea.
2 - Some water goes up into the sky.
3 - The water makes little drops, and you can see a cloud.
Section 5: Vocab Match
1. cloud - c) Tiny drops of water in the sky.
2. sky - e) The space above us. The sun is there.
3. ice - a) Frozen water. It is hard and cold.
4. fog - b) A cloud on the ground.
5. snow - d) Soft, white, cold flakes from the sky.
Section 6: Discussion Builder
1. b) shapes
2. c) rain
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
1. B, C, A, E, D - Clouds float in the air.
2. B, E, D, C, A - Fog is a cloud on the ground.
Section 8: Discussion Questions
Answers will vary.
Thank you for your feedback!