Water Cycle

Author(s):

Tim Holmes
Jennifer Boller


Grade Level:

1st grade
Timeframe:
Class periods: 5- 30 minute time periods plus collecting weather data 5 minutes per day
Total this project will encompass about 3 hours of a week
Lesson Description or Explanation

Water Cycle
This lesson takes a beginning look at the water cycle and its relationship to the weather. Students will collect data and evidence from rain gauges and beekers and discuss their predictions and observations. They will keep a notebook of their predictions and observations about the water. This project will touch upon science, math and writing. The essential question of this project is: What is the water cycle and what is its relationship to the weather? The students will take a nature walk to observe water in the environment.

Indiana Curricular Standards


English
1.4.6 Organize and classify information by constructing categories on the basis of observation.
1.5.2 Write brief expository (informational) descriptions of a real object, person, place, or event, using sensory details

Math
1.2.2 Show the meaning of subtraction (taking away, comparing. Finding the difference) using objects
1.5.5 Compare and order objects according to area, capacity, weight, and temperature, using direct comparison or a nonstandard unit

Science
1.1.2 Investigate and make observations to seek answers to questions about the world, such as “In what ways do animals move?”
1.3.2 Investigate by observing and then describing that water left in an open container disappears, but water in a closed container does not disappear


ISTE Standards

-Standard 3: Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity
-Standard 5: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources
Assessments
Formative/Summative

We will be checking the students’ journals to monitor their predictions and data collection. We can expand the schedule of the lesson if students are not progressing on schedule. Students should be able to make a connection between collected water and the water cycle.

Students will be able to describe the water cycle and the different steps of the cycle. Students’ journals should include their predictions, the data they collected and the results of our experiment.

Prior Knowledge

Curricular Knowledge or Skills: Assess their knowledge of water and its role in the environment, talk about characteristics of water

Technology Knowledge: Basic knowledge of navigating the internet on the computer

Technology


Internet Resources: www.kidzone.ws/water
www.water-ed.org/kids.asp
www.njawwa.org/kidsweb/watercycle

Hardware: computers with internet access

Software: Internet Explorer
Google

Procedure

Day 1:
Go for a nature walk (weather permitting). Make observations and answer pre-activity questions in their notebooks.
As we stand here where can you see or find water?
Where is water found among the environment?
Using your hands, ho does the water feel?
Does the water make any sounds?
Place a rain gauge outside to collect the water.

Day 2:
Have the students look at the rain gauge to see if there was any water gathered.
If so have them place the water in a beeker and mark the level with a grease pencil. Then have then students place the same amount of water in another beeker with a lid and mark it with a grease pencil. Talk about what they think will happen to the water in each container and write their predictions in their notebooks. If there was no water collected then simulate an amount of water.

Day 3:
Have the students research the water cycle on the computers or in their classroom library stacks. Have them write to the following prompts in their notebooks about what they found.
What is the water cycle?
What are the stages of the water cycle?
Have the students come together and share what they found in their research.
Have the students look at the classroom beekers and make notes in their notebooks about the water levels of each.

Day 4:
Show a video called “Adventures of Little Drip”. Start a discussion with the students about the larger science terms evaporation, condensation and precipitation as they apply to the water cycle. Play the song “Water Cycle Boogie” and teach them the motions that go along with the song.
Have the students look at the classroom beekers and make notes in their notebooks about the water levels of each.

Day 5:
Divide the class into 5 small groups. Each group will represent a part of the water cycle-sun, ground water, condensation, evaporation and precipitation- have one student be the drop of water and travel to each group in the proper order to simulate the path water takes. Have the students look at the beekers. Then have them write their findings in their notebooks.
Where the predictions of how much water would evaporate close?
Where did the water from the beekers go?

Differentiated Instruction

ESL
ESL students could share some Spanish words we are using in this lesson such as water or cycle. Students could use the language program on Google to translate any unknown words or phrases.

Challenge/Extend

For students above level, have back up work available for these students. Students could expand their research on the water cycle and add an illustration to the journal.

Special Needs

Special needs students could work with other students on the computers. They could draw the water cycle instead of writing about it.