1

LessonPlan:ExploringtheWaterCycleBy:KimCastagna

TargetGrade:MSIntegrated-6thTeacherPrepTime:30minutesLessonTime:3days(50-60minuteseach)

● Day1: ○ 10minutes–Settinguptranspirationportion ○ 50minutes-Creating&revisingwatercyclepostersingroups

● Day2: ○ 50minutes-Modelingthewatercycleinadifferentway

● Day3: ○ 40minutes-PresentationofWaterCycleModels○ 10minutes-Postassessmentonbottomofgroupposters/Individualstudentmodelfor

sciencenotebooks.LessonOverview:Inthislesson,studentswillobserve/investigatethemovementofwaterthroughthedifferentstagesofthewatercycleanddeterminewhatdrivesthiscycle.Studentsareaskedtothinkaboutwhatprecipitationisthenwatchavideoaboutwhythewatercycleisimportant.Theyobserveasimpleversionofthewatercycleandrecordtheseobservations.Studentsareaskedwhatstagesrequiresolarradiation,whichrequirewatertogiveoffheat,andwhicharedrivenbytheforceofgravity.Studentsrecordontheirpostersthedifferentprocessesinthewatercycleandhowenergyisinvolved.Studentsbuildtheirunderstandingofthewatercyclethroughdifferentmodelsthatareshownorexperienced.Theculminatingactivityhasstudentscreatingtheirownmodelofthewatercyclefromtheviewpointofawatermoleculeincludingtheprocesses,theenergyinvolved,andgravity.LearningObjective:Studentswillbeabletodevelopamodeldemonstratingthepathadropofwatertravelsalongasitcompletesthecyclicpatternofthewatercycle.NGSS:MS-ESS2-4:Developamodeltodescribethecyclingofwaterthroughsystemsdrivenbyenergyfromthesunandtheforceofgravity.

● ScienceandEngineeringPractice○ #2Developingandusingmodels

■ Developamodeltodescribeunobservablemechanisms.Developand/oruseamodeltopredictand/ordescribephenomena.

● DisciplinaryCoreIdea○ MS-ESS2.CTheRolesofwaterinEarth’sSurfaceProcesses

■ Watercontinuallycyclesamongland,oceanandatmosphereviatranspiration,evaporation,condensationandcrystallization,andprecipitation,aswellasdownhillflowsonland.

● CrossCuttingConcept○ #5Energyandmatter;flows,cyclesandconservation.

■ Withinanaturalsystem,thetransferofenergydrivesthemotionand/orcyclingofmatter.

2

Wherethislessonfitsin:Thislessonshouldbedoneatthebeginningoftheunitthatincludesthewatercycle.Itservesasawaytobuilduponpriorknowledgeandintroducenewterminologyandpartsofthecyclenotpreviouslylearned.MaterialsNeeded:

● 1qt.sealableplasticbags(1pergroupofstudents)● Labmaterialstocreateamini-watercycle:plasticshoebox,plasticwrap,water,ringstand,

heatlampwithclamp,plasticbagwithicecubes,glasscup(orplasticcupwithweightinside-asmallrockworksfine)tocaptureprecipitationundertheice.

● Stackof3”x3”post-its(1pergroupofstudents)● 12”x18”sheetsofconstructionpaper/posterpaper(1pergroupofstudents)+extrasfor

studentgroupscreatingacomicstripmodel.● Coloredpencils,crayonsormarkers(1setpergroupofstudents)● Variousmaterialsfoundinaclassroomthatcouldbeusedfordramatization.● Laptops/computersavailableforstudentscreatingatechnologymodel.● Posterof“ReasoningThroughTalk”Prompts–foundingoogledrive.

VideoLinks:

● TheFreshWaterConnection(video)1:24minutes.Whystudywatercyclehttps://pmm.nasa.gov/video-gallery/what-is-global-precipitation-measurement

● WaterCycleanimation(video)3:00minutesNonarration,butlabelspartsofthecycletousewithpapermodelhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iohKd5FWZOE

● Water,Water,Everywhere!(video)6:31minutes.http://pmm.nasa.gov/education/videos/water-water-everywhere

TeacherPrep:● Groupstudentsintogroupsof3or4. ● Downloadthevideosfromthelinksprovided.● Priortothelesson,usethefollowinglabmaterialstocreateamini-watercycle:plasticshoebox

typecontainer,plasticwrap,waterfilledtoabout1”deep,ringstand,heatlampwithclamp,plasticbag,icecubes,acuptocaptureprecipitation(glassorplasticwitharocktoholditdown).Assemblethe“mini-cycleinashoebox”.

● Copiesofndividualstudentmodelforsciencenotebooks.● Createposterof“ReasoningThroughTalk”Prompts–foundingoogledrive.

BackgroundInformation:WaterisfoundalmosteverywhereonEarth:fromhighintheatmosphere(aswatervapor)tolowintheatmosphere(precipitation,dropletsinclouds)tomountainsnowcapsandglaciers(solid)torunningliquidwaterontheland,ocean,andunderground.Energyfromthesunandtheforceofgravitydrivethecontinualcyclingofwateramongthesereservoirs.Sunlightcausesevaporationandpropelsoceanicandatmosphericcirculation,whichtransportswateraroundtheglobe.Gravitycausesprecipitationtofallfromcloudsandwatertoflowdownwardonthelandthroughwatersheds.LessonSequence:Day1:10

minutes

Priortothelesson1. Havestudentsgooutsideandplaceaplasticbagoveraclusterofleaveson

aplant/bush.Sealofftheplasticbagandreturntoclass.Ifthisisnotpossible,placeaclassplantinaplasticbagandplaceoutsideinthesun.If

3

needed,spraysomewaterinsidethebagtospeeduptheprocess.

2. Turnthelamponforyour“mini-cycleinashoebox”

Day1:15

minutes

Engage:1. Think–Pair-Share“Whatisprecipitation?”Havestudentsrecordtheir

“thinking”intheirsciencenotebook.2. Showthe“FreshWaterConnection”video(1:24minutes)3. Brainstormwithtablemateswhatyouknowaboutthewatercycle.4. Ingroups,onposterpaper,drawalarge(useentirespace)simplemodel

(diagram)ofthewatercyclethatincludestheplacesonEarthwaterisfound,andarrowsshowinghowwatermoves.Teachermayneedtomodelthedrawing.Studentsthendrawinthewatercycle,includingdirectionarrowsshowingmovementofwater.Atthispoint,alldrawingshouldbedoneinpencilasstudentsmayneedtomakerevisionslater.Usepost-itstolabelstagesofthewatercycle.

5. Afterworkingforabout5minutesontheirown,allowgroupsto“sendaspy”

4

toanothergrouptolookattheirdiagram,andaskaboutit.Thentheycanreturnandaddittotheirdiagram.

6. Placetheposterfacedowninthecenterofthetable.We’llrevisititlaterinthelesson.

Day1:10

minutes

IncludingPlantsintheWaterCycle1. Think–Pair-Sharethequestion,“Baseduponwhatwejustviewed,whyisit

importanttostudyandunderstandthewatercycle?”2. Haveeachgroupofstudentsshareouttheirgroupresponseandchartthe

responses.○ ESR(expectedstudentresponse)

■ Toknowwherewatercomesfrom■ Toknowwherewatergoes■ Toseewhywateriseverywhere

3. Gooutsideandviewtheplasticbagsplacedaroundtheplantleaves(previouslyplaced),removethebagandreturntoclass.Or,passaroundtheplantthatisinsideabag.Insidetheclassroom,studentswillnoticethereiswaterpresentinsidethebag,butnotoutside.Makeobservationsaboutthemoistureinsidetheplasticbag.Discusswherethewatercamefromandprovideevidence.Howdoweknowthewaterwasthere?Whatmakesyousaythat?Whyistherewaterinthebag,butnotoutsideonleaves?

○ ESR■ Itwasintheplantbecausebecauseallplantsneedwater.■ Itwasintheairinsidethebagbecauseairmakeswater.■ Itwasintheairoutsidethebagbecauseitmighthaverained.

4. Afterclassdiscussionabouttheplant-water-bagphenomenon,askstudentstoaddthisnewinformationintotheirdiagrams.

5. Definethephenomenonas“transpiration”andallowstudentstoeditgrouppostersaddingtranspirationandplantsifnotpreviouslyincluded.

● Allowgroupsto“sendaspy”toanothergrouptolookattheirdiagramandaskaboutit.Referto“ReasoningThroughTalk”posterandencourageitsusageforquestioning.

6. Thentheycanreturnandaddittotheirdiagram.

Day1:25

minutes

Creating&RevisingaPosterModelofWaterCycle1. Showthe“WaterCycleAnimation”video(3minutes)withoutnarration.

○ Forthefirstviewing,simplywatchthevideo.○ Whilewatchingmultipletimes,studentscanrevisetheirpost-itlabels

anddirectionalarrowsonthewatercyclegroupposter(forEL&SpEdstudents,provideawordbank).Studentswilldrawanyportionspreviouslyleftout.Givetimeaftereachviewingtomakenecessaryadjustmentsongroupposters.

○ Discussandshareanychangesoradditionsmade.○ WordBank:

Evaporation Runoff Infiltration/PercolationCondensation GroundwaterRunoff SolarRadiation

5

Precipitation Transpiration

WaterCycleVideorecordingsheetforclassdiagram.Useonlyifteacherfeelsstudentsneedtheguidance,otherwiseletstudentsdrawtheirownbaseduponpriorknowledgeandlearningaboutthewatercycle.

2. Askwhichstagesrequireenergyfromthesuntomovewater.Tellstudentsto

discussthisasagroupanddrawarrowstoindicatethemovement.Colorthearrow/sredonindividualandclassdiagrams.(SolarRadiation,Evaporation,Transpiration)

3. Askwhichstagesrequirewatermoleculestogiveawayheatenergy(cooldown).Tellstudentstodiscussthisasagroupanddrawarrowstoindicatethemovement.Colorthearrow/sblueonindividualandclassdiagrams.(Condensation)

4. Askwhichstagesaredrivenbygravity.Tellstudentstodiscussthisasagroupanddrawarrowstoindicatethemovement.Colorthearrow/sgreenonindividualandclassdiagrams.(Precipitation,Runoff,GroundWaterRunoff,Infiltration/Percolation)

5. Showthelastvideo,“Water,Water,Everywhere!”(6:31minutes)Thisvideotiestogethertheconceptsinthelesson.

6. Afterworkingforabout5minutesontheirown,allowgroupsto“sendaspy”toanothergrouptolookattheirdiagram,andaskaboutit.Havethemaskaboutthecoloringofred,blueandgreen.Thentheycanreturnandaddittotheirdiagram.

7. Makeanylastcorrections/adjustmentstogrouppostersofthewatercycle.Writeallstagesinpenandremoveallpost-itssincedrawingmodelshouldnowbecomplete.

8. Viewtheclass“mini-cycleinashoebox”.Discusshowthismodelsthewatercycleandthestagesrepresented.Discusswhatismakingthewatermoveandprovideevidence.Whatmakesyousaythat?

○ ESR

6

■ Lampisinplaceofthesun■ Waterinthebottomisfortheocean■ Icecubesarethecoldinthecloudscausingcondensation■ Thewatercollectsanddropsdownlikerain/precipitationbecauseofgravity

Day2:50

minutes

Project-ModelingtheWaterCycleinaDifferentWayForthismini-project,studentswilldescribe/demonstratethemovementofawaterdropthroughthewatercycle.Thewaterdropmaybeginanywhereinthecycleandmustgothroughatleasttwophasechanges,(ie:liquidtogasandbacktoliquidorsolid).Itmustalsoincludehowgravityandthesun’sradiation(energy)drivethecycle.Eachprojectwillbeshared/presentedwiththeclass.

1. Presentthe3modelingoptionsanddiscussthegradingrubric.Thereare3optionsforgroupprojectsmodelingthewatercycle:

I.Createacomicstripwithamoleculeofwaterasthemaincharacter.a. Thecomicmustincludetextthatexplainswhatishappeningineach

frame.b. Thetextcanbedialogue‘spoken’bythedroporwrittenascaptionsat

thebottomoftheframe.II.Createatechnologypresentationwithadiagramofthewatercycle

a. Thediagramneedstolookdifferentfromtheonecreatedinclass.Itneedstohavethedropmovingfromonesteptoanother.

b. Eachstepinthecyclemusthavetextthatdescribeswhatishappeningtothedrop.Thetextcanbedialogue‘spoken’bythedroporwrittenascaptionsnearthedrop.

c. Thepresentationwillbeprintedtobeturnedinforgrading.III.Createadramatizationshowingadropofwatertravellingthroughthewatercycle.

a. Thedramatizationmustincludememberstorepresentpartsofthecycleinappearanceandmovements.

b. Thedramatizationmustincludenarrationofwhatishappeningthroughoutthewatercycle.Thewrittennarrationwillbeturnedinforgrading.

Theprojectwillbescoredwiththeattachedrubric.2.Studentsingroupswilldecideupontheirmini-projectandstartplanningandpreparing.Theymayuseanymaterialstheteacherhasavailable.

7

Day3:50

minutes

PresentationofWaterCycleModels1. Studentswillmakeanylastminutefinishingtouchesonmodels.2. Studentswillpracticetheirpresentationmakingsureallmembersare

participating.3. Studentswillpresenttheprojects.4. Afterallpresentationsarecompleted,passbacktheiroriginaldrawingmodels.5. PostAssessments:

Group:Onthebottomofeachgroupposter,describehowenergytransfersthroughthewatercyclemodelandtherolegravityplaysthroughoutbyansweringthefollowingquestions..(Thiswillincludeheattransferdrivenbythesunandtherolegravitationalenergyplays)

a. Whattypesofenergyareinvolvedinthewatercycle?b. Howdotheseenergytransferscausewatertomovethroughthewater

cycle?Give3examplesusedindiagram.

Individual:Giveeachstudentacopyoftheblankwatercycletemplatetoglueintotheirsciencenotebook.Askthemtofillinthewatercycle,colorthearrowsandanswerthequestionsfromthegroupposter.

8

Water Cycle Mini-Project Rubric 4 3 2 1

Concept Understanding

The students demonstrated a full understanding of how a water molecule can move through the water cycle. Students included the role of the sun and gravity.

The students demonstrated a good understanding of how a water molecule can move through the water cycle. Students included the role of the sun and gravity.

The students demonstrated some understanding of how a water molecule can move through the water cycle. Students included the role of the sun and/or gravity.

The students demonstrated little understanding of how a water molecule can move through the water cycle. Students did not include the role of the sun or gravity.

Proper Use of Terminology

The students properly used all the key terms associated with the water cycle

The students properly used most the key terms associated with the water cycle

The students properly used some the key terms associated with the water cycle

The students properly used two or fewer key terms associated with the water cycle

Presentation Skills

The students fully communicated the concepts in the water cycle in a clear manner. All students participated.

The students adequately communicated the concepts in the water cycle in a decent manner. All students participated.

The students communicated the concepts in the water cycle in a manner that may have been difficult to understand or follow. Most students participated.

The students poorly communicated the concepts in the water cycle in a manner that was difficult to understand or follow. Few students participated.

Neatness and Legibility

All of the following are true: The project is neat. All writing is legible. The sequence is easily followed. The project is colorful.

Three of the following are true: The project is neat. All writing is legible. The sequence is easily followed. The project is colorful.

Two of the following are true: The project is neat. All writing is legible. The sequence is easily followed. The project is colorful.

One of the following are true: The project is neat. All writing is legible. The sequence is easily followed. The project is colorful.

9

Student model for science notebook

Usingcompletesentences,describehowenergytransfersthroughthewatercyclemodelandtherolegravityplaysbyansweringthefollowingquestions.a.Whattypesofenergyareinvolvedinthewatercycle?b.Howdotheseenergytransferscausewatertomovethroughthewatercycle?Give3examplesusedindiagram?

10

11

12

13

14