CoRe Document 5-8

5. What specific activities

might be useful for helping
students develop an
understanding of the
concept in each phase of
the Learning Cycle?

Engage: (Introduction activity) ADAPTED FROM nasa.gov

1. Students will think-pair-share an answer to the following question: What do you know
about the water cycle? (slide 2) Have students take out science notebooks and writing
down thoughts of questions they have about the water cycle.
2. Students will be using the science notebooks to make observations during the
demonstrations.
3. Show the video, The Freshwater Connection (1:25) video at:
http://pmm.nasa.gov/video- gallery/what-is-global-precipitation-measurement. (slide
3)
4. After the video, have students Think-Pair-Share the question, Based upon what we
just viewed, why is it important to study and understand the water cycle? (slide 4)
Solicit responses.
Explore:
1. Hand out the Water Cycle Worksheet. Students will use this throughout the rest of the
lesson.
2. Show the water cycle video (slide 5). Students should be labeling their blank diagrams as
they watch. This version of the water cycle is more complex than the one on their capture
sheets. Students only need to copy the ones from the word bank.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iohKd5FWZOE. This video has no narration so you will
Adapted from the Content Representation Tool (Loughran, Mulhall, & Berry, 2004)

need to talk the kids though it, pausing as necessary.

3. Ask, Which of the stages in the water cycle required energy from the Sun? (Evaporation
and Transpiration.) Have the students discuss as a whole.
4. Ask, Which of the stages requires water to give off heat? (Condensation) (slide 7). Click on
the diagram and the correct labels will be circles. Go to next slide.
5. Ask, Which of the stages are driven by the force of gravity? (slide 8). (Precipitation, Runoff,
Infiltration, Groundwater Flow) Click on the diagram and the correct labels will be circles. Go
to next slide.

Explain:
1. Complete the teacher demonstrations. Students will complete the demonstration questions at the
end of each demonstration.
MATERIALS AND INSTRUCTIONS: Condensation demonstration
Teacher Note: If you have enough mirrors, you could hand them out to each group and have the
kids breath on them in place of you doing so.
Materials:
1 cold, drink can (kept cold in fridge or small cooler.) Mirrors (optional)

Adapted from the Content Representation Tool (Loughran, Mulhall, & Berry, 2004)

Procedures:
1. Wipe off the outside of the can so that it is dry.
2. Hold the can about a foot or so, over the ocean beaker. Hold it there for about ten to fifteen
seconds or until you see condensation forming on the can.
3. Either pass the can around the room, or walk around with it so that the students can see the
condensation forming on the can.
4. As you move about, ask the students, Where did the water on the outside of the can come
from? Solicit responses, but be sure they understand that the water vapor that condensed
was in the air.
5. Optional: You can skip the following steps, do them yourself, or have the students complete
them with their own set of mirrors.
1. Show the students that the mirror is clean.
2. Breathe on it and show them the cloudy mirror. Ask, What is making it foggy?
3. (The water vapor from your breath that is condensing on it. The mirror is cool enough
to condense the water for at least a short time.)

MATERIALS AND INSTRUCTIONS: Evaporation Demonstration

Adapted from the Content Representation Tool (Loughran, Mulhall, & Berry, 2004)

Materials:
Blow dryer, eye dropper
Procedure:
1. Squeeze 5 small drops of water from the squirt bottle onto a piece of wax paper.
2. Using a hair dryer on low setting, carefully blow on the drops of water.
Ask Students: What happened to your spots when we heated the water? They should
disappear.
Ask Students: Where did the water go? The water changed from a liquid to a vapor. The water
molecules are now floating around the room.
Ask Students: What did the blow dryer represent? The hair dryer represented and acted as the
sun and the wind.
Ask Students: What state of matter did our water change to? Gas Form
2. After two quick demonstrations, show the video, Water, Water, Everywhere. (6:31) It ties
together the concepts in the lesson.

Adapted from the Content Representation Tool (Loughran, Mulhall, & Berry, 2004)

Evaluate:
Students will complete a mini-project in which they describe one possible path that a water
molecule can take through the water cycle.
1. They may make a mini-poster with a diagram or model of the water cycle. (8.5 X 11 maximum)

Each step in the cycle needs to have text that describes what is happening to the molecule.
This text can be spoken by the drop, or written as a caption near the drop. Or- They may
make a comic strip with a molecule of water as the main character.

The comic must include text that explains what is happening in each frame.

The text can be dialog spoken by the drop, or written as a caption at the bottom of the
frame.

Extend/Elaborate:
1. Have the students think-pair-share answers to the question, How do we measure
precipitation? Solicit and record responses. Be sure to add satellites to the list if the
students left it off.
2. Ask, Which of these tools is the most efficient?
Connections:
Having the students create their own model or diagram of the water cycle reminded me of the
Adapted from the Content Representation Tool (Loughran, Mulhall, & Berry, 2004)

article Using Models Scientifically. Using Models Scientifically explores on the idea of using
models and diagrams to explain information in a way that makes sense to the students. t
scientifically. When students develop models they are able to use them while they are making
predictions, formulating questions, designing and conducting investigations and it could even be a
good way for students to show what they learned. This relates back to the main idea of sparking
curiosity in children while learning. By using a model, it would allow for students to think more
creatively and abstractly when they are learning about scientific concepts that may be hard to
understand. Personally, I think using models would be the most effective way to teach science
because it would provide children with a visual that makes sense to them and it would allow for
them to connect it to their world. This semester, I have been working with students who have
learning disabilities and I have noticed that a lot of the students are visual learners. While teaching,
I have allowed the students to make their own models (some of them were physical models) and I
found that the students learned better that way. This is something that I need to keep in mind while
teaching science to students who do have special needs. I need to utilize scientific models while
also keeping in mind if they are an accurate representation of the scientific topic I am teaching.
6. In what ways would you
assess students
understanding or confusion
about this concept?

Formative Assessment: Throughout the lesson the teacher will be asking questions to
the class as a whole. Students will be doing pair-shares and making observations in
their science notebooks, which will serve as a formative assessment.
Summative Assessment: The students will be creating their own model or diagram of
the water cycle.

Connections:

Adapted from the Content Representation Tool (Loughran, Mulhall, & Berry, 2004)

The assessment portion of the lesson plan reminded me of our week 8 readings on
assessment. Chapter 9 in Harlen discusses how we can assess for learning. The
chapter idea and goes in depth about formative and summative assessment and how it
can be used to adapt and modify lessons. The second article that we read, Assessing
for Achievement, was about using the 5E model while using formative assessment. The
5E model is something that was pushed for us to use while we are writing our lesson
plans and this article explained how we could use that model to assess student learning.
On page 34 of Assessing for Achievement (figure 3) it provided readers with a list of
questions to use to assess students throughout every phase of the instructional model.
While thinking of specific questions to ask in the lesson, I was able to use the chart to
help me formulate questions. I was not a fan of the 5E model before, but after using it to
type various lesson plans, I think it is more effective than the instructional method I am
currently using. From a special education standpoint, it is so important to always be
assessing your students to make sure they understand the material that is being taught. I
have noticed in field experiences that my students who do have learning disabilities are
scared to ask for assistance when it is necessary. I think it is important and to check in
with the students to see where they are standing in the lesson. You do not want those
students falling behind!
7. What materials/
equipment are needed to
teach the lesson?

Student worksheet 1 per student (attached on BB)

Power Point (attached on BB)

Materials for teacher demonstration:

- 1 cold, drink can (kept cold in fridge or small cooler.) Mirrors (optional)

Adapted from the Content Representation Tool (Loughran, Mulhall, & Berry, 2004)

- Blow Dryer and eye dropper

8. References (Please list

all resources consulted in
developing this form)

Creghan, C & Creghan, K. (2013). Assessing for achievement. Science and Children, 34
Exploring the Water Cycle | Precipitation Education. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2016, from
http://pmm.nasa.gov/education/lesson-plans/exploring-water-cycle
Harlen, W. (2001) Primary Science: Taking the Plunge (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann
Olson, J. (2008) Concept Focused Teaching: Using Big Ideas To Guide Instruction in
Science. Science and Children
Water Cycle. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2016, from http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview?
LPid=33025

I think I deserve all of the points for the reflection portion of the lesson plan because I reflected on
every session that I felt was covered in class. I went back and previous readings and I actually
went back and reflected on what I have posted on blackboard. I felt like re-reading what I previously
wrote made it easy to write a reflection on the connections. In my reflection I also tried to connect it
to my own science experiences or how I will incorporate it in my teaching methods when I have a
classroom of my own. I also tried to connect it to students who have special needs since I would
like to focus more on special education.

Adapted from the Content Representation Tool (Loughran, Mulhall, & Berry, 2004)