Instructional Software

Lesson Idea Name: The Water Cycle

Content Area: Science

Grade Level(s): 4th

Content Standard Addressed: S4E3. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to demonstrate the
water cycle.

My students will observe the flow of energy in water as it changes states. Students will demonstrate their
understanding that there are multiple pathways in the water cycle- that it does not just flow in a single
pathway. By the end of the lesson, my students will be able to effectively and accurately describe the
processes of the water cycle such as evaporation, condensation and precipitation.

Selected Technology Tool: Gizmos by ExploreLearning

URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable and goes directly to the lesson):
https://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspView&ResourceID=435 -Gizmo

https://el-gizmos.s3.amazonaws.com/materials/WaterCycleSE.pdf - Lab Sheet

Type of Instructional Software:

☐ Drill and Practice ☐ Tutorial X Simulation ☐ Instructional Game ☐ e-books/e-references

Features of this software (check all that apply):

☐ Assessment Monitoring/Reporting

☐ Allows teacher to create customized lessons for students

☐ Multi-user or collaborative functions with others in the class

☐ Multi-user or collaborative with others outside the class

X Accessible to students beyond the school day

X Accessible via mobile devices

☐ Multiple languages

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X Safety, security and/or privacy features

Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy Level(s):

☐ Remembering X Understanding ☐ Applying X Analyzing X Evaluating X Creating

Levels of Technology Integration:

☐ Infusion Level: Students may work at a higher Bloom’s Level, but they do not have any “Voice or Choice”
during the activity and most of the decisions are made by the teacher.

X Integration Level: We would like to see ALL lessons/activities reach this level. The project is student-driven.
Students have “Voice and Choice” in the activities, selecting the topic of study and determining the
technology tool to demonstrate mastery of the standard. The teacher becomes more of a facilitator.

☐ Expansion Level: The projects created are shared outside of the classroom, publishing student work and
promoting authorship. This could be reached by showcasing the project on the school’s morning
newscast, posting the project to the classroom blog, or publishing via an outside source.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

By including the Water Cycle Gizmo in my lesson, I am allowing my students to see the water cycle occurring
in ways that they normally would not be able to see it in. The kids can manipulate and explore the various
paths and results of the water cycle. Giving the kids the chance to manipulate the simulation to explore the
various different paths the water can take, will boost their curiosity and thus, their engagement.

Lesson idea implementation:

According to the standard, my students will need to be able to effectively explain the processes of the
water cycle and be able to demonstrate their understanding that there is more than one path that water can
take in the water cycle. In order for this goal to be completed, I will need to act as a facilitator/onlooker as my
students explore the Gizmo and come up with various paths in the cycle. Students will work in pairs to
complete the lab worksheet and explore the Gizmo. This process will take around 30 minutes, and I will assess
that they understand the process by walking around the room, having conversations with my students about
what they are learning and answering any questions they may have along the way. I will also check their lab
sheets- these assessments are informal assessments, my goal is to just make sure they are understanding
what they are doing.

The second part of this assignment on the water cycle is the project portion, the students will continue to
work with their partner to come up with a way to demonstrate their understanding of the processes of the

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water cycle and that the water can flow in different pathways. Students may choose how they would like to
represent this knowledge, whether it be in a physical model, poster, brochure, story, or some type of media
such as video. The students will have the rest of the week to work on their projects. The final/formal
assessment will be on their projects. In a science fair style presentation, the students will have their projects
set up around the classroom, I will come around the room and examine, ask questions about the student’s
project’s as they present them to me. These presentations should be short and concise- as by now the
students should be able to quickly and easily explain these concepts back to me.

Reflective Practice:

I believe that the activities I created in this lesson plan will impact student learning in a positive way- the
students have a lot of autonomy in how they would like to present what they have learned, and the
simulation is very interactive and gives them to ability to choose their own path that water could take in the
cycle. One way I would want to enhance the initial learning portion of this unit would be to go on
BrainPOP.com and use some of the resources they give to educators. I would show their video and gather
some lesson ideas from their “lesson ideas for educators” tab in order to provide a more meaningful learning
experience.

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