STANDARD OR OMC SECTION:

Sixth grade science proficiency standard #13.

OMC Grade six: 1) Investigate various resource cycles in physical and biological systems.

2) Create simulations of events to help explain phenomena.

OMC Grade five: Determine the likelihood of event outcomes, by identifying the causal factors and speculate what additional factors may contribute to more accurate prediction.

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: The learners already know and can do what relevant things?

Understand the basic concepts of evaporation and condensation.

Know the importance of water to biological systems.

-> EVIDENCE: How do you know?

Discussion during lesson

OBJECTIVES: What more will learners know or be able to do upon completing the work of the lesson?

Students will be able to explain and diagram the water cycle and understand its importance.

ASSESSMENT: What evidence will can do those things?*

Discussion in class and worksheet

-> EVIDENCE: How will you collect and evaluate the evidence?*

Observation and collection of worksheet

MATERIALS (including reading, URL, software, etc.)

Plastic zippered sandwich baggies, small dixie cups, tape, water, teacher-made worksheet, permanent marker or masking tape (for names).

SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS AND INDIVIDUAL MODIFICATIONS:

none

DURING INSTRUCTION

Introduction/Establishing set:

Discuss water – What are the uses of water? Brainstorm how the earth never runs out of water when it is used for many things.

Sequence of learning activities:

1.) Introduce the water cycle on overhead, tell students to take notes on their worksheet on the important terms and vocabulary needed to understand the water cycle:

Sun – The sun is the energy source which provides heat for the
evaporation of water into the atmosphere- evaporation is the process of changing water from its liquid to its gaseous state with heat- in the closed system of the earth.

Question: What happens to the gaseous water? Does it stay in the oceans, rivers, etc.? Why does it rise into the atmosphere?

Condensation of the gaseous water vapor occurs as it rises into the atmosphere- condensation is the changing of water vapor back into its liquid state through cooling
as condensation occurs, clouds are formed.

Question: Explain what may happen as the water vapor becomes more solid?

The weight of the cooled water vapor causes water to fall from the clouds in the form of precipitation- can be rain, snow, sleet.

2.) Lab activity (following from worksheet used by cooperating teacher): Students will go by row up to the water table where they will pick up a small dixie cup and sandwich baggie. They will be instructed to add approximately 2 or 3 centimeters of water to the cups (about half). They will return to their seats with the materials. Movement around the room should be standard room procedure set-up by teacher. Once in their seats, each row will write their names on their baggies, along the top, then they will place their water cups into one of the corners of their baggies, tape will be passed along the rows to help secure the cups into place. Students will be instructed how to perform their seat procedures before the beginning of the lab, I will be available to answer questions or help. Once each student has taped the cups into the bags the students will be asked to go by row to the windows where they will seal their baggies tightly and tape the baggies to the windows. While in their seats before and after taping the baggies (mini-water cycles), the students will be asked to draw a picture of their set-up in the box for day one, and make a prediction, or hypothesis about what will happen for day two in the mini-water cycles.

Closure:

Students will share and explain their predictions and contemplate what factors may effect their experiments and may be different than the earth’s water cycle, they will also receive instructions to monitor their mini-water cycles for the following three days (through Friday).

Assignment:

Finish the experiment

POST INSTRUCTION

*EVALUATION OF STUDENT LEARNING:

What formal and/or informal assessments have you made, and what will you do with them?

I used discussion and questioning throughout the lesson to understand if the students were making the correct connections and understanding the water cycle. The formal assessment for the lesson is the turning in and completion of the worksheet/lab.

EVALUATION OF THE LESSON:

How effective were your materials, lesson elements, delivery, and other parts of teaching? What is the evidence? What revisions are needed?

I felt very confident of this lesson. I think that each time I taught it was slightly different in the delivery, the questions, and the ideas generated by the students. I would revise the worksheet to allow for more note room, and take off the space for day four. Duct tape needs to be used to keep the water cycles onto the windows, but other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing.

E-Mail

Gwen Crites

!