Water: Investigation 1.3: Water on a Slope
Focus Question: How does water move on a slope?
1. Procedure: a.
Write the focus question in your notebook. b.
Create a slope by propping up one end of a tray. c.
Lay waxed paper on tray to create a the smooth surface. d.
Use droppers to drop water on the waxed paper. Observe. e.
Record your observations in your notebook. f.
Return the water to the plastic cup when it collects at the bottom of the tray.
2. Water-Dome Races: a.
Prop one end of the tray on a book. b.
Hold up the other end of the tray so it is level. c.
Make several water domes of different sizes across the paper at the uphill end. d.
Lower the tray to create a slope and observe.
e.
Record your observations in your notebook.
 Did all the domes move?
 Which domes reached the bottom first?
SUGGESTED
INVESTIGATIONS: o Put drops on top of each other. o Drop drops from different heights. o Compare the speed of different sizes of domes on the slopes. o Find out if one dome can chase and catch another. dome.
3. Discuss with your partner:
 What rule describes the direction that water domes move ?
 What is the relationship between the size of a water dome and the speed at which it
moves?
 What is the relationship between the slope of a surface and the speed at which a
water dome moves?
4. Findings: Answer the focus question in your notebook.
(Vocabulary development and scaffolds for ELL’s on the backside of this page.)
Velez & Vargas LHS 2011

Language Objective:
Students will observe and record the behavior of water domes on a sloped surface, discuss and generate a rule that describes the direction that water domes move, and determine the relationship between the size of the water domes and the speed at which it moves, and the relationship between the slope of a
Vocabulary:
Dome
Slope
Direction
Relationship surface and the speed at which a water dome moves.
English Language Development:
Review the vocabulary words. Illustrate or demonstrate the word “slope” and ask students to name words that describe a slope, e.g., steep, steeper, level, uphill, downhill. Students use the vocabulary words to write the answer to the focus question, “How does water move on a slope?” Students who need scaffolds can use the sentence frames:
Our question was _______________.
We found out that the ______ the slope, the __________ a water dome moves.
We also found out that the _____ the size of the dome, the _______ it moves.
My evidence is _________________. My drawing shows _________________.
Another example is when __________________.
I wonder _____________.
Essential Question: What are water’s unique physical and chemical properties?
 How does the movement of water affect earth materials?
 How does water shape our environment?
Application at Grade Levels: 3 rd , 4 th and 5 th
Investigation
Materials:
1 Piece of wax paper
2 Droppers
1 Tray
1 Cup of water
1 Thick book
1 Sponge
TEKS for Earth Science:
 5 th : recognize how landforms such as deltas, canyons, and sand dunes are the result of changes to Earth’s surface by wind, water, and ice
 4 th : observe and identify slow changes to the Earth’s surface caused by weathering, erosion and deposition from water, wind, and ice
 3 rd : identify and compare different landforms including mountains, hills, valleys, and plains
 TEKS for ELA 5 th : Write expository texts to communicate ideas and information to specific audiences for specific purposes - guide and inform the reader's understanding of key ideas and evidence.
Velez & Vargas LHS 2011