Group Member: Nick Prybula
Grade: 2nd
Project: Discuss the similarities and differences between water left in an open container and closed
container left outside a building compared to water left in an open and closed container inside a building.
Essential Standards on which your group will focus:
2 P.2 Understand properties of solids and liquids and the changes they undergo.
Clarifying Objective:
2P.2.3 Compare what happens to water left in an open container over time as to water left in a closed
container.
2.E.1 Understand patterns of weather and factors that affect weather.
Clarifying Objectives:
2.E.1.1 Summarize how energy from the sun serves as a source of light that warms the land, water, and air.
2.E.1.4 recognize the tools that scientists use for observing, recording, and predicting weather changes from
day to day and during the seasons.
Content Outcomes (factual)
Students will recognize tools used to observe, predict, and record weather changes over a period of time.
Students will be able to explain in words/illustrations the stages of the water cycle.
Students will be able to summarize how the sun serves as an energy source for land, water, and air.
Process Skills Outcomes:
Students will be use their prior knowledge to explain the water cycle as well the states of matter by
answering questions and illustrating their knowledge of the concepts.
During the unit students will be working together and communicating their ideas through writing, drawing,
speaking and making models.
Over the course of the unit, students will be conducting their own investigation after a teacher
demonstration.
Formative Assessments:
Hand Signals/Nonverbal Cues
Misconceptions about SLG/Water Cycle
Kidspiration Web
Observations
Exit Cards
Quiz
Idea Spinner
Think Pair Share
Writing Prompt: “In your story YOU are a water particle. You are to write a story about your travels
through the water cycle...kind of like a travel diary. Give yourself a name, friends and family if you want
to. You need to make sure you hit all the stops on the water cycle (from your diagram). Make sure you
include all your phase changes (gas to liquid, liquid to gas, liquid to solid, etc.) and the heat changes that
were necessary to change phase. I want you to underline the water cycle vocabulary words within your
story and illustrate your story.” From http://biogeekwiki.wikispaces.com/Water+Cycle+Story
Other Activities:
Kidspiration, Create own Water Cycle, Make States of Matter and Water Cycle Books, Monitor water
levels in closed and open containers, which have been placed indoors, and outdoors.
Inquiry Driven Lab Activities:
See attached Vernier Lab Activities
I’m Melting! Water Changes States
Solid Liquid Gas: Water Can Do it All
Go! Temp Spends The Night
Primary Teaching Materials:
Science book and workbook, Kids Discover Magazines: Changes/Solids and Liquids/Water
Supporting Teaching Materials:
Vernier Lab Quests
Koontz Science Kits
Weather books: Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, The Magic School Bus: Weather
Websites:
http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/games/
http://www.havefunteaching.com/science-songs/water-cycle-song
http://water.epa.gov/learn/kids/drinkingwater/gamesandactivies.cfm
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycleplacemat.html: a water cycle placemat
http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/statesofmatter/preview.weml
http://www.bristolvaschools.org/mwarren/TheWaterCycleWebQuest.htm or
http://davidson.k12.nc.us/webquests/weather/the_water_cycle.htm
Communication:
Students will be exploring the concepts of the water cycle and states of matter through a variety of ways
such as: creating booklets, singing songs, using Kidspiration to make brain webs, creating their own water
cycle models, and playing games.
Cross Curricular Integration:
Writing: describing water cycle in terms of a water particle
Reading: Read Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs and The Magic School Bus Weather book
Art: create own booklet on water cycle and states of matter with pictures
Math: reading temperatures on Vernier probes of water in cups, using subtraction skills to calculate end
temperate minus initial to discover change in temperature. Measuring the decrease in water with a ruler in
the cups.
Social Studies: Where does the water go if it goes down the drain? Where does the water we drink and
wash our clothes come from?
Music: singing water cycle and states of matter songs, creating their own song as an extension
Activities for Home:
Web quest: http://www.bristolvaschools.org/mwarren/TheWaterCycleWebQuest.htm or
http://davidson.k12.nc.us/webquests/weather/the_water_cycle.htm
States of Matter Web quest
Water Cycle Game/States of Matter Game
Water Cycle Song:
Water travels in a cycle, yes it does
(use pointer finger to make a big circle)
Water travels in a cycle, yes it does
(repeat finger circle)
It goes up as evaporation
(moves hands up to the sky)
Forms clouds as condensation
(make a cloud overhead with arms)
Then comes down as precipitation, yes it does!
(Sprinkle with fingers while bringing arms down in front of you)
States of Matter Song: (http://www.havefunteaching.com/science-songs/matter-song)
Matter is the stuff that is all around
Scientists have found some things that don’t count
Matter cannot be a form of energy
Like wind, sound, light or heat
Matter has mass and takes up space
Solid, liquid, gas are the three different states
Matter has properties that tell what it’s like
It goes through physical and chemical changes, that’s right!
Solid, liquid, gas are the three different states
These phases of matter change what the matter makes
If water’s solid it’s ice, if it’s liquid it’s water
If the water is a gas then it turns to water vapor
Melting is going from a solid to a liquid
Evaporating is going from a liquid to a gas
Condensation is going from a gas to a liquid
Freezing is going from a liquid to a solid
Websites:
http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/games/
http://www.havefunteaching.com/science-songs/water-cycle-song
http://water.epa.gov/learn/kids/drinkingwater/gamesandactivies.cfm
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycleplacemat.html: a water cycle placemat
http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/statesofmatter/preview.weml
Teaching Notes/Lesson Plans:
Each teacher will teach this unit differently depending on their style of teaching as well as how comfortable
they are with teaching this particular unit on the water cycle and states of matter.
Lesson 1: Pre-Test on States of Matter and Introduction on States of Matter
Students will be given a Pre-Test on their knowledge of the states of matter.
Students will watch as the teacher demonstrates an experiment about Solids, Liquids, and Gases. This
experiment will have students make observations about the water as it goes from a solid to a liquid, and
then to the a gas. Teachers can follow the teacher notes on the experiment and make modifications if
needed based on supply of materials at their school/classroom.
Students will be given a list of misconceptions about the states of matter for them to think about during the
course of the unit. At the end of the unit, they will be choosing a misconception and explaining why that is
not correct.
Students will be completing an exit slip to leave the classroom, which will have them write/draw, what they
learned about the states of matter.
Lesson 2: Solids
Students will be given marshmallows and asked if they know how the atoms in the solids would look like,
if not they would actively participate while the teacher explains the atoms in solids. Afterwards students
will have the opportunity to come up and demonstrate how atoms in a solid would look.
Students will then have a bag of materials on their desk and will be asked to reach their hand in the bag and
pull out a material. They will determine if that material is a solid, if it is not, they will pick out another
material until they have found a solid.
Students will lastly use their knowledge of solids to write/draw the solids that they see everyday.
Lesson 3: Liquids
Students will be given marshmallows and asked if they know how the atoms in the liquids would look like,
if not they would actively participate while the teacher explains the atoms in liquids. Afterwards students
will have the opportunity to come up and demonstrate how atoms in a liquid would look.
Students will see several materials in containers and have to discover which are liquids and decide on how
they know they are liquids based on what they know from the marshmallow activity.
Students will lastly use their knowledge of solids to write/draw the liquids that they see everyday.
Lesson 4: Gases
Students will be given marshmallows and asked if they know how the atoms in a gas would look like, if not
they would actively participate while the teacher explains the atoms in a gas. Afterwards students will have
the opportunity to come up and demonstrate how atoms in a solid would look.
Students will learn a States of Matter song, which will help them remember the states of matter.
Students will be creating a States of Matter booklet, which will have the state of matter on each page along
with a few sentences detailing information about it and an illustration of what each would look like in their
daily life.
Lesson 5: Post-Test/ Culminating Activities
Students will be given their Post Test to assess their understanding of the states of matter.
Students will watch as the teacher demonstrates the I’m Melting! Experiment (the teacher notes are
provided with the experiment), then students will design their own investigation and record results.
Students will show their knowledge of the states of matter in two ways: each will be creating a brain web
on Kidspiration (each child’s brain web will be different based on ability level and knowledge of concepts),
and students will be paired together to work on selecting a misconception about the states of matter and
explaining why that is not correct.
Lesson 6: Pre-Test on Water Cycle and Introduction to Water Cycle
Students will be given a pre-test on the water cycle to see what they know before the unit.
Students will watch as the teacher demonstrates Go! Temp Spends The Night Experiment (the teacher notes
are provided and can be modified based on supplies), this experiment will serve as a model for what the
students will be conducting over the course of the next three days.
Students will be given a list of misconceptions about the water cycle for them to think about during the
course of the unit. At the end of the unit, they will be choosing a misconception and explaining why that is
not correct.
Students will learn the water cycle song, which will serve as a tool to help them remember the stages and
associate the details with each stage.
Students will start their experiment by taking four plastic cups (two of them need lids). They need to fill the
cups up to the top line on all of the cups because to make sure each cup has the same amount of water
otherwise the results will vary. Two cups need to be placed outdoors (one cup must have a lid on it) and
two cups need to be placed indoors (one cup must have a lid on it). Students will predict what they believe
will happen to the water levels in the cups over the next two days and they will be recording their data each
day at school.
Lesson 7: Evaporation
Students will begin by checking on their water containers and recording their data. They will draw what
they see in their containers and try to explain why that occurred.
Students will be actively engaged while the teacher takes water and boils it, they will watch as steam rises.
I will ask them what happened and explain their reasoning.
Students will Think Pair Share with a classmate about what they have learned from about evaporation and
what they think will learn over the course of the water cycle unit.
Lesson 8: Condensation
Students will begin by checking on their water containers and recording their data. They will draw what
they see in their containers and try to explain why that occurred. Students will take their data they have
collected and give reasons as to why they have those particular results. Students will need to answer sample
questions such as: Was the water the same in both cups outdoors and indoors? What happened to the
amount of water in each cup? What water cycle stage does this experiment illustrate and how do you
know? Could you think of an experiment to show evaporation and list how that experiment would go.
Students will work in pairs or groups for the Cloud in Jar activity. The teacher will be participating in the
activity as well in the front of the room to help the students if problems arise. Teachers would follow the
teacher lesson on Condensation and make modifications according to their supplies. Students will record
results from the activity after one minute, five minutes, and ten minutes. At the conclusion of the activity
the teacher will bring the students back as a group and have a discussion about their findings.
Students will be answering information on the water cycle stage evaporation or about what they have
learned so far based off of the idea spinner. An idea spinner is a spinner the teacher creates or can draw on
the board, it has four quadrants: predict, evaluate, summarize, and explain. The teacher would spin the
spinner and have the students answer according to what it lands on; if they drew it on the board they could
just randomly select which area they would like the students to answer.
Lesson 9: Precipitation/Collection
Students will be working in pairs or groups and doing the precipitation experiment with the teacher. This
experiment will involve paint and construction paper; supplies will depend on the teacher as will the
grouping of students. The teacher will follow the teacher notes for the experiment and can modify to suit
their needs. The follow up questions are on the teacher notes to help check student understanding of the
concepts of precipitation and the water cycle.
Students will be given the prompt, “In your story YOU are a water particle. You are to write a story about
your travels through the water cycle...kind of like a travel diary. Give yourself a name, friends and family if
you want to. You need to make sure you hit all the stops on the water cycle (from your diagram). Make
sure you include all your phase changes (gas to liquid, liquid to gas, liquid to solid, etc.) and the heat
changes that were necessary to change phase. I want you to underline the water cycle vocabulary words
within your story and illustrate your story.” This can be done individually or in groups depending on the
teacher’s class.
Students will be paired together to work on selecting a misconception about the water cycle and explaining
why that is not correct.
Lesson 10: Post Test and Culminating Activities
Students will be given the Post Test to assess their understanding of the Water Cycle.
Students will have three culminating activities to show their understanding of the water cycle: making a
brain web on Kidspiration, creating a Water Cycle booklet which has each stage of the water cycle on each
page along with a description and on the last page as the entire water cycle shown in words or pictures, and
finally by creating their own Water Cycle Model. Students will be asked at the beginning of the unit to
bring in materials for their model and the teacher will have some materials but not enough for every
student. There are two sample models that students can recreate or they may wish to create their own.
Schedule of Instruction:
Week
1
States
of
Matter
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Pre-Test
Solids
Liquids
Gases
Post Test
Solid Liquid
Gas: Water
Can Do it All
Teacher Demo
Draw/write examples
of solids you see daily
Draw/write examples
of liquids you see daily
Create States of Matter
booklet
Solid particles model
with
students/marshmallows
Liquid particles model
with
students/marshmallows
I’m Melting!
Water
Changes
States
Teacher
Demo then
Student
Experiment
Picking out solids from
the room
Picking out liquids in
the room
List
Misconceptions
about States of
Matter
Gas particle model
with
students/marshmallows
Exit Slip
States of Matter Song
Week
2
Water
Cycle
Pick one
misconception
and explain
why it is
wrong.
Pre-Test
Evaporation
Condensation
Precipitation/Collection
Kidspiration
Web
Post Test
Go! Temp
Spends The
Night
Experiment
Check on
Indoor/Outdoor Closed
and Open water
container Experiment
Check on
Indoor/Outdoor Closed
and Open water
container Experiment
and record results
Precipitation/Collection
Activity
Create Water
Cycle booklet
Cloud in Jar Activity
Water Cycle Writing
Create own
Water Cycle
model
Idea Spinner to
evaluate understanding
of Condensation
Pick one misconception
and explain why it is
wrong.
List
Misconceptions
about Water
Cycle
Start
Indoor/Outdoor
Closed and
Open water
container
Experiment
Water Cycle
Song
Evaporation Activity
Think Pair Share with
a classmate about
Evaporation
Kidspiration
Web
Materials List:
Vernier Lab Quest, Vernier Temperature Probe, jars/cups, paper/construction paper/cardstock,
markers/pencils/crayons, computers, water, beakers/pan, heating source to boil water or could use
microwave, worksheets/quizzes/tests, song lyrics on paper, list of websites/games for parents to use at
home
Accommodations for Different Learners:
Students will be given the opportunity to draw and write their knowledge as a way to help those who
struggle with expressing their ideas in writing. Students will also be creating a water cycle model; which
has two variations depending on their ability level. Students will be working in pairs as a way to divide the
amount of work into a more consumable load for each student to tackle so they do not get overwhelmed.
Students will encounter different learning styles to meet their goal: Visual by seeing teacher models,
overhead/whiteboard/activboard lessons; Verbal by singing songs, think pair share with classmates;
Tactile: creating their own water cycle model, picking out states of matter in the room; Kinesthetic:
moving around during the states of matter particle models, singing the songs with the various hand
movements.
List of sources and references:
Vernier Lab Quests
Science book and workbook
Koontz Science Kits
http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/games/
http://www.havefunteaching.com/science-songs/water-cycle-song
http://water.epa.gov/learn/kids/drinkingwater/gamesandactivies.cfm
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycleplacemat.html: a water cycle placemat
http://www.brainpop.com/science/matter/statesofmatter/preview.weml
http://www.bristolvaschools.org/mwarren/TheWaterCycleWebQuest.htm or
http://davidson.k12.nc.us/webquests/weather/the_water_cycle.htm
What makes this project inquiry driven?
As stated in the article, “Young Children Can Be Sophisticated Scientists”, one end of the
continuum involves the whole class taking on a well structured investigation and the other end pairs
students to design their own investigations; I believe that over the course of my unit that I have covered
both ends of the continuum. Before allowing students to design their own investigations they must be
presented and guided appropriately about the scientific method/processes in order to have a firm grasp on
the concepts to explore their own investigations. This unit provides several teacher led demonstrations to
captivate their minds on the subject but I also provided them with choice to design their own investigation
to make their learning more meaningful to them.