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6 08/05/15
First Name

Annaliz

Last Name

Panida

UH Email

apanida@hawaii.edu

Date

October 5, 2015

Semester

Fall

Year

2015

Lesson Duration

60 minutes

Grade
Level/Subject
Title

rd

3 /Science

The Water Cycle

Central Focus (Enduring Understandings)

A description of the important understanding(s) and concept(s)
Water on Earth moves in a continuous cycle. Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and
collection serve as the different phases in the water cycle. It can be related to weather
conditions and the climate.
Content Standard(s)
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) or Hawaii Content & Performance Standards III
(HCPS III) that align with the central focus and address essential understandings, concepts,
and skills
HCPS III: Standard 8: Physical, Earth, and Space Science: EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE:
Understand the Earth and its processes, the solar system, and the universe and its contents
Benchmark SC.3.8.2
Describe how the water cycle is related to weather and climate
Student Learning Objectives
Outcomes to be achieved by the students by the end of the lesson or by the end of the multilesson learning segment
Students will know:
That the water on Earth moves in a continuous cycle.
The processes in the water cycle, includes evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and
collection.
The water cycle is connected to weather conditions and climate.
Students will be able to:
Explain the stages of the water cycle.
Describe how the water cycle is related to climate and weather.
Recognize the stages of the water cycle and compare them to experiences in their lives.
Assessments
The procedures to gather evidence of students learning of learning objective(s) to include
formative (informal) assessments applied throughout the lesson and summative assessments
(formal) of what students learned by the end of the lesson (include any assessment tools)

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Summative Assessment
- Water cycle diagram with appropriate labels, illustrations, and definitions
- Choral Response/ Group Q & A
Formative Assessment
- Questions in the Explore and Explain stages
- Original drawing of a water cycle using arrows and labels
- Water cycle quiz
Students Prior Academic Knowledge and Assets
The students content knowledge, skills, prior academic experiences, and
personal/cultural/community assets to draw upon to support learning
Students prior knowledge may be an asset to draw upon. For example, we are
surrounded by water in Hawaii and it happens to rain frequently.

Academic Language
Oral and written language that the students need to learn and use to participate and engage in
the content
Water Cycle
Evaporation
Condensation
Precipitation
Collection
Weather
Climate
Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks
A description of what the teacher will do and say and what the students will do during the
lesson that 1) uses clear steps that convey the use of multiple strategies, supports, and
resources and 2) offers opportunities offered for multiple modes of participation

ENGAGE
Describe how the teacher will capture students interest.
-

Show the entire class the Water Cycle Rap on TeacherTube, which will illustrate and
introduce the three stages of the water cycle.
o http://www.teachertube.com/video/the-water-cycle-rap-with-lyrics-325850
Conduct an open discussion about the water cycle and encourage students to share
what they know about it.

What kind of questions should the students ask themselves after the
engagement?
-

What are the phases of the Water Cycle?

Why is the water cycle important to have?
How does it relate to weather conditions and climate?

EXPLORE
Describe what hands-on/minds-on activities students will be doing.
-

Teacher will conduct an experiment on the water cycle while students will observe.
o Take a tall glass vase and fill it with extremely hot water. (This represents the
water in lakes, rivers, and oceans that get warmed up by the sun.)

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Take another glass jar and fill it with ice (this represents the cold air up in the
sky) and put it on top of the vase of hot water.
Each student will write a hypothesis of what they expect will happen and observe.
o Watch as the water evaporates (turning from a liquid to a gas) and see how
the water vapor rises towards the top.
o When the water vapor comes together at the top and gets too cold and
heavy, it turns back into liquid and falls back into the vase of hot water (just
like rain).
Students will review their hypothesis and determine whether or not their educated
guess was correct.
o

List big idea conceptual questions the teacher will use to encourage and/or
focus students exploration
-

Where did the water go?

How did the water evaporate?
What happened after the water evaporated?
What happens when we dont get enough precipitation?
What happens when we get too much?
Why is precipitation important?

EXPLAIN
Student explanations should precede introduction of terms or explanations by
the teacher. What questions or techniques will the teacher use to help students
connect their exploration to the concept under examination?
-

Teacher will conduct a group discussion about the water cycle, the four different
stages, and how it relates to weather/climate.
Next, student will create a four-flap foldable to illustrate the stages of the water cycle
and use arrows to show the process.
o The foldable will include the name of the stage and an illustration on the flap
depicting the stage. Inside the flap there will be an explanation of what
occurs during that stage.

List higher order thinking questions, which teachers will use to solicit student
explanations and help them to justify their explanations.
-

How does evaporation fit into the water cycle chart?

How does condensation fit into the water cycle chart?
How does precipitation fit into the water cycle chart?
Why do we experience rain and snow?
How does evaporation cause you to be so hot after a rain in the summer?
Do you have to experience precipitation to have evaporation?

ELABORATE
Describe how students will develop a more sophisticated understanding of the
concept.
-

Read aloud The Magic School Bus Wet All Over: A Book About the Water Cycle By
Pat Relf & Carolyn Bracken

What vocabulary will be introduced and how will it connect to students

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observations?

Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation, Collection

How is this knowledge applied in our daily lives?

EVALUATE
How will students demonstrate that they have achieved the lesson objective?
This should be embedded throughout the lesson as well as at the end of the
lesson
-

Students will do an original drawing of the water cycle using arrows and labels.
Students will take a water cycle quiz.
Differentiation
Instructional strategies and planned supports to meet the needs of individuals, and/or groups of
students who require different strategies or support (adaptations to instructional strategies, the
learning environment, content, and/or assessments)

All students
-

SPED/ELL students
-

Work with a partner

Students may work with a partner on the original drawing of the water cycle (but
each student needs to make one).
Allow them to use their four-flap foldable book in order to help label their water cycle
on their original drawing.
Allow them to use their water cycle drawing to help them do the water cycle quiz or
have them verbally explain the process of the water cycle and its relationship to
weather/climate.

Advanced students
-

Have them create a song explaining the different phases of the water cycle.

Instructional Resources and Materials

Books, texts, and other materials needed for the lesson
The Magic School Bus Wet All Over: A Book About the Water Cycle By Pat Relf &
Carolyn Bracken
2 glass vases
Hot water
Ice
Computer
Projector/Elmo
Computer paper

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Lesson Plan Reflection
An analysis of what worked, what could be changed, and the next steps for teaching
What changes would you make to your instructionfor the whole class and/or for
students who needed greater support or challengeto better support student learning?
o Why do you think these changes would improve student learning? Support your
explanation with evidence of student learning AND principles from theory and/or
research.
Based on your reflection and your analysis of student learning, describe the next steps
for instruction to support students learning.
o Explain how these next steps follow from your reflection and analysis of student
learning. Support your explanation with principles from research and/or theory.