Exploring the Water Cycle
Lesson Plans
Grades3, 4, 5, 6, 7Chemistry, Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
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Provided by NASA
What it is
- In this lesson, students will learn about the water cycle through demonstrations, experiments, and videos that make the abstract concept more concrete.
- Students will demonstrate their learning with a creative project depicting a water droplet's journey through the water cycle.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The 5-E format of this lesson plan ensures maximum engagement from students.
- The pre- and post-assessments included make it easy for teachers to measure the effectiveness of the lesson.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should understand the different states of matter and know the terms evaporation, molecule, condensation, and particle.
- The lesson gives Glogster as an option for the final project. However, Glogster may be unavailable.
- If you read the extension article with students, make sure students are familiar with the Big Bang.
- Teachers can use the Contact Us link at the bottom of the Precipitation Education webpage to get answer keys to the materials.
Differentiation
- Have younger students or kinesthetic learners pretend to be water droplets in the water cycle, making different motions or at different speeds for each stage.
- Older students can discuss the importance of understanding the processes demonstrated and protecting plants and natural ecosystems for mitigating water issues related to climate change.
- Classes that created rain gauges can make math connections by graphing the amount of precipitation over a month or a rainy week. Connect it to science labs through practice measuring the meniscus in graduated cylinders.
- English language learners would benefit from doing the demonstrations as hands-on activities.
From the scientist review
This resource is from the CLEAN collection. “The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness.”
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