Posted: June 27th, 2015

THE WATER CYCLE

 

THE WATER CYCLE

Purpose

The purpose of the program is to introduce students to the water cycle systems, stages and importance.

Program length: 2 weeks

Maximum Student number: 20

Goals and Objectives

The students will:

1. Define and understand what the water cycle is; the students should understand that the cycle is a continuous phenomena and name places where water is found on the surface of the earth.
2. State reasons for water conservation; the students should mention water usage at home to understand the importance.
3. Understand the role of the water cycle to the universe system: the student should be able to define and explain the water cycle stages.

Describe ways of water conservation

This module is intended for grade-5

1. Teacher background

The water cycle is a cyclic pattern of water from the sea to atmosphere to land and back to the sea. The heat from the sun strike the earth causing evaporation of the surface water. This water rises in the form of vapor to the cooler atmosphere where it condenses to liquid form that falls back to the earth’s surface in the form of rain or snow if solidifies.

1. The overview

The students will demonstrate the water cycle stages that is; evaporation, condensation, precipitation, water runoff and soil moisture through activities.

• Introduction

The teacher can come up with a repetitive song made up of the basic terms in the water cycle such as condensation, evaporation and precipitation to entice the students so that they are able to remember the terms. The teacher should then engage the students in a discussion about their to understand their basic knowledge about the topic. Some of the questions to ask include:

What is rain?

What are clouds?

What is the source of the ground?

After the discussion the explain to the students how every next step of learning would enable them understand the topic.

Setting up activities

The teacher should involve at least three students in the activity preparation to enable them fill involved as these will promote their attention learn. If the practical materials are enough, students are divided into working groups according to the number of the activity stations and allowed to rotate from one station to the next. This approach will ensure that all the students are in close contact with the materials for better understanding of the activity.similarly the teacher can handle the students collectively if the available materials are limited to group work.

1. Water cycle

Ask the students to name some of the areas on earth that water can be found. Ask them to help draw them(clouds, ground water, soil, lakes, animals, oceans, plants, rivers and glaciers). Define and explain to the student the water cycle. Before introducing the water cycle processes, here are some of the questions to ask students.

How does dew water get to the sky?

How does rain water get in a tree?

Allow them draw using arrows as they provide these answers.

1. EVAPORATION ACTIVITY
2. Materials for three students per groups

Small dishes or petri dishes

Tablespoons

Water

Source of light

Cover for the dishes

2. Discussion

Before the activity starts ask the students these questions

Where does the water on wet clothes go when dried?

Predict what will happen if we leave the water of the petri dishes for an overnight?

What will happen if the dishes are covered and left overnight?

After the activity, provide the students with sheets of paper to answer the following questions as a group.

Which dish lost more water?

Where did the missing water go?

How did the water escape?

The teacher should explain to the students the process of that water loss in depth, allow the groups to discuss and provide examples of evaporation. Divide the students in to two, provide two dishes of water each with tablespoons. Place one dish on a light source and another under the shade, ask each student to observe each dish and record observation.

1. CONDESATION ACTIVITES
2. Materials for three students per group

A clean and transparent two liter bottle for every student

A thermometer for each bottle

Eye dropper

2. Questions to discuss

Here are questions to ask before the activity begins

What warms air and what happens when it warms up?

What cools air and what happens when it cools down?

What are clouds and what are they made up of?

What are the three necessary things that form clouds?

What is fog?

 

After the activity allow the students to discuss among their groups the previously asked questions and about their understanding of air pressure, air temperature, condensation and cloud formation.

 

 

3. Procedure

This session is divided in to two parts.

Session 1 change in temperate in s closed bottle.

Set a group of three and provide each with;

A clear plastic bottle and cap

A temperature strip

A tape strip

A box of matches

Paper for data recording

Step : the bottle is taped with a temperate strip for reading and close4ly covered. Wet the iner surface of the bottle by swirling the water content, place the bottle on its side for easy reading of temperature. Read and record the air temperature inside the bottle. Squeeze the bottle using two hands and read the temperate after a minute while squeezing. Stop squeezing and read the temperature after a minute.

Ask the student to discuss the following questions

What happened to the air temperate when the bottle is squeezed?

What happed to the air temperature when the squeezing was stopped.

Session 2. Making clouds

Pour a few drops of water in a bottle and cover tightly. Wet the most part of the bottle by swirling the water inside. Put the bottle on the side and apply pressure on it to half its size. Put a smoldering match stick in the bottle, remove the pressure and cover it tightly squeeze the bottle tightly for a minute until it opens up. Study what happens, You would see the clouds.

Discussion

The experiment is to show how water molecules condense to form clouds. Squeezing the bottle increases the air pressure that consequently increases the the temperature, the increase in air temperature condensed the water in the water into vapor, when the bottle opened up the pressure and temperature lowered leading to the formation of clouds.

 

 

1. EVAPOURATION
2. Materials.

Water

Source of heat

A pot

A container with handler

Ice cubes

Another container or a pie pan

2. Questions of discussions

What is rain/ how is rain formed? How is snow formed? What is hail?

Tell the students to observe these questions during the activity: what happens at the bottom of the bowl? What happens to the pie pin? How does water get into the bowl. Are the water drops formed on the bowl sides the same? Which drops look like rain and which like clouds? How is the large drops form?

Procedure

Gather students around the activity to see what happens to the pot with ice in it and moisture dripping into the pie pan. Heat the water in the pot until it starts to boil.fill the container with the handler with ice. Hold the bowl of ice above the steam as the water boils. Collect the water dropping dropping from the bottom of the bowl using into the pin. Ensure that all the students understands what happens to the pot surface with ice.

Teacher discussion

Evaporation is the process where water changes from liquid to gas. The heat from the sun or light source changes the liquid water into vapor which is the gaseous state of water. Water evaporates from all the nine places that it is found to the air.

1. INFILTRATION

Where does water on the surface of the ground go?

1 paper and pen

2 questions for discussion: how many precipitation kids do you know? How are the water stored on earth?

3 list places water go after precipitation, draw the movement of water after it hits the ground and have the class discus the generated answers.

Discussion

Infiltration is the movement of water through the soil particles into the ground water.

1. SOIL MOISTURE AND WATER RUN OFF
2. Materials

A funnel

Cone folded filter paper for every soil type

Soil varieties (half cup of 100 ml)

Graduated cylinder

Ajar full of water

A container for collecting the dropping water

2. Discussion

Questions of discussion prior to the activity: what’s the source of ground water? How are streams and rivers formed? Do the all types of water hold the same amount of water?

Question of discussion after the activity, with a partner answer these questions: when do you know that the soil is saturated and what happens to the water? List areas where water goes after it gets into the stream

Procedure: put the filters in the funnel and fill with soil,pour water slowly after every thirty second until water drops into the collecting container. Do the experiment repeatedly using different new materials.

 

1. WATER CYCLE
2. Materials for the terrarium activity

Seeds

Potting soil

Pouring water container

Plastic container

Discussion

Ask these questions Prior to the activity: how does does the water cycle stages fit and what happens without one step?

Ask students to describe the types of the water cycle they observe after the terrarium is built.

Procedure: help the students build their own terrarium and observe the cycle. Provide the students with small plastic with clear cover. Let the student put soil at the bottom of the container plant seeds and water the soil lightly, cover the terrarium with a tight clear cover to allow sunlight get through.

Explain the water cycle system to the student so that they understand the cyclic system.

1. Assessment

Is carried out during discussion throughout the activities. The subject of the final assessment will be; using drawings discuss the water cycle

1. The standards met by the module

Science library AAAS benchmarks and the AAAS science of all Americans

Conclusion

This constuctivist approach motivates learning process as it is wholly integrated and well structured therefore makes learning active, interactive social process so that the students are not bored. Dividing students in groups promotes collaboration among learners as they are able to understand and remember these activities in the future and during final exams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Refereces

Out door learning center (2006)water cycle. Retrieved from: http://4h.uwex.edu/uphamwoods/programs/documents/TheWaterCycleLessonPlan.pdf

Ralph, t.,(2008) Water: A Never-Ending Story.New York.Pillsbury