Our Water Filled Earth
Submitted By,
Joanna Lende
Fall 2011
Integrated Learning Unit
K1
Table of Contents
Creative Art Lesson: Earth Mural
A pulling Force: Math lesson
Water, Water, Everywhere: Science Lesson
The Three States of Water: Science Lesson
Plant a Flower
Where Does Your Waste Go?
Poems and Rhymes
Books
Creative Art Lesson: Earth Mural
Name Joanna Lende Date Grade/Area K1 Time Allotment 45 min
Classroom Structure: Large group song and introduction. Followed with large group mural making and small group interactive writing.
Context: We are studying our names and working on getting to know each other. In addition we talk about our earth and all that it contains.
Materials and Preparation:
For the class
· Chart/butcher paper (very large)
· Multiple colored construction paper
· Elmer’s glue (glue stick dry too fast)
· Chart paper
· Markers
· Poem
Objective: Through creating a mural for their sing read poem Rickety Tickety, the students will gain a greater knowledge of the names of everyone in the classroom. In addition they will learn a new art medium (torn paper) and learn to work together to create something beautiful. This is an integrated lesson because the students will also take part in interactive writing and work on sounding words out, using their best handwriting, and working on their letter recognition.
Assessment: Monitor to make sure that each student is participating and involved in the project. Have each student say their name when reciting the poem and encourage them to sound out words in the interactive writing.
Lesson
Introduction: Rickety tickety bumblebee, will you say your name for me? Show the students a mini mural that you prepared that shows the technique of tearing paper and ask them what you used to create your picture. Follow by showing them this new art technique and then tell them about the mural. As students and teachers in the classroom we are all going to grow together as we learn. I like to think of this growth as plants in a large meadow. All of our roots are connected and intertwined and will work together to grow strong and broaden our horizons. Now that we have recited this poem for a week and we now most of our names we want to create our meadow as a class to signify our start to growth.
Procedures:
- As a large group sitting on the carper recite the poem, Rickety tickety bumble bee, will you say your name for me? Go around the room so everyone has a chance to say their own name.
- Tell the students we will be creating a group mural of a meadow for this poem out in the hall way.
- Show them how to tear paper and remind them of how to use just enough glue.
- Ask them what we will need in our mural. Should we make a bumble bee? What else lives in a meadow? Maybe we can make some bugs, clouds, a sun, and butterflies.
- While the students are tearing and glueing grass and creating bugs and flowers take a few out at a time to use interactive writing.
- At a table with a group of 4 or 5 students at a time have them write one letter in their best handwriting on the chart paper.
- Once the mural is all done, the teacher should glue the poem (interactive writing) on the mural and hang the mural up in the hallway for all to see.
Closing
- Closure: (students review or summarize)
Have students help clean up all the paper scraps and do the final touches on the mural. As a group have them read the poem that they wrote through interactive writing.
Attachments:
Poem: Rickety tickety bumble bee, will you say your name for me?
Phtographs:
Interactive Writing
A Pulling Force: Learning Cycle (Guided Discovery) Lesson Plan
Name Joanna Lende Grade/Subject K1 Math Time Allotment 30-45 min
Classroom Structure: Large group formation and partner discovery.
Context: This is a math lesson for the Power of Water unit.
Materials and Preparation:
For each pair of students
· 1 penny with well defined edges
· 1 eye dropper
· a small cup of cool water
· a student page entitled “A Pulling Force”
Objective: Teach students about surface tension of water through their own explorative discovery. Students will become familiar with scientific study and know how many water drops can fit on a penny.
Assessment: Make sure one partner does not control the investigation. Observe and record participation by students.
Lesson
Introduction:
· Anticipatory Set: Water has high surface tension. Surface tension is a force that exists on the surface of liquids where the molecules pull at each other very strongly, forming a kind of “skin,” This property of water is what makes it form drops instead of spreading out into other shapes. How many drops of water do you think could sit on a penny?
Procedure:
- Ask the class to bend their fingers so that their hand is opening and closing. Ask, “What happens to your skin when you bend your fingers?” “Does your skin break?” They should not that the skin stretched, but does not break.
- Ask the students to think back to their experience with the water drop on waxed paper. Ask, “Why were you able to pull the water around on the paper?” “How is that like your skin?”
- Explain that they are going to take a closer look at a collection of water drops. Hold up a penny and ask them how many drops of water do they think will fit on the penny. Have them predict and record their answers in their science notebook or their student page.
Concept Exploration:
- Have the one person from each pair of students collect a penny, eyedropper, and medicine cup with cold water.
- Place the penny on a level surface with the “heads” facing up.
- Have both partners practice counting water drops back into their cups before trying it with the stem of the eyedropper. Hold the eyedropper in a vertical position about ½ inch above the penny. Squeeze the bulb so that one-drop of water at a time falls onto the coin.
- Tally each drop of water that is dropped on the coin. Continue counting until the water begins to flow off the penny. Students record the number of last drop before the water flowed off the penny.
Concept Explanation:
Discuss what they observed.
· What happened to the water as you dropped it on the penny? (The water begins to forma bubble on the penny).
· What did you observe happening above the surface of the coin (The property of cohesion help the water molecule together and the property of adhesion help the water to the surface of the coin).
· Did you look at your water-covered penny from the side to make you drawing?
Concept Expansion: (new problem to extend concept, application of concept)
· Could you get more drops of water to stay on the “tail” side of the penny?
· Would warm water make a difference on the number of water drops a penny would hold?
· Would an older, worn down penny hold less water?
Extension: (activities planned for students who finish early or for the whole class if time allows)
Optional: Surface tensional experiment: leak proof fabric. Surface tension stops water form pouring through the tiny holes between the threads in woven fabrics such as cotton or gauze. This is why tents will keep rain out as long as we do not tough fabric and break the surface tension. This experiment shows how well surface tension prevents water leaking.
Materials
- Large bottle or jar
- Piece of find gauze bandage
- Rubber band
- Water
Procedure: Fill the bottle with water. Fix the gauze over the end with a rubber band. Turn the bottle over. The water will not flow out because surface tension acts like a skin to stop the water escaping through the holes in the fabric. Remind students that water also has a “skin.”
Learning Experience Scientist’s Name: _________________________
Activity
Student Page Date: ___________________________________
How many drops of water can be put onto the penny before the water begins to flow off of it?
My prediction: ____________drops
Tally each drop of water that you place on your penny here:
Draw a side view of your penny just before the water starts to flow off of it here:
The actual number of
drops that fit on our
penny was:_____________
You can seethe properties of water in nature. A water beetle takes advantage of surface tension to skim quickly across the water. The beetle is light enough so that it does not break the surface “skin.”
Concept Formation Lesson Plan-Water, Water, Everywhere!
Name Joanna Lende Date Grade/Area K1 Time Allotment 45 min
Classroom Structure: (e.g. cooperative grouping arrangements, large group/small group) Large group read aloud, discussion, and chart board, followed by independent creative writing time at group tables.
Context: Water, Water, Everywhere. This is a science lesson on the many uses and encounters that we have with water.
Materials and Preparation:
For Each Student:
· Writing and drawing materials
· Student page “Water, Water, Everywhere.”
For the class
· Chart/butcher paper
· Old magazines for collage
· The Drop in my Drink: The story of water on our planet, written by Meredith Hooer and illustrated by Chris Coady
Objective: The children will learn many different ways that plants, animals, and ourselves use water. In addition they will notice the similarities and differences in these uses.
Assessment: Student participation and interest in the group work as well as their presentations and creative expression in the individual work will be the means of which they will be assessed.
Lesson
Introduction:
- Anticipatory Set: Water is essential to all life and life activities. Plants, animals and humans must have water to survive. Nearly everything on Earth has a connection with water in some way. Wildlife needs water for drinking and for part of their habitat. In the same way humans need water for drinking and thier way of life (boating, fishing, swimming, etc). In order for our waters to stay clean we have to take care of them. Water is what grows our food and cools us down on a hot day. We use water for life and recreation and it is the basis of a massive planetary transportation system. Water is everywhere and it is one of the first things on the list of substances astronauts take into space. Even the driest desert has water.
Procedures:
- To introduce the lesson read the story The Drop in my Drink: The story of water on our planet, written by Meredith Hooer and illustrated by Chris Coady.
- Put up a piece of butcher paper. Divide the sheet of paper into two columns. At the top of one column write How We Use Water. At the top of the second column write How Plants and Other Animals Use Water.
· Say, “Think about some of the ways you have used water that day.” Record the students’ responses. (Most of the responses will be direct use of water like bathing, drinking, or brushing teeth.)
· Now ask, “What are some ways that other plants and animals use water?” “How are they different?”
· Be sure to label the group chart as you discuss.
· Say, “As you can see we use water for lots of different things.” Tell the class about how we use water for fun through swimming and boating and we use water for food through catching fish and adding water to make bread and other yummy snacks. In addition we need water to live and so do plants and animals. We are all connected through our dependence on water for life.
Closing
· Closure: (students review or summarize)
· Ask students what their favorite use for water is. Have three people sit on the stool and present their favorite use for water and why. Encourage other students in the audience to ask questions and make comments and connections.
· Independent Practice (assignment allows students to practice or apply new skill)
· To be sure that every student gets a chance to think of their favorite use of water have them go to their seats and create a drawing and description of their favorite use for water. When they have completed have them place their work in their writing folder as a piece of work to add to their portfolio.
Extension: (activities planned for students who finish early or for the whole class if time allows)
Students can make a collage with one side titles “water at work” and the other “water at play,” using pictures from magazines or catalogs.
The Three States of Water
Direct Instruction Lesson Plan Format
Name Joanna Lende Date Grade/Area K1 Time Allotment 30-45
Classroom Structure: Students will be in small groups in order to work together and share the materials and roles, such as recorder, paper passer, etc.
Context: The Three States of Water is part of a water unit for science studies. We have been working through an entire science and math unit based on the Power of Water. This lesson is one that goes along with the unit to teach the students about the three states of water. In Alaska we experience water in all three states including fishing, swimming, skiing, snowboarding, skating, making hot chocolate to heat us up, and watching ice melt.
Materials and Preparation:
For the Class
· Clear plastic drinking glasses
· Ice cubes
Objective: Teach students that water has three forms. At the completion of this lesson students should know what the three states of water are and be able to give an example of each state.
Assessment: Students will be assessed by their class work of creating a picture of the three states of water and labeling it. In addition they will be assessed by their presentation of their drawing to the class and their worksheet chart that they take home to complete. The objective of the assessment is just to see if the student knows the three states of water and can give an example.
Lesson
Introduction:
- Anticipatory Set: One of the unique characteristics of water is that it commonly occurs in all three phases of matter. These are a solid, liquid, and gas. It can also be made to move from one phase to another easily, which allows students to explore this property. In this exploration students identify the 3 phases and observe a demonstration that shows that water vapor is present by using a glass and some ice.
Procedures:
- Presentation: (explain, model, and/or demonstrate)
Create a picture displaying water in the three different states. For instance you may draw or color a picture of a stream and label liquid, a frozen lake or ice cube labeled as solid, and steam from a pot of boiling water as gas. Show your model to the class and explain how you knew what each state was.
- Checking for Understanding: As a group ask, “what are some different forms that you have seen water? Write down their responses on a piece of chart paper. Allow 3-5 minutes to collect students ideas.
- Divide the second sheet of chart paper into three sections. Label one solid, one liquid, and one gas. Ask them to look at their first list and decide what category each of the items on the list would fit under.
- Ask, “which activities in their lives require water in liquid form?” “Do they swim?” Which activities require water to be a solid? “Do they skate or ski?”
- Demonstrate water in its gaseous state by giving each group a glass full of ice cubes. Wait several minutes and have students observe the outside of the glass. Some possible questions to ask are:
· “What did you notice?”
· “Is the outside of the glass wet or dry?”
· “Where do you think the drops of water came from?” (The outside of the ice filled glasses should be covered with drops of water. When water vapor in the air is cooled, it turns to liquid).
- Guided Practice: (students apply skill/concepts, monitor and give feedback, assess each student) At their tables in small groups have them each draw a picture of a state of water and label which form the water is for that particular activity. Have students hand their picture and writing into you and assess them by their concept understanding and participation. If you see that a student labeled the wrong form of water be sure to meet with them and explain the three states of water and again and give them another chance to do the assignment.
Closing:
- Closure: (students review or summarize) Have students meet back at the rug and ask a few students to share their drawings and explain what state the water is in. Encourage the audience of students to ask questions or comment on their picture. If a student wrote liquid when they drew ice, teach the class the correct way and have the student correct their work.
- Independent Practice: (assignment allows students to practice or apply new skill): Take home worksheet
Three States of Water Worksheet
Name: ____________
Instructions: Look at the pictures below. At the top of this chart are pictures and labels of water in the form of a solid, liquid, and gas. On the edges of the chart are other items that are familiar to you. See if you can place the picture and word in the correct state.
Extension: (activities planned for students who finish early or for the whole class if time allows) Magazines for pictures for “water at work” and “water at play” collage or two-attribute graph.
Plant a Flower
Time frame: mini-day lesson
Instructor: Joanna Lende
Theme: Literacy plant lesson
Age: Kindergarten lesson
Planning for Instruction
Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to teach the students about the importance of flowers and other plants in our lives. We will explore this through planting our own flowers that each student can be responsible for taking care of.
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Standards:
Environment - Understand that rules are created to protect an environment.
K.4.1 b
Personal Connections - Describe personal connections to place, especially place as associated with immediate surroundings.
K.3.3 c
The student demonstrates ability to use measurement techniques by
[K] MEA-3 identifying instruments used to measure length,
Student Learning Goals/Outcomes: At the completion of the lesson, students will know what a plant needs to grow and survive and how to start the life of a new plant in addition to helping keep existing plants alive.
Assessment of Student Work:
Students will be assessed by their involvement and input in the class discussion on what plants need to grow. They will also be assessed by their attempt and participation in the planting of their flower.
Rubric:
| Assessment Standard | Score from 1-5 |
| Follows instructions | |
| Completed a planted flower | |
| Creativity | |
| Respectfulness to others and nature | |
Materials/Tools/Resources:
The book, On One Flower: Butterflies, Ticks, and a Few More Icks by Anthony D Fredericks
- Soil
- Water
- Flower seeds of your choice
Differentiation Strategies/Individual Modifications/Special Arrangements:
In order for this lesson to work for all children, the instructions need to be flexible and adaptable to different the different needs and situations of the children. For instance if a student is finding that while they are listening to the story, they need more space, perhaps this student should be given their own chair instead of expected to sit on the floor. This lesson is meant to get through children through multiple different learning strategies including visual, kinesthetic, and audio. This is a great way to meet all of the needs and brain compatible strategies of all children. I find that in general it seems easier to meet all the needs of students when the lesson has multiple activities instead of just one.
Instructional Sequence
Prior assignment/preparation:
Before the lesson can begin the classroom needs to be set up with all the materials including the precut 6”x6” squares of newspaper.
Opening Activity:
Read the story On One Flower: Butterflies, Ticks, and a Few More Icks by Anthony D Fredericks and ask the children the following questions:
1. What do plants need to grow? (Food, water, and shelter)
2. Where do plants get their food from? (the sun)
3. What is the shelter for plants? Where do they live? (Plants grow in soil and typically live in the ground or in a flower pot or bed.
After reading the book, invite students to go on a mini field trip to a flower somewhere on the school grounds. While looking at the flower try and point out some of the bugs and insects living on or near the flower. Are any of the creatures that you see on the field trip, creatures that were illustrated in the story? Return to the classroom and tell the students that we will each make our own flowers and place them in a garden outside our classroom window. During the summer invite the students to keep an eye on the flowers. Throughout the rest of the school year we will keep running records of the different creatures that are on the flower and we will try our best to identifiy those creatures through classroom research.
Learning Activities:
Making the Pot:
Have each of the students take a square piece of newspaper and begin by showing them how to fold the paper.
1. Fold the small (6”x6”) square in half diagonally so that you have a triangle.
2. Fold the right point just past the midway point of the triangle.
3. Fold the left corner to just past the midway point.
4. Now you should have something similar to a house looking shape with two flaps in the top corner of your shape.
5. Pull down the first flap and squeeze the sides of your shape so that you make a hallowed space.
Continued Procedure:
Once every student has a little pot made, place a handful of soil in each pot and poke a hole into the soil in order to make a little bed for the seed. Carefully place one seed into the pot a lightly cover the seed with a little more soil.
Finally water your pot and watch your flower grow. Once the children take their pots home, they can transfer their flower into a more permanent pot.
Where does your waste go?
Time frame: mini-day lesson
Instructor: Joanna Lende
Theme: Where does your waste go?
Age: third grade
Planning for Instruction
Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to teach children about where their waste goes and how this effects our environment.
Grade Level: Third Grade
Alaska State Standards:
Writing: W1.3 a. Use a variety of simple sentence structures and basic rules of punctuation and capitalization in written work.
E.A.2
b. Proofread writing for legibility, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation when producing final drafts. E.A.5
W2.3 a. Use a variety of simple and complex sentence structures in written work.
b. Proofread and correct grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, punctuation, capitalization, spelling,
and usage in finished written work. E.A.5
Science and Technology: SE Students develop an understanding of the relationships among science, technology, and society.
SE1 Students develop an understanding of how scientific knowledge and technology are used in making decisions about issues, innovations, and responses to problems and everyday events. SE2 Students develop an understanding that solving problems involves different ways of thinking, perspectives, and curiosity that lead to the exploration of multiple paths that are analyzed using scientific, technological, and social merits.
SE3 Students develop an understanding of how scientific discoveries and technological innovations affect and are affected by our lives and cultures.
Student Learning Goals/Outcomes: At the completion of the lesson, students will have completed a take home research project where they ask their parents or guardians where their waste goes from their home. In addition the students will come on a class field trip to different places of waste and write a reflection of what they found particularly interesting or surprising about the trip.
Assessment of Student Work:
Students will be assessed by their reflection paper.
Rubric:
4 Mature
The writing is focused on a topic and supported with details and/or examples. The writing shows a clear beginning, middle, and end with ideas separated into paragraphs. Author's voice/personality contributes to the writing through effective word choice and varied sentence structure. Sentences are complete, and surface errors (spelling, grammar, punctuation) are minimal.
3 Capable
The writing is focused on a topic and includes details. The writing shows a beginning, middle, and end; the writer may attempt to separate ideas into paragraphs. Author's voice/personality is evident through use of descriptive words and simple and compound sentences. Sentences are complete, and surface feature errors (spelling, grammar, punctuation) don't interfere with understanding.
2 Developing
Topic is presented but not developed; focus may wander. There is an attempt to organize ideas, but writing may lack connections. The writing may show limited vocabulary and/or simple sentences structure, but surface errors may make understanding difficult.
1 Emerging
Writing shows minimal focus on topic or is too limited in length. The writing shows little direction or organization. Vocabulary is limited and sentences are simple. Minimal control of surface features (spelling, grammar, punctuation) makes understanding difficult.
Materials/Tools/Resources:
The book, On One Flower: Butterflies, Ticks, and a Few More Icks by Anthony D Fredericks
- Drivers and vehicles
- Cooperation of local waste plants
- Paper/pencil
Instructional Sequence
Prior assignment/preparation:
Students should have experience and an understanding of waste and trash. They should be prompted to think about where their waste goes and what different kinds of waste exist. In addition the students should come to the class with information form their parents or guardian about where their home waste goes.
Opening Activity:
4. Ask the students to report on their findings form home about where their personal waste goes. After a short discussion of the placement of waste after it leaves our homes, begin to ask them questions about why the release of waste can be harmful to our environment. The children should watch the following quick video:
a. http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Annabelle-Gurwitch-Investigates-What-Happens-to-Our-Garbage-Video
After watching the video take the children on a field trip to their local recycle center and then to the waste plant and garbage disposal/land fill. The children should go on the tour of the landfill and be thinking of way to limit their trash production.
Learning Activities:
Explore Scholastic Internet Books:
After watching the video take the children on a field trip to their local recycle center and then to the waste plant and garbage disposal/land fill. The children should go on the tour of the landfill and be thinking of way to limit their trash production.
After the students have explored the differences between the two waste disposals have each student write a reflection paper. The reflection paper should include what they saw, how their trash production can be reduced, and how the disposal of our trash harms our environment.
Poems and Songs
Water
Water, water everywhere, water all around,
Water in the ocean, water in the ground.
Water in a river, water in a creek,
Water in a faucet with a drip-drip leak!
Water in a fountain, water in a lake,
Water on a flower, as day begins to break.
Water from a waterfall, rushing down from high,
Water from a dark cloud, raining from the sky.
Water boiling hot, water frozen ice,
Water in a blue lagoon, clean and clear and nice.
Water at a fire, gushing through a hose,
Water in a garden, so every flower grows.
Water for the animals swimming in the sea,
Water, water everywhere for you and for me!
by Meish Goldish, 101 Science Poems & Songs for Young Learners, Instructor Books
Snowman
Snowflakes falling
thick and fast,
build a snowman
make him last…
Snowflakes falling,
swirling, slow,
my snowman melted—
where'd he go?
by Helen Moore
Water's Way
Frozen water becomes ice,
Boiled water makes steam.
I like water in a fountain
Or in a flowing stream.
by Carol Weston
Fog
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
by Carl Sandburg
Misty-moisty
Misty-moisty was the morn,
And cloudy was the weather.
There I met an old man,
Dressed all in leather.
Dressed all in leather,
Against the wind and rain.
With a how do you do?
And a how do you do?
And a how do you do, again.
from Bibbilibonty Rigby Literacy 2000 ( has tape & 6 book copies)
The Rain
Pitter-patter, raindrops,
Falling from the sky;
Here is my umbrella
To keep me safe and dry!
When the rain is over,
And the sun begins to glow,
Little flowers start to bud,
And grow and grow and grow!
from Poems in Your Pocket, Poems to Share Rigby Literacy 2000 ( has tape & 6 book copies)
Cloud
What is fluffy?
What is white?
What can you see
When skies are bright?
What can float?
What brings rain?
What may be higher
Than a bird or plane?
Say it out loud:
Cloud!
by Meish Goldish, 101 Science Poems & Songs for Young Learners, Instructor Books
The Water Cycle
When I was young
I used to think
that water came
from
the kitchen sink.
But now I'm older,
and I know,
that water comes
from rain and snow.
It stays there, waiting,
in the sky,
in clouds above
our world so high.
And when it falls,
it flows along,
and splashes out
a watery song,
as each raindrop
is joined by more
and rushes to
the ocean shore,
or to a lake, a brook, a stream,
from which it rises,
just like steam.
But while it's down here
what do you think?
Some DOES go to
the kitchen sink!
by Helen H. Moore
In the Fog
Stand still.
The fog wraps you up
and no one can find you.
Walk.
The fog opens up
to let you through
and closes behind you.
Lilian Moore
Puddle Play
The rain comes down, Raise & lower arms while fluttering fingers
And under my feet point down
Are trees and clouds
All over the street.
I splash through the clouds, kick and splash
And I climb through trees. make climbing motions
I feel like a giant stretch tall
With boots to my knees. pull up boots
Rainy Day Song
Start from standing position. Throughout raise and lower arms while fluttering fingers.
It's raining hard,
And people say,
"It's raining cats
And dogs today."
It's raining cats.
"Meow, meow." Meow loudly.
It's raining puppy dogs.
"Bow-wow." Bark loudly.
Good Morning Song
Good Morning Dear Earth (hands as if holding earth on abdomen)
Good Morning Dear Sun (stretch arms above head in a circular arc)
Good Morning Dear Trees (stretch arms to side, like tree branches)
And the Flowers Everywhere (hands holding flowers on ground)
Good Morning Dear Beasts (hands as if petting a dog,etc..)
And the Birds in the Trees (hands "fly" away like birds flying away)
Good Morning Dear You and Good Morning Dear Me. (hands reaching to
each other, then hands cross over our chest)
Interactive Writing
A Pulling Force: Learning Cycle (Guided Discovery) Lesson Plan
Name Joanna Lende Grade/Subject K1 Math Time Allotment 30-45 min
Classroom Structure: Large group formation and partner discovery.
Context: This is a math lesson for the Power of Water unit.
Materials and Preparation:
For each pair of students
· 1 penny with well defined edges
· 1 eye dropper
· a small cup of cool water
· a student page entitled “A Pulling Force”
Objective: Teach students about surface tension of water through their own explorative discovery. Students will become familiar with scientific study and know how many water drops can fit on a penny.
Assessment: Make sure one partner does not control the investigation. Observe and record participation by students.
Lesson
Introduction:
· Anticipatory Set: Water has high surface tension. Surface tension is a force that exists on the surface of liquids where the molecules pull at each other very strongly, forming a kind of “skin,” This property of water is what makes it form drops instead of spreading out into other shapes. How many drops of water do you think could sit on a penny?
Procedure:
- Ask the class to bend their fingers so that their hand is opening and closing. Ask, “What happens to your skin when you bend your fingers?” “Does your skin break?” They should not that the skin stretched, but does not break.
- Ask the students to think back to their experience with the water drop on waxed paper. Ask, “Why were you able to pull the water around on the paper?” “How is that like your skin?”
- Explain that they are going to take a closer look at a collection of water drops. Hold up a penny and ask them how many drops of water do they think will fit on the penny. Have them predict and record their answers in their science notebook or their student page.
Concept Exploration:
- Have the one person from each pair of students collect a penny, eyedropper, and medicine cup with cold water.
- Place the penny on a level surface with the “heads” facing up.
- Have both partners practice counting water drops back into their cups before trying it with the stem of the eyedropper. Hold the eyedropper in a vertical position about ½ inch above the penny. Squeeze the bulb so that one-drop of water at a time falls onto the coin.
- Tally each drop of water that is dropped on the coin. Continue counting until the water begins to flow off the penny. Students record the number of last drop before the water flowed off the penny.
Concept Explanation:
Discuss what they observed.
· What happened to the water as you dropped it on the penny? (The water begins to forma bubble on the penny).
· What did you observe happening above the surface of the coin (The property of cohesion help the water molecule together and the property of adhesion help the water to the surface of the coin).
· Did you look at your water-covered penny from the side to make you drawing?
Concept Expansion: (new problem to extend concept, application of concept)
· Could you get more drops of water to stay on the “tail” side of the penny?
· Would warm water make a difference on the number of water drops a penny would hold?
· Would an older, worn down penny hold less water?
Extension: (activities planned for students who finish early or for the whole class if time allows)
Optional: Surface tensional experiment: leak proof fabric. Surface tension stops water form pouring through the tiny holes between the threads in woven fabrics such as cotton or gauze. This is why tents will keep rain out as long as we do not tough fabric and break the surface tension. This experiment shows how well surface tension prevents water leaking.
Materials
- Large bottle or jar
- Piece of find gauze bandage
- Rubber band
- Water
Procedure: Fill the bottle with water. Fix the gauze over the end with a rubber band. Turn the bottle over. The water will not flow out because surface tension acts like a skin to stop the water escaping through the holes in the fabric. Remind students that water also has a “skin.”
Learning Experience Scientist’s Name: _________________________
Activity
Student Page Date: ___________________________________
How many drops of water can be put onto the penny before the water begins to flow off of it?
My prediction: ____________drops
Tally each drop of water that you place on your penny here:
Draw a side view of your penny just before the water starts to flow off of it here:
The actual number of
drops that fit on our
penny was:_____________
You can seethe properties of water in nature. A water beetle takes advantage of surface tension to skim quickly across the water. The beetle is light enough so that it does not break the surface “skin.”
Concept Formation Lesson Plan-Water, Water, Everywhere!
Name Joanna Lende Date Grade/Area K1 Time Allotment 45 min
Classroom Structure: (e.g. cooperative grouping arrangements, large group/small group) Large group read aloud, discussion, and chart board, followed by independent creative writing time at group tables.
Context: Water, Water, Everywhere. This is a science lesson on the many uses and encounters that we have with water.
Materials and Preparation:
For Each Student:
· Writing and drawing materials
· Student page “Water, Water, Everywhere.”
For the class
· Chart/butcher paper
· Old magazines for collage
· The Drop in my Drink: The story of water on our planet, written by Meredith Hooer and illustrated by Chris Coady
Objective: The children will learn many different ways that plants, animals, and ourselves use water. In addition they will notice the similarities and differences in these uses.
Assessment: Student participation and interest in the group work as well as their presentations and creative expression in the individual work will be the means of which they will be assessed.
Lesson
Introduction:
- Anticipatory Set: Water is essential to all life and life activities. Plants, animals and humans must have water to survive. Nearly everything on Earth has a connection with water in some way. Wildlife needs water for drinking and for part of their habitat. In the same way humans need water for drinking and thier way of life (boating, fishing, swimming, etc). In order for our waters to stay clean we have to take care of them. Water is what grows our food and cools us down on a hot day. We use water for life and recreation and it is the basis of a massive planetary transportation system. Water is everywhere and it is one of the first things on the list of substances astronauts take into space. Even the driest desert has water.
Procedures:
- To introduce the lesson read the story The Drop in my Drink: The story of water on our planet, written by Meredith Hooer and illustrated by Chris Coady.
- Put up a piece of butcher paper. Divide the sheet of paper into two columns. At the top of one column write How We Use Water. At the top of the second column write How Plants and Other Animals Use Water.
· Say, “Think about some of the ways you have used water that day.” Record the students’ responses. (Most of the responses will be direct use of water like bathing, drinking, or brushing teeth.)
· Now ask, “What are some ways that other plants and animals use water?” “How are they different?”
· Be sure to label the group chart as you discuss.
· Say, “As you can see we use water for lots of different things.” Tell the class about how we use water for fun through swimming and boating and we use water for food through catching fish and adding water to make bread and other yummy snacks. In addition we need water to live and so do plants and animals. We are all connected through our dependence on water for life.
Closing
· Closure: (students review or summarize)
· Ask students what their favorite use for water is. Have three people sit on the stool and present their favorite use for water and why. Encourage other students in the audience to ask questions and make comments and connections.
· Independent Practice (assignment allows students to practice or apply new skill)
· To be sure that every student gets a chance to think of their favorite use of water have them go to their seats and create a drawing and description of their favorite use for water. When they have completed have them place their work in their writing folder as a piece of work to add to their portfolio.
Extension: (activities planned for students who finish early or for the whole class if time allows)
Students can make a collage with one side titles “water at work” and the other “water at play,” using pictures from magazines or catalogs.
The Three States of Water
Direct Instruction Lesson Plan Format
Name Joanna Lende Date Grade/Area K1 Time Allotment 30-45
Classroom Structure: Students will be in small groups in order to work together and share the materials and roles, such as recorder, paper passer, etc.
Context: The Three States of Water is part of a water unit for science studies. We have been working through an entire science and math unit based on the Power of Water. This lesson is one that goes along with the unit to teach the students about the three states of water. In Alaska we experience water in all three states including fishing, swimming, skiing, snowboarding, skating, making hot chocolate to heat us up, and watching ice melt.
Materials and Preparation:
For the Class
· Clear plastic drinking glasses
· Ice cubes
Objective: Teach students that water has three forms. At the completion of this lesson students should know what the three states of water are and be able to give an example of each state.
Assessment: Students will be assessed by their class work of creating a picture of the three states of water and labeling it. In addition they will be assessed by their presentation of their drawing to the class and their worksheet chart that they take home to complete. The objective of the assessment is just to see if the student knows the three states of water and can give an example.
Lesson
Introduction:
- Anticipatory Set: One of the unique characteristics of water is that it commonly occurs in all three phases of matter. These are a solid, liquid, and gas. It can also be made to move from one phase to another easily, which allows students to explore this property. In this exploration students identify the 3 phases and observe a demonstration that shows that water vapor is present by using a glass and some ice.
Procedures:
- Presentation: (explain, model, and/or demonstrate)
Create a picture displaying water in the three different states. For instance you may draw or color a picture of a stream and label liquid, a frozen lake or ice cube labeled as solid, and steam from a pot of boiling water as gas. Show your model to the class and explain how you knew what each state was.
- Checking for Understanding: As a group ask, “what are some different forms that you have seen water? Write down their responses on a piece of chart paper. Allow 3-5 minutes to collect students ideas.
- Divide the second sheet of chart paper into three sections. Label one solid, one liquid, and one gas. Ask them to look at their first list and decide what category each of the items on the list would fit under.
- Ask, “which activities in their lives require water in liquid form?” “Do they swim?” Which activities require water to be a solid? “Do they skate or ski?”
- Demonstrate water in its gaseous state by giving each group a glass full of ice cubes. Wait several minutes and have students observe the outside of the glass. Some possible questions to ask are:
· “What did you notice?”
· “Is the outside of the glass wet or dry?”
· “Where do you think the drops of water came from?” (The outside of the ice filled glasses should be covered with drops of water. When water vapor in the air is cooled, it turns to liquid).
- Guided Practice: (students apply skill/concepts, monitor and give feedback, assess each student) At their tables in small groups have them each draw a picture of a state of water and label which form the water is for that particular activity. Have students hand their picture and writing into you and assess them by their concept understanding and participation. If you see that a student labeled the wrong form of water be sure to meet with them and explain the three states of water and again and give them another chance to do the assignment.
Closing:
- Closure: (students review or summarize) Have students meet back at the rug and ask a few students to share their drawings and explain what state the water is in. Encourage the audience of students to ask questions or comment on their picture. If a student wrote liquid when they drew ice, teach the class the correct way and have the student correct their work.
- Independent Practice: (assignment allows students to practice or apply new skill): Take home worksheet
Three States of Water Worksheet
Name: ____________
Instructions: Look at the pictures below. At the top of this chart are pictures and labels of water in the form of a solid, liquid, and gas. On the edges of the chart are other items that are familiar to you. See if you can place the picture and word in the correct state.
Extension: (activities planned for students who finish early or for the whole class if time allows) Magazines for pictures for “water at work” and “water at play” collage or two-attribute graph.
Plant a Flower
Time frame: mini-day lesson
Instructor: Joanna Lende
Theme: Literacy plant lesson
Age: Kindergarten lesson
Planning for Instruction
Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to teach the students about the importance of flowers and other plants in our lives. We will explore this through planting our own flowers that each student can be responsible for taking care of.
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Standards:
Environment - Understand that rules are created to protect an environment.
K.4.1 b
Personal Connections - Describe personal connections to place, especially place as associated with immediate surroundings.
K.3.3 c
The student demonstrates ability to use measurement techniques by
[K] MEA-3 identifying instruments used to measure length,
Student Learning Goals/Outcomes: At the completion of the lesson, students will know what a plant needs to grow and survive and how to start the life of a new plant in addition to helping keep existing plants alive.
Assessment of Student Work:
Students will be assessed by their involvement and input in the class discussion on what plants need to grow. They will also be assessed by their attempt and participation in the planting of their flower.
Rubric:
| Assessment Standard | Score from 1-5 |
| Follows instructions | |
| Completed a planted flower | |
| Creativity | |
| Respectfulness to others and nature | |
Materials/Tools/Resources:
The book, On One Flower: Butterflies, Ticks, and a Few More Icks by Anthony D Fredericks
- Soil
- Water
- Flower seeds of your choice
Differentiation Strategies/Individual Modifications/Special Arrangements:
In order for this lesson to work for all children, the instructions need to be flexible and adaptable to different the different needs and situations of the children. For instance if a student is finding that while they are listening to the story, they need more space, perhaps this student should be given their own chair instead of expected to sit on the floor. This lesson is meant to get through children through multiple different learning strategies including visual, kinesthetic, and audio. This is a great way to meet all of the needs and brain compatible strategies of all children. I find that in general it seems easier to meet all the needs of students when the lesson has multiple activities instead of just one.
Instructional Sequence
Prior assignment/preparation:
Before the lesson can begin the classroom needs to be set up with all the materials including the precut 6”x6” squares of newspaper.
Opening Activity:
Read the story On One Flower: Butterflies, Ticks, and a Few More Icks by Anthony D Fredericks and ask the children the following questions:
1. What do plants need to grow? (Food, water, and shelter)
2. Where do plants get their food from? (the sun)
3. What is the shelter for plants? Where do they live? (Plants grow in soil and typically live in the ground or in a flower pot or bed.
After reading the book, invite students to go on a mini field trip to a flower somewhere on the school grounds. While looking at the flower try and point out some of the bugs and insects living on or near the flower. Are any of the creatures that you see on the field trip, creatures that were illustrated in the story? Return to the classroom and tell the students that we will each make our own flowers and place them in a garden outside our classroom window. During the summer invite the students to keep an eye on the flowers. Throughout the rest of the school year we will keep running records of the different creatures that are on the flower and we will try our best to identifiy those creatures through classroom research.
Learning Activities:
Making the Pot:
Have each of the students take a square piece of newspaper and begin by showing them how to fold the paper.
1. Fold the small (6”x6”) square in half diagonally so that you have a triangle.
2. Fold the right point just past the midway point of the triangle.
3. Fold the left corner to just past the midway point.
4. Now you should have something similar to a house looking shape with two flaps in the top corner of your shape.
5. Pull down the first flap and squeeze the sides of your shape so that you make a hallowed space.
Continued Procedure:
Once every student has a little pot made, place a handful of soil in each pot and poke a hole into the soil in order to make a little bed for the seed. Carefully place one seed into the pot a lightly cover the seed with a little more soil.
Finally water your pot and watch your flower grow. Once the children take their pots home, they can transfer their flower into a more permanent pot.
Where does your waste go?
Time frame: mini-day lesson
Instructor: Joanna Lende
Theme: Where does your waste go?
Age: third grade
Planning for Instruction
Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to teach children about where their waste goes and how this effects our environment.
Grade Level: Third Grade
Alaska State Standards:
Writing: W1.3 a. Use a variety of simple sentence structures and basic rules of punctuation and capitalization in written work.
E.A.2
b. Proofread writing for legibility, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation when producing final drafts. E.A.5
W2.3 a. Use a variety of simple and complex sentence structures in written work.
b. Proofread and correct grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, punctuation, capitalization, spelling,
and usage in finished written work. E.A.5
Science and Technology: SE Students develop an understanding of the relationships among science, technology, and society.
SE1 Students develop an understanding of how scientific knowledge and technology are used in making decisions about issues, innovations, and responses to problems and everyday events. SE2 Students develop an understanding that solving problems involves different ways of thinking, perspectives, and curiosity that lead to the exploration of multiple paths that are analyzed using scientific, technological, and social merits.
SE3 Students develop an understanding of how scientific discoveries and technological innovations affect and are affected by our lives and cultures.
Student Learning Goals/Outcomes: At the completion of the lesson, students will have completed a take home research project where they ask their parents or guardians where their waste goes from their home. In addition the students will come on a class field trip to different places of waste and write a reflection of what they found particularly interesting or surprising about the trip.
Assessment of Student Work:
Students will be assessed by their reflection paper.
Rubric:
4 Mature
The writing is focused on a topic and supported with details and/or examples. The writing shows a clear beginning, middle, and end with ideas separated into paragraphs. Author's voice/personality contributes to the writing through effective word choice and varied sentence structure. Sentences are complete, and surface errors (spelling, grammar, punctuation) are minimal.
3 Capable
The writing is focused on a topic and includes details. The writing shows a beginning, middle, and end; the writer may attempt to separate ideas into paragraphs. Author's voice/personality is evident through use of descriptive words and simple and compound sentences. Sentences are complete, and surface feature errors (spelling, grammar, punctuation) don't interfere with understanding.
2 Developing
Topic is presented but not developed; focus may wander. There is an attempt to organize ideas, but writing may lack connections. The writing may show limited vocabulary and/or simple sentences structure, but surface errors may make understanding difficult.
1 Emerging
Writing shows minimal focus on topic or is too limited in length. The writing shows little direction or organization. Vocabulary is limited and sentences are simple. Minimal control of surface features (spelling, grammar, punctuation) makes understanding difficult.
Materials/Tools/Resources:
The book, On One Flower: Butterflies, Ticks, and a Few More Icks by Anthony D Fredericks
- Drivers and vehicles
- Cooperation of local waste plants
- Paper/pencil
Instructional Sequence
Prior assignment/preparation:
Students should have experience and an understanding of waste and trash. They should be prompted to think about where their waste goes and what different kinds of waste exist. In addition the students should come to the class with information form their parents or guardian about where their home waste goes.
Opening Activity:
4. Ask the students to report on their findings form home about where their personal waste goes. After a short discussion of the placement of waste after it leaves our homes, begin to ask them questions about why the release of waste can be harmful to our environment. The children should watch the following quick video:
a. http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Annabelle-Gurwitch-Investigates-What-Happens-to-Our-Garbage-Video
After watching the video take the children on a field trip to their local recycle center and then to the waste plant and garbage disposal/land fill. The children should go on the tour of the landfill and be thinking of way to limit their trash production.
Learning Activities:
Explore Scholastic Internet Books:
After watching the video take the children on a field trip to their local recycle center and then to the waste plant and garbage disposal/land fill. The children should go on the tour of the landfill and be thinking of way to limit their trash production.
After the students have explored the differences between the two waste disposals have each student write a reflection paper. The reflection paper should include what they saw, how their trash production can be reduced, and how the disposal of our trash harms our environment.
Poems and Songs
Water
Water, water everywhere, water all around,
Water in the ocean, water in the ground.
Water in a river, water in a creek,
Water in a faucet with a drip-drip leak!
Water in a fountain, water in a lake,
Water on a flower, as day begins to break.
Water from a waterfall, rushing down from high,
Water from a dark cloud, raining from the sky.
Water boiling hot, water frozen ice,
Water in a blue lagoon, clean and clear and nice.
Water at a fire, gushing through a hose,
Water in a garden, so every flower grows.
Water for the animals swimming in the sea,
Water, water everywhere for you and for me!
by Meish Goldish, 101 Science Poems & Songs for Young Learners, Instructor Books
Snowman
Snowflakes falling
thick and fast,
build a snowman
make him last…
Snowflakes falling,
swirling, slow,
my snowman melted—
where'd he go?
by Helen Moore
Water's Way
Frozen water becomes ice,
Boiled water makes steam.
I like water in a fountain
Or in a flowing stream.
by Carol Weston
Fog
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
by Carl Sandburg
Misty-moisty
Misty-moisty was the morn,
And cloudy was the weather.
There I met an old man,
Dressed all in leather.
Dressed all in leather,
Against the wind and rain.
With a how do you do?
And a how do you do?
And a how do you do, again.
from Bibbilibonty Rigby Literacy 2000 ( has tape & 6 book copies)
The Rain
Pitter-patter, raindrops,
Falling from the sky;
Here is my umbrella
To keep me safe and dry!
When the rain is over,
And the sun begins to glow,
Little flowers start to bud,
And grow and grow and grow!
from Poems in Your Pocket, Poems to Share Rigby Literacy 2000 ( has tape & 6 book copies)
Cloud
What is fluffy?
What is white?
What can you see
When skies are bright?
What can float?
What brings rain?
What may be higher
Than a bird or plane?
Say it out loud:
Cloud!
by Meish Goldish, 101 Science Poems & Songs for Young Learners, Instructor Books
The Water Cycle
When I was young
I used to think
that water came
from
the kitchen sink.
But now I'm older,
and I know,
that water comes
from rain and snow.
It stays there, waiting,
in the sky,
in clouds above
our world so high.
And when it falls,
it flows along,
and splashes out
a watery song,
as each raindrop
is joined by more
and rushes to
the ocean shore,
or to a lake, a brook, a stream,
from which it rises,
just like steam.
But while it's down here
what do you think?
Some DOES go to
the kitchen sink!
by Helen H. Moore
In the Fog
Stand still.
The fog wraps you up
and no one can find you.
Walk.
The fog opens up
to let you through
and closes behind you.
Lilian Moore
Puddle Play
The rain comes down, Raise & lower arms while fluttering fingers
And under my feet point down
Are trees and clouds
All over the street.
I splash through the clouds, kick and splash
And I climb through trees. make climbing motions
I feel like a giant stretch tall
With boots to my knees. pull up boots
Rainy Day Song
Start from standing position. Throughout raise and lower arms while fluttering fingers.
It's raining hard,
And people say,
"It's raining cats
And dogs today."
It's raining cats.
"Meow, meow." Meow loudly.
It's raining puppy dogs.
"Bow-wow." Bark loudly.
Good Morning Song
Good Morning Dear Earth (hands as if holding earth on abdomen)
Good Morning Dear Sun (stretch arms above head in a circular arc)
Good Morning Dear Trees (stretch arms to side, like tree branches)
And the Flowers Everywhere (hands holding flowers on ground)
Good Morning Dear Beasts (hands as if petting a dog,etc..)
And the Birds in the Trees (hands "fly" away like birds flying away)
Good Morning Dear You and Good Morning Dear Me. (hands reaching to
each other, then hands cross over our chest)
Earth and Water Book List
- Amazing Water by Melvin Berger
- Is It Floating by Fred and Jean Biddulph
- The Drop in My Drink: the story of water on our planer by Meredith Hooper
- The Magic School Bus Wet All Over!
- Water Dance by Thomas Locker
- Paddle-to-the-Sea by by Clancy Holling
- The Snowflake by Noel Waterman
- A Drop Around the World by Barbara Shaw McKinney
- Down Comes the Rain by Franklyn M. Branley
- A Drop of Water by Grodon Moretson
- Stars in the Water by Lesley DuTemple
- One Well: the story of water on Earth written by Rochelle Strauss
- Did a Dinosaur Drink This Water? Written by Robert E.Wells
- Where does the Garbage Go? By Paul Showers
- Air is All Around You by John O’Brian
- Science with Water Usborne science activities
- Tracking Trash by Loree Griffin Burns
- Saving Water by Acorn
- This is the Rain by Lola M. Schaffer
- I am Water by Kean Marcella
- The Water Cycle by Bobbie Calman
- A Drop Goes Plop by Sam Godwin
- The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
- Earth Book for Kids: Activities to Help Heal the Environment by Linda Schwartz
- Flotsam by David Wiesner
- The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
