A Scientific Inquiry about the Water Cycle

Participants: Kristie Hulbert. Brenda Bezio, Lori Darst

Overview/Purpose:
Students in Grades K and One along with students receiving special class instruction in grades K-2 will actively participate in a cross-curricular unit on Weather, specifically the Water Cycle. Students will be engaged in hands-on experiments, reading of expository texts and fiction; ending with a product-based assessment of an “All-About” non-fiction writing. SmartBoard technology will be included as additional resource become available.

Length of Instructional time: approximately 6 weeks.

Age/grade level: Students in Grades K and One along with students receiving special class instruction in grades K-2

NYS Standards Addressed:
MST
Standard 4
ELA
Standard 1
Standard 2

PCSD Standards

  • Critical Thinker
  • Effective Communicator
  • Life Long Learner

Essential Questions:

  • What is the water cycle?
  • What makes the weather?
  • How does the weather change from day to day?
  • Where does the rain come from and where does it go?

Content Knowledge
Declarative
The students will understand…

  • The water cycle and what its relationship to weather is
  • Patterns to the weather
  • How to use features of non-fiction texts to synthesize, determine importance and find main ideas
  • How to question the explanations they hear from others and read about, seeking clarification and comparing them with their own observations an understandings.
  • That writers approach writing to convey meaning.

Procedural
The students will be able to…

  • Participate in class experiments and whole group discussions
  • Identify and correctly sequence the pattern of the water cycle
  • Explain the water cycle process correctly using pictures and taught vocabulary
  • Ask “why” questions in an attempt to seek greater understanding concerning objects and events they have observed/heard about
  • Develop relationships along observations to construct descriptions of objects and events and to form their own tentative explanations of what they have observed
  • Read non-fiction texts for authentic purposes
  • Write an informational book (and/or a class book) about weather and/or water cycle
  • Record and report observations through oral language, numbers and pictures
  • Use features of non-fiction text to help them find information.

Assessment Evidence
The Student will produce an “All-About” non-fiction text that includes, but is not limited to: a table of contents, a two-page spread, a special age numbering, captions, fun facts, bold lettering, diagrams, photographs, and zoom-in, zoom-out features.
The student will accurately chard daily weather on a worksheet