Water Lesson Plans

Forms, Sources, and Movement

Grade Level:2nd Grade

** This is a two day activity: 55min each day **

Subject :

• This lesson would be it used as part of a science unit

Objectives:The learner will:• Discuss different forms of water (Solid, Liquid, Gas)• Discuss different types of water sources• Discuss the water cycle• Identify key components of the water cycle• State why water conservation important in relation to the

water cycle• Demonstrate an understanding that water conservation is

an act of recycling for the Earth. (In third grade students will talk about reduce, reuse, recycle..this is an introduction for that concept)

GLEC’s Addressed:

• E.FE.E.1 Water- Water is a natural resource and is found under the ground, on the surface of the Earth, and in the sky. It exists in three states (liquid, solid, gas) and can go back and forth from one form to another.

• E.FE.02.11 Identify water sources (wells, springs, lakes, rivers, oceans).

• E.FE.02.12 Identify household uses of water (drinking, cleaning, food preparation).

GLEC’s Cont.• E.FE.02.13 Describe the properties of water as a liquid (visible,

flowing, shape of container and recognize rain, dew, and fog as water in its liquid state. *

• E.FE.02.14 Describe the properties of water as a solid (hard, visible, frozen, cold) and recognize ice, snow, and hail as water in its solid state. *

• E.FE.E.2 Water Movement- Water moves in predictable patterns.• E.FE.02.21 Describe how rain collects on the surface of the Earth

and flows downhill into bodies of water (streams, rivers, lakes, oceans) or into the ground.

• E.FE.02.22 Describe the major bodies of water on the Earth’s surface (lakes, ponds, oceans, rivers, streams).

Trade Books:

Action: Day One

Supplies needed:• Bowl of ice

• Bowl of tap water• Bowl of boiling water• Laminated “forms of water” sheet• Puzzles• Trade book• Water cycle cut-outs and paper for the class water

cycle• Worksheets

Engage• Have a bowl of ice, a bowl of tap water, and a bowl of boiling water ready

for the students to observe.• Ask the students what all three of these bowls have in common• They will give their opinions and hopefully you will lead them into a

discussion and ultimately to the conclusion that all three of these bowls contain a form of water

• Discuss with the students that there are three forms of water : Solid, Liquid, and Gas. There is a laminated paper that the students can look at and read. You can set up a station with this paper for your students to look at throughout the unit of “Fluid Water”.

• Discuss different types of water sources; or where water is found on Earth (oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, etc.)

• Ask the students if they have ever seen rain before; most likely they will respond yes and that’s where you can lead into questions such as where do you think rain comes from ?and how does it get into a cloud?

Explore• Pass out the puzzles to each of the students• Have them work in groups to figure out how to put this “rain”

puzzle together.• Once the students have completed their puzzles, you can explain

to them what there puzzles are representing. To allow the concept to sink in, you can read the book, “ The Magic School Bus: At the Waterworks” or “ The drop in My Drink” to the class.

• While reading the book, emphasize the words water, evaporation, condensation, precipitation, water vapor, and water conservation.

• You can tell them that these words are major steps in something called the water cycle!

Explain• After reading the book, have the students look

at their puzzles. You will have a master Blown up puzzle on the board.

• Explain the different steps of the water cycle; pointing to each step on the puzzle as you advance to the next step.

• This will help the students start to learn that the water cycle goes in a sequential order.

Elaborate• After going through each step of the water

cycle, the class will be creating a large scale classroom water cycle.

• After completing the class water cycle, pass out the flash card paper to the students. Have the students write down the definition and one or two facts about each step as you talk about again as a class

Evaluate• The students will be tested on the flash cards

later in the unit. They would need to know the order of the steps, the definition, and a fact about each step.

Action: Day Two

Supplies needed:• Puzzles

• Trade book• Water cycle cut-outs• Water saving pledge• Chalk board talk handouts• Supplies for terrarium

– 2-liter bottle– Sand– Dirt– Rocks– Moss (optional)– Seeds or plants (optional)– Water– Plastic bag

Engage• In the beginning of the second day, review

types of water, sources, and terms such as evaporation, condensation, precipitation, water, water vapor, and water conservation.

• Hand back the students puzzles and ask the student if they can remember what order the steps of the water cycle went in? Go around the room and have the students tell you something they learned from yesterday.

Explore• Read the book a second time, having the students

pay attention to the words we have been highlighting (water, water vapor, evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and water conservation).

• Have the students reassemble the class water cycle having them work together to place the pictures they made in the correct order.

• Invite some students to help you in placing arrows in the correct order on the class water cycle as well.

Explain• Explain to the students that the water moving in the

water cycle does not fall exactaly where it evaporated from.

• Some places recieve more rain while others receive little to no rain and this can cause problems.

• Ask the students why it is SO important to save or preserve water.

• Ask them who needs to save water? EVERYONE!• You can have them complete the water saving pledge

Elaborate• Have the students either come over to watch

or each group can make their own “rain experiment” ; also known as a terrarium.

• This will be used as an observation tool throughout the whole “Fluid Water” unit and can be set up as a learning station.

Evaluate• “Chalk Board Talk”• Quiz/ test later in the unit

Vocabulary List• Water• Water Vapor • Evaporation• Precipitation• Condensation• Water conservation** you can add on more words as the unit

progresses **

Works Cited

• * Credit to Kelsey Cohan