Baldwin-Wallace University/School of Education/Universal Lesson Plan

I. Subject: Science – Water Cycle Date: 1/30/18 Grade Level: 2

II. Alignment to Standards:

A. Ohio’s Learning Standards:
-ODE.ESS.2.2.1: Water is present in the air.
-ODE.RI.2.2: Identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph text as well as focus on
specific paragraphs within the text.

III. Central focus of the learning segment:

-During this learning segment, students will be learning about the water cycle through a variety
of sources and activities. First, students will discuss their experiences with rain/snow. They will
then complete a brief written pre-assessment about their knowledge of types of precipitation and
the water cycle. The class will read through a brief article about the water cycle and will use
information of the text to create individual charts defining major vocabulary terms. Additionally,
the students will create icons and motions to go along with each term in order to better remember
the meanings.
-The next day, the students will listen to a water cycle song and will use the motions they
determined the previous day to represent each vocabulary term used in the song. The students
will then read the procedures of a “Water Cycle in a Bag” experiment, which they will then
complete in small groups. The second lesson will close after students make predictions about
how the experiment will turn out.
-For the third lesson, the students will make conclusions about the experiment from the previous
day. They will then read a short story about the water cycle and will relate it to their lives.
Finally, they will complete a written summative assessment in which they create an image of the
water cycle and apply the vocabulary terms that they have learned.

IV. Learning Objective(s)/Target/s:

By the end of the 35-minute lesson, the students will be able to use their knowledge of the water
cycle and its function to make plausible hypotheses about the results of the “Water Cycle in a
Bag” experiment.

V. Assessment/s:
A. Formative assessments during the lesson:
-At the beginning of the lesson, the teacher will ask the students what they remember
from the previous day. The teacher will observe student responses to assess their recall
and correct any misconceptions.
-The students will hypothesize about the experiment results at the end of the lesson. The
teacher will collect their hypotheses to determine their understanding of the water cycle
as it applies to the experiment. Any misconceptions will be addressed the following day,
when they collect the results of the experiment.

B. Summative assessment:
-N/A
VI. Academic Language:
A. Function:
-Students will recall the water cycle process and vocabulary terms from the previous
lesson. They will sing the chorus of “The Water Cycle Boogie” and match their
motions to the vocabulary terms.
-Students will follow step-by-step procedures for an experiment. They will
collaborate in small groups to complete the experiment.
-Students will hypothesize about the possible results of the experiment.

B. Content vocabulary:
-Water Cycle: when water from Earth evaporates, condenses into clouds, and falls back
to Earth as precipitation
-Evaporation: when a liquid changes to a gas
-Condensation: when a gas changes to a liquid
-Precipitation: rain, snow, or hail falling from the clouds
-Procedure: the steps to be followed during an experiment
-Hypothesis: a possible explanation for a scientific problem, “If…then…”

VII. Materials/Candidate Resources:

-SMART board/computer/document camera
-Picture of teacher when she was in 2nd grade (and her 2nd grade teacher)
-“Water Cycle Boogie” by the Banana Slug String Band,
https://bananaslugs.bandcamp.com/track/water-cycle-boogie-2
-“Water Cycle in a Bag” Experiment Procedures (x24)
-6 Zip-Lock Sandwich Bags
-6 Permanent Markers
-Roll of tape
-Pitcher of water
-Blue food coloring
-Blue paint swatches (x24)
-Water cycle diagram

VIII. Behavior Expectations:

-During the lesson, students are expected to follow the 3 big school rules: Be safe, be kind, be
responsible. During the water cycle song, the students will stand up in a personal space and will
practice the vocabulary term motions determined the previous day as they are mentioned in the
song. They will keep their hands to themselves. During the experiment, the students will follow
along with the teacher as she goes through the procedures. Each member of each group will have
an assigned task to complete. At the end of the lesson, the students will complete their exit
tickets independently.

IX. Procedures:
A. Motivation/Hook:
-At the beginning of the lesson, the teacher will ask the students if they remember some
of the vocabulary words they talked about yesterday. After the students give a few
 examples, the teacher will talk through the water cycle (the students will echo back each
step) and use each motion paired with its word as she points to the water cycle diagram
on the board. (3 minutes).

B. Instructional Strategies:

What the teacher will What the student is Theorist/ Differentiation Anticipated
say/do: expected to do: Best Practice Time
The teacher will then tell the The students will look -Kohn: engaging -Gardner: 2 minutes
students that she also at the photographs. content, learning interpersonal
learned about the water communities learners
cycle (just like them!) back
when she was in 2nd grade.
The teacher will use the
document camera to show
the class a picture of herself
back when she was in 2nd
grade, along with a
photograph of her 2nd grade
teacher.
The teacher will tell the The students will -Rogers and -Gardner: musical 5 minutes
class that when she first listen to “The Water Renard: create learners,
learned about the water Cycle Boogie”. They fun learning kinesthetic/auditory
cycle, her teacher taught will do the hand experiences learners
them a song that helped motions at the
them remember how it went. appropriate times and -Glasser: fun, -ELL: opportunity
The teacher will tell the sing along to the learn through to practice the
class that it’s a little silly, chorus. play vocabulary with the
but if they learn the song, corresponding
they will NEVER forget the motions
steps of the water cycle. The
teacher will tell the students
that they can stand up for
the song, and when the
words evaporation,
condensation, and
precipitation are heard, they
should sing along and use
the motions they just
practiced. The teacher will
then play the song “Water
Cycle Boogie” and will
point to the steps of the
water cycle diagram as they
are mentioned in the song.
After the song, the teacher The students will sit 2 minutes
will tell the students to sit back down and calm
back down and take a deep themselves. They will
breath. Once everyone is sit quietly as the
seated, the teacher will tell teacher hands out the
the class that since they now experiment
understand the basics of the procedures.
water cycle, they are going
to do an activity in groups to
see how it really works. The
teacher will hand out the
experiment procedures to
the students and project it on
the SMART board.
The teacher will explain the The students will -Fogarty: -Diverse groups – 10-15
term “procedures”. She will volunteer to read a challenge through all ability levels minutes
also explain that each step of the procedures doing working together to
student at a table is and will complete the complete the
responsible for a certain step step that they were -Protheroe: plan experiment
of the procedures. However, assigned to do for for interaction
they class is going to all their group. and collaboration
work at the same pace to
make sure everything is -Bloom: creation,
clear. Volunteers will read designing a
the procedures step by step, functional model
and the groups will work
together to complete the
experiment.
After the experiment has The students will -Fogarty: foster -Gardener: logical 3 minutes
been completed and the bags watch as the teacher problem- learners
are taped to the window, the explains the word solving/thinking
teacher will explain what the “hypothesis”. skills
word “hypothesis” means.
The teacher will show the -Protheroe:
students how to write a meaning is
hypothesis in an created by
“If…then…” statement. making
connections and
integrating
information

-Bloom: analysis

C. Review/Closure: The students will each be given a blue paint swatch to write on. They
will write their names at the top, and then write their hypothesis for the experiment.
These are exit tickets that will be collected by the teacher as the students are dismissed.
(5 minutes).