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I started to present my water cycle lesson to my students on Friday. I started off with showing them the animation from the SciPack that shows the pot of water heating up, boiling, and showing the steam rising. They were all familiar with this scenario so I explained to them how this is pretty much the water cycle. We then went over vocabulary words that gave an explanation in kid friendly words and also pictures. I used the Discovery Education website to find a Magic School Bus video to show them the water cycle in a different way. Mrs. Frizzle is so awesome! I then read to them a story that I wrote about Randy the Raindrop. It shows a raindrop named Randy and his journey through the water cycle. That is where the lesson stopped. I need to still show them more animations from the SciPack and have them complete an activity to see if they are able to identify the stages of the water cycle. The animations from the SciPacks are very helpful because for my anticipatory set (water boiling in the pot), it was much safer to show using the animation than bringing in an actual pot and boiling the water in front of third graders. I also did not have a clear pot to show the water boiling. My students LOVE the animations! :-)

I found a great simple terrarium for kids to make that illustrates the water cycle. I have attached it. Maybe you can use it.

Attachments

The Home Zone: Water for Life (Journal Article)

One of my favorite ways to link the water cycle into the study of the environment is the use of bio bottles. The curriculum was developed at the University of Wisconsin as part of a grant from the NSF, and is available at http://www.bottlebiology.org/investigations/hanging.html. They are hanging multi-part environments built out of soda bottles, and students can build their own and design their own environments. Generally, the bottles are strung together and hung in a sunny window.

Tracie, I'm a third-grade teacher and like to use the following demo for water cycle: 1) Using a clear container (emptied out mayonnaise jars, plastic mochi crunch jars, even emptied out Halloween pretzel containers), fill with warm water about 1/3 of the way 2) Cover the opening with plastic wrap, leaving a divot (trough) and secure with a rubber band; 3) place ice cubes on top of the plastic wrap. 4) students will observe "precipitation" over a 10-15 min period because the warm air rises to meet the colder plastic and forms condensation. The trough allows the water to drop back down. I use this task for observation and communication skills. I don't tell students what to expect. They are usually very excited by the "rain."

Thank you all for the information posted here. Very useful.

Tracie, With the mention of Mrs. Frizzle I'm assuming that your teaching somewhere between kindergarten and 2nd grade :). I am glad to hear that your lessons are going well. It's inspiring me to attempt this with my kindergarten students. The integration of meida is an excellent ways to keep the students attention throughout. Thanks for the inspiration.

I love this lesson...its always interesting to see what the kids will say... have a glass of water filled with ice cubes. Ask the kids if you let it sit the water will condense around the cup. Where is that water coming from? Inside the cup? Or outside? Of course the kids always say that it comes from the inside of the cup and seeps through the cup. Then put some food coloring in it and so if their hypothesis is correct. The dye should appear outside of the cup. Send them off to recess and show them the results. Then have a discussion about the different forms of water and the process in which the water went through when the cold water was exposed to the air.

I like your boiling water demonstration as your anticipatory set. Showing the following video will be a good way to start your next lesson to conjure up their thoughts from the previous lesson: http://learningcenter.nsta.org/lcms/default.aspx?a=groupedit&gid=688&tid=229&soid=47 This is the interactive video from the "Evaporation in a Pot" interactive video from the SciObject on Ocean's Effect on Weather and Climate. I've seen something like Kelly Kellee's example but with paint cans that you can get at Home Depot. Fill it with ice that was made with food coloring and the students will make observations about the water droplets that condense on the outside of the container. We recently had a Ocean FEST (Families Exploring Science Together) Science Night at our school that gave students a great hands-on activity that modeled the melting of ice caps. On a plastic plate, there was a brown foam "continent" off to one side. Students placed a white modelling clay "island" in the "ocean" side (not on the "continent"). On the "island", they placed two pony beads representing "houses". Students filled the "ocean" with water and were given ice cubes to place on the "continents". They did other activities and then came back to their models. The ice melted, the sea level rose, and most of the "island" and "homes" were under water! This was an example of global warming, but it could be extended to use for your purpose of teaching the water cycle by putting the whole thing in a clear plastic bag. Students could observe the condensation at the top of the bag to mimic clouds. Just an idea as I haven't done it yet, but it will probably work.