Subject

Water Cycle, Earth and Space Science.

 

Objectives

The students will understand the water cycle more in depth. They will understand the possibilities of where a water molecule could go depending on where it is in the cycle and on the Earth. They will also be able to practice writing as they create a story about their water molecule.

 

Materials

• Water Cycle Printout
• Water location Posters and dice from The Water Cycle Game
  • (Ocean, lake, river, glacier, groundwater, plants, clouds, soil, animal)
• 9 buckets or cups, one for each location
• Beads (9 colors and one sun bead)
• Art and crafts pipe cleaner, or yarn
• Where did you go and Where did you go paragraph printouts

 

Background

Water is a finite resource on Earth. This means that it cannot be created or destroyed. The water that exists on Earth today is the same water that existed at the beginning of the Earth and will exist until the end of the Earth. However, this water does circulate through what is called the water cycle.

Water exists in three forms; gas, liquid, and solid. It is able to change forms and go through the water cycle because of the sun. The sun heats it up, or the lack of sun cools it down, making it able to change forms and travel the earth.

With this lesson, the students will each become a water molecule, and make a bracelet to document their journey.

 

Procedure

1. Print out the location posters and make the dice that go with each one resources in The Water Cycle Game
   • Resources from: Oklahoma State 4H
2. Walk the students through the water cycle on the Water Cycle Printout and have them fill in the quiz on the back before starting the activity.
   • Resources from: Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association
3. Place “Location posters” around the room with their corresponding bucket of beads and dice. The locations are listed below;
   • Ocean, Lake, River, Glacier, Groundwater, Plants, Clouds, Soil, Animals
4. Hand out a pipe cleaner and a sun bead.
   • Explain why the sun is important for the water cycle and why it is the start of their water cycle journey bracelet.
5. Send kids to each of the 9 locations and let them start their journey.
   • Each new location you take a bead.
   • Roll the dice, go to the location that it lands on
   • If it lands on the location you rolled, take another bead and roll again, if you roll the same location a third time, look at the dice and pick a different location (must be on that specific dice).
   • Continue until you have 10 or more beads on your bracelet.
6. Hand out the Where did you go? worksheet.
   • Have the kids write down the 10 steps of their journey, starting with the sun and moving down, keep it in the right order!
7. Ask the kids a few questions.
   • Why was each di different?
   • What color bead do you have most of? Why?
8. Hand out the Where did you go paragraph worksheet and have the kids write a colorful creative story about how their molecule moved from one location to the next. Have them use their water cycle vocab!