MASTER TEACHER  Cheryl T. Gillenwater

GRADES 3 – 5

OVERVIEW
In this lesson the students will be introduced to the unending water cycle.  They will learn new vocabulary for each stage of the water cycle and see how each stage occurs on the video.  They will experiment with returning used water to fresh drinkable water.  The students will conduct an experiment that will show how clouds are formed and release rain.  At the end of the lesson the students will draw and label the water cycle.  The students will conduct an ongoing experiment of the effects of acid rain on plants. Included are three math activities that focus on water conservation and rainfall.

ETV SERIES
3-2-1- Classroom Contact – # 112 Go With the Flow

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
* identify the different stages of the water cycle.
* state the three different states of water in the water cycle.
* draw and label the water cycle.
* observe the effects of acid rain on seeds and plants grown in the classroom.
* state how dirty water is cleaned and returned to us.

MATERIALS
(Demonstration Experiment #1)
hot plate
glass coffee pot
metal funnel large enough to cover opening of coffee pot (you can make the funnel out of aluminum foil)
3 feet of ½” ID (inside diameter) plastic tubing
clear drinking glass
½ cup of salt
chemicals (crushed multiple vitamin or any single vitamin such as zinc or iron)
10 drops of red, blue, green, or purple food coloring
(Experiment #2)
1 small clear shallow container
1 large clear plastic or glass dome
1 lamp
(Experiment #3)
1 quart size, clear glass jar, with lid (per group of 4 to 5 students) (may substitute
1 gallon clear glass jar, with lid by using 4 cups of boiling water)
1 cup of boiling water (per group of 4 to 5 students)
1 aluminum pie plate or shallow container to place ice in (per group of 4 to 5 students)
3 plants of the same size (per group of 4 to 5 students)
water to make acid rain solutions 
1 quart of vinegar (per class)

VOCABULARY
accumulation – gathering of water into lakes, streams, ponds, and oceans
condense – the process by which vapor is changed, usually by cooling, to a liquid form
condensation – the process by which gas is changed into a liquid
evaporation – the process by which liquid is changed into vapor, a gas form (steam)
groundwater – a layer of underground water that forms when precipitation soaks into the soil and becomes trapped between the soil above and a rock or clay layer below
precipitation – the process by which condensed water builds up in clouds and falls to the ground as rain, sleet, snow, or hail
runoff – water, including rain and snowmelt, that runs down the surface of the land and into rivers, streams, and other waterways
water cycle – the process by which water evaporates into water vapor, condenses into liquid form in the clouds, and precipitates as rain or snow returning back to Earth
water vapor – tiny drops of water floating in the air

PRE-VIEWING ACTIVITIES
Display a glass of tap water and a glass of used (dirty) water (dirty water is a mixture of ½ cup of salt, 10 drops of food coloring, 2 quarts of water, and a crushed multiple vitamin or a zinc or iron tablet).  Ask the students if they know how the dirty water becomes clean again.  As a whole class, students will brainstorm what they know about the water cycle and the wastewater treatment facilities.  Record their responses on a KWL chart.  Under column K list what the students know.  Under column W list what the students want to know.  Leave column L (for what they learned) blank at this time.  You will return to this column at the end of the lesson and fill in what the students have learned.

FOCUS FOR VIEWING
To give students a specific responsibility while viewing, say, “While you are viewing the video, look for the answers to questions # 1 – 3 on Activity Worksheet #1.  We will be identifying the process of evaporation and the three states of matter.”

VIEWING ACTIVITIES
Begin the video where the screen shows a male student drinking a glass of water.  The student says, “Ah! A glass of clear fresh delicious water.”  Pause the video when the student says, “This thing nature has cooked up is called the water cycle.”  The screen shows the student with a boiling pot of water.  At this time discuss and answer questions  # 1 – 3 on Activity Worksheet #1. (1. Evaporation; 2.liquid; 3. stays behind) Ask the students to define evaporation and the three states of matter. Set up Experiment  #1 Evaporation Demonstation using the dirty water you displayed at the beginning of the lesson.  The experiment will take time continuing while you proceed with the lesson.   Focus the students by telling them to pay close attention because they will use the upcoming information to answer questions # 4 – 8 on Activity #1 focusing on the evaporation of water from the ocean.   Resume video. Pause the video after the ocean scene when the counterclockwise rotating arrow reappears and the student says, “This cycle is going on all the time, everyday.”  Discuss and answer questions # 4 – 8.   (4. stays behind; 5. clouds, 6. rain, sleet, hail; 7. oceans, lakes, streams, soil; 8. evaporation)  Focus the students by asking them if they know what the Continental Divide is.   Tell them they will be looking for answers to the questions #9-12.  Resume video. Pause the video after the screen shows the water flowing past a rock cliff.  Discuss and answer # 9 – 12.  (9. Heat from sun; 10. Atlantic Ocean; 11. Pacific Ocean; 12. Melting of snowbeds in mountains)  Focus students’ attention by telling them to think about how clean water is returned to our homes.  They will be answering #13-15.   Resume the video when the student is in the lab saying, “We interrupt the Colorado River for a progress report.”  Stop the video when “Go With the Flow” appears on the screen.  Discuss and answer questions  # 13 – 15. (13. from water treatment facility through pipes; 14. as rain falls through the atmosphere it is polluted with carbonic acid; 15. they die)

POST-VIEWING ACTIVITIES
Complete the L portion of the KWL chart and see if any of the questions in that section have been answered.  Say “Now that we have finished viewing information on the water cycle, you are ready to perform the Cloud in a Jar Experiment #3.” This experiment shows how hot air rises (from the hot water) and meets the cold air (from the ice cubes) and forms a cloud of water vapor.  When the cloud becomes full, the water droplets will be released as rain.  Condensation will also appear on the outside of the jar.  The students will perform the experiment in cooperative groups.  The directions are at the end of the lesson.  The students should now understand that the water cycle requires evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and accumulation.  After completion of experiment #3 have the students draw and label the water cycle.  Explain to the students that since the water cycle is a “closed” system and we will not acquire more water. We need to conserve what we have.  Use math activities #1 and #2 on water conservation.  Math activity #3 is used to chart the monthly and yearly rainfall totals for Corpus Christi and the surrounding area. Check Demonstation #1 on Evaporation begun earlier in the lesson and draw conclusions.  Maybe the next day you can do the Acid Rain Experiment #4.  The directions are at the end of the lesson. 

ACTION PLAN
Have a speaker from the wastewater department of your city speak to your class. 
 Take the students on a field trip to a wastewater treatment plant.   Have a meteorologist speak to the class about the different types of clouds. 

EXTENSIONS

Language Arts
Have students write a summary on the video.  Other topics to write on may include acid rain, water conservation, or wastewater treatment.

Social Studies 
Have students locate the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Mississippi River, Colorado River, Continental Divide, and Great Lakes on a map of the United States.  Have the students chart the average rainfall for their city and other cities they locate on the map.

Science
Replicate Experiment #2 Evaporation Dome that was conducted in the video.  See the directions at the end of the lesson.

Internet Connections 
http://www.epa.gov/OGWDW/kids/cycle.html
 

Activity #1

Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation

Answer these questions while you watch the accompanying video.

1. When the water boils it changes from a liquid to a gas through ______________.
2. When the water cools it changes from a gas to a _________________________.
3. What happens to the minerals when the water evaporates? _________________
4. When water evaporates from the oceans what happens to the salt? __________
5. When water vapor collects, what does it form? ___________________________
6. In what form do water droplets from clouds return to the earth? ____________
7. Where does water go when it rains? ___________________________________
8. Through what process does used water become fresh again? _______________
9. How does water evaporate from the ocean if it doesn’t boil?_________________
10. When water falls on the east side of the Continental Divide where does it end up?________________________________________________________
11. When water falls on the west side of the Continental Divide where does it end up? _______________________________________________________
12. How does the Colorado river begin? ___________________________________
13. How is clean water returned to our homes? _____________________________
14. What is acid rain? _________________________________________________
15. What may happen to lakes, ponds, streams, and plants that are exposed to acid rain? ______________________________________________________

DEMONSTRATIONS/EXPERIMENTS

#1 Evaporation Demonstration
Materials:
hot plate
glass coffee pot
metal funnel large enough to cover opening of coffee pot (you can make the funnel out of aluminum foil)
3 feet of ½” ID (inside diameter) plastic tubing
clear drinking glass
½ cup of salt
chemicals (one multiple vitamin or single zinc or iron vitamin)
10 drops of red, blue, green, or purple food coloring
*Dirty or used water is a mixture of ½ cup of salt, 10 drops of food coloring, 2 quarts of water, and a crushed multiple vitamin or a zinc or iron tablet (reserve some of this dirty water for demonstration #2)
Procedure:
1. Combine water, salt, chemicals, and food coloring in clear coffee pot.
2. Place coffee pot on hot plate.  Turn hot plate onto high temperature.
3. Place funnel with ½” tubing over opening in coffee pot
4. Run tubing over two feet and allow another six inches to hang down into a clear drinking class.  You may want to attach the tubing to another object at the two feet mark to hold it in place more efficiently.
5. Boil mixture in coffee pot.
6. Observe dirty water being evaporated, turned into a gas, cooled and returning to a liquid state and dripping into the glass.
7. The water vapor in the tube will be released into the glass as clean liquid  water. The water vapor and liquid water will be clear.
8. Drink water to show that the salt and minerals have been removed.

#2 Evaporation Dome Demonstration
Materials:
1 small clear shallow container
1 large clear plastic or glass dome
1 lamp
dirty water reserved from demonstration #1
Procedure:
1. Place some of the dirty water from demonstration #1 into the shallow container.
  Fill container approximately 2/3rds full.
2. Place the dome over the container (the container should be to one side).
3. Place lamp were the light shines on the container of dirty water.
4. Observe condensation on dome.
5. The condensation that accumulates on the inside of the dome will be clear and free of the added minerals and salt. 

#3 Cloud in a Jar Experiment
Materials:
(per group of 4 to 5 students)
1 quart size, clear glass jar, with lid or 1 gallon size clear glass jar with lid
1 cup of boiling water (unless using gallon jar then use 4 cups of boiling water)
aluminum pie plate or shallow container to place ice in 
Procedure:
1. Place 1 cup of boiling water into quart jar (or 4 cups of boiling water into a gallon jar).  (Teacher)
2. Screw lid on tightly.
3. Place 1 or more cups of ice onto the pie plate or shallow container and place on top of jar.
4. Observe condensation occurring on sides of jar.
5. Observe cloud forming in the top center of the jar.  The cloud will release rain droplets when it is saturated. 

#4 Acid Rain Attack Experiment
Materials:
(per group of 4 to 5 students)
3 plants of the same size
water (to make acid rain solutions)
1 quart of vinegar
Procedure:
1. Water the three plants as needed (on the same day with the same amount of
liquid) using the following:
 Plant #1 – Control – ½ cup of tap water
 Plant #2 – 1/8  cup of vinegar + 1/4 cup of tap water
 Plant #3 – 1/4 cup of vinegar + 1/4 cup of tap water
2. Water the plants with the same amount of proper solutions on the same day.
3. Observe and record any changes that occur (i.e. addition/loss of leaves).
4. Measure the growth of each plant twice a week and chart.
 

Math Activity #1

Water – How Much Is There?

* Earth is called the water planet.

* Between two-thirds (2/3) and three-fourths(3/4) of the earth’s surface is covered with water.

* The earth has different types of water:
      Oceans                   97.2% of total water
      Ice caps/glaciers      2.38%
      Ground water         0.397%
 Surface water (e.g., lakes, rivers, streams, ponds)     0.022%
      Atmosphere             0.001%
 Add up the percentages for water available for drinking water.

        Ground water                          __________

        Surface water                          __________

        Total                                       __________

        Now add ice caps/glaciers        __________

        Grand Total                         __________

Remember: Only a small percentage of water is suitable for humans to drink.  Not all of the water in the ground and in lakes and rivers is easy to reach or clean enough to drink.  Ice caps and glaciers are certainly hard to use for humans, plants, and animals.  Scientists are trying to find ways to remove the salt from ocean water (desalinate the water).
 

Math Acitivity #2

How Much Water Do You Use?

Directions: Complete the water survey to find how much water your family uses in one day.  Place a tally mark in the Times/Day column every time someone in your family does the activity.                           Times/Day                 Total

 Toilet Flushing      5 gallons    x____________   = 
 Short Shower       25 gallons   x____________   = 
 Tub Bath              35 gallons   x____________  = 
 Teeth Brushing      2 gallons   x____________ = 
 Washing Dishes with Running Water
                              30  gallons    x____________  = 
 Washing Dishes by Filling a Basin
                                10 gallons   x____________= 
 Using Dishwasher  20 gallons   x___________ = 
 Washing Machine  40 gallons   x___________= 
                                                      Grant Total  =  ____________

Find the average use per person in your family by dividing the grant total by the number of people in your family.  The answer is: 
This survey does not include the significant amounts of water used in lawn and garden watering.  This survey deals with daily water use in the home, but most of us use additional amounts of water at school, at work, and other places throughout the day.

Math Activity #3

Rainfall – How Much?

Using the weather section of the local paper, chart the rainfall for your city.  For a comparison, choose other cities throughout the United States and chart their daily rainfall.  An alternative activity would be to use reference books from the library to find the monthly and yearly rainfall totals for your city and the surrounding areas and graph.