Learning Activity Plan for PreK-Grade 2

Teacher Candidate
Date/Time of Scheduled
Visit
Name/Address of School
Age/Grade level
Cooperating Teacher
Name of Lesson
Content
area(s)/developmental
domain(s) addressed

Brief description of the

lesson

First Grade
Classroom Number
The Water Cycle
Cognitive:
Retell portions of the story, and facts about the water cycle
Contextualizing and predicting
Understand patterns
Language/Literacy
Learning new vocabulary
Writing out the water cycle
Writing about the parts of the water cycle in a worksheet
Writing notes in journal
Social/Emotional:
Talking about a book that was read to them
Sharing observations as a class
Thinking about and sharing their own personal experiences pertaining to
the water cycle
Fine Motor Skills:
Pouring water into a Ziploc bag, and securing it tight
I will read the book The Magic School Bus- Wet All Over, we will discuss the book
and the portions of the water cycle that it includes (evaporation, condensation,
precipitation, and collection or accumulation), and make a list on the white board
as a class. Then, the children will use sharpie markers to draw their own water

Learning Activity Plan for PreK-Grade 2

This lesson is:

Rationale

Timeframe

Objective(s) of the
activity

Connections to
standards
Common Core

cycle on a plastic Ziploc bag, pour water with blue food coloring into it, seal it,
tape it to a window with plenty of sun shining through and observe the water
cycle occur. Then, the children will fill out a worksheet.
A new concept/activity A conclusion of a concept
A review of a previous lesson/activity
Children will learn to make connections between observations of rain and the
scientific process. They will begin to understand the why and how of an
environmental process that theyve experienced, as well as create an
understanding for an on-going process and pattern. They will also demonstrate
hands-on activity to foster their understanding of the process.
45 minutes
10 minutes to read The Magic School Bus- Wet all Over
20 minute discussion on the white board
15 minutes to create water cycle bags
The next day Morning Activity
15 minutes
5 minutes for students to make observations of their bags
10 minutes on the carpet to discuss the process and reinforce the
concepts.
As a result of this lesson, the children will be able to understand the water cycle,
and the fact that it is never ending. The children will learn new vocabulary and
environmental concepts. They will be able to communicate about the water cycle
after listening to a book about it, as well as preform active participation with
hands on experiment creating a model of the water cycle.
Key Idea 1:
The central purpose of scientific inquiry is to develop explanations of natural phenomena
in a continuing, creative process.
S1.1 Ask "why" questions in attempts to seek greater understanding concerning objects
and events they have observed and heard about.

Learning Activity Plan for PreK-Grade 2

S1.1a Observe and discuss objects and events and record observations
S1.1b Articulate appropriate questions based on observations
S1.2 Question the explanations they hear from others and read about, seeking clarification
and comparing them with their own observations and understandings.
S1.2a Identify similarities and differences between explanations received from
others or in print and personal observations or understandings
S1.3 Develop relationships among observations to construct descriptions of objects and
events and to form their own tentative explanations of what they have observed.
S1.3a Clearly express a tentative explanation or description which can be tested
Key Idea 3:
The observations made while testing proposed explanations, when analyzed using conventional
and invented methods, provide new insights into phenomena.
S3.2 Interpret organized observations and measurements, recognizing simple patterns,
sequences, and relationships.
S3.2a State, orally and in writing, any inferences or generalizations indicated by
the data collected
S3.3 Share their findings with others and actively seek their interpretations and ideas.
S3.3a Explain their findings to others, and actively listen to suggestions for
possible interpretations and ideas

Language Objectives

Resources/materials
needed:
(Include any worksheets or
sources of evidence for
childrens learning you will
use during the activity)

The children will develop a vocabulary about the water cycle, focusing on the
four concepts of the process: Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation, and
Collection. They will also form an understanding of the concept of water vapor
when learning about evaporation, as well as the concept of liquid when learning
about condensation and precipitation.

Book: The Magic School Bus: Wet All Over

Ziploc bags
Sharpie Markers
Water
Blue food coloring

Learning Activity Plan for PreK-Grade 2

Technology inclusion (if

applicable)
Procedures (step by
step)

Tape
Window with plenty of sun
Experiment journal
The water cycle worksheet:
https://mcdn1.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/The-Water-CycleLesson-Plan-with-Hand-Drawn-Printables/original-665590-1.jpg

Anticipatory Set (Connection/Motivation):

Begin by asking the children if theyve ever seen or been in the rain, and what
rain is. Once they answer with water, explain to them that rain is a part of our
environment to briefly review the theme, and that rain happens because of a
pattern that happens in the ground, the air, and the sky. Tell them that this is
called the water cycle. Then, introduce the book, The Magic School Bus: Wet All
Over, and read it aloud making sure I show each page to the students.
Instruction/Mini Lesson (Outline the procedures or sequence activities that will
make up this learning experience; for instance, you might follow a routine
wherein you model (I try); and ask for active involvement (we try) during a whole
group session.
Discussion 1: Draw the water cycle on the easel white board using a sun for
evaporation, a cloud with raindrops inside of it for condensation, a cloud with
lightning bolts and rain falling out of it for precipitation, and a pool of water for
collection. Begin by saying the first step of the cycle we will discuss is

Learning Activity Plan for PreK-Grade 2

evaporation. Have the class repeat the word evaporation. Tell the students
that in this step, the water is a gas, called vapor. Explain that water turns into
gas because it is put in the heat for a long time. Ask the students where they
thing our heat on the earth comes from. After they guess, and eventually say the
sun, tell them that the sun turns water into water vapor, or gas, and that is called
evaporation. Write the word evaporation underneath the sun.
Discussion 2: Explain that the water that is gas, or the water vapor, moves
higher up into the sky. As the gas moves higher and higher, it gets colder and
colder. Because the gas gets so cold, it turns back into water. The gas that turns
into water stays high up in the sky, and takes a rest in the clouds. Explain that
this step of the cycle is called condensation where clouds collect the cold
water. Write the word condensation underneath the cloud with raindrops inside
of it.
Discussion 3: Explain that when the cloud gets too much of the water in it, it
gets so heavy that the water begins to fall out. Ask the children what they think
happens in this part of the cycle. When they say rain, tell them that they are
correct. Explain that another word for rain is precipitation. Write precipitation
underneath the cloud with raindrops falling out from under it.
Discussion 4: Ask the students if theyve ever jumped and splashed around in
puddles on the ground. After they say they have, ask them where do they think
these puddles come from? After they guess, and figure out that it is the rain, tell
them that the ground collects the rain from the sky and this is the last part of the
cycle, called collection. Write the word collection in the pool drawing.
Discussion 5: Explain that after the rain becomes puddles, the water in those
puddles heat up from the sun, and rises up into the air to become the water
vapor, or gas, and the water cycle starts all over again (draw arrows from
collection, to evaporation, to condensation, to precipitation, and back down to
collection).
Discussion 5: Tell the students that they will be creating their very own water
cycles to hang in the window, and by the next morning they will see how all of

Learning Activity Plan for PreK-Grade 2

the steps happened.
Guided/Independent Practice:
Give each student one Ziploc bag, one Sharpie marker, and a plastic cup filled
with water with blue food coloring mixed in. Hold up my Ziploc bag (I will have
already drawn the water cycle on it), and tell the students to create their own
picture of the water cycle and write the words of each step. Tell them that they
can look at the white board for help. Then, open the bag wide and set it on a
desk, push it down and pour a cup of the blue water into it. Pick up the sides of
the bag and close it tight showing the students to push together each part of
the seal.
Closure (sharing/reflection, next steps):
The closure will be a morning activity in the next day. Have the children come
into the class, and find their bag on the window. Tell them to observe what they
see, and touch the bag, and observe what happens. Have them make notes in
their journals while they observe (5 minutes). Then, have the children sit on the
carpet and reflect upon their observations making connections with one
another and the lesson from the previous day. Lastly, go over the drawing of the
water cycle on the easel one more time, having the children repeat the
vocabulary.

Method of assessing
childrens
understanding of
lesson/activity/objective
(s)

Pre-assessment
Before preforming the
experiment, ask the
children about their
experiences with rain.

Assessment of Student
Learning
Record students reactions
when discussing the
different processes of the

Assessment of
Childrens Language
Learning
Review the water cycle
vocabulary that the

Learning Activity Plan for PreK-Grade 2

(Be sure to include any
tools, rubrics/checklists
and/or worksheets you will
use for assessment(s)

Then, read them the book

about the water cycle
(The Magic School Bus:
Wet All Over).

water cycle. While the

students are observing their
bags on the windows on the
morning following the
experiment, take anecdotal
notes on their interactions.
Also, use a smiley-face
checklist to assess the
students journals:

Plans for differentiated

instruction/instructional
modifications

Supporting children
with identified delays
or disabilities
If a student was having
difficulty following the
discussion of the different

children learned during

the lesson. Each day,
start the morning off
with an activity for
them to write their own
definition of each
concept learned
(Evaporation,
Condensation,
Precipitation,
Collection). Also, on
the day after the
closing activity, give
them the water cycle
worksheet for
homework.

1) Child uses new

vocabulary in correct
context
2) Child understands the
meaning of the newly
learned concepts
(Evaporation,
Condensation,
Precipitation,
Collection)
3) Child is able to
express individual
observations
Supporting English Language Learners
Assure that when the students are repeating the
concepts with in the lesson, that ELL students are
pronouncing them correctly. Have them tell the class
how to say rain in their own language, and them
have the class repeat them. Also, I will show videos

Learning Activity Plan for PreK-Grade 2

Follow up/Extension
activities

water cycle concepts,

about the water cycle after we repeat the concepts,
and seems to be having
in order to provide more visual learning and help
trouble with creating
reinforce the language.
his/her own drawing of
the cycle have him/her
team up with a partner
for help during the
experiment. Also, be
attentive while the
children are writing in
their journals to those
certain students, and
scaffold if needed. Be
sure to constantly use
positive reinforcement.
How can I provide an opportunity to remediate, reinforce, or expand on students
learning today in class?
The next day, the students will observe their water cycle bag experiments and
record those observations. Then, we will sit as a class and discuss. Each day
following, the students will write the concepts in their journals and their own
definitions of the concepts. Also, make a suggestion to parents to preform the
water cycle bag experiment at home so that their children could explain it to
their parents, and essentially act as the teacher.

Any additional
information that would
be helpful for the
observer to know

Learning Activity Plan for PreK-Grade 2

Observer feedback on the lesson plan, including commendations and recommendations for improving aspects
of the learning activity