The+Water+Cycle

**Language Arts Grade 4**  **Unit:** Water Cycle  **Purposes:** Essential Questions: **Overarching Essential Questions:** How does the earth change? How does water change?

 **Description:** Students will learn the role of the sun’s energy (i.e., heating and cooling) in the continuous cycling of water between the earth and the atmosphere through evaporation, condensation and precipitation through as they put together a class green screen video production.

Desired Results
 * Established Goals:**

 **CT Science Framework:** 1. Describe the role of the sun’s energy (i.e., heating and cooling) in the continuous cycling of water between the earth and the atmosphere through evaporation, condensation and precipitation. 2. Use models to demonstrate that topography causes precipitation landing on earth to move in streams and rivers from higher to lower elevations. 3. Design and conduct simple investigations to determine how moving water (flowing downhill or in ocean waves) causes changes to the land, the coastline or the course of a stream or river.

4. Pose testable questions and employ simple equipment and measuring tools to collect data about factors that affect erosion (e.g., type of earth material in an area, volume of moving water, slope of land, vegetation coverage).

5. Present evidence to support a scientific claim about the relationship between the amount and speed of moving water and the size of earth materials moved (e.g., silt, pebbles, boulders).

**Common Core State Standards**

 **National Educational Technology Standards (NETS)**

B12. Describe how the sun’s energy impacts the water cycle. B13. Describe the role of water in erosion and river formation.
 * Connecticut Mastery Test Objectives**


 * **Enduring Understandings** || **Essential Questions** ||
 * **Enduring Understandings** || **Essential Questions** ||

//The student will know...// || **Skills:** //The students will be able to...// ||
 * **Knowledge:**


 * Content Vocabulary ||

Assessment Evidence Learning Plan measuring cups || ice drinking glasses || Materials for costumes Costume Planning Sheet iMovie Green screen fabric Directions for making a green screen video in iMovie [|Finished Water Cycle Video] || Water Cycle Vocabulary [|Terms.doc] Water Cycle Diagram SMARTboard file Discovery Education Video: ||
 * **Performance Tasks** || **Formative Assessments** ||
 * Learn about the water cycle through experiments, interactive websites and videos, and books. ||  ||
 * Create The Water Cycle Video ||  ||
 * **Possible Anchor Activities** ||
 * **Lesson 1: The Case of Disappearing Water** || Lesson [|Case of the Disappearing Water-1.pdf]
 * **Possible Anchor Activities** ||
 * **Lesson 1: The Case of Disappearing Water** || Lesson [|Case of the Disappearing Water-1.pdf]
 * **Possible Anchor Activities** ||
 * **Lesson 1: The Case of Disappearing Water** || Lesson [|Case of the Disappearing Water-1.pdf]
 * **Lesson 2: Condensation Experiment** || Lesson
 * **Lesson 3: Green Screen Production: The Water Cycle** || The Water Cycle reader's theatre script
 * **Lesson 4: Water Cycle Vocabulary** || Copies of Water Cycle Diagram
 * **Lesson 5: Water Dance Art** || Water Dance by Thomas Lockhear

YouTube Video: Oil Pastels Oil Pastels and drawing paper || sticky notes [|Raindrop pattern] ||
 * **Lesson 6: The Water Cycle Museum** || Junior ||
 * **Lesson 7: Bookr Science Journals** ||  ||
 * **Lesson 9: The Magic Schoolbus at the Waterworks** || Magic Schoolbus at the Waterworks