The Water Cycle

We are now in full swing with our water and weather unit.   Evaporation, condensation, and the water cycle are key elements of our learning.  Since it is just a basic overview of the water cycle at this point (we get into more detail a bit later on in the unit), I wanted my students to have a bit of "fun" with it all.

So we started with watching The Magic School Bus in the Water Works.  It really does a cute job at explaining the water cycle without overwhelming the students.


As they were watching, I had them take notes on the cycle.  Afterwards, we created a class chart of the cycle.  The students noticed a lot of the vocabulary that we have discussed in science lab throughout the movie.

Using the movie notes, the vocabulary, and previous knowledge from science lab, the students then created their own water cycle diagram.  On a piece of paper, folded into 8 sections, the students drew a picture and wrote  a few sentences about each part of the cycle.





They then cut these up, ordered them, and glued one half of the section (either picture or words) down onto the paper.

To place the other half down, I had them put those thicker mounting squares down first.  The students cut them into small squares, stacked two on top of each other, and placed the writing piece on it.  It just gave the project a little dimension.

And that was that.  A simple little project that they had a bit of fun doing, while laying the foundation for the (much harder) learning to come.