Disappearing Water

Contributor
AAAS Science NetLinks
Type Category
Instructional Materials
Types
Experiment/Lab Activity , Lesson/Lesson Plan , Demonstration , Activity
Note
This resource, vetted by NSTA curators, is provided to teachers along with suggested modifications to make it more in line with the vision of the NGSS. While not considered to be "fully aligned," the resources and expert recommendations provide teachers with concrete examples and expert guidance using the EQuIP rubric to adapted existing resources. Read more here.

Reviews

Description

This lesson is part of a series of weather related lessons from AAAS Science NetLinks. In this lesson, students watch what happens to water over time. Equal amounts of water will be placed in cans. One can will be closed and the other will be open. Students compare water levels over time to compare evaporation rates. They keep a journal to record their observations.

Intended Audience

Educator and learner
Educational Level
  • Grade 2
  • Grade 1
  • Kindergarten
  • Early Elementary
  • Elementary School
  • Pre-Kindergarten
Language
English
Access Restrictions

Free access - The right to view and/or download material without financial, registration, or excessive advertising barriers.

Performance Expectations

K-ESS2-1 Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time.

Clarification Statement: Examples of qualitative observations could include descriptions of the weather (such as sunny, cloudy, rainy, and warm); examples of quantitative observations could include numbers of sunny, windy, and rainy days in a month. Examples of patterns could include that it is usually cooler in the morning than in the afternoon and the number of sunny days versus cloudy days in different months.

Assessment Boundary: Assessment of quantitative observations limited to whole numbers and relative measures such as warmer/cooler.

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this performance expectation.

Comments about Including the Performance Expectation
Students check the cans on a regular basis (daily or every other day) and use markers to mark the water levels on their splints. Based on their sticks, the students should draw an illustration that shows what is happening to the water in the cans over time. The lesson suggests having each group glue its marked sticks to a piece of construction paper. After the sticks have been glued, students should label each of the lines for the days of measurements taken. The students should use this to help describe patterns over time.

Science and Engineering Practices

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this science and engineering practice.

Comments about Including the Science and Engineering Practice
To meet this Practice, students can share their journals with peers. Students should record data over several days in order to make comparisons.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
This could be a way to measure and connect data, and start addressing the Disciplinary Core Idea part of the Performance Expectation as part of a larger unit.

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
In order to meet this Core Idea, teachers should make the comparison between the evaporating water and the warmth of the earth's surface at the time.

Crosscutting Concepts

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this crosscutting concept, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Crosscutting Concept
In the lesson, the patterns are observed as a part of viewing data as to how much, and how fast water is disappearing, but not in terms of the local weather. It could be strengthened by adding a component to patterns in disappearing water over time (e.g., in the winter as compared to the fall) and then make connection to those patterns and the local weather.

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this crosscutting concept.

Comments about Including the Crosscutting Concept
To meet this Crosscutting Concept, comparisons should be made between the two different containers of water. One container has a lid and the other does not. More than one set of containers could be used to show how sun and shade affect evaporation.

Resource Quality

  • Alignment to the Dimensions of the NGSS: The activity provides opportunities to develop and use specific elements of the practices to make sense of phenomena. This lesson is part of a larger group of lessons that link together to provide grade-appropriate understanding of weather and climate.

  • Instructional Supports: This lesson engages student in authentic and meaningful activities that provide grade-appropriate understanding of weather and climate.

  • Monitoring Student Progress: Journals are used to monitor progress. No formal assessment is included with the lesson.

  • Quality of Technological Interactivity: There is no technological component to this lesson.