Grade 4
Lesson: Water Cycle
Precipitation
Reference to English Interconnections Lesson
Cycles: Patterns of the Earth pg. 13
Science Standard(s): Standard 1 Objective 2
Content Objective(s):
Students will be able to define and describe precipitation,
identify the four main types, and appraise the air temperature to
distinguish if it will rain or snow by playing a game with a
partner.
Language Objective(s):
Students will be able to orally define precipitation, state the four
types and explain how they know if it will rain or snow given
certain air temperature conditions by playing a game with a
partner.
I can define and describe precipitation, identify the four main
types, and appraise the air temperature to distinguish if it will
rain or snow by playing a game with a partner.
I can tell you what precipitation is, name the four types, and
explain how I know if it will rain or snow depending on the air
temperature by playing a game with a partner.
Essential Questions:
Required Academic Vocabulary for Word Wall:
Listen: Precipitation, temperature, form, degrees
Speak: Rain, Snow, Sleet, Hail, Precipitation, temperature, form,
type, above, below, freezing, degrees, Fahrenheit
Read: precipitation, types, air, temperature
Write: Define, Precipitation, Identify, types, air temperature,
rain, snow, sleet, hail, freezing
How does water change as it collects on Earth?
Sentence Frames:
What is precipitation?
Precipitation is _______________.
What are the four types of precipitation?
The four types of precipitation are ______________.
What type of precipitation would I have if the air temperature
was ___⁰F?
If the air temperature was _________ I would have ________
because _____________________.
Materials:
Vocabulary Picture Cards
Glass Jar
Cold and Hot water
Ice cubes
Plastic sandwich bag
Matches
Game Papers (cut up and folded in a cup, 1 set for every
partnership)
Cups (1 for every partnership)
Exit Ticket
Additional Lesson Vocabulary:
dust particles, evaporation, condensation, water vapor, warmer
than, colder than, below, above, cloud, Fahrenheit
Lesson:
Instructional Time: 40 minutes
Opening: (8 minutes)
T: “What is a cloud made of? Turn to your partner and tell them what you think. Go!”
S: Water. Water vapor
Have the whole class share their idea at once.
T: “I heard a lot of people say water. Do you think it is liquid water or water vapor? Think about it. Wait three seconds.
“When I say ‘go,’ shout you’re your answer out once. Go!”
S: liquid/water vapor
T: “Condensation is the process that makes clouds! Clouds were made of liquid droplets of water. I’m going to do a
demonstration. We are going to make a cloud! You will have to watch carefully.”
Place a few ice cubes in a plastic sandwich bag. Pour an inch or two of very hot water into a glass jar and quickly cover it
with the lid. Make sure you don’t lose any heat.
T: “Turn to you partner and quickly decide who will be partner 1 and who will be 2 today. You have 10 seconds. Go.”
Wait 10 seconds and then regain their attention. “Now, partner 1, please to partner 2 what you see happening. Please use
the words EVAPORATION and WATER VAPOR in your sentences.” Refer to the picture vocabulary card for evaporation
from the previous lesson and to the water vapor picture vocabulary card in this lesson. “You have one minute, Go!”
Students should be describing what they see happening
Get their attention again. Have some students, who were partner 2, share what their partners told them.
T: “You are all excellent scientists! You observe so well! Now, watch what I will do next.”
Strike a match, remove the lid, put the match in the jar, and quickly put the bag of ice over the opening. Make sure that it
seals the jar tightly. Wait a few minutes and watch your cloud form. You will see condensation covering the jar.
T: “Hmm. This seems like something we saw in our last lesson. Partner 2, please turn to your partner and tell them
what you see happening. You should use the word CONDENSATION” point to the picture vocabulary card “in your
explanation. You have 1 minute. Go!”
Students should be describing the water that is collecting on the side of the jar.
Get their attention again. Have some students, who were partner 1, share what their partners told them.
T: “You may be wondering why I put the match in the jar. The match puts dust particles in the jar.” Point to the picture
vocabulary card for dust particles. “This is going to give the water something to stick to. When clouds form in the sky
from condensation, the water droplets attach to dust particles in the air.”
Remove the sandwich bag and allow the cloud to escape.
T: “We made a cloud! Now, we are going to learn about what happens after a cloud forms. Let’s take a look at our
learning objective today.”
Point and refer to the objective on the board ‘I can define and describe precipitation, identify the four main types, and
appraise the air temperature to distinguish if it will rain or snow, by working with a partner.’
T: “Partner 2, when I say “go” you will read the objective on the board. When Partner 2 finishes, Partner 1 will tell
Partner 2 one thing we will learn and be able to do today. Go.” Give the class 1-2 minutes.
S2: I can define and describe precipitation, identify the four main types, and appraise the air temperature to distinguish if it will
rain or snow, by working with a partner.
S1states one thing the class will learn and be able to do today.
Call on one student in the class to read the objective and another student to tell the class one thing we will learn and be
able to do today.
Introduction to New Material (Direct Instruction): (8 minutes)
T: “In our demonstration, we saw that the water in the jar attached to the particles from the match to form a cloud. In
real life, after water droplets attach to dust particles in the air and form a cloud, the moisture collects and collects
until the cloud is really heavy. When the collected water droplets get too heavy, they fall. Any form of water that falls
from clouds to Earth is called PRECIPITATION.”
Hold up your vocabulary card for PRECIPITATION. When you say this definition, do a hand signal to represent water
falling from a cloud. You can wiggle your fingers and make a falling motion. Do this action each time you say the word
PRECIPITATION.
Write the definition on the board or post a previously written one.
T: “Repeat with me the word precipitation.”
S: Precipitation
T: “Now move your hands and repeat the definition with me. Precipitation is …
Together with the students, move your hands again slowly and say ‘Any form of water that falls from clouds to Earth’ with
the students.
T: “There are four different kinds of precipitation that we normally see. With your tables, I want you brainstorm what
those four types of precipitation are. Let’s see if you can come up with all four. I will give you 1 minute to name four
forms of water that fall from clouds. Go!”
S: Rain, Snow, Sleet, and Hail.
Call on a couple of tables. As they come up with ideas, show the picture vocabulary cards for rain, snow, sleet, and hail.
You can write any other ideas they have on the board as well.
T: “The four forms of precipitation that we need to remember are rain, snow, sleet, and hail.”
Hold up a card that says 32ᵒF.
T: “This is a magic number. It is very important. Does anyone know what it is or why it is so important?”
Call on a couple of students—try to get a variety of ideas.
S: Thirty-two degrees. Thirty-two. 32ᵒF is the freezing point.
T: “I’m impressed! Some of you know what that little symbol is.” Point to the symbol on the card. “That symbol does
mean degrees. And some of you even knew that the F stands for Fahrenheit. Where have you seen this symbol” Point
to the symbol on the card “or heard the word ‘degrees Fahrenheit’ before? Turn to your partner and tell them where
you have seen or heard it before. Go!”
S: When we talk about the temperature outside.
Have a student or two share ideas with the class.
T: “Does anyone know why 32ᵒF might be an important temperature?”
Wait a few seconds. If students want to share their ideas, call on a couple of kids and brainstorm ideas.
T: “32ᵒF is a magic number because it the temperature that we call the FREEZING point. When water is 32ᵒF or
below, it freezes. Hmm. What kind of precipitation is frozen water? Class, all together, tell me which form of
precipitation is frozen. Go.”
S: Snow
T: “Good. So, if the air temperature outside is below 32ᵒF when we have precipitation, we get snow. If it is above 32ᵒ
F, we have rain.”
T: “Okay, so let’s think… the temperature is 17ᵒF. What type of precipitation will I have, rain or snow? And why?
Look at our sentence frame. If the air temperature was ________ I would have ________ because _____________. So if the air
temperature was 17ᵒF I would have what? And why? Talk with your partners. Go!” Give students 30 seconds.
S: If the air temperature was 17ᵒF I would have snow because 17ᵒF is below 32ᵒF or freezing.
Call on a student or two to share the answer that was discussed with a partner. Help the student use the sentence frame
in answering.
T: “Okay, so let’s think… the temperature is 56ᵒF. What type of precipitation will I have, rain or snow? And why?
Look at our sentence frame. If the air temperature was ________ I would have ________ because _____________. So if the air
temperature was 56ᵒF I would have what? And why? Talk with your partners. Go!” Give students 30 seconds.
S: If the air temperature was 56ᵒF I would have rain because 56ᵒF is above 32ᵒF or the freezing point.
Call on a student or two to share the answer that was discussed with a partner. Help the student use the sentence frame
in answering.
T: “Great! We’re going to do some more practice with our partners!”
Guided Practice: (10 minutes)
T: “I have a cup with folded up papers. There are three different types of paper in this cup. One type is a paper that
says, ‘Precipitation.’ If I pull that out, you are all going to define precipitation using the sentence frame, ‘Precipitation
is’ with your partners.” Point to the sentence frame. “You will come to an agreement on a good definition and you will
write it down using the sentence frame on your shared whiteboard. When I say, ‘Go’ you will hold it up for me to see.”
“Another type of paper says, ‘Four types of precipitation.’ If I pull that out, you are all going to state the four types of
precipitation using the sentence frame, ‘The four types of precipitation are_______’ with your partners.” Point to the
sentence frame. “You will come to an agreement on the four types and you will write the answer down in the sentence
frame on your shared whiteboard. When I say, ‘Go’ you will hold it up for me to see. The last type of paper that I
might pull out has a number with the degree symbol on it. If I pull this out, you are all going to use the sentence
frame, ‘If the air temperature was ______ I would have _______ because ________’ with a partner to identify if the
precipitation would be rain or snow at that temperature and why.” Point to the sentence frame. “You will come to an
agreement on the answer and you will write the answer down in the sentence frame on your shared whiteboard.
When I say, ‘Go’ you will hold it up for me to see. In working in your partnerships, it’s important to take turns.
Partner 1 will answer the question first the first time, and then Partner 2 will answer. Partner 1 will write the
answer on the whiteboard and hold it up. When the teacher says it’s okay, Partner 1 will erase the whiteboard. With
the next paper, Partner 2 will answer first and will use the whiteboard.”
Show students there are a couple of papers that say ‘precipitation’, a couple that say ‘four types of precipitation’ and
several with numbers in the cup.
Use the Modeling Cycle:
Teacher Does:
Intentionally pull out a paper that says a number with the degree symbol on it and read it aloud to the class.
T: “72ᵒF What type of precipitation would I have if the air temperature was 72⁰F?”
Use a puppet, stuffed animal or object to act as your imaginary student partner to model.
T: “I am Partner 1. Hmm… 72ᵒF. If the air temperature was 72ᵒF I would have rain because it is hotter than freezing
at 32ᵒF.” Point to the sentence frame.
Have the imaginary partner agree and add to the statement.
T: “Partner 2 has a turn now. Yes, I agree. If the air temperature was 72FᵒI would have rain because 72ᵒF is
warmer than the freezing point at 32ᵒF.”
As Partner 1, write the sentence frame on the shared whiteboard with an answer that is an agreement between partners.
T: “Go!”
As Partner 1, hold the whiteboard up in the air for the teacher to see. Show class that the sentence frame with the answer
is written on the board.
T: “Great. Yes, if the air temperature was 72ᵒF I would have rain because 72ᵒF is warmer than the freezing point.
Erase your whiteboards.”
T: “If I answered first as Partner 1 and wrote on the whiteboard this time, it would be my partner’s turn next time.”
Teacher Does with Student:
Intentionally pull out a paper that says, ‘Precipitation’ and read it aloud to the class.
T: “Precipitation. What is precipitation?”
Call up a student to be your partner. Tell the class your student partner is Partner 1 and you are Partner 2.
Point to the sentence frame.
S: Precipitation is water that falls to Earth from clouds.
T: “Yes, Precipitation is water from clouds that falls to Earth in the form of rain, sleet, hail or snow.”
Help Partner 1 write the sentence frame on the shared whiteboard with an answer that is an agreement between
partners.
T: “Go!”
Help Partner 1 hold the whiteboard up in the air for the teacher to see. Show class that the sentence frame with the
answer is written on the board.
T: “Great. Yes, there are many ways to put it into your own words, but precipitation is water that falls from clouds to
Earth. Erase your whiteboards.”
T: “If I was Partner 2 and didn’t get a chance to write on the whiteboard, it would be my turn next time.”
Two Students Do:
Call up two students to help model for the class. Assign one student to be Partner 1 and another student to be Partner 2.
Intentionally pull out a paper that says, ‘The four types of precipitation are _____’ and read it aloud to the class.
T: “The four types of precipitation are _____. What are the four types of precipitation?”
Help the students follow the procedure as needed. Point to the sentence frame.
S1: The four types of precipitation are sleet, hail, rain and snow.
S2: Yes, the four types of precipitation are hail, rain, sleet, and snow.
Partner 1 writes the sentence frame on the shared whiteboard with an answer that is an agreement between partners.
T: “Go!”
Partner 1 holds the whiteboard up in the air for the teacher to see. Help show the class that the sentence frame with the
answer is written on the board.
T: “Great. Yes, you could have them in any order. The four types of precipitation are rain, hail, sleet and snow. Erase
your whiteboards. It would then be Partner 2’s turn to talk first and write on the whiteboard next time.”
All Students Practice:
Use your classroom procedure to pass out one whiteboard, marker and eraser (rag, tissue, sock, etc.) to each partnership.
Have students decide who is Partner 1 and who is Partner 2 (or use previously decided partnerships). Mix up papers in
the cup. Pull papers out one at a time and help prompt the students in what to do by referring to the correct sentence
frame. Practice each question type twice. Ensure students are taking turns, answering the question and staying in the
target language.
Independent Practice: (12 minutes)
Use your classroom procedure to collect the whiteboards, markers and erasers.
T: “Now you are all going to play this activity with your partners. It is nearly the same activity, except now the
teacher will not be involved. You will have to take turns asking and answering the question. And this time you will
not be using the whiteboards. Each partnership will have their own cup with papers inside. Partner 1 will pull out a
paper and read it. Partner 1 will have to ask the question that goes with the paper.” Point to questions/sentence
frames. “Partner 2 will answer using the sentence frame. Partner 1 will say, ‘That is correct’ or ‘That is incorrect’ and
correct the answer. It will then be Partner 2’s turn to pull out a paper, read it and answer the question and Partner
1’s turn to answer.””
Use the Modeling Cycle:
Teacher Does:
Use a puppet, stuffed animal or object to act as your imaginary student partner to model. Explain to the class you are
Partner 1 and your imaginary partner is Partner 2.
Intentionally pull out a paper that says a number with the degree symbol on it.
T: “As Partner 1, I would pull out a paper, read it and ask the question. 22ᵒF” Point to the question/sentence frame.
“What type of precipitation would I have if the air temperature was 22⁰F?”
T: “As Partner 2, I would answer the question. Hmm… 22ᵒF. If the air temperature was 22ᵒF I would have snow
because it is below the freezing point at 32ᵒF.” Point to the sentence frame.
T: “As Partner 1, I would say, ‘Yes, that is correct.’ It would then be my partner’s turn to pull out a paper, read it and
ask the question.”
Teacher Does with Student:
Call up a student to model with you as your partner. Explain to the class that you are Partner 1 and the student is Partner
2.
Intentionally pull out a paper that says, ‘Precipitation’ on it.
T: “Precipitation. What is Precipitation?” Point to the question/sentence frame.
S: Precipitation is when water falls to Earth from a cloud in the sky.
T: “That is correct. It would then be my partner’s turn to pull out a paper, read it and ask the question.”
Two Students Do:
Call up two students to model for the class. Identify one student as Partner 1 and the other student as Partner 2.
Intentionally pull out a paper that says, ‘The four types of precipitation’ on it.
Help the students follow the procedure as needed. Point to the question/sentence frame.
S1: The four types of precipitation. What are the four types of precipitation?
S2: The four types of precipitation are sleet, snow, rain and hail.
S1: That is correct.
T: “It would then Partner 2’s turn to pull out a paper, read it and ask the question.”
All Students Practice:
Use your class procedure to pass out the cups with papers to each partnership. Walk around and ensure students are using
the question and sentence frames and staying in the target language.
After about 5 minutes, use your class procedure to collect the materials.
T: “You guys have learned a lot about precipitation today. You know that precipitation falls when clouds gather
moisture and become heavy, and you know that the form depends on the temperature of the air. Before we finish our
lesson, we are going to fill out a quick exit ticket. When you get this exit ticket, you are going read the directions and
begin. Remember to write with complete sentences using our sentence frames. The directions state: 1: Define
Precipitation and tell when it happens. 2: Identify the 4 main forms of precipitation 3. What type of precipitation
would I have if the air temperature was 98⁰F? 4. What type of precipitation would I have if the air temperature was
32ᵒF?
Pass out the exit tickets
T: “You have four minutes. Go!”
Give students four minutes to write their four sentences. Walk around the class and ensure students understand the
directions. After four minutes, collect students’ papers to evaluate.
Closing: (2 minutes)
T: “Let’s see if we met our objectives. Partner 1, turn to your partner and read them the objective.”
S: I can define and describe precipitation, identify the four main types, and appraise the air temperature to distinguish if it will
rain or snow, by working with a partner.
T: “Partner 2, ask your partners if they can do that.”
S1: Can you do that?
S2: Yes!
T: Partner 2, turn to your partner and read them the objective.”
S: I can define and describe precipitation, identify the four main types, and appraise the air temperature to distinguish if it will
rain or snow, by working with a partner.
T: “Partner 1, ask your partners if they can do that.”
S1: Can you do that?
S2: Yes!
T: “Great job! Now, give me a thumbs up if YOUR PARTNER can do the objective. Thumbs down if they can’t. Looks
great! Today the temperature is _____⁰F. If we had precipitation today, what would it be class?”
S: Rain or Snow
T: “Nice Job!”
Assessment:
Informal Assessment as you watch group and partner discussions
Exit ticket
Extra Ideas:
Name: ___________________
Precipitation Exit Ticket
Remember to use complete sentences!
1: Define Precipitation and tell when it happens.
2: Identify the 4 main forms of precipitation.
3. What type of precipitation would I have if the air temperature was 98⁰F?
4. What type of precipitation would I have if the air temperature was 32ᵒF?
Name: ___________________
Precipitation Exit Ticket
Remember to use complete sentences!
1: Define Precipitation and tell when it happens.
2: Identify the 4 main forms of precipitation.
3. What type of precipitation would I have if the air temperature was 98⁰F?
4. What type of precipitation would I have if the air temperature was 32ᵒF?
Name: ___________________
Precipitation Exit Ticket
Remember to use complete sentences!
1: Define Precipitation and tell when it happens.
2: Identify the 4 main types of precipitation.
3. What type of precipitation would I have if the air temperature was 98⁰F?
4. What type of precipitation would I have if the air temperature was 32ᵒF?
Precipitation
Precipitation
The Four Types of
Precipitation
The Four Types of
Precipitation
72ᵒF
22ᵒF
13ᵒF
33ᵒF
61ᵒF
4ᵒF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Precipitation
Precipitation
The Four Types of
Precipitation
The Four Types of
Precipitation
72ᵒF
22ᵒF
13ᵒF
33ᵒF
61ᵒF
4ᵒF
Precipitation
Dust Particles
Water Vapor
Hail
1
Rain
Snow
Sleet
Freezing
32⁰F
Below
Above