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By Barbara A. Bradley
Observations and investigations lay the groundwork for primary
students’ future Earth science experiences.
“C
hildren enjoy water play, but are they ready to learn
about the water cycle?” This is the question Ms.
Bey, a new kindergarten teacher, asked me—and
my answer was a resounding “Yes!” Teachers are already
introducing elements of the water cycle when discussing
weather and bodies of water. The water cycle also can be
a springboard for teaching children about plants and animals and the importance of water for sustaining life and
shaping our world. Teaching basic concepts about the
water cycle to students in preschool to second grade lays
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Science and Children
an important foundation for a more sophisticated understanding in later grades (AAAS 2001).
When preparing the unit on the water cycle, Ms. Bey
designed lessons with these components in mind: using
informational books and multimedia to present content,
engaging students in hands-on investigations, encouraging discussions, and keeping a science notebook. A wholeto-part-to-whole approach was also used. In other words,
after introducing the water cycle, the class focused on one
element of the water cycle before reviewing the full cycle.
Day 1: What Do We Know About
Water?
Ms. Bey began the unit by asking students to share what
they knew about water. Soon the class had a long list of
ideas, and with guidance they grouped the items into categories such as “at home” and “in nature.” Throughout
the unit, the class revisited this chart to review their learning and to add new information as they learned about the
water cycle. By exploring what they already knew about
water, students began recognizing the importance of water
in their lives as well as to plants and animals. To reinforce
their ideas, the teacher read aloud I Am Water (Marzollo
and Moffatt 1996) and encouraged students to draw and
write about water in their science notebooks. The aim of
the science notebook was to encourage students to record
observations, think about concepts, and connect activities and ideas. The notebook also supported literacy skills
as students drew pictures and used invented spelling or
copied words to label drawings. Throughout the unit,
Ms. Bey talked with students about their drawings as she
added their comments and explanations and formatively
assessed their understanding of concepts and vocabulary
associated with the water cycle.
Day 2: The Water Cycle
With students thinking about water, Ms. Bey piqued their
interest by showing the Water Cycle Song video (see Internet Resources for this and additional songs and videos).
This catchy tune became a class favorite and helped students focus their attention on key elements and vocabulary of the water cycle: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection. In addition, Ms. Bey read several
informational books aloud during the unit to teach content and vocabulary as each element of the water cycle was
emphasized. She was initially concerned that some books
were too advanced for her students. Her concerns were
TABL E 1.
Strategies for managing challenging informational books.
Book Feature
Strategies
Examples from the first reading of Down
Comes the Rain
Length and
complexity
• Read selected portions of the book.
• Read pages 1–10, 16–19, and 30–32.
• Simplify the text by breaking long
• Use a paper clip to make it easier to omit
sentences into two sentences.
pages 11–15 and 20–29.
• Omit some complex sentences or sections.
Vocabulary
• Provide a synonym or simple definition for
selected words.
• Place sticky notes with synonyms/
definitions in the book prior to reading.
• On page 8, explain ice is a solid and
reiterate that water is a liquid and vapor
is a gas that we can’t see.
• On page 8, reiterate that evaporation is
when water changes to vapor.
• On page 31, reiterate that condensation is
when vapor changes into water droplets.
• On pages 31–32, explain that when water
drops fall from clouds or it rains, we can
also call it precipitation.
Illustrations
• Briefly tell students what the illustration
represents.
• Do not discuss overly complex
illustrations.
• Explain that the dash lines and arrows
represent water vapor moving up into the
sky (pp. 9, 16, and 30).
Text features
• Take a picture walk before reading to
discuss text features.
• Do not discuss text features during the
first reading, but rather introduce feature
during subsequent readings.
• During the picture walk, explain that
bubbles represent what children are
saying or thinking.
• Do not read speech or thought bubbles
during first read aloud. Read afterward if
students ask.
February 2017
43
F IG URE 1.
Disappearing puddles experiment.
Ms. Bey presented the essential questions for their unit:
How does water move through the water cycle? and Why is the
water cycle important? The essential questions created a focus
for supporting genuine inquiry. Students were reminded that
they were scientists when addressing these questions and this
meant making predictions about investigations, observing
and recording what occurred, discussing ideas, and asking
more questions. With an overview of the water cycle and a
charge to address their essential questions, students were excited to delve more deeply into the water cycle.
Days 3–4: Evaporation: Where
Does the Water Go?
well founded since informational books are dense with
content and vocabulary, and they present more challenges
to read aloud compared with storybooks (Price, Bradley,
and Smith 2012). However, careful planning, such as determining what sections to read, how to define vocabulary
and explain concepts, and when to introduce text features
(e.g., diagrams, text boxes) makes reading informational
books more manageable for teachers and meaningful for
students (Price and Bradley 2016). See Table 1, p. 43, for
book reading strategies and see Resources for books about
the water cycle. After this planning, the teacher read Down
Comes the Rain (Branley and Hale 1983) and modeled
how to depict the water cycle using cutouts (i.e., Sun, water, wiggling arrow to represent vapor, clouds, raindrop).
Students colored and glued their own cutouts into their
science notebook and began using vocabulary associated
with the water cycle. By creating this diagram and describing its parts, students were addressing the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) crosscutting concept of
Systems and System Models.
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Science and Children
Evaporation is the process by which water turns into vapor
or gas and moves into the air. Evaporation occurs when
clothes are drying on a line and when paint or glue is drying. While evaporation is a challenging concept for students, they can notice and talk about this process (Tytler
and Peterson 2004). To become aware of evaporation, students participated in two investigations.
On a sunny day, students went outside to paint small puddles of water on the sidewalk and outline them with chalk.
As students drew a picture of their puddle in their science
notebooks, Ms. Bey asked, “What do you think will happen
to your puddle?” Soon the water evaporated and the puddles
disappeared (see Figure 1). While most students surmised
the “water went into the ground” or “just went away,” a few
students said the water “went into the sky,” as described in
the Water Cycle Song. With prompting, students recalled
that “water evaporates,” and using invented spelling, they
wrote this in their notebooks beside their drawings. This
simple investigation and work in their science notebooks,
along with other investigations conducted later in the unit,
helped students address the NGSS science and engineering
practices of Planning and Carrying Out Investigations and
Analyzing and Interpreting Data.
Later that day, for the second investigation, Ms. Bey
filled two glasses halfway with water and marked the water level with colored tape. Next, she covered the top of
one glass tightly with plastic wrap and placed both glasses
on a sunny windowsill. As students drew pictures of the
two glasses of water in their science notebook, the teacher
emphasized that the water levels were the same in both
glasses, and she asked them to predict what might happen
to the water in each glass. The next day, students checked
the water level in the glasses and noticed that the water
level in the uncovered glass had changed but not in the
covered glass. Students speculated that someone drank
the water or the custodian accidentally knocked over one
glass. With guidance, students suggested that the water
“went into the sky,” even though the glass was not outside.
Round and Round the Water Cycle
Using a diagram of the water cycle, Ms. Bey explained
that the water in their puddle and the uncovered glass
evaporated, or turned into vapor, which they could not
see, and moved upward into the air. She also explained
that the vapor in the covered glass was trapped and stayed
in the glass. After rereading selected pages about evaporation in Down Came the Rain and watching the Water Cycle
Song video, the teacher posed the essential question “How
does water move through the water cycle?” This allowed
students to describe evaporation or how water changes to
vapor and goes into the air. Finally, students pretended
to be raindrops that formed a puddle of water and then
evaporated into the sky when the Sun came out.
F IGU RE 2.
Cloud-weather memory game.
Days 5–7: Condensation Makes
Clouds
Condensation is the process by which vapor becomes water
again. Like evaporation, we see evidence of this process
when a bathroom mirror fogs up after taking a hot shower
or beads of sweat form on the outside of a cold beverage.
Condensation is also the process by which clouds form.
To help students to understand this, Ms. Bey conducted
an investigation in which she created a cloud in a jar. She
hoped that the investigation would also dispel a common
misconception held by young children that clouds are solid like cotton balls (Saçkes, Flevares, and Trundle 2010).
TABL E 2 . Children’s weather data chart.
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45
First, the teacher reviewed safety rules and explained
that she would be wearing safety goggles and temperatureresistant gloves, and students should remain seated during
the investigation. During the investigation, a paraprofessional monitored the students’ behaviors. With supplies
ready (glass jar with a lid, boiling water, ice cubes, and aerosol hairspray), Ms. Bey turned the lid of the jar upside down
and placed a few ice cubes on it. Next, she carefully poured
the boiling water into a glass jar (about one inch deep) and
swirled the water to heat the glass. After resting the lid with
ice on top of the jar for a few seconds, the teacher took the
lid off, quickly squirted in some hairspray, and replaced the
lid. Once a cloud formed inside the jar, Ms. Bey removed
the lid so students could watch the cloud escape.
So what happened? The hot water in the jar became
trapped, and as the warm air rose, it was cooled by cold air
created by the lid with ice. Then, the cool air condensed
or formed tiny water droplets on the surface of particles
in the aerosol. Clumped together, the water droplets and
particles formed a cloud. This was difficult for students to
understand, but it did get them talking about clouds.
Not surprisingly, students were amazed to see the cloud
and the prevailing belief was magic. Ms. Bey assured them
it wasn’t magic but science, as vapor turned back into water and stuck to dust in the aerosol hairspray. The class
watched and discussed What Are Clouds Made Of?, which
explained that clouds are “big clumps of water droplets”
that form when vapor cools, turns into water, and then
sticks to dust in the air. Students were then assigned the
role of either a water droplet or a speck of dust to role-play
this element of the water cycle. Next, a water droplet and
F IG URE 3 .
Water cycle in a bag investigation.
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Science and Children
a speck of dust had to find each other and then those pairs
had to find other pairs until the class became a large (and
noisy) cloud. Afterward, students drew pictures of water
droplets sticking to dust to create clouds in their science
notebooks and the teacher assessed their understanding of
condensation as she viewed their notebooks.
Given that condensation is a particularly challenging
concept, the teacher decided to build on what students knew
about clouds—that they change in size, shape, and color before it rains—to help them become cloud spotters. Ms. Bey
read Shapes in the Sky (Sherman and Wesley 2003) over two
days to manage the dense vocabulary and content and to help
students recognize and name different kinds of clouds and
weather associated with them. For example, students learned
that during nice weather, we might see cirrus clouds, which
are thin and wispy, or cumulus clouds, which are full and
puffy. However, during stormy weather, we might see nimbostratus clouds, which are low and dark, or cumulonimbus
clouds, which are big, dark, and can produce thunderstorms,
hail, and even tornadoes. Students also played a memory
game of matching different types of clouds with the different
kinds of weather, and the game was made available through
the remainder of the unit (see Figure 2, p. 45).
F IGU RE 4.
Sample drawing of the water cycle.
Round and Round the Water Cycle
Studying clouds allowed the class to observe and record
weather and discuss how weather influenced their action.
Students responded to questions such as: What is today’s
weather? How can we describe today’s weather? What is the
temperature outside? What types of clothes should we wear
for today’s weather? What would be a good activity to do
today? Is today’s weather the same as it was yesterday? Next,
they completed a chart (see Table 2, p. 45) and noticed
patterns in the weather. By creating this chart and noticing patterns in the weather, students were addressing the
NGSS performance expectations (K-ESS2-1) and disciplinary core ideas (ESS2.D).
The class also addressed the essential question: Why
is the water cycle important? Students described how condensation forms clouds, clouds make rain, and that rain is
important for plants to grow. Further, they considered why
it was important to be cloud spotters and recognize different weather patterns. Students indicated that, for example,
farmers needed to know the weather to determine whether
they needed to water their crops, pilots needed to know the
weather before flying an airplane, and they needed to know
the weather to determine what clothes to wear to school.
Day 8: Down Comes the
Precipitation
Precipitation occurs when condensation or water droplets in clouds become heavy and fall in the form of rain,
sleet, hail, or snow. While students understood that rain
falls from clouds, they thought “clouds crashing into
each other” caused rain. Attributing rain to physical actions such as clouds bumping or shaking, natural agents
such as birds or airplanes, or supernatural agents such as
God or angels is common among young children (Saçkes,
Flevares, and Trundle 2010). To help her students understand the mechanism of rainfall, Ms. Bey read several
sections in What Is Precipitation? (Johnson 2013), and
they answered the question: Why do we get rain in the
spring and snow in the winter? The class also conducted
an investigation.
First, students decorated a small resealable plastic bag
with the Sun, clouds, and water. Next, as the teacher held
the plastic bag open, each student carefully added about
one-fourth cup of blue water so that it did not touch the
sides of the bag. After sealing the plastic bag, the teacher
helped students tape their bag to a window with a lot of
sunlight. Later that day, students observed water droplets
forming inside the bag, and by tapping the bag they made
it rain (See Figure 3). Clearly excited by this investigation,
students asked to listen to the Water Cycle Song as they
worked in their science notebooks.
So what happened? The water in the bag warmed up in
the sunlight, turned into vapor, and moved to the top of
the bag (evaporation). Then, as the vapor touched the side
of the bag, it cooled and became drops of water (condensation). By tapping on the bag, the water droplets clumped
TABL E 3 .
Rubric for the water cycle.
Category
3
2
1
0
Draws diagram
Draws a picture that
includes 4 elements
of the water cycle
(i.e., evaporation,
condensation,
precipitation, collection)
Draws a picture
that includes 2–3
elements of the
water cycle
Draws a picture
of nature but not
the water cycle
Does not
draw a picture
or draws
something
not related to
nature
Labels diagram
Uses invented spelling
to label at least 3
elements of the water
cycle
Uses invented
spelling to label
1–2 elements of the
water cycle
Makes random
marks or mock
letters but not
clear if labeling
drawing
Does not
attempt to
label drawing
When describing
the picture, uses
2–3 vocabulary
words associated
with the water cycle
When describing
the picture, uses
1 vocabulary
word associated
with water cycle
Does not
describe water
cycle
Describes water When describing the
cycle
picture, uses at least
4 vocabulary words
associated with the
water cycle
Points
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deeper understanding of the water cycle. Studying the
water cycle also engaged students as scientists by making
predictions and conducting investigations and recording and discussing observations. Finally, students were
clearly motivated and had fun learning science concepts
and vocabulary. ■
Barbara A. Bradley ([email protected]) is associate
professor of reading education at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.
References
together and dripped down the bag like rain falling from
the sky (precipitation). Finally, the droplets joined water
at the bottom of the bag (collection).
Day 9: Where Water Collects
Collection is when precipitation collects in bodies of water,
and it is the last element in the water cycle. Since students
understood that rainwater goes somewhere rather than
disappearing, the teacher read parts of Follow the Water
From Brook to Ocean (Dorros 1991) to help students understand how rainwater flows downstream through bodies of water. After creating a list of all the bodies of water
mentioned in the book (a brook, stream, river, pond, lake,
and ocean), students played a memory game with pictures.
Day 10: The Cycle Begins Again
To assess learning, students drew and labeled a picture
of the water cycle (see Figure 4, p. 46). As they worked,
students talked about what they had learned: rain turns
to vapor and goes up into the air, vapor turns into water
droplets and sticks to dust, droplets clump together and
get so big they fall as rain, and rain collects inlakes, rivers,
and oceans. See Table 3, p. 47, for a rubric.
Conclusion
Young students can learn about the water cycle. While
their knowledge was basic, it laid the foundation for a
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Science and Children
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
2001. Atlas for scientific literacy. Washington, DC: AAAS.
NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards:
For states, by states. Washington, DC: National Academies
Press. www.nextgenscience.org.
Price, L.H., and B.A. Bradley. 2016. Revitalizing read alouds:
Interactive talk about books with young children, preK–2.
New York: Teachers College Press.
Price, L.H., B.A. Bradley, and J.M. Smith. 2012. A comparison
of preschool teachers’ talk during storybooks and
information book read alouds. Early Childhood Research
Quarterly. 27: 426–440. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2012.02.003
Saçkes, M., L.M. Flevares, and K.C. Trundle. 2010. Four- to
six-year-old children’s conceptions of the mechanism
of rainfall. Early Childhood Research Quarterly 25 (4):
536–546.
Tytler, R., and S. Peterson. 2004. Young children learning
about evaporation: A longitudinal perspective. Canadian
Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology
Information 4 (1): 111–126.
Internet Resources
Songs About the Water Cycle
Water Cycle Song Video
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TWb4KlM2vts
Water Cycle
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Yw275056JtA
Interactive Animated Videos About the Water Cycle
The Water Cycle
www3.epa.gov/safewater/kids/flash/flash_watercycle.
html
Water Cycle
http://cashmancuneo.net//flash/watercycle2.swf
Videos About Clouds
All About Clouds for Kids: Types and Names of Clouds
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QAqeFSa60TE
Science Video for Kids: How Are Clouds Formed?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eCumUup9vWQ
What Are Clouds Made Of?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DigBbR3FeP8
Round and Round the Water Cycle
Video About Weather
Be a Weather Watcher
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Uo8lbeVVb4M
Resources
Books About Clouds
Rockwell, A., and F. Lessac. 2008. Clouds. New York:
HarperCollins.
Sherman, J., and O. Wesley. 2003. Shapes in the sky: A book
about clouds. Minneapolis, MN: Picture Window Books.
Books About Collection
Dorros, A. 1991. Follow the water from brook to ocean. New
York: HarperCollins.
Locker, T. 1997. Water dance. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt.
Books About Precipitation
Johnson, R. 2013. What is precipitation? New York: Crabtree
Publishing.
Branley, F.M., and Keller, H. 2000. Snow is falling. New York:
HarperCollins.
Books About Water
Marzollo, J., and J. Moffatt. 1996. I am water. New York:
Scholastic.
Stewart, M. 2014. Water. Washington, DC: National
Geographic.
Books About the Water Cycle
Branley, F.M., and J.G. Hale. 1983. Down comes the rain. New
York: HarperCollins.
Paul, M., and J. Chin. 2015. Water is water: A book about the
water cycle. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
Books About Weather
DeWitt, L., and C. Croll. 1993. What will the weather be. New
York: HarperCollins.
Gibbons, G. 1990. Weather words and what they mean. New
York: Holiday House.
Connecting to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States 2013):
K-ESS2 Earth’s Systems
www.nextgenscience.org/dci-arrangement/k-ess2-earths-systems
The chart below makes one set of connections between the instruction outlined in this article and the NGSS.
Other valid connections are likely; however, space restrictions prevent us from listing all possibilities. The
materials, lessons, and activities outlined in the article are just one step toward reaching the performance
expectation listed below.
Performance Expectation
Connections to Classroom Activity
Students:
K-ESS2-1. Use and share observations of local
weather conditions to describe patterns over time.
• investigate clouds, rain, condensation, collection of
water and relate the water cycle to local weather.
Science and Engineering Practices
Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
Analyzing and Interpreting Data
• collect and record evidence of how water changes
based on various conditions and how this relates to
weather.
Disciplinary Core Idea
ESS2.D: Weather and Climate
• conduct investigations; listen to informational book
• Weather is the combination of sunlight, wind,
read-alouds; watch videos to learn about clouds,
snow, or rain, and temperature in a particular
rain, and the water cycle; and apply this to local
region at a particular time. People measure these
weather observations.
conditions to describe and record the weather and
to notice patterns over time.
Crosscutting Concept
System and System Model
• label different parts of the water cycle and describe
how water changes and moves through the water
cycle.
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