Created by Daniel Hodges & Amanda Hevener for the ESS Passport Program, Fairmont State University, October, 2016
WV NGCSOS / S.7.ESS.1Students will develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth’s systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.
NGSS / MS-ESS2-4Students who demonstrate understanding can Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth's systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the ways water changes its state as it moves through the multiple pathways of the hydrologic cycle. Examples of models can be conceptual or physical.] [Assessment Boundary: A quantitative understanding of the latent heats of vaporization and fusion is not assessed.]
Grade Level / Seventh Grade
Materials / For Engage Opener
- 3 Red plastic Cups
- 1 Clear plastic Cup
- 8 ounces of distilled water
- 1 teaspoon of Sodium Polyacrylate Powder (Water Lock)
- NASA/GPM Water Cycle Speaker's Toolkit (
- Laptop and Projector
- NASA/GPM The Water Cycle Lesson Plan (
- Five Gallon Bucket of water
- Bulb type dropper
- Glass mixing bowl, large enough to hold a small cup, 1:4 students
- Small cup to fit inside of mixing bowl, 1:4 students
- Clear plastic wrap, enough to completely cover all mixing bowls
- Large Rubber Band, 1:4 students
- Hot water, enough to fill all mixing bowls up to half the height of the small cup
- *Optional-Ice to speed the process of condensation
- NOAA Hydro Wheel (
- NOAA Learning Lesson: What-a-cycle
- Mobile computer lab or access to a computer lab
- Variety of modeling materials
- Poster Board, several
- Markers
- Crayons
- Coloring Pencils
- Stencils
Lesson Objective / Science and Engineering Practices
Developing and Using Models
- Modeling in 6–8 builds on K–5 experiencesand progresses to developing, using, andrevising models to describe, test, andpredict more abstract phenomena anddesign systems.
- Develop a model to describeunobservable mechanisms.
ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth's Surface Processes
- Water continually cycles among land,ocean, and atmosphere viatranspiration, evaporation,condensation and crystallization, andprecipitation, as well as downhill flowson land.
- Global movements of water and its changes in form are propelled by sunlight and gravity.
Energy and Matter
- Within a natural or designed system, the transfer of energy drives the motion and/or cycling of matter.
1)Components of the model
a)To make sense of a phenomenon, students develop a model in which they identify the relevant components:
i)Water (liquid, solid, and in the atmosphere).
ii)Energy in the form of sunlight.
iii)Gravity.
iv)Atmosphere.
v)Landforms.
vi)Plants and other living things.
2)Relationships
a)In their model, students describe* the relevant relationships between components, including:
i)Energy transfer from the sun warms water on Earth, which can evaporate into the atmosphere.
ii)Water vapor in the atmosphere forms clouds, which can cool and condense to produce precipitation that falls to the surface of Earth.
iii)Gravity causes water on land to move downhill (e.g., rivers and glaciers) and much of it eventually flows into oceans.
iv)Some liquid and solid water remains on land in the form of bodies of water and ice sheets.
v)Some water remains in the tissues of plants and other living organisms, and this water is released when the tissues decompose.
3)Connections
a)Students use the model to account for both, energy from light and the force of gravity driving water cycling between oceans, the atmosphere, and land, including that:
i)Energy from the sun drives the movement of water from the Earth (e.g., oceans, landforms, plants) into the atmosphere through transpiration and evaporation.
ii)Water vapor in the atmosphere can cool and condense to form rain or crystallize to form snow or ice, which returns to Earth when pulled down by gravity.
iii)Some rain falls back into the ocean, and some rain falls on land. Water that falls on land can:
(1)Be pulled down by gravity to form surface waters such as rivers, which join together and generally flow back into the ocean.
(2)Evaporate back into the atmosphere.
(3)Be taken up by plants, which release it through transpiration and also eventually through decomposition.
(4)Be taken up by animals, which release it through respiration and also eventually through decomposition.
(5)Freeze (crystallize) and/or collect in frozen form, in some cases forming glaciers or ice sheets.
(6)Be stored on land in bodies of water or below ground in aquifers.
b)Students use the model to describe* that the transfer of energy between water and its environment drives the phase changes that drive water cycling through evaporation, transpiration, condensation, crystallization, and precipitation.
c)Students use the model to describe* how gravity interacts with water in different phases and locations to drive water cycling between the Earth’s surface and the atmosphere.
(The Next Generation Science Standards)
Pre Test / Preferably give the pre/posttest on day separate from the Engage Activity.
Engage / Teacher Demonstration:
Using Red solo cups, a clear plastic cup, and one teaspoon of Sodium Polyacrylate Powder (Water Lock) complete the ‘magic trick’ that can be viewed in the YouTube video “Make Water Disappear Instantly” by Incredible Science (
Be dramatic and challenge students to find the cup with the water, going through another rotation of shell game with each guess. As you are conducting the trick, ask the students who guess wrong if they can name all of the different ways water can be found on Earth and have another student write down their responses on the whiteboard. After several failed attempts, flip all of the cups upside down and ask students if they can figure out where the water went, have them write their hypotheses in their notebooks.
Do not tell them the answer. When they are through, tell them that as a class they are going to be learning about how water goes through a regularly repeating cycle over the next few days and it will be their job to continue to try and figure out where the water went. If the students press you for an answer, tell them that you plan to do the trick again at the conclusion of the unit, and at that time you will not only answer that question, but show them how to do it.
Explore / Guiding Questions:
- The Big Picture: Why is it important to measure rain and snow around the globe?
- Earth’s Water: How much of Earth’s water is freshwater?
- Freshwater versus Saltwater: Which of these do we need for our survival?
- The Water Cycle: How does water move through the “water cycle?
- Precipitation: Where do rain and snow come from? Are these made up of freshwater or saltwater?
Explain / Day One:
Start the class by lugging in a five-gallon bucket of clean, potable water into the class. Make a big deal out of how heavy it is and drag it all the way to the front of the class. Just in case you spill some, have a mop or towel ready to clean it up. Once you are in front of the class, ask the students if any of them are thirsty. If any are, pull out a bulb type dropper and fill it up. Walk over to one of the students and place a single drop of water in their mouth. When they complain that they are still thirsty tell them that you are sorry but the five-gallon bucket represents all of the water in the world, the bulb dropper represents all the freshwater in the world, and unfortunately, [state the student’s name that you gave the drop of water to} has just drank all of the freshwater in the world that is available to drink. Let that sink in for a few moments with the students and then give any that want a small plastic cup of water to drink while you begin the PowerPoint from NASA and GPM, “Earth’s Water Cycle for Middle School Students.” Go through the presentation, show the videos, and stop frequently to have the students rephrase what they are learning in their own words in their notebooks.
Day Two:
Using the Water Cycle Lesson Plan from NASA/GPM, begin the lesson plan with the following modifications:
- Use hot water instead of cool to fill the mixing bowls so as to complete the lab activity in a single period and to remain indoors if inclement weather occurs. To speed up condensation even further, place ice cubes on top of the plastic wrap.
- Complete the Web quest as a class activity with students answering the questions via class discussion and writing responses, in their own words, in their notebooks.
- Skip the included presentation within this lesson plan. Instead distribute copies of NOAA’s Hydro Wheel and have the students make them and then place them into their notebooks. Then have the students complete the associated Learning Lesson, What-a-cycle through station work.
- Close the class by completing their observations and completing The Water Cycle Student Capture Sheet.
- Do not complete the Water Cycle Mini Project at the end of the presentation.
Place students into groups of 2 or 3 and distribute copies of the handout, ‘Getting to know the Water Cycle in your area’ and have the students read it in their groups. Answer any questions they may have concerning the task outlined therein without giving the answers to the prompts away. Show the students the accumulated materials that are available for them to work with and have them begin.
Allow the students to effectively work in groups to complete the handout and the associated project. Circulate among the groups asking probing questions and answering questions by directing students how to find the information they are looking for.
Elaborate / Vocabulary:
Aquifer AtmosphereBiosphereCondensation
CrystallizationCycleDecompositionDeposition
EvaporationGeosphereGlacierGravity
HydrosphereInfiltration/PercolationPhasePlant Uptake
PrecipitationRespirationSublimationTranspiration
Transportation
As new terms are discovered by students throughout the learning stages addressed above, the identifying student will obtain a 5”x8” notecard from the teacher and create a new entry for the class word wall. As a class all students will copy the new term to a 3”x5” note card and then place it into their notebooks for review on their own.
Evaluation / Give the Pre/Posttest attached. Repeat the demonstration from the engage teacher demonstration showing and explaining to the students each step of what you are doing. Show students how they can harvest Sodium Polyacrylate Powder from baby diapers to collect the materials necessary. has a great procedure to explain this process if necessary.
Resources
The Next Generation Science Standards. (n.d.). MS-ESS2-4 Evidence Statements. Retrieved June, 2015, from
Evidence Statements June 2015 asterisks.pdf