Cycles Lesson Plan

Nazareth College MSTL Summer Institute

Possible Materials:

General:

  • Paper
  • Pencils
  • Crayons, colored pencils, or markers
  • Poster board
  • Construction paper ( set-up of stages – with states of matter)
  • Cameras using time lapse photography

Animal and plant life cycles:

  • Video cameras
  • Magnifying glasses and/or microscopes
  • life cycle of a mealworm (Elizabeth’s)
  • Fruit flies in egg-laying cups (?) or some other animal (butterfly larvae?)
  • seeds
  • cups
  • Baggies (other?)
  • modeling clay

Lunar cycles

  • flashlight
  • Styrofoam ball (2" to 3" across)
  • pen or small stick
  • balls of different sizes
  • string
  • balloons
  • sticks
  • red paper for flashlights

Water cycle and states of matter:

  • Hot plates
  • Beakers
  • Water from different environments: pond water, salt water, sea salt, distilled water
  • Ice cube trays: make ice ahead of time
  • Access to freezer
  • Arrows
  • Felt
  • Grommets
  • Mason jar
  • Thermometers (non-mercury)
  • Two-liter bottles
  • Large jars to use as terrariums or artificial ponds
  • Possible pollutants: salt, sugar, food coloring?
  • funnels

Rock Cycle

  • Rocks from collections
  • Wards Natural Science – Barrow- have them plan what they have for experimentation and Standards
  • Rocks with streaks of minerals
  • Mineral identification keys
  • Examples of igneous, metamorphosis, sedimentary
  • Magnifying glasses
  • Examples of soils of all three rocks 44. Fossils
  • Volcano – materials
  • Craters – meteorology charts, tide charts
  • Sugar cubes
  • Aluminum foil
  • Wax crayons and crayon sharpener (Crayola works well)
  • Plastic knives
  • Pieces of wood
  • Candle
  • Lighter or matches
  • opy of the Rock Cycle Diagram
  • Styrofoam or other cup to hold hot water
  • Hot pot
  • Ppie pan
  • Goggles
  • Rulers
    heavy duty aluminum foil
  • Hammer
  • clothespin
  • water
  • candy (chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, etc.)
  • newspapers
  • glue

Goals & Objectives:

  • Teachers will develop an understanding of introducing concepts and vocabularyin context of inquiry.
  • Teachers will experience inquiry as an open-ended experience embedded withdeveloping concept knowledge, asking their own questions and integratingdisciplines.
  • Teachers will increase science content knowledge about and engage one or more of the following NSES standards:

Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and technology

Students will describe patterns of daily, monthly, and seasonal changes in their environment

The water cycle, weather, erosion, deposition, and extreme natural events involve interactions among air, water, and land.

Describe the relationship among air, water, and land on Earth.

Matter is made up of particles whose properties determine the observable characteristics of matter and its reactivity.

Individual organisms and species change over time.

The continuity of life is sustained through reproduction and development, which includes a description of the major stages in the life cycles of selected plants and animals.

Observe and describe developmental patterns in selected plants and animals (e.g., insects, frogs, humans, seed-bearing plants)

Plants and animals depend on each other and their physical environment.

Human decisions and activities have had a profound impact on the physical and living environments.

  • Teachers will increase science content knowledge about and engage students in developing one or more of the following skills based on NSES standards:

identifying patterns of change is necessary for making predictions about futurebehavior and conditions

order and sequence objects and/or events

utilize senses optimally for making observations

observe, analyze, and report observations of objects and events

observe, identify, and communicate patterns

observe, identify, and communicate cause-and-effect relationships

use a diagram of the rock cycle to determine geological processes that led to the formation of a specific rocktype

measure weather variables such as wind speed and direction, relative humidity, barometric pressure, etc.

Vocabulary:

Animal: / Plant: / Lunar: / Seasonal/Weather:
Cycle / Cycle / cycle / cycle
insect / Conifer / astronomer / season
metamorphosis (incomplete and complete) / Cotyledon / crater / year
Egg / Chloroplast / earthshine / summer
Larva / Endosperm / eclipse / fall
Pupa / seed coat / lunation / winter
coccoon / Embryo / orbit / spring
nymph / Fruit / gibbous / rain
juvenile / flowering plant / gravity / snow
adult / Germination / lunar / sleet
tadpole / Growth / new moon / hail
frog / Dormant / Phase / windy
spawn / Leaf / revolve / stormy
development / Petal / rotate / sunny
embryo / Pollen / telescope / cloud(y)
Root / wax / leaves
Seed / wane / flowers
Stem / solar / water
Water: / Rock: / Math:
cycle / rock cycle
aquifer / Rock
condensation / intrusive igneous rock
drainage area / extrusive igneous rock
erosion / Volcanic
evaporation / Plutonic
groundwater / Magma
hydrologic cycle / Sediments
impermeable layer / Erosion
percolation / Weathering
permeability / sedimentary rock
precipitation / Limestone
recharge zone / Shale
runoff water / Siltstone
saturated / Sandstone
surface water / Conglomerate
unsaturated / Coal
water cycle / Compaction
water table / Cementation
water vapor / metamorphic rock
watershed / parent rock

Method:

  • Teachers will divide into groups based on which cycle they want to utilize. Choices include: math cycles, animal life cycles, plant life cycles, seasonal or weather cycles, the lunar cycle, the water cycle, and the rock cycle.
  • Provide resources on the Wiki, which will include links to resources to help with content pieces, sample lesson plans, suggested vocabulary words, and books that might be useful. Sample books and sample math cycles will be provided. [Sheila, Carol, and Heather (math cycles)]
  • Teachers will create a multi-sensory activity/experience to participate in the cyclewhich incorporates literacy and math.
  • Provide examples of integrating this into literacy instruction. (Julia)
  • Provide examples of integrating this into math instruction. (Heather)
  • Teachers will share activities with the other workshop participants.

Assessment:

  • Teachers asking if the cycle meetsthe needs of the standard (s) using their problem in cycle process.
  • The Teachers might ask the teams to ask the question “what if” – looking at extensions for their classrooms of the cycle.
  • Teachers of the team pose a question for all to discuss from their cycle lesson…

aninteresting topic for their students, an extension of topic, or relate the inquiry problem to a global problem of today.