Water Writing to Learn Opportunities1

The following writing activities are intended for use after the science investigations, either as part of the student’s notebook or separately. Students may refer to information in their science notebooks as they participate in these writing opportunities. Providing writing practice through science supports understanding of the science content while also improving writing skills.

Investigation 1

/ Water Observations
Narrative Writing
Write personal narratives:
  1. Include ideas, observations, or memories of an event or experience.
  2. Provide a context to allow the reader to imagine the world of the event or experience.
  3. Use concrete sensory details.
  4. Provide insight into why the selected event or experience is memorable.
/ Pretend you are one of the surfaces in the water investigation (i.e. paper towel, waxed paper, aluminum foil, etc.) Describe what happened to a water droplet as it was being dropped on you - write a creative poem. You might begin with…”What’s happened to me? A big droplet I see !…” (Part 1)
Pretend you are a water droplet in the water dome races. Give a detailed play-by-play account of what happens in your races. (Part 3)
Expository Writing: Research Reports
Write informational reports:
  • Ask and then address a central question about an issue or event.
  • Include facts and details for focus.
  • Develop the topic with simple facts, details, examples, and explanations.
  • Use more than one source of information, including speakers, books, newspapers, other media sources, and online information.
/ Which brand of Paper Towel is the best? Bring in 3 different brands of paper towels. Drop water on them. See which one absorbs the most. Record your findings for the school newsletter. (Part 1)
Expository Writing: Response to Literary Text
Write responses to literature:
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the literary work.
  2. Support interpretations through references to both the text and prior knowledge.
/ Read The Blue Report in the Water Science Stories. Make a chart and list how water on the Blue Planet is found as a solid, a liquid, and a gas. (Part 1)
Read Surface Tension in the Water Science Stories. Connect it to your experiences by writing a paragraph about a time in your life when you have observed surface tension. (Part 2)
Persuasive Writing
Begin writing persuasive compositions to convince the reader to take a certain action or to avoid a certain action / Write a letter to the president of a Paper Towel Factory. Convince the owners which material would be best to use if they were making raincoats. (Part 3)
Summaries, Business Letters, Job Applications and Resumes, Technical Writing
Write summaries that contain the main idea of the reading selection. / As a class, compose a letter to a hydrologist at Tucson Water Company, the University of Arizona, or in a local business inviting them to come to your class to discuss the question: What is happening with the water supply in Tucson? Include the phone number of your teacher so they can be contacted to set up a time to visit. (Part 1,2,3,4)
Investigation 2
/ Hot Water, Cold Water
Narrative Writing
Write personal narratives:
  1. Include ideas, observations, or memories of an event or experience.
  2. Provide a context to allow the reader to imagine the world of the event or experience.
  3. Use concrete sensory details.
  4. Provide insight into why the selected event or experience is memorable.
/ Write a creative narrative from the perspective of the thermometer during the investigation. Use vocabulary words from the Word Bank. (Part 1)
As a group of students, act out the words “contract” and “expand” to demonstrate their meanings. (Part 1)
With your group, write a creative narrative about a world where water is found only as ice. Describe how you live your daily life. (Part 3)
Expository Writing: Research Reports
Write informational reports:
  • Ask and then address a central question about an issue or event.
  • Include facts and details for focus.
  • Develop the topic with simple facts, details, examples, and explanations.
  • Use more than one source of information, including speakers, books, newspapers, other media sources, and online information.
/ Look up the words “expand” and “contract” in the dictionary and thesaurus. Write down their definitions and create a list of synonyms. (Part 1)
If you wanted to do the “Sinking and Floating” experiment at home you need directions. Write step-by-step directions so they would be easy for your family to follow. (Part 2)
Expository Writing: Response to Literary Text
Write responses to literature:
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the literary work.
  2. Support interpretations through references to both the text and prior knowledge.
/ Read A Report from the Blue Planet in Water Science Stories.
Make a 3-flap book describing the 3 states of matter of water. Give examples of each state. (Part 3)
Read The Pond in the Water Science Stories. Connect the story to life by pretending you are a duck living on the pond. Describe your habitat during all four seasons of the year. (Part 2)
How was ice kept before refrigerators were invented? Read Ice History in Water Science Stories to research this question. Take notes and write a short informational report to answer the question. (Part 3)
Where do Icebergs come from? Use information from the internet and Ice is Everywhere in Water Science Stories to research this question. Take notes and write a short informational report to answer the question.
(Part 3)
Persuasive Writing
Begin writing persuasive compositions to convince the reader to take a certain action or to avoid a certain action / Create a list of the top ten ways to conserve water. See how your list compares to the information in Water Conservation on page 21 of Water Science Stories. Then use your list and create a poster convincing people in the school why and how they should save water. (Part 1,2,3)
Summaries, Business Letters, Job Applications and Resumes, Technical Writing
Write summaries that contain the main idea of the reading selection.
Investigation 3
/ Water Vapor
Narrative Writing
Write personal narratives:
  1. Include ideas, observations, or memories of an event or experience.
  2. Provide a context to allow the reader to imagine the world of the event or experience.
  3. Use concrete sensory details.
  4. Provide insight into why the selected event or experience is memorable.
/ Imagine you are a water droplet. Write a creative narrative about your adventures through the water cycle using sequence words. (Part 4)
As a class, create a song using a well-known tune about the water cycle. Perform your song for another class. (Part 4)
Write a cinquain about water and the water cycle. (Part 4)
First line: Noun: Water
Second line: Two describing adjectives
Third line: Three verbs or action words
Fourth line: A 4 word short phrase
Fifth line: Noun: A synonym with first word
Expository Writing: Research Reports
Write informational reports:
  • Ask and then address a central question about an issue or event.
  • Include facts and details for focus.
  • Develop the topic with simple facts, details, examples, and explanations.
  • Use more than one source of information, including speakers, books, newspapers, other media sources, and online information.
/ If one of the steps in the water cycle disappeared, what would happen? Write a descriptive paragraph about which step is missing and what happens. (Part 4)
How much water fell in Roseburg last year? Using the Internet, research the answer to this question and create a graph showing your findings month by month. (Part 1,2,3,4)
Expository Writing: Response to Literary Text
Write responses to literature:
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the literary work.
  2. Support interpretations through references to both the text and prior knowledge.
/ Draw and label a flow chart of the water cycle as described in The Water Cycle in Water Science Stories. (Part 1,2,3,4)
Read Evaporation and Condensation in Water Science Stories. Connect the text to your life by writing examples of evaporation and condensation in your life. (Part 3)
Persuasive Writing
Begin writing persuasive compositions to convince the reader to take a certain action or to avoid a certain action / Pretend you are an experienced water droplet in the ocean. Write a letter to an inexperienced water droplet explaining what will happen to them in the water cycle so they won’t be scared. Convince them that being a water drop is ok, as eventually you always return home. (After Reading The Water Cyclein Water Science Stories) (Part 1,2,3,4)
Summaries, Business Letters, Job Applications and Resumes, Technical Writing
Write summaries that contain the main idea of the reading selection.
Investigation 4
/ Waterworks
Narrative Writing
Write personal narratives:
  1. Include ideas, observations, or memories of an event or experience.
  2. Provide a context to allow the reader to imagine the world of the event or experience.
  3. Use concrete sensory details.
  4. Provide insight into why the selected event or experience is memorable.
/ Read Ellen Swallow Richards: The First Ecologist” in Water Science Stories. Create five interview questions you would ask her. Use your interview to create a dialogue between you and Ms. Richardson (Part 1,2,3,4)
Read Moon Dreams in Water Science Stories. Pretend you live on a planet with no water. Write a story about how you survive. (Part 1,2,3,4)
Expository Writing: Research Reports
Write informational reports:
  • Ask and then address a central question about an issue or event.
  • Include facts and details for focus.
  • Develop the topic with simple facts, details, examples, and explanations.
  • Use more than one source of information, including speakers, books, newspapers, other media sources, and online information.
/ Write a detailed plan of how you and your group will build a waterwheel. Then draw and label it. After your waterwheel demonstration, go back to your plan and write any improvements you could make to it. (Part 2)
How much water do regular and water saving toilets use? How much water do regular and water saving showerheads use? Using the Internet, research and answer these questions. Share your findings with the class. (Part 1,2,3,4)
Expository Writing: Response to Literary Text
Write responses to literature:
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the literary work.
  2. Support interpretations through references to both the text and prior knowledge.
/ Write a letter to a hydrologist in Roseburg. Tell him/her 3 things you have learned about waterwheels. Ask them to write back and describe how wells help us today in getting water from underground aquifers. (Part 2)
Divide the class in 3 parts to read “Water, A Vital Resource” by Keiro, David, Tamiko in the Water Science Stories. Summarize and illustrate the part you were given. Then create a big chart showing what happens to water in Tucson before and after being in our homes.
Persuasive Writing
Begin writing persuasive compositions to convince the reader to take a certain action or to avoid a certain action
Summaries, Business Letters, Job Applications and Resumes, Technical Writing
Write summaries that contain the main idea of the reading selection.

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