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DESCRIPTION

During a rainy day, Jeffrey learns about the water cycle and why it's so important for all living things. Shows what happens when there is too little or too much water. Jeffrey also learns about evaporation and condensation. Shows how to make a simple rain gauge.

ACADEMIC STANDARDS

Subject Area: Science

• Standard: Understands basic features of the Earth

§ Benchmark: Knows the processes involved in the water cycle (e.g., evaporation, condensation, precipitation, surface run-off, percolation) and their effects on climatic patterns (See Instructional Goal #1)

§ Benchmark: Knows that clouds and fog are made of tiny droplets of water (See Instructional Goal #1)

§ Benchmark: Knows that water can change from one state to another (solid, liquid, gas) through various processes (e.g., freezing, condensation, precipitation, evaporation) (See Instructional Goal #2)

• Standard: Understands the nature of scientific inquiry

§ Benchmark: Knows that tools (e.g., thermometers, magnifiers, rulers, balances) can be used to gather information and extend the senses (See Instructional Goal #5)

Subject Area: Geography

• Standard: Understands how human actions modify the physical environment

§ Benchmark: Knows ways in which people depend on the physical environment (e.g., food, clean air, water, mineral resources) (See Instructional Goal #3)

• Standard: Knows the physical processes that shape patterns on Earth’s surface

§ Benchmark: Understands how physical processes help to shape features and patterns on Earth's surface (e.g., the effects of climate and weather on vegetation, erosion and deposition on landforms, mud slides on hills (See Instructional Goal #4)

INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS

1. To illustrate the water cycle. 2. To examine evaporation, condensation, and the formation of clouds. 3. To show the importance of rain and various uses for water. 4. To explain the results of too much or too little rain. 5. To demonstrate how to make a rain gauge.

VOCABULARY

1. water cycle 2. liquid 3. gas (state of matter)

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4. particles 5. invisible 6. water vapor 7. evaporation 8. condensation 9. rain gauge

10. tenths

BEFORE SHOWING

1. Introduce the terms liquid and gas. Provide examples. 2. Introduce the term evaporation. Generate a list of familiar examples of water evaporating.

DURING SHOWING

1. View the video more than once, with one showing uninterrupted. 2. Pause the video after the scene in which Kate holds the ice cube tray over a steaming kettle. Give caution

about trying this experiment without adult supervision.

AFTER SHOWING

Discussion Items and Questions

1. Describe the water cycle. 2. Into what do liquid drops of water change during evaporation? 3. Give an example of evaporation. 4. Explain condensation. Give an example. 5. Why did Kate have a plastic bag over a plant? 6. What is fog? 7. Why are rain and the water cycle important? 8. Discuss various uses for water. 9. How do deserts start?

10. When can rain cause damage?

Applications and Activities

1. Review the stages of the water cycle. Sequence the stages on a diagram. (See INSTRUCTIONAL GRAPHICS.)

2. Create a mural showing the water cycle. 3. Research and report on various types of clouds. 4. Investigate various kinds of rainstorms. On a world map, plot major storms on a daily basis. Label the

map with descriptions of the types of storms and amount of damage they caused. 5. Study weather forecasting. Visit a weather station or invite a meteorologist to speak to the class.

Compare weather forecasting information from various weather Web sites. 6. Measure raindrops. Put a piece of cardboard outside in the rain for a short time. Use a ruler to quickly

measure the raindrop spots. Check the size of the raindrops at other times. Chart the results. 7. Make a rain gauge as demonstrated in the video. Record the results daily for a month. 8. Set up a weather station at school. Keep daily records of temperature, precipitation, wind, barometric

pressure, and humidity. Develop a weather report and present it to others.

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9. If snow is available, fill a container with snow. Let the snow melt. Notice the container is no longer full. Investigate how snowfall measurements are converted to comp are to rainfall measurements.

10. Notice how the verbs evaporate and condense are changed to become the nouns evaporation and condensation. Locate other verbs that become nouns in a similar way.

Experiments

1. Experiments with evaporation. a. Put equal amounts of water into two jars. Put the lid on one jar. Leave the lid off the other jar.

Check the jars every day. Discuss the results. b. Put equal amounts of water in a large flat dish and a deep narrow jar. Place the containers side by

side uncovered. Record how much water evaporates each day. Analyze the results. c. Put equal amounts of water in two identical dishes. Place one dish in the sun or near a heater and put

the other one in a cool place. Compare how much water evaporates each day. d. Hang three wet handkerchiefs to dry. Fold one into fourths. Leave the other two open. Fan one of

the open cloths. Compare the time required for the handkerchiefs to dry. 2. Experiment with condensation.

a. Fill one glass with warm water. Fill another glass with ice cubes and cold water. Let them stand for a short while. Watch condensation occur on the cold glass.

b. Fill a glass with ice and add water plus a few drops of food coloring. Let it stand for a short time. Notice that the condensation drops are not colored.

c. Boil water in a pot. Hold a strainer full of ice so the steam goes through it. See clouds form as the steam cools.

d. Boil water in a large pot. Hold a smaller pot full of ice over the large pot where the steam can hit it. Note the condensation, which then drops off the small pot as rain.

INSTRUCTIONAL GRAPHICS

• THE WATER CYCLE

RELATED RESOURCES

Captioned Media Program

• Clouds (Revised) #3021 • Introduction to the Water Cycle #2401 • Learning About Water #1389 • Rainshower (Revised) #2216 • Weather, a Film for Beginners #2141 • Where Does the Rain Go After It Falls? #2243 • Understanding Weather: Storms #2692

World Wide Web

The following Web sites complement the contents of this guide; they were selected by professionals who have experience in teaching deaf and hard of hearing students. Every effort was made to select accurate, educationally relevant, and “kid-safe” sites. However, teachers should preview them before use. The U.S. Department of Education, the National Association of the Deaf, and the Captioned Media Program do not endorse the sites and are not responsible for their content.

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• EPA’S OFFICE OF GROUND WATER http://www.epa.gov/OGWDW/kids/

This water site is primarily for younger children. It includes games and activities, kid art, and experiments for grades K-12. It also has a section for teachers.

• WATER SCIENCE FOR SCHOOLS http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/index.html

This interactive site from the U.S. Geological Survey is for older students. Some of the topics include earth’s water, water basics, and water-use information.

• GIVE WATER A HAND http://www.uwex.edu/erc/

Give Water A Hand is a national watershed education program designed to involve young people in local environmental service projects. The Action Guide is available from this Web site. HURRICANE: STORM SCIENCE http://www.miamisci.org/hurricane/hurricane0.html

This weather site from the Miami Science Museum includes information and activities about hurricanes, floods, survivors, killer storms, and a section on making weather instruments.

• UM WEATHER http://cirrus.sprl.umich.edu/wxnet/

UM Weather is a gateway site to a huge amount of weather information and a multitude of links to other sites. It includes forecasts, maps, models, and radar and satellite images. A great place to start.

• COOL TOURS http://www.nwf.org/nwf/kids/cool/water1.html

Follow the tracks to find out how the water cycle works.