Investigating the Water Cycle: Evaporation
Summary
In this water cycle activity, students investigate the evaporation process by participating in an outdoor evaporation experiment held on the school grounds. Students will determine where evaporation takes place the fastest and how nature and humans can affect the process. Observations will be done and data is recorded in each student's science notebook so that the process can be discussed and analyzed.
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Learning Goals
This activity is designed for students to participate in an outdoor experiment that allows them to connect the evaporation process to their neighborhood. Students will think critically while making predictions and asking questions about the process taking place. They will also learn observation skills and analyze the data they collect. Students will review the vocabulary words "evaporation" and "water cycle" throughout this process.
Context for Use
This lesson could be used for grades 3 or 4. It is an outdoor lab that will vary in length due to weather. The lab is designed to be used as part of a water cycle unit. Prior to this lab, students should be introduced to the process of the water cycle and should be familiar with the terms "water cycle", "evaporation", "condensation", "precipitation", and "collection". Materials needed for this lab include: 4 ice cream buckets, water, and rulers.
Description and Teaching Materials
To start the activity, ask students if they have ever noticed water puddles on the sidewalk of the school. What happens to the puddles? Students then begin a KWHL chart on evaporation. After discussing the K, W, and H columns on the chart, introduce the outdoor lab to the students.
Explain that as a class they will choose four places on the school grounds to place "puddles". Each "puddle" is an ice cream bucket filled ½ inch (approximately 1.5 cups) with water. Help the students choose four locations that will have little human contact so that the buckets will not be disturbed.
After placing the buckets, each student predicts which bucket will empty first and why. Students write their predictions in their science notebooks.
Each day, students measure the depth of the water in each bucket and record their observations. Throughout the experiment, discuss what could be making the water level decrease (or increase) and what the weather has been like.
When the first bucket empties, revisit the students' predictions, discuss what they learned and how it connects to real puddles, and talk about what could be done the next time to get more accurate results. Then have the students each write a reflection on the evaporation experiment, what they learned/observed, and what new questions they have. Students also fill in the L column on the KWHL chart at this time.
Explain that as a class they will choose four places on the school grounds to place "puddles". Each "puddle" is an ice cream bucket filled ½ inch (approximately 1.5 cups) with water. Help the students choose four locations that will have little human contact so that the buckets will not be disturbed.
After placing the buckets, each student predicts which bucket will empty first and why. Students write their predictions in their science notebooks.
Each day, students measure the depth of the water in each bucket and record their observations. Throughout the experiment, discuss what could be making the water level decrease (or increase) and what the weather has been like.
When the first bucket empties, revisit the students' predictions, discuss what they learned and how it connects to real puddles, and talk about what could be done the next time to get more accurate results. Then have the students each write a reflection on the evaporation experiment, what they learned/observed, and what new questions they have. Students also fill in the L column on the KWHL chart at this time.
Teaching Notes and Tips
This lesson was created to be used in a water cycle unit. Other lessons/activities that would be used in the unit include reading The Magic School Bus Wet All Over by Joanna Cole, singing a water cycle song, placing a rain gauge outside the classroom window, making clouds three different ways, and creating water cycle bracelets with a different color bead for each phase of the cycle. Having the students write stories in 1st person as water molecules would close the unit. They would write about each phase of the cycle and what they would see, feel, and hear as the water molecule.
Possible concerns could be the amount of time spent each day collecting data, how to keep the buckets staked down so they don't dump over, and how to limit human contact with the buckets.
Possible concerns could be the amount of time spent each day collecting data, how to keep the buckets staked down so they don't dump over, and how to limit human contact with the buckets.
Assessment
Assessment is done by collecting and reading the students' observations from the experiment. Students are also assessed using their closing reflection and their completed KWHL chart.
Standards
4.I.B.2 - working with data
4.III.B.1 - evaporation
4.III.B.1 - evaporation