KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Teacher Candidate:

Ms. Emily Palermo

Date:

Cooperating Teacher: Dr. Varano

Coop. Initials

Group Size:

Allotted Time

1 hour Grade Level 2nd grade

Subject or Topic:

Water Cycle

Section

Water Pollution

STANDARD:
S.K-2.D.1.2.1: Identify Earths natural resources
S.K-2.A.3.1.1: Describe a system as being made of multiple parts that work together.
I. Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes):
The second grade students will demonstrate their understanding of the water cycle and
how it effects the environment by graphically depicting and describing the water cycle.
II. Instructional Materials
Sponge
Poster board
Diorama
III. Subject Matter/Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea, outline of
additional content)
A. Prerequisite skills
B. Key Vocabulary
1. Evaporation-when the water from the ground and oceans is cycled
into the sky and forms clouds.
2. Precipitation-when the clouds get full and the water is cycled back
down to the Earth.
3. Condensation-due to the air cooling and resulting in fog and early
morning moisture on the grass called dew.
C. Big Idea
1. The students will demonstrate their understanding of the water cycle
and how it effects the environment by graphically depicting and
describing the water cycle.

D. Content
1. The basic water cycle consists of water rising to the atmosphere
through evaporation and returning to the land and oceans through
precipitation and condensation.
IV. Implementation
A. Introduction
1. To introduce this unit, the teacher will explain to the class that they
will be talking about water pollution, but first before they can talk
about pollution they have to talk about the water cycle!
2. The teacher will read a book The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story, by
Neil Waldman, to the class to get them motivated for the lesson.
3. After reading the book, the teacher will gather the students into a
circle around a table in the front of the classroom and dump water
onto the table.
4. The teacher will then use a sponge and lightly soak up most of the
water.
5. After the water disappears, the teacher will ask the students what
they think happened to the water.
6. The teacher will write the different responses on the board and that
will help transition into the body of the lesson.
B. Development
1. The teacher will start by giving examples of different types of
evaporation and precipitation. Puddles, rivers, oceans, ground
surface water will be the teachers examples for the sources of
evaporation. Rain, snow, and hail will be the examples for
precipitation.
2. After the students learn about the main parts, the teacher will start to
explain the cycle. This is when the water cycle poster board should
be brought out.
3. The teacher will explain how the water evaporates from the oceans
and puddles into the sky and then when the clouds form and fill up, it
precipitates.
4. The students will repeat the same demonstration the teacher
preformed in the beginning of the class with the sponge and water.
5. The teacher will ask the students why they think the water cycle is
important and have them give a few examples of the water cycle that
happens in their yard or house. The teacher will explain that the
water cycle is important to our environment because it provides
animals and plants with a constant cycle of water. Water contains
many nutrients and minerals that are important to the survival of
plants and animals.

6. The teacher will put the definitions for all the key terms on the board
so the students can take notes and use them for their personal charts.
7. The students will work in groups of four to make their own version
of the water cycle. They will be free to use their creativity to make
up their own example of a place where the water cycle takes place.
Some examples are their back yard or a rain forest or anything that
interests the students. The students cycles will need to be correctly
labeled and contain information on the importance of each part of the
water cycle.
C. Closure
1. To close the lesson, the students will watch a video on YouTube
called Water Cycle Song by bapples.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ8KRznrXiA
D. Accommodations/Differentiation
1. Guided notes and detailed instructions will be provided to all the
students.
2. To accommodate Joey, a 2nd grade boy with ADHD, the teacher will
have him work in a small group to help with attention, note taking,
and clarification.
E. Assessment/Evaluation Plan
1. Formative
a. The teacher will float around while the students are
constructing their own water cycle.
b. The teacher will be able to answer any questions that
students may have.
2. Summative
1. The students will be assessed with a unit test at the end of the
unit.

V. Reflective Response
A. Report of Student Performance in Terms of Stated Objectives (Reflection on
student performance written after lesson is taught, includes remediation for
students who fail to meet acceptable level of achievement)
Remediation Plan

B. Personal Reflection (Questions written before lesson is taught. Reflective

answers to question recorded after lesson is taught)
How could this lesson be improved?
Did the students seem to have a understanding of how the water cycle effects
the environment and what the parts of the water cycle are?
VI. Resources (in APA format)
http://teachers.net/lessonplans/posts/1844.html
Waldman, N. (2003). The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story.
21st Century.
Water Cycle Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ8KRznrXiA