Science Learning Center

Name: Kelsey Brown

Grade Level: 2nd Grade
Date: March 2, 2016
Group Size: Learning Center
Subject/Lesson Topic: Science/Water cycle
Objectives: (TLW:)

TLW discover how the sun affects water.

TLW learn the steps of the water cycle

Standards/GLEs:

Give examples of how the Sun affects Earths processes (e.g., weather, water
cycle) (ESS-E-B5)
Contextual Factors:

There are 18 students in the class. All of the students in the class speak English.
Some of the students have behavior issues and some have certain
accommodations such as having their tests read to them.

There are two gifted students.

There will be 3 to 5 students in each small group. The students will be paired up
according to which students work best with each other.

The students will be working at the teacher table at the back of the classroom.

Teacher Materials/Resources:

Construction paper

Crayons

Colored Pencils

Louisiana Science: A Closer Look Textbook

Student Materials/Resources:

Crayons or colored pencils

One dark colored marker to labels the stages of the water cycle

Pencil to write their name

Technology Integration:

No Technology

Family/Community Connection or Extension:

I will encourage the students to discuss the water cycle with their parents and to
share their drawing with their parents. I will encourage the students to talk about
the weather at home and the different types of weather they may see on a day-today basis.

Pre-Assessment:

In order to pre-assess the students, I will ask them if they can tell me what the
steps of the water cycle are. I will also ask them to tell me as much as they can
about it.

Lesson Procedure and Activities:

Introduction:

I will begin by telling the students that we are going to do a fun science center
today.
o Today, we are going to work on a fun science center activity.

I will then ask the students if they can tell me some different things that we
discussed in the whole group lesson from the previous day.
o Before we begin in our science center, can any one tell me some of the
things that we discussed during science yesterday?

I will allow different students to speak and give their answers.

I will then explain to the students what activity they will be participating in.

o Well today in your science center, we are going to be taking that

information about the water cycle that we learned yesterday and create our
own visual representation of it.
Activities:

To begin, I will explain to the students how I want them to take the crayons,
markers, and construction paper and create a picture that shows their version of
the water cycle.
o I have some construction paper here for you, and I would like you to get
your crayons or markers from your desk. Once you have your crayons or
markers I would like you to draw a picture of the water cycle. You can
draw it however you think would best represent how the water cycle
works. When you are finished with your drawing, find a partner and work
together to label the different steps of the water cycle that can be seen in
your picture.
o Once you have finished, raise your hand for me to come see your work.

Closure:

Once the students are finished and I see that their hands are raised, I will go over
to the center and we will have a brief discussion about their pictures. We will talk
about the similarities and differences between the pictures and the different steps
that they each showed.
o Wow! Your pictures look wonderful! I cant wait to hear all about them.
Who would like to tell me about their water cycle picture first?
o Who else would like to talk about theirs?
o I see that some of your pictures are similar and some of them are
different. Can you explain to me how they are similar and different but
how they still represent the water cycle?

Differentiation:

The students will enjoy this lesson since I have incorporated an activity at the end.
They enjoy making things and sharing their ideas so having them work together to
create their own water cycle will be enjoyable for them.
Behavior needs: Those students who do not listen or are not following instructions
will lose a dojo point. If students do well and are paying attention, they will
receive a good dojo point.

Different ability levels: I will allow the stronger students to assist the weaker
students when necessary. I want them to work together in order for them to
correctly label the steps of the water cycle.
Cultural differences: This lesson is relevant to the students lives. The water cycle
is something that the students may see happening on an everyday basis. This
lesson is also anti-bias. I have created this lesson to be developmentally
appropriate by basing my lesson off of the state standards.

Formative Assessment/Evaluation: How will you determine if the objectives were met?
This may be formal or informal.

I will assess the students interpretation of the water cycle by the picture that they
have created and labeled.

I will make sure that they have correctly labeled their pictures and know the steps
of the water cycle.

Reflection
Learning centers can be a very important and beneficial part of an early childhood
classroom. The centers facilitate reinforcement of skill development, offer opportunities
to explore creative aspects of subject matter, and individualize and expand instruction to
meet students needs while accommodating multiple intelligences (Lemlech, p. 213).
Learning centers allow students to either work independently or with partners or even a
small group. It allows them to be creative and explore at their own pace and on their own
time.
For this learning center, I created a hands on activity that was both fun and
informative for the children. I had the students create their own picture of a water cycle. I
provided the students with instructions about the activity and then we discussed the

information that we had talked about in our whole group lesson. I reminded them to
include the steps of the water cycle in their picture. I then let the students begin to work
on their pictures. I encouraged them to be creative. I used the teaching strategies of
asking questions and give assistance. As the students were working, I was asking them
about their drawings and assisting them when they were having trouble. I also challenged
some of the students to include other steps of the water cycle that we didnt talk about as
much. An example of this would be accumulation.
I found this learning center to be very effective. I also feel that is follows the
principles of child development and learning pretty well. The students were able to be
creative and communicate with one another about their drawings of the water cycle. They
asked each other questions and for help when necessary. The students were challenged to
draw their own representation of a water cycle and to write the steps in the proper spot.
Overall, I felt that my learning center went very well. The students understood the
activity and were able to follow my instructions very well. They did have a bit of trouble
writing the steps of the water cycle since they have never seen these big words before.
They struggled with spelling these words but they were able to write them in the correct
area of their drawing. In order to make this learning center more effective, I would
probably have them use different types of materials to create their representation of a
water cycle instead of using just markers and paper. This would make the activity a little
more fun and allow the students to be even more creative.