Emily Stover

ELE 221

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT TASK

LESSON PLAN

NAME _Emily Stover__ GRADE LEVEL ___3rd Grade____

LESSON TITLE Let It Snow! A Winter Water Cycle Lesson__ SUBJECT__Science _

PENNSYLVANIA STATE CONTENT STANDARDS

Assessment Anchor: S3.A.3 Systems, Models and Patterns

S3.A.3.1.1: Classify systems as either human-made or natural (e.g., human-made systems

[balancing systems, tops, wheel and axle systems, pencil sharpeners from manual to electric];
natural systems [plants, animals, water cycle, stream]).

PA CORE STANDARDS

E03.B-K.1.1.1: Answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to

the text as the basis for the answers.
Content summary

This lesson will cover the four basic steps of the water cycle; evaporation, condensation,

precipitation, and collection. Evaporation occurs when the heat from the sun transforms water

on the Earths surface into vapor. Water can come from lakes, rivers, streams, oceans or any other

body of water. It can also come from water that has been absorbed into the ground. Condensation

happens when the water vapor cools and turns back into water in the atmosphere. This is also

what causes clouds to form. When too much water is collected in the atmosphere, the clouds can

no longer hold water. The clouds release the water in the form of rain, snow, sleet or hail. This

process is known as precipitation. The water collects back into bodies of water or is absorbed

into the ground. This is referred to as collection which is where the cycle begins again (NASA).

Different factors cause different outcomes in the water cycle. For example, water

collection occurs differently amongst areas with different topographical features. In regions
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where there is a warmer climate, snow cannot occur because the temperatures do not allow the

water to freeze for reaching the surface. Droughts occur when there is a lack of surface water to

be evaporated. The water cycle has no clear beginning and end. It is a continuous pattern in

which one step cannot occur without the other (OARS 2012).

I. Objectives

1. After a group reading activity on how snow forms, the students will be able to verbally

identify the steps of the water cycle with at least 80% accuracy.
2. After participating in a guided practice lesson, the students will be able to list the steps of

the water cycle with no more than two errors.

3. After participating in a guided practice lesson, the students will be able to create a book

that places the parts of the water cycle in order with no more than two errors.

II. Materials

List all the materials you and your students will need for this lesson.

1. The Snow Show (Fisher 2008)

2. Model water cycle for board
3. List for water cycle
4. Book print out of water cycle
5. Pencils
6. Crayons

III. Procedure

This lesson follows an I do, we do, you do format. The teacher models the skill through

reading a story about The Water Cycle and highlighting the important concepts. Then, the

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teacher works with the students to elaborate on how each portion of the cycle works with the

others. Lastly, the students independently practice the skill by creating a book to demonstrate

their understanding of the material.

Introduction:

As an introduction the students will discuss the winter weather

o Ask the students what happens to the weather in winter (it gets colder and

begins to snow)
o Ask the students why they think this happens
Introduce the students to the story
o Tell the students that the book will teach us about why we get snow in the

winter
o Ask the students to make predictions on how snow occurs based on their prior

knowledge of winter weather.

Mental Model: When I think of winter, I think of white blankets of snow. I

think about how cold it gets and all the extra layers we must wear to stay
warm? Why do you think we only see snow in the winter? Do you think it
has something to do with the cold?

B. Development

Reading Activity:

Read the book The Snow Show (Fisher 2008) to the students and use the following stop

points to elaborate:
o Even when it is cold outside water is warmed by the sun and the water vapor

rises into the air. This is evaporation. (Place evaporation on the board)
o What are a few places water can evaporate from. (Lakes, rivers, puddles)

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The water cools as it rises and condenses to form clouds. This is condensation. (Place

condensation on the board.)

When it is cold enough outside, the water in the clouds begins to form as tiny crystals.

The clouds become heavy with these crystals and they begin to fall as snow. This is

precipitation. (Place precipitation on the board.)

o What happens to water when it gets very cold? (It freeze)
o What do you think happens when the water is not cold enough to freeze? What

falls from the clouds? (Rain) This is also a form of precipitation.

As the precipitation falls, it is gathered again on the Earths surface. This is known as

collection. (Place collection on the board.) The snow falls to the ground and melts and

then is collected back into lakes, rivers or into the ground. This is where the cycle begins

again.
o What happens to snow when you try to catch it? Does it melt in your hand? What

about when snow falls into water or is warmed by the sun? This is how snow

becomes water that starts the cycle over again.

Once the story is finished, place the words in a circle on the board and draw arrows to

demonstrate how each step of the water cycle occurs: evaporation, condensation,

precipitation and collection. Explain that that the cycle begins again.

Listing Activity:

Provide the students with the water cycle listing activity sheet (attached).
Go over the pictures with the students and have them fill in the blank portions as you

go.
o Here we see the water rising to the sky. What step of the water cycle is this?

(Evaporation)

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o Now we see the water collecting as clouds in the sky. What step of the cycle does

this represent? (Condensation)

o Here we see the snow falling to Earths surface. What is this called?

(Precipitation)
o Lastly, we see the precipitation gathering on the surface. What is this step?

(Collection)
o What happens after the water is collected? (The cycle begins again.)

Book Activity:

After the students have filled out their listing activity and they are able to restate each

step in the cycle and define it, inform them they will be making a water cycle guide. The

water cycle guide will be a small book that describes the steps of the water cycle, and

more specifically how snow forms.

o Give each student the printed pages of the book. (Attached) Inform them that

they can use their pencils, colored pencils and crayons to make the book.
o Show the students example illustrations of the book without showing them the

filled in answers.
o Inform the students that they will have to read the definition that is given and fill

in the correct answer. After they fill in their answers, they can draw a picture that

demonstrates that step in the water cycle.

o Allow the students to fill in the pages of their book, then have them place the

steps in the correct order to form their books.

o When they are finished, the teacher can look over their books to ensure they are in

the correct order and staple them together.

C. Conclusion/closure

Have the students recall what they learned from the lesson

o The steps that we learned today are all part of what process? (The Water Cycle)

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o Can someone tell me the first step and describe what it means?

Repeat for each step

o When the water in the clouds becomes cold enough, what will we see fall to the

ground?

o Next time we see snow; do you think we can recall what steps it took to become

snowfall?

IV. Modification for students with disabilities

For students with attention deficit difficulties, the lesson can seem long and tedious.

Stopping to ask questions during the story can help maintain the students focus by having them

involved. The listing activity also involves the students in discussion which can increase their

focus on the activity. These students may need more individualized assistance during the book

activity. The teacher should monitor the students as they work. If it is noticed that the student is

getting off task, the teacher can sit and discuss the pages of the book with the student. Encourage

them to fill in the blank first and then draw their picture. If the student becomes frustrated with

the process of drawing each page, they can fill in each blank then come back to draw the

pictures. The student may need additional time for this activity which the teacher can use to

reiterate the concept of the lesson.

Students with reading or writing challenges may also have difficulty with this lesson

because new words are being presented. These words may be longer than previously learned

vocabulary and require additional attention. This may also mean that the teacher may need to

focus on struggling readers and writers. The teacher should focus on the words evaporation,

precipitation, condensation and collection. These are all, more than likely, new words to the

students. Each time the word is presented, the definition should be as well. During the book

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activity, the teacher should assist these students in reading each page. This will help increase

their comprehension of the definition. For those who struggle with writing, the teacher should

model the written words. For example, the teacher can spell the word out for the student as they

write it. Another option for these students is using a word bank to complete their activities. Once

the student has finished the book, it can be reviewed between the teacher and student to help

solidify the students skills with the new words.

V. Assessment of objectives

1. After a group reading activity on how snow forms, the students will be able to verbally

identify the steps of the water cycle with no more than one error.
Keep a checklist of each student and if they were able to properly respond to

prompts during the reading or listing activity. Ensure that each student is able to

respond to at least one question. Check the students name to show that they have

responded and they are ready to move on to the book activity. If the student

cannot respond to the prompt, the skill should be focused on.

2. After participating in a guided practice lesson, the students will be able to list the steps of

the water cycle with no more than two errors.

The students work sample will be assessed for this objective. After the student fill

in the sheet, the teacher will check their answers. If the student misses more than

one of the answers on the sheet, the teacher should provide additional instruction.

This helps the teacher have a better understanding of the students comprehension

and if they are prepared to move to the next step.

3. After participating in a guided practice lesson, the students will be able to create a book

that places the parts of the water cycle in order with no more than two errors.
The teacher will use a rubric to assess this portion of the lesson (see attached).

The book will be assessed based on the students ability to define the term,

visually represent the step and place them in the correct order. This assessment

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helps the teacher ensure that the student has a complete understanding of the

topic.

VII. Reflection

What did you learn from developing the lesson plan, both about the content contained in

the lesson and about the instructional planning process? Think about your experiences and how

you grew professionally from beginning to the end of this process (planning, instructing,

assessing, reflecting). Discuss two examples of how your knowledge, skills, and/or abilities

have been improved regarding planning, instruction and assessment (minimum of two

paragraphs). Discuss the professional implications of the methods youve learned and the impact

each method has for you as a future teacher (minimum of one paragraph).

The main thing I learned from preparing this lesson was the importance of making

learning a multifold process. When I began planning this lesson, I knew that I wanted to focus on

the water cycle and how the cold weather effects the precipitation we see. I also knew that I had

a very creative book to teach the topic. The problem I came across was thinking of a way to

present the material without depending on rote memorization. This is an easy thing to do when

young students are learning new processes but it is not a meaningful learning experience. The

lesson included one section that the students needed to list the steps of the water cycle, but the

rest relied on the students applying the material. I feel that it is easy to think of a lesson as one

activity students complete but I learned that multiple learning materials can be used to form one

coherent lesson. Doing this makes for a more meaningful learning experience and increases the

likelihood that the students will retain the information.

This lesson also taught me that assessment can work in many different ways. Each time a

student responds to a question or prompt, they are demonstrating their abilities. This information

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can be used for assessment purposes. Assessment can happen at any time as long as the teacher is

prepared and listening. I feel that I developed a deeper understanding of being present with the

students and truly listening to what they say because they are consistently providing teachers

with insight to their learning and abilities. While informal assessments are important, I feel that

this lesson also taught me the importance of having assessments prepared for the students. I

planned the entire lesson and then had difficulty deciding how I wanted to formally assess the

students. These plans need to be made prior to the lesson to ensure that each student is reaching a

measureable goal.

This lesson taught me how to use multiple tools for teaching and how to properly assess

students at all times in the classroom. Both of these will be essential to my future success in a

classroom. I feel that creating lessons that encompass multiple learning strategies will help me

find ways to reach every students learning needs. I also feel that it gave me a better

understanding of how to develop skills from lower to higher levels of thinking which will be

imperative to helping scaffold student knowledge and skills. This lesson also helped me develop

a better understanding of both formal and informal assessment. Assessment is a crucial part of

learning. You must understand where your students truly are in order to help them reach new

goals. In the future, I know I will use all of the forms of assessment that are outlined in this

lesson. Overall, this lesson helped me to apply the skills I have learned and have a representation

of how I will continue to apply them in my future classroom.

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Stover Water Cycle Activity

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First, create the cover of your book! Then, fill in the blanks with the correct answer. Draw a picture that
shows each step. Cut along the dotted line of the book pages. Put the pages in the correct order to create
your Water Cycle book!

How the Water Cycle Creates Snow!

Name:

Stover Water Cycle Book

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is where warmth happens when water

from the sun causes water from lakes, streams and cools in the air, turns back into a liquid and forms
rivers to rise into the air. clouds in the sky.

Stover Water Cycle Book

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happens when the is when the water

clouds become heavy with condensation and they falls
release water. When it is cold enough, we see snow! back into lakes, streams and rivers. From here, the
process begins again!

Stover Water Cycle Book

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References

Fisher, C. (2008). The Snow Show. Boston: HMH Books for Young Readers.

NASA Earth Observatory. (n.d.). Earth Observatory Water Cycle Overview Precipitation

Education. Retrieved from http://pmm.nasa.gov/education/articles/earth-observatory-water-

cycle-overview

OARS. (2012). http://oars3rivers.org/. Retrieved November 21, 2015, from

http://oars3rivers.org/river/watercycle

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