Speaking:

Grade level: 3rd (Formal)

SOLS: 3.9 (c) Earth Patterns, Cycles, and ChangeThe student will investigate and understand
the water cycle and its relationship to life on Earth. Key concepts include the water cycle
involves several processes.

WIDA standard: Standard 4: The Language of ScienceForces of Nature

WIDA level: Level 2- Beginning

Type of Speaking Task: Intensive

Purpose/objectives: Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of the water cycle by
analyzing a picture and verbally answering questions that the teacher asks them about the
picture.

Directions: I am going to ask you to explain the different parts of the water cycle to me. When I
point a certain area of the picture, you need to do two things. First, identify the phase of the water
cycle that I am pointing to. Second, I want you explain what that phase is. Your explanations do
not need to be longer than 1 sentence.

Example:
Teacher points to the sun in the picture
Expected response from student would be
1. Identify Student saysThat is the sun
2. Brief DescriptionStudent saysThe sun makes light that causes water to turn into l ;
l vapor.

Assessment items
The teacher will ask the student to
Identify the rain cloud and explain what it does.
Identify and explain what happens once water that has fallen from the sky has reached the
ground.
Identify and explain what happens to water inside of lakes/ponds/oceans.
Identify and explain what plants do when they have absorbed too much water.
Identify and explain how a regular, white cloud becomes a dark, storm cloud.

Scoring:
Students will be scored on two criteria. First, that they are able to identify the area of the
picture the teacher is pointing to with the correct vocabulary term. A correct identification will
result in the student earning one point.
The second criteria that the students will be graded on is their ability to give a short
description of whatever part of the water cycle the teacher is pointing to. A correct description
will result in the student earning one point. Descriptions are not expected to be complicated and
do not need to be longer than one sentence.
The teacher will be asking the student to identify/explain five different parts of the water
cycle. This means that the student can earn up to 10 points total (2 points per
identification/explanation).
This assessment is summative and should be administered at the end of the learning unit.