water cycle game - city of cairns...in the water cycle to create their water drop story. 8. students...

66 LOWER PRIMARY | Prep to Year 3 | Water cycle game1

Water Cycle Game

AT A GLANCE

Students will roleplay being a water molecule travelling through the different stages of the water cycle.

CURRICULUM LINKS

Strand Sub-strandYear Level

Explicit Content Description

Science Understanding

Chemical Sciences

1

Everyday materials can be physically changed in a variety of ways (ACSSU018). Elaborations: exploring how materials such as water, chocolate or play dough change when warmed or cooled.

3

A change of state between solid and liquid can be caused by adding or removing heat (ACSSU046). Elaborations: investigating how liquids and solids respond to changes in temperature, for example water changing to ice, or melting chocolate; predicting the effect of heat on different materials

Science as a Human Endeavour

Nature and development of science

F

Science involves observing, asking questions about, and describing changes in, objects and events (ACSHE013) Elaborations: sharing observations with others and communicating their experiences

1

Science involves observing, asking questions about, and describing changes in, objects and events (ACSHE021). Elaborations: recognising that descriptions of what we observe are used by people to help identify change

Continued overleaf

LOWER PRIMARY Prep to Year 3


Science Inquiry Skills

Processing and Analysing Data and Information

FEngage in discussions about observations and represent ideas (ACSIS233). Elaborations: taking part in informal and guided discussions relating to students’ observations

Evaluating

1Compare observations with those of others (ACSIS213). Elaborations: discussing observations as a whole class to identify similarities and differences in their observations

2Compare observations with those of others (ACSIS041). Elaborations: discussing observations with other students to see similarities and differences in results

Communicating

FShare observations and ideas (ACSIS012) Elaborations: communicating ideas through role play and drawing

1 & 2

Represent and communicate observations and ideas in a variety of ways (ACSIS029) (ACSIS042). Elaborations: engaging in whole class or guided small group discussions to share observations and ideas

Cross Curriculum Priority

Key Concept Organising Ideas

Sustainability Systems

OI.1 The biosphere is a dynamic system providing conditions that sustain life on Earth.

OI.2 All life forms, including human life, are connected through ecosystems on which they depend on for their wellbeing and survival.

General Capabilities

Literacy; Numeracy; Critical and Creative Thinking; Personal and social capability

Strand Sub-strandYear Level

Explicit Content Description

TIME REQUIRED

40 Minutes

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES

In this lesson students will be able to:

66 Discuss the movement of water around the earth and their local region

66 Discuss the changes in states of water across different environments

66 Compare observations with those of other.


TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Water, in its three different forms – solid, liquid and gas – travels around the earth in what is known as the hydrological or water cycle. We cannot get water from anywhere else in the universe; this means that the earth and its atmosphere (together known as the hydrosphere) hold as much water today as there has ever been. That is, the water we drink today is the same water that dinosaurs drank.

The water cycle can sometimes be a difficult concept to grasp. This fun game is a great way to introduce students to the concept of water travelling through our environment, as they role play being a water drop on a journey through the water cycle.

Even though 75% of the earth’s surface is water, most of this water is in the oceans (97.5%) and not fresh water suitable to drink (easily). Only 2.5% of the earth’s water is fresh water and of this, 1.75% is frozen water in ice caps and glaciers. That means that there is 0.75% of water left on earth that is potentially available for us to use for drinking and irrigation, with the majority of freshwater supply underground. These statistics are interesting points to raise with students while they’re moving through the water cycle game and for discussion after they have competed the game.

(73.125% Ocean; 1.3125% Ice; 0.5625% Freshwater; 25% land)

Land

Ocean

Freshwater

Ice

Figure 1: Illustration demonstrating the amount of water on earth compared to land.

66 Ocean: 73.125% 66 Ice: 1.3125%66 Freshwater : 0.5625%66 Land: 25%

For Teachers: For Each Group:

66 Laminated copies of the stages of the water cycle (x7)66 Dice for each stage (x7)

66 Copy of Student Resource 1

EQUIPMENT

NOTE: Additionally, you could demonstrate the amount of water available on Earth through volume measurements. Out of 2 litres of water: 7 2/3 cups + 2 tbsp represents the water in the ocean; 1 tbsp + 3 tsp represents water in ice caps and bergs; and 3 tsp represents the amount of freshwater available for use.


PREPARATION

66 Print in colour the 7 stages of the water cycle: Animal, Plant, Cloud, Lake Morris, Freshwater Creek, Soil and Great Barrier Reef. Make sure that the picture corresponds with the station (eg. Animal picture with animal station on back).66 Laminate 7 pages of the water cycle stages so you will be able to play the game multiple times.

LESSON STEPS

1. Brainstorm with students the different stages of the water cycle. Precipitation/Rain; Evaporation/Water Vapour; Transpiration/Plants; Condensation/Clouds.

2. Discuss with students where they have seen water in the different stages of the water cycle.

a. The big clouds forming over the hills before the wet season kicks off; the steam coming off the road after rain; one of our many local creeks.

3. Explain to students that they are going to play a game where every student is a water droplet, (water molecule) moving through the water cycle.

4. Go through each of the stations with the students, laying the cards on the floor around the classroom.

5. The students can choose to start at whatever station they like.

6. Students roll the dice at the station and the number rolled is the next part of their water drop journey and tells them where to move to next. For example, if they start on Clouds and roll the number 2 they “bunch up with other tiny water droplets in the cloud, getting heavy and fall as rain into the ocean” and move to the GREAT BARRIER REEF station.

7. Hand out Resource 1 and explain to students that as a water drop, they are to record their journey in the water cycle to create their water drop story.

8. Students play the game, recording the steps they take and the number of times they stay at each station before moving on using Student Resource 1.

a. You can choose to do this together as a class or students moving through the stations individually.

9. Once students have moved through the water cycle in 15 steps, the game comes to an end.

10. Ask students to tell their water drop story to the class or in pairs, looking at the different areas they visited as a water drop and whether there were places they stayed at more than others.

11. Discuss with students patterns in their water drop journey.

a. What was the station they stayed at the most/least?

b. How many stations did they visit in total?

c. Did they stay the same or change as they moved through the station?

12. Discuss the reasons behind these patterns. For example, if they spent a lot of time in the Great Barrier Reef, discuss the amount of water in the oceans.is constantly travelling around our local environment as part of the Water Cycle.

LINKING LOCALLY

Water is constantly travelling around our local environment as part of the Water Cycle.

The places used in this activity are all local relevant and follow the journey a water drop would take around Cairns in part of our water treatment story (see Our Water Story lesson for more details).

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

Students make their own water cycle game with pictures they’ve taken locally of their local creek, clouds, ocean, plants etc. and play their game with class members and even better, other students from different year levels and staff members. Students could use the same actions for each station that is in this game or create their own.

Station: Animal1. You leave the animal’s body through its faeces or urine.

Go to SOIL station.

2. Youleavetheanimal’sbodythroughsweat(evaporation)oritsbreath(respiration)andfloatup into the sky. Go to CLOUDS station.



5. You leave the animal’s body through its faeces or urine. Go to SOIL station.

6. STAY: You are used by the animal and remain in its body.

Station: Clouds 1. You bunch up with other tiny water droplets in the cloud, getting heavy and fall as rain into our

dam. Go to COPPERLODE DAM station.

2. You bunch up with other tiny water droplets in the cloud, getting heavy and fall as rain into the ocean. Go to GREAT BARRIER REEF station.

3. You bunch up with other tiny water droplets in the cloud, getting heavy and fall on the soil. Go to SOIL station.

4. You bunch up with other tiny water droplets in the cloud, getting heavy and fall into the creek. Go to FRESHWATER CREEK station.

5. You bunch up with other tiny water droplets in the cloud, getting heavy and fall as rain into the ocean. Go to GREAT BARRIER REEF station.

6. STAY: You remain as a water droplet in the cloud.

Station: Lake Morris1. You travel from the dam into the creek.

Go to FRESHWATER CREEK station.

2. An animal drinks you up. Go to ANIMAL station.

3. Thesunwarmsyouupandyoufloatupintothesky. Go to CLOUDS station.

4. STAY: You remain as a water droplet in Lake Morris


6. STAY: You remain as a water droplet in Lake Morris

Station: Freshwater Creek1. You travel from the creek into the Barron River and eventually out into the ocean.

Go to GREAT BARRIER REEF station.



4. You travel from the creek into the Barron River and eventually out into the ocean. Go to GREAT BARRIER REEF station.

5. An animal drinks you up. Go to ANIMAL station.

6. STAY: You remain as a water droplet in Freshwater Creek

Station: Great Barrier Reef1. STAY: The ocean is a big place, you remain as a water droplet here.


3. STAY: The ocean is a big place, you remain as a water droplet here.




Station: Plant1. Youescapefromtheplantthroughitsleaves(transpiration)andfloatupintothesky.

Go to CLOUDS station.

2. STAY: You get used by the plant and stay in it’s cells.

3. An animal eats the plant (and you as a water droplet). Go to ANIMAL station.

4. Youescapefromtheplantthroughitsleaves(transpiration)andfloatupintothesky. Go to CLOUDS station.

5. Youescapefromtheplantthroughitsleaves(transpiration)andfloatupintothesky. Go to CLOUDS station.

6. STAY: You get used by the plant and stay in its cells.

Station: Soil1. The soil is too wet to soak up any more water and you run off down into the creek.

Go to FRESHWATER CREEK station.

2. The soil is too wet to soak up any more water and you run off into the dam. Go to LAKE MORRIS station.

3. You are sucked up by plant roots in the soil. Go to PLANT station.



6. STAY: you remain on the soil.

66 LOWER PRIMARY | Prep to Year 3 | Water Cycle Game15

Name:

Date:

Student Resource 1

STORY OF A WATER DROP

Steps of Water Drop Journey

Station Name (eg. Great Barrier Reef, Plants etc)

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

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water cycle game - city of cairns...in the water cycle to create their water drop story. 8. students...

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