I. Curricular Framework

Concept:

Systems

Essential Question:

Why is it important to preserve our world’s water supply?

Bridge:

The Cycle of Water

Content:

Watery Ways

Outcomes:

II. Standards Aligned

III. Instruction and Assessment

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Objective: To create an experience for the class that creates feelings and mental pictures.

Activity: Play rain and ocean music. Do a stream-of-consciousness mindmap of feelings. Talk about the sounds and what they are. Do we need water? Where does it come from and what are the uses?

Assessment: Facial expressions, participation and responses.

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Objective: To examine the feelings and name the bodies of water heard.

Activity: Groups will chart feeling words for rain, then ocean. Compare the charts. Discuss in groups, why they think I played rain first, then ocean. Brainstorm body of water words.

Assessment: Interaction with classmates, responses of students.

Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Objective: To make a connection between the feelings, words, and sounds the class had heard, and the concept.

Activity: Pantomime: Rain becomes puddles = brooks = streams = lakes = rivers = oceans, while playing the Q1 soundtracks.

Assessment: Participation and enthusiasm.

Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Objective: To develop the concept of Watery Ways.

Activity: Lecture class on:
1) Bodies of water,
2) Fresh/salt water,
3) Location of bodies of water on maps of U.S.A. and Paterson,
4) Read stories from reading series related to water,
5) Measure water,
6) Discuss uses of H2O.

Assessment: Participation, accuracy of measurement, ability to locate waterways on maps, story summaries.

Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Objective: To reinforce the concept that has been discussed.

Activity: Use Troll software - Maps and Globes to check knowledge. Play "Name That Body." Do workbook pages from the reading and math series.

Assessment: Responses to computer work, workbook pages and game participation.

Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

.Objective: To allow the children to practice what they've learned by giving them an option about how they do it.

Activity:
1) Using sand and water, demonstrate watery changes from rain to puddles, etc.
2) Make Dictionary of Watery Terms with pictures and definitions.
3) Write report on Paterson's waterways - the fun and industry in past and present related to the water. 4) Make chart on measurement of map bodies of water in standard and metric. Label.

Assessment: Concentration and involvement in projects.

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Objective: To oversee the progression of the projects and encourage problem solving and peer coaching.

Activity: Teacher and students will critique projects. Review reports to see if you can help keep on target. Make copies of dictionary to be passed out at a later date.

Assessment: Children improving coaching skills and willing to edit their work.

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Objective: To allow children to share what they have learned about the concept.

Activity: Hang chart in the hall. Share the sand and water project with the first grades. Pass out the copies of the dictionary. Take a field trip to the Great Falls.

Assessment: Excitement about sharing their project and pride in the work they have done.

Assessment, Phase Five,Performance, Creative Use of Material Learned: