2. Rationale for Technology Integration
I believe that it makes sense to incorporate various
uses of technology into teaching students the
Water Cycle because some students may not find
science or the Water Cycle to be an interesting
topic, but by incorporating the use of
technology, including interactive
activities, songs, visuals, SMART Board games, and
hands-on activities, we can engage all students
while teaching them about the Water Cycle. By
engaging students they are more likely to
understand the topic and find meaning in learning
about the Water Cycle.
4. Internet Content
• All websites used in this presentation are
reliable sources of information related to
teaching and learning about the Water Cycle.
• Clicking on any of the graphics in this
presentation will direct you to the original site
and all links are cited in the notes section.
11. “The Magic School Bus: Wet All Over”
Full Episode
Short Clip on How
Water Changes
12. Government Agencies
• United States Geological Survey
– The USGS is a science organization that provides
information about the
ecosystem, environment, natural hazards, natural
resources and science systems
– This link taken from the USGS website provides an
interactive water cycle diagram for three levels of
students (beginner, intermediate and advanced) that
teachers can use to engage students in their learning
about the water cycle and its stages. Each link the
students hover over provides them with a great deal
of information about that part of the water cycle.
13. Government Agencies
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
– The NOAA is a federal agency that focuses on the condition
of the oceans and the atmosphere
– This website provides provides lessons, games and hands
on activities that model the complexity of the cycle. Also
included is a great deal of information that teachers could
draw from in order to expand students’ knowledge past
the simple diagram of the water cycle.
• United States Environmental Protection Agency
– The U.S. EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the
environment.
– This website provides interactive games and activities that
can be used in the classroom, including an Interactive
Water Cycle.
16. Teaching Material from
Teachers Pay Teachers
Interactive SMART Board
Water Cycle Lesson:
provides an overview of
the Water Cycle, along
with a video and an
activity where the
students drag the
appropriate vocabulary
words to the pictures and
then take a short quiz
17. There’s An App For That!
• Water Cycle HD- an interactive app
for the iPad that provides visual exploration
of the water cycle for students
• Photos on next slide
– Top left: Students can click on any of the
links labeled “Evaporation,” “Condensation,”
“Precipitation” or “Runoff”
– Top right: This is what is shown if the students
clicked on the “Evaporation” link. They are provided with
a great deal of information, as well as interesting facts
– Bottom left: The app provides pictures for all of the phases
of the water cycle
– Bottom right: The app also provides videos for each of the
phases
19. Subject-specific
Internet-based Resource
ScienceNetLinks provides
science lessons and tools for
grades K-12. When I searched
“Water Cycle” many lessons
and tools were found. One
lesson is titled “Models of the
Water Cycle.” This lesson
includes an experiment that
gives students the
opportunity to observe the
Water Cycle by building and
evaluating two different
physical models.
Providing students with
hands on experiments
related to the Water Cycle
will engage and excite
students in the subject.
20. Uses of the Internet: Webcams
The National Oceanic
and Atmospheric
Administration
provides video from
web cams that were
deployed by the
University of
Washington in 2013 at
the North Pole. I
believe students
would love to see
actual video from the
North Pole.
Showing actual video from the North
Pole would support teaching of the
Water Cycle by showing students that
the Water Cycle happens everywhere
in the world, even in the North Pole!
21. Uses of the Internet:
Online Translators
BabelFish is an online
translation website that
allows people to translate
either what they want to
say in their native language
into another language, or
translate something from
another language into their
native language
Although BabelFish is not
directly related to the
Water Cycle, there are
many ELL students at my
internship placement and
I feel that this website
would help to support
the teaching of this topic
by allowing them to
translate
words, phrases, and ideas
related to the Water
Cycle into their native
22. Web 2.0
QUIZinator is a website that allows teachers
to create, store, and print
worksheets, tests, and study sheets online.
This would be extremely helpful in keeping all
of one’s documents in one place. QUIZinator
also allows students to access and download
the documents.
23. Web 2.0
PlanbookEdu is a safe and simple way to plan and
organize lessons. It allows one to attach
files, incorporate Common Core State
Standards, print, and also share with others, including
fellow teachers, administrators, and substitutes.
“The Inspired Classroom” Blog is written by a fourth grade teacher. This particular blog post provides pictures and an explanation of a foldable that she had her students make to show the water cycle. All of the students create the same one so they all have the same background knowledge about the topic. I think this foldable is a great activity to do with students because it is simple, yet interactive. Source: http://theinspiredclassroom.blogspot.com/2012/01/about-to-start-weather.html
“The Techy Teacher: This and That in First Grade” Blog is written by a first grade teacher from Kansas. In order to see the science part of this post, you must scroll down to right below the picture of tally marks. This blog provides an example of an activity she did with her class where they made rainbow-clouds. There is also a picture of song lyrics about the water cycle that can be sung to the to the tune of She'll be Coming 'Round The Mountain. I think this would be a great song for young students to learn in order to remember the stages of the water cycle because it is simple, short and catchy, making it easy to remember.Source: http://tekyteach.blogspot.com/2011/09/this-and-that-in-first-grade_20.html?showComment=1331681283546%23c6759461514310020481
Sped-ventures Blog is written by a special education teacher. This blog post provides two fun and simple science experiments to do with students that demonstrate the water cycle. I believe that doing experiments with our students is important because many of them will be kinesthetic learners and will learn best by doing hands on experiments. Source: http://spedventures.blogspot.com/2013/05/water-cycle.html?m=1
The Southwest Florida Water Management District Podcast presents information about the water cycle and its stages in a clear way that incorporates visuals of real life examples of the water cycle, such as lakes in Florida, a pot of boiling water and ice cubes. This podcast also incorporates animations that help to visually explain what the speaker is talking about. It also discusses why the water cycle is important in our every day lives, making this concept relatable for students. Source: http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/education/podcasts/index.php?yuurl=uQuewIXq6XY
I linked Brittany Owen’s podcast to a website where it can be accessed, but the podcast can also be found on iTunes by typing “Brittany Owens” into the search bar in the iTunes store and clicking on the first podcast that comes up titled “Water Cycle Song.” This song is fun and very understandable for students. It is a fun way for students to learn the stages of the water cycle. I believe it would be a great activity to get students engaged and excited about the water cycle. Source: http://ceowens.podomatic.com/entry/2012-02-06T13_46_06-08_00
I have linked the Fun Kids Guide to Water with Marina Ventura podcast to the iTunes website where teachers and students can listen to it. The podcast can also be accessed on iTunes by typing in “Fun Kids Guide to Water.” Podcast number 10 is titled “Inside Water: Where We Get Our Water From” and it provides a fun and exciting explanation of the water cycle while the main character, Marina Ventura, takes a trip through the stages of the water cycle. Source: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fun-kids-guide-to-water-marina/id551974947?mt=2
By clicking on the picture of The Magic School Bus book you can access the full episode titled “Wet All Over” on YouTube. The episode shows Miss Frizzle and her students making their way through the water cycle as water molecules! They experience evaporation, condensation and precipitation. The episode is about 25 minutes long.Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvazZuTqpIcSince the full episode is about 25 minutes long, I also linked a shorter clip (about 4 minutes) that shows the students going through the stages of evaporation and condensation. This clip can be used if it is not possible to show the entire episode.Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaCUyZw4Tjo
I created this Water Cycle diagram on Kidspiration. This diagram would be used in an actual lesson by providing students with a visual representation of the steps in the water cycle while the teacher is giving the lesson. Instead of just explaining the parts of the water cycle, students will be able to see how they are all connected and are an actual cycle with no beginning or end, as demonstrated by the arrows. This visual enhances students understanding of the topic by providing them with pictures that they have most likely seen in the past (such as clouds and rain) to go along with the scientific words related to each step in the cycle. This diagram can also be modified to make a formative assessment by eliminating the words of the cycle and having students fill them in. Source: http://www.inspiration.com/Kidspiration/Whats-New
By simply searching “water cycle” on Pinterest thousands of pins are found on the Water Cycle that link to the original sites. Pinterest is a great source of information and inspiration for both teachers and students. Teachers can utilize Pinterest for activity ideas, worksheets, lesson ideas and bulletin board inspirations related to the Water Cycle. Since my project is geared for kindergarten-third grade, these students would not use Pinterest to research the Water Cycle, but Pinterest would be a great resource for older students to use. Source: http://www.pinterest.com/search/?q=water+cycle