Water All Around Us (Water and Plant Survival #1)

In this lesson, students make personal connections to water while introducing the types and locations of water in the world. 

Step 1 - Inquire: Students listen to a story about getting wet and write about their own interactions with water.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students view graphics and obtain background knowledge about the types and locations of water in the world.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students engage in a series of yoga poses to learn more about estuaries and make connections between estuaries and the concepts they learned in the Investigate section.

Positives

• This lesson builds an understanding of the importance of water in our lives. 

• This lesson features kinesthetic learning as students move their bodies into yoga poses.

• Students develop an understanding of different types of water.

Additional Prerequisites

• This is lesson 1 of 4 in our K-2nd grade Water and Plant Survival unit.

• You will need a copy of Wet by Carey Sookocheff or a similarly themed book for this lesson.

• You will need a large open area for students to complete the yoga exercises. This could be in the classroom or outside.

• Students need green and blue colored pencils or crayons for the Inspire section of the lesson.

Differentiation

• The Shared Reading Guide in the Teacher Document includes several discussion questions. Choose the ones that are best for your students’ interests and experiences with the topic.

• Students can think-pair-share during the read aloud to make predictions or answer questions.

• Sentence frames in the Inquire section are differentiated for student proficiency:

• Circle = basic

• Triangle = target

• Square = challenge

• You can pause the read aloud for students to make observations and predictions about the story.

• There are multiple graphic organizers to choose from in the Investigate section. Use the option menu in the Teacher Slideshow to choose the option that best suits your classroom and students.
  

• Students with restrictions in mobility can participate in mindful breathing and enjoy as many of the yoga poses as are comfortable for their bodies. Suggestions for modifications are listed in the speaker notes of the Teacher Slideshow.

• If specific directions for yoga poses prove difficult, read the prompts about the living things and play the videos. Instruct students to move their bodies naturally mimicking what they see.

• The Student Document includes several options for the Inspire section. Provide students with scaffolding as appropriate to their reading and writing level.

• Possible extension: Look at the map to find an estuary near your school.

The lesson discusses water, where it is located, spatial extent on Earth, the different forms of water, including estuaries, and how humans can connect with it for abstractive and non-abstractive purposes without altercation. It also provides clear insights for students to understand water resources and the interactions within the marine ecosystem. The images, videos, and accompanying materials in the lesson are well-sourced, and this lesson is recommended for classroom use.

Primary Standards

• Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
  • ESS2: Earth's Systems
    • 2-ESS2-3 Obtain information to identify where water is found on Earth and that it can be solid or liquid.
  • LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
    • K-LS1-1 Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

Supporting Standards

• Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
  • Writing (K-12)
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.8 With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.8 With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.