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Air and Water in the

Environment

T E A C H E R ’ S G U I D E

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Online version

and additional resources

available at

www.scholastic.ca/education/nlscience

Password:

Sci1nL2

Grade

Table of Contents

3 Welcome to the

Air and Water in the Environment

Unit

6 Planning Guide

10 Preparing for the Unit

Individual Teaching Plans

11 Air in the Environment

18 States of Water

25 Water and Temperature

33 Moisture Around Us

42 Changes in Moisture

48 Changing Moisture Levels

54 Changes in Air Conditions

61 Protection from Different Weather Conditions

69 Air, Water, and People

75 Pollution

Assessment

80 Specific Curriculum Outcomes Checklist

81 My Inquiry

82 Student Self-Assessment of Inquiry Process

83 Teacher Assessment of Inquiry Process

84 Inquiry Process Rubric

86 Additional Resources

88 Letter to Parents and Caregivers

Air and Water in the

Environment

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 1

Let’s Do Science, Newfoundland and Labrador

Grade 2 Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment Teacher’s Guide

Reviewers:

Catherine Phillips, NL

Janice Ryan, NL

Indigenous Reviewer:

Craig White, Education Consultant, St. John’s, NL

175 Hillmount Road, Markham, Ontario, Canada, L6C 1Z7.

Pages designated as BLMs or reproducibles may be reproduced under license from

Access Copyright, or with the express written permission of Scholastic Canada, or as

permitted by law.

All rights are otherwise reserved, and no part of this publication may be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, scanning, recording or otherwise, without the prior written

consent of the publisher or a license from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency

(Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright license, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or

call toll free to 1-800-893-5777.

ISBN 978-1-4430-4326-7

Printed in Canada.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 17 18 19 20 21

Science Cards

This collection of 12 Science Cards will support students’

exploration of air and water in the environment with each

large-format card focusing on a different concept. The bright,

colourful photographs and detailed illustrations will engage

students and give them multiple opportunities to explore

a variety of concepts. These stand-alone cards can also be

used at centres to stimulate student explorations. Also, digital

versions of these cards are available on the Teacher’s Website

to be used with an Interactive Whiteboard.

In this unit, students develop their understanding of air and

water in the environment through a variety of explorations and

investigations. Multiple components will engage students and

support learning of the speciﬁc science concepts.

Welcome to the Air and Water

in the Environment Unit

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 3

Science Read Alouds

Two Read Aloud texts allow you to introduce and

engage students with science concepts. Come On,

Rain! by Karen Hesse and Jon J. Muth is a story

full of wonderfully rich vocabulary that introduces

the concepts of moisture in the environment and

changing air conditions.

The Little Knight Who Battled the Rain by Gilles Tibo and Geneviève Després

is a delightful story that explores the effects of weather on objects and

materials and which can lead students to an investigation of how to protect

objects and materials under different weather conditions.

Anchor Video

The Anchor Video: Air and Water in the Environment, found on the

Teacher’s Website, introduces students to essential questions about

changing air conditions; moisture in the air, in materials, and in

living things; and how we can keep our air and water clean and safe

to use. The video gives a number of examples to activate students’

thinking and to promote questions.

Poster

The What Is the Inquiry Process? poster will support

students as they follow the steps for guided and open

inquiries throughout the unit and learn to question,

observe, and explore.

Interactive Whiteboard Activities

There are 9 interactive activities for the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB)

found on the Teacher’s Website. These activities provide

students with a variety of hands-on learning experiences

and the opportunity to apply learning in a supported

environment. The IWB Activities are tied to the teaching

plans to ensure that the learning is done in context.

What Is the

Inquiry Process?

ISBN: 978-1-4430-4041-9 Illustrations by Leanne Franson

Ask a question.

Make a plan.

Explore.

Record your

results.

Think about

the results.

Make conclusions.

Share what

you learned.

Science Library

The Science Library provides a collection of colourful and

engaging non-ﬁction and ﬁction texts at a variety of reading

levels. These texts support students as they explore various

science concepts and skills. See the Science Library Guide in the Teacher’s

Guide Binder or online for brief summaries, science connections, and

suggested reading approaches (e.g., Independent Reading and Read Aloud).

Teacher’s Guide

This guide provides detailed suggestions for using all of the components

including the Science Cards, Anchor Video, reproducible

Blackline Masters (BLMs), and IWB Activities with your

students. Visual cues such as book covers, thumbnail

images, and icons highlight the use of each component

along with tools such as Science Folders and Journals,

the Word Wall, and the I Wonder Wall. Strategies and

tools you need to assess students’ learning, such as

rubrics and checklists, are also included.

Embedded within the teaching plans are connections

to Guided and Shared texts from Literacy Place for

the Early Years, Grade 2 that relate to the concepts

explored in Air and Water in the Environment.

Teacher’s Website

In addition to the Science Cards, Anchor Video, and IWB Activities

mentioned above, the Teacher’s Website provides a digital copy of the

Teacher’s Guide for this unit along with access to an image bank

containing the variety of photographic images found on the Science

Cards and IWB Activities. These images may be used for teachers

to create new IWB Activities or for students to incorporate into

presentations. Find the Teacher’s Website at

www.scholastic.ca/education/nlscience

Password: Sci1nL2

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 5

Planning Guide for Air and Water in the Environment

Teaching Plans Specific Curriculum

Outcomes

Components Materials Literacy Place

Connections

Air in the

Environment

Students will explore

evidence that air

exists all around them

and use scientific

terminology when

communicating their

understanding.

Skills [GCO 2]

• 1.0

• 2.0

STSE/K [GCO 1/3]

• 3.0

• Science Card 1

• Anchor Video:

Air

and Water in the

Environment

• IWB Activity 1

• electric fan (optional)

• streamers or light

scarf (optional)

• balloons

• books

• hand-held pump

• shatterproof cups

• low-sided container of

water (e.g., a baking

dish)

• empty water bottles

• scrap paper

• plastic or paper bags

• straws

• whoopy cushion

(optional)

• students’ Science

Journals

States of Water

Students will identify

the three states of

water and compare

the characteristics of

water and ice.

Skills [GCO 2]

• 1.0

• 2.0

STSE/K [GCO 1/3]

• 4.0

• Science Card 2

• IWB Activity 2

• BLM

Same or

Different?

• IWB Activity 3

• students’ Science

Journals

• washing tubs, plastic

sheeting, newspapers,

or towels

• ice cubes or Freezies

(optional)

• warm, room

temperature, and cool

water in shatterproof

glasses, tubs, or

bottles of various

volumes

• sponges

• various kinds of paper

• empty containers of

various sizes

• thermometers

• digital camera

(optional)

An Early Worm

Got Out of Bed

(“Fog,” page 7,

Shared Reading–

Active Learning

Kit)

Teaching Plans Specific Curriculum

Outcomes

Components Materials Literacy Place

Connections

Water and

Temperature

Students will predict

how and why water

changes from one

state to another,

make and record

observations and

measurements while

investigating how and

why water changes

state from liquid to

solid or vice versa,

and discover the role

of temperature in

changes of state.

Skills [GCO2]

• 6.0

• 7.0

STSE/K [1/3]

• 5.0

• Science Card 3

•

What Is the Inquiry

Process?

poster

• BLM

When Did It

Melt?

• IWB Activity 4

• kettle or humidifier

• two mugs

• thermometers

• metal spoons or hand

mirrors

• frozen shapes or

Freezies (optional)

• incandescent lightbulb

or hair dryer

• containers of different

shapes and sizes

• tray or container for

transport

• timer (optional)

• ice cubes

• cups with warm, room

temperature, and cool

water

• trays

• index cards

• markers

• plastic googly eyes

• bowls, cardboard,

bubble wrap, and

other materials to

insulate ice-cube

people

• students’ Science

Journals

• washtubs or other

large waterproof

containers

• water or snow

(optional)

Journey of a Water

Drop

(Guided

Reading, Level N)

Moisture Around Us

Students will ask and

explore questions

about the amount and

location of moisture in

the environment and

in living things.

Skills [GCO 2]

• 9.0

• 10.0

STSE/K [GCO 1/3]

• 8.0

• Science Card 4

• BLM

Which is the

Juiciest?

•

Come On, Rain!

(Read Aloud)

•

What Is the Inquiry

Process?

poster

• BLM

My Plan

• slices of fruits and

vegetables of varying

moisture levels

• paper towels

• clear plastic bag

• leafy house plant

• digital camera

(optional)

• spray bottle of water

• dehumidifier

• students’ Science

Folders

• students’ Science

Journals

Continued on next page...

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 7

Planning Guide for Air and Water in the Environment (continued)

Teaching Plans Specific Curriculum

Outcomes

Components Materials Literacy Place

Connections

Changes in

Moisture

Students will explore

changes in location,

amount, and form

of moisture, and

communicate with

others as they are

exploring.

Skills [GCO 2]

• 12.0

STSE/K [GCO 1/3]

• 11.0

• Science Card 5

• IWB Activity 5

• BLM

Concept

Diagram

• paper towel

• pencils or markers

• wet towels or bowls of

water

• two identical containers

(ideally metal cans)

• water and ice

• students’ Science

Folders

• students’ Science

Journals

• plastic wrap

• ice cubes or snow

• warm water

• metal tray or pie plate

• large glass jar with a

wide mouth

• digital camera (optional)

• coloured paper

• paint brushes (optional)

Changing Moisture

Levels

Students will,

through guided

inquiry investigations,

discover how and why

moisture changes, and

communicate what

they did and what they

found out.

Skills [GCO 2]

• 14.0

STSE/K [GCO 1/3]

• 13.0

• Science Card 6

•

What Is the Inquiry

Process?

poster

• BLM

My Inquiry

• identical pieces of cloth

• sealable plastic bags

• slices of fruits and

vegetables

• digital camera (optional)

• Flex Arm camera

(optional)

• food dehydrator

(optional)

• containers of various

shapes and sizes (e.g.,

cups, saucers)

• variety of materials (e.g.,

foil, construction paper,

mirrors, plastic wrap, wax

paper, felt, cotton)

• heat sources (e.g.,

hairdryers, electric fans,

or heat lamps)

• students’ Science

Folders

• small plastic cup and

container it will fit in (e.g.,

bowl)

• plastic wrap

• marker

• small stone

• lamp (optional)

Teaching Plans Specific Curriculum

Outcomes

Components Materials Literacy Place

Connections

Changes in Air

Conditions

Students will observe

and measure changes

in air conditions,

select tools

appropriate for their

needs, and explore

how weather affects

objects and materials.

Skills [GCO 2]

• 16.0

STSE/K [GCO 1/3]

• 15.0

• Science Card 7

• BLM

Venn

Diagram

• IWB Activity 6

• BLM

Pinwheel

• variety of weather

instruments

• thermometers

• paper or index cards

• markers

• crayons

• coloured pencils or

markers

• scissors

• straws

• paper fasteners

• single-hole paper punch

• digital camera (optional)

The North

Wind and the

Sun

(Guided

Reading, Level

Protection from

Different Weather

Conditions

Students will explore

and choose materials

that can protect

objects and materials

in specific weather

conditions.

Skills [GCO 2]

• 19.0

STSE/K [GCO 1/3]

• 17.0

• 18.0

• Science Card 8

• T

he Little Knight

Who Battled the

Rain

(Read Aloud)

• Science Card 9

• coloured construction

paper (sheets)

• students’ Science

Folders

• common and galvanized

nails

• rust protection coatings

• craft sticks

• paint and/or wood stain

• leather swatches

• plain fabric and waxed

fabric

• protective spray, such as

Armor All

• small squares of dark-

and light-coloured

construction paper

• digital camera (optional)

Air, Water, and

People

Students will explore

how water is used

and obtained in

their homes and

local community,

and construct and

label pictographs to

communicate some of

their findings.

Skills [GCO 2]

• 21.0

STSE/K [GCO 1/3]

• 20.0

• Science Card 10

• IWB Activity 7

• BLM

Our Water

Use

• IWB Activity 8

• students’ Science

Folders

• students’ Science

Journals

Pollution

Students will explore

the causes and effects

of air and water

pollution, and suggest

personal actions they

can take to reduce

pollution.

STSE/K [GCO 1/3]

• 22.0

• Science Card 11

• IWB Activity 9

• Science Card 12

• bottle of dirty water

• bottle of clean water

• students’ Science

Journals

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 9

1. Curiosity Centre

The Curiosity Centre gives students an

opportunity to investigate science ideas and tools

through active participation, free exploration,

and independent play. In this hands-on centre,

students can touch, feel, and explore objects

related to air and water in the environment.

The Curiosity Centre could have

• bags, balloons, transparent plastic cups,

whoopy cushion, straws, paper, paper

towels, containers of various sizes and

shapes

• samples of liquid and solid water: ice cubes;

Freezies; warm, room temperature, and cool

water in various containers

• bubble wrap, plastic wrap, felt, cardboard,

various fabrics, Styrofoam, and other

materials useful for wrapping ice to slow

melting times

• baking trays, newspaper

• items to test for moisture, such as soil,

moss, baby wipes

Check the centre frequently to ensure it is

well stocked with items. Invite students to

contribute to the centre by bringing in items

or photographs related to air and water in the

environment. Remind students to tidy up the

materials when they are ﬁnished.

Note: You may choose to display new items

every few days or introduce items one at a time

throughout the unit.

Preparing for the Unit

2. Science Journals and Folders

Demonstrate for students

how to record observations,

questions, ideas, results,

notes, and so on, by writing or drawing pictures

in their Science Journals. Encourage students to

add new questions or ideas to their Journals as

often as they like.

Science Journals along with completed BLMs,

drawings, stories, etc. related to the unit can be

stored in the students’ Science Folders

3. Word Wall

Add any relevant science terminology

to the Word Wall throughout the unit.

4. I Wonder Wall

Build the I Wonder Wall throughout the

unit by posting students’ questions as

they arise. Refer to the I Wonder Wall

often and select questions that students may be

ready to answer.

5. Reading Centre

Add texts (books, magazines, and photographs)

relating to air and water to the Reading Centre.

Or, you may choose to include these texts in

the Curiosity Centre. The titles in the Science

Library will help start off a collection of books.

Also refer to the lists of texts pertaining to Air

and Water in the Environment in the Additional

Resources section of this guide (pages 86–87).

Word

Focus: Students will explore evidence that air exists all around them and use scientiﬁc terminology

when communicating their understanding.

Air in the Environment

Specific Curriculum Outcomes

Students will be expected to:

• 1.0 pose questions that lead to exploration and

investigation [GCO 2]

• 2.0 communicate using scientiﬁc terminology

[GCO 2]

• 3.0 explore how air surrounds us, takes up

space, and is felt as wind when it moves

[GCO 1/3]

Performance Indicators

Students who achieve these outcomes will be

able to:

• select materials to demonstrate how air

surrounds us, takes up space, and can be felt

as it moves

• use scientiﬁc terminology to communicate

their observations

NOTES:

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 11

Attitude Outcome Statements

Encourage students to:

•

recognize the role and contribution of science in their understanding of the

world [GCO 4]

Cross-Curricular Connections

Social Studies

Students will be expected to:

• describe how people’s interactions with their environment have changed

over time [2.4.2]

English Language Arts

Students will be expected to:

• speak and listen to explore, extend, clarify, and reﬂect on their thoughts,

ideas, feelings, and experiences [GCO 1]

• respond personally to a range of texts [GCO 6]

• Review school safety rules before students go outside for an investigation.

• Use trays or other containers when working with water and wipe up any

spills immediately.

Getting Organized

Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary

• Science Card 1

• Anchor Video:

Air

and Water in the

Environment

• IWB Activity 1

• electric fan (optional)

• streamers or light scarf

(optional)

• balloons

• books

• hand-held pump

• paper towels

• transparent, shatterproof

cups

• low-sided container of

water (e.g., a baking dish)

• empty water bottles

• scrap paper

• plastic or paper bags

• straws

• whoopy cushion (optional)

• students’ Science Journals

• Display a KWLN chart.

• Create a Wordle or

another word cloud

puzzle.

• Invite an Elder or an

Indigenous Knowledge

Keeper to participate in

the Nature Walk.

• air

• water

• weather

• wind

• temperature

• question

• explore

• observe

• evidence

Safety

• “Air” is the mixture of gases found in the lowest part of Earth’s

atmosphere. Air is 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, with traces of water

vapour, carbon dioxide, and other gases.

• Air takes up space. A balloon expands when inﬂated with air because air

takes up space.

• Air has mass. Weight is a measurement of mass; if a balloon were weighed

before and after it was inﬂated with air, the inﬂated balloon (balloon +

air) would weigh more.

• Air moves. We feel air movement or see its consequences when it makes

other objects or substances move. Wind is the movement of large masses

of air.

• Air can exert pressure. As air is pumped into a container, it ﬁlls the

container and then compresses (squeezes), generating pressure. Air

pressure can be used to do work; for example, in automobile tires, air

pressure supports the vehicle.

• The volume (amount of space it takes up) and density (mass per unit

volume) of air changes with temperature. Heating adds energy, which

causes the gas particles in air to move faster and further apart; in a ﬂexible

container (e.g. a balloon) or in the atmosphere, this causes the volume

to increase and the density to decrease. Therefore, a cubic litre of cold

dense air will weigh more than a cubic litre of warm, less dense air. A

hot air balloon rises because the air within it is less dense than the air

surrounding it.

• Students often believe that scientists only invent things or solve practical

problems, and imagine them as working alone in laboratories. Address

this misconception by integrating “science” and “scientist” into enjoyable

activities that involve observation and exploration. For example, during the

nature work, mention how a scientist would look for interesting things and

try to ﬁnd out more about them, just like they are doing.

• Grade 2 students rely on their ﬁve senses to tell them about their world far

more than logical ideas. Perhaps because air is invisible, students may not

think of air as being a substance at all, or imagine that it comes and goes

(such as with wind or by breathing), not existing otherwise. Students may

think of wind as a different substance than air.

• Students at this age often think that evidence is something they already

know, have personally experienced, or that someone told them, and are

unlikely to consider observations of an experiment to be evidence. Ask

students to explain their reasoning to get insight into their viewpoints and

gently challenge these ideas.

Science Background

Possible Misconceptions

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 13

Air and Water Around Us

Create a chart, such as a KWLN chart, for recording the class exploration of

air and water. This is also an opportunity to start the I Wonder Wall. Share

Science Card 1 and ask students to tell you what they notice about the

pictures. Prompt thinking by asking:

• What do these pictures show?

Record students’ ideas and questions on the KWLN chart. Then, wonder aloud

why the ﬂag, the dandelion seeds, and ribbons on the fan are moving and

then, if there is anything the same about the iceberg, the running water, and

the steam from the kettle. Pause during your wondering so that students can

respond, and encourage them to share any questions they have. Then ask:

• Where can you ﬁnd air and water?

• How do you know if there is air and/or water in the picture?

• How can we group these pictures into air and water?

Record students’ responses using a T-chart or take the opportunity to

demonstrate using a graphic organizer such as a Venn diagram.

Anchor Video

Play the Anchor Video: Air and Water in the Environment which is located

on the Teacher’s Website. Set a focus for viewing by asking students to think

about why air and water are important. You may choose to pause the video

to allow students to answer questions or to discuss any questions which

students may have.

I Wonder Nature Walk

Take the class on a walk outside, somewhere that has natural water (e.g., a

body of water, a puddle) and objects that will readily show wind movement

(e.g., a ﬂag, vegetation). You might invite an Elder or an Indigenous

Knowledge Keeper to participate in the walk, and ask her or him to share

stories or other cultural aspects of how air is important to Indigenous

peoples, such as the importance in predicting weather when living on the

land. Photograph or have students sketch things that pique their interest and

which relate to air and water in the environment.

As you are walking, model posing “I wonder” questions about air and water.

For example, ask:

• I wonder why the leaves are moving?

• I wonder why it’s warmer out of the shade?

• I wonder why the grass is wet?

Ask students what they wonder about as the walk continues. Students may

not naturally generate I wonder questions related to air and water around

them, but do not restrict the topic of their questions.

ACTIVATE

Back in the classroom, sketch a large map of the walk route in a central place

and, working as a class, have students add the photographs and/or sketches

from the walk. Students might make drawings from memory and add these

images. Continue to model “I wonder” questions about air and water as

students work on adding images. Prompt students to ask their own questions.

Encourage creative ways of expression, such as supporting a student to draw a

picture of a phenomenon they are curious about. Use of a question generator

such as Wonderopolis or question matrix may lead students to deeper

questioning. Add these questions to the I Wonder Wall in the classroom.

Air and Water Words

Create and make copies of a Wordle, using terminology that came up in

the Nature Walk or any or all of the following unit terminology: air, water,

ice, water vapour, steam, moisture, weather, wind, rain, snow, hail, fog,

cloud, dew, frost, humidity, question, explore, investigate, observe, predict,

measure, record, sequence, group, conclude, communicate, solid, liquid, gas,

evaporation, condensation, melting, freezing, temperature, thermometer, rain

gauge, windsock, anemometer, weather vane, waterproof, rust, stream, river,

lake, pond, ocean, wells, pipes, tap, pollution, conservation. Have students

circle any words they don’t know, and tell that they will learn about these

words in this unit. Have students keep the Wordle somewhere they can

access easily and refer to throughout the unit. Alternatively, make thematic

Wordles based on key concepts, such as air, states of matter, moisture,

drying, weathering, and the environment.

Introducing Air

Open a window or turn on an electric fan to show students the effects of air

movement on a light object, such as a streamer or light scarf. Ask students

to explain what happens to the object. Respond to students’ suggestions by

asking:

• How do you know? What is the evidence?

Explain that evidence is something we observe (e.g., see, hear, or feel) that

backs up an idea. Add “evidence” to the Word Wall, and continue to use it

during discussions with the students. Then, ask:

• Is there anything else you wonder about what we observed?

• Is there anything you wonder about evidence?

Add students’ questions to the I Wonder Wall.

Carnival of the Air

You will perform three demonstrations, some of which involve direct student

participation. Before class, or at the start of class with student help, set up

a stage area to perform the demonstrations as acts in a show. Students can

Word

CONNECT

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 15

create a banner or sign for each act. You might wear a costume, such as

the top hat and tails of a ringmaster for the Carnival of the Air; you could

also present the demonstrations as a magic show. Make a video of each

demonstration.

Demonstration 1:

Gather balloons, a few books, and (if available) a hand-held pump. Speak

like a carnival barker and say:

• Watch as I raise these books without touching them!

Show a balloon to the students, and then place it under the books. Using

the pump or your breath, inﬂate the balloon until the stack of books begins

to rise. You might ask for a volunteer to inﬂate the balloon. When the

performance is over, ask:

• Why do you think the books rose?

• What was in the balloon? What is the evidence?

• Where did the air come from? How do you know?

Demonstration 2:

Gather paper towels, a transparent shatterproof cup, and a low-sided

container of water, such as a baking dish. In your carnival voice, say:

• I am now going to put a paper towel in water, and it won’t get wet!

Place a crumpled paper towel inside the bottom of the cup, and invert the

cup in the container of water. The air in the cup will displace the water, so

water will not enter the cup and moisten the towel. Ask for volunteers to

perform the same act. Challenge students to explain the trick and provide

evidence for their explanations. If any of the towels get wet, ask students to

suggest reasons to explain this, again asking them to provide evidence.

Demonstration 3:

Gather several empty water bottles and scrap paper. Hold the empty water

bottles horizontally and place a small, crumpled piece of paper inside the

neck of each bottle. In your carnival voice, say:

• Blow the paper into the bottle and win a prize!

Invite students to try to blow the paper into the bottle. It will not go in because

the paper will push up against the air already ﬁlling the bottle. Guide students in

coming up with an explanation and providing evidence for their ideas.

Get In On the Act

Tell students they are going to create their own act for the Carnival of the

Air; their act must show that air is a substance that takes up space. Allow

students to explore and choose a variety of items (such as those at the

Curiosity Centre) that can be ﬁlled with air, for example, bags, balloons,

transparent shatterproof cups, or a whoopy cushion, as well as various

materials that can be used to add air to or keep air in these items, such as

straws, paper, and containers of water. Have students work in small groups

to create and then perform their act. After performances are complete, have

each group describe how their act showed how air takes up space, or ask

other class members to describe what the act showed about air.

Question List

Invite students to generate a personal list of questions that they would like

to explore and investigate throughout the unit. Students can record the list of

questions in their Science Journals.

Weathered Objects

Ask students to bring to class a small, inexpensive object that can be left

outside over the course of the year. Tell students that you will keep the

objects outside and bring them back to class periodically so that students can

observe how the objects have been affected by the weather. Invite students

to predict what, if anything, they think will change about the object. Ask

students to record their predictions in their Science Journals.

CONSOLIDATE

IWB Activity:

Have students circle

the images where air is

found using Activity 1: Is

there air there? (see the

Teacher’s Website).

EXPLORE MORE

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 17

Focus:

Students will identify the different states of water and compare the characteristics of water and ice.

States of Water

Specific Curriculum Outcomes

Students will be expected to:

• 1.0 pose questions that lead to exploration and

investigation [GCO 2]

• 2.0 communicate using scientiﬁc terminology

[GCO 2]

• 4.0 explore characteristics of the three states of

water [GCO 1/3]

Performance Indicators

Students who achieve these outcomes will be

able to:

• describe the characteristics of water in one of

its states

• use appropriate scientiﬁc terminology to

communicate their observations

NOTES:

Attitude Outcome Statements

Encourage students to:

• willingly observe, question, and explore [GCO 4]

Cross-Curricular Connections

Social Studies

Students will be expected to:

• describe how people’s interactions with their environment have changed

over time [2.4.2]

English Language Arts

Students will be expected to:

• interpret, select, and combine information using a variety of strategies,

resources, and technologies [GCO 5]

• use writing and other forms of representation to explore, clarify, and reﬂect

on their thoughts, feelings, experiences, and learnings; and to use their

imaginations [GCO 8]

• There are three main states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Solids, liquids,

and gases have distinctive physical properties. When a substance changes

from one state to another (e.g., ice melts), the particles making up the

substance remain the same, but their arrangement relative to one another

and their amount of motion changes.

- Solids are made of particles that are packed tightly together and have

little movement. They keep their shape. Heating some solids can turn

them into liquids.

Getting Organized

Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary

• Science Card 2

• IWB Activity 2

• BLM

Same or

Different?

• IWB Activity 3

Literacy Place:

•

An Early Worm

Got Out of Bed

(“Fog,” page 7,

Shared Reading–

Active Learning

Kit)

• students’ Science Journals

• washing tubs, plastic sheeting,

newspapers, or towels

• ice cubes

• Freezies (optional)

• warm, room temperature, and

cool water in shatterproof

glasses, tubs, or bottles of various

volumes

• sponges

• various kinds of paper

• empty containers of various sizes

• thermometers

• digital camera (optional)

• Freeze water in

containers of various

shapes or provide

Freezies.

• Invite an Elder or an

Indigenous Knowledge

Keeper to share how

the different states of

water figure in traditional

activities.

• Gather Internet and print

resources related to

the importance of ice to

polar bears.

• explore

• investigate

• evidence

• solid

• liquid

• gas

• water vapour

Science Background

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 19

- Liquids are made of loosely packed particles and have medium

movement. Liquids can ﬂow and take the shape of any container. Heating

a liquid can turn it into a gas. Cooling a liquid can turn it into a solid.

- Gases are very loosely packed particles and have high movement. They

spread out and change their shape to ﬁll up whatever container they are

in. Cooling a gas can turn it into a liquid.

• Water vapour is always present in our atmosphere and is invisible. The

steam that comes from a kettle is actually small droplets of condensed

water that form when the water vapour contacts cooler air. Similarly,

clouds are not water vapour; they are formed of water droplets that

condense from water vapour in the air high in the atmosphere.

• Students are likely to see ice, water, and steam as distinct substances and

believe one substance “turns into” another. Address this by asking students

to explain their thinking (e.g., when ice melts, ask where the ice went and

where the water came from).

• Young students rely primarily on their senses to get information about the

world. Gases can therefore be difﬁcult for grade 2 students to conceptualize,

since they generally cannot be seen. Prompting students to smell cologne or

other aromatic substances, can help them move toward an acceptance of the

existence of gases. Note that water vapour is always invisible: steam (and

fog and clouds) is made up of tiny droplets of liquid water suspended in air,

which condensed from the water vapour when it contacted cooler air (such

as outside a kettle).

Gas, Liquid, Solid

Share Science Card 2 with the class. Invite students to describe what they

see. Then, tell students that every picture has the same thing in it, and

challenge them to tell you what it is. Allow students to make suggestions.

After listening to suggestions, point to the water in each picture and ask

students to name it. Students likely will call each state of water by a different

name (e.g., ice, water, steam). Link back to previous knowledge of seasons

and weather, and of hot and cold, by asking questions such as:

• What is the weather like in this picture? How do you know?

• What time of year was this picture was taken? What clues do you see

that tell you?

• What is the temperature like? What evidence is there of that?

Invite students to answer the question on the card: What happens when ice

melts? and What happens when water boils? Introduce the terms “solid,”

“liquid,” and “gas” and add them to the KWLN chart. Prompt students to

share what they know about each term and what they wonder about each of

the terms. Challenge students to give other examples of each state of water.

Possible Misconceptions

ACTIVATE

IWB Activity:

Invite students to

use Activity 2: Solid

or liquid? (see the

Teacher’s Website) to

sort images of water as

liquid or solid.

Students may have difﬁculty thinking of examples of gas; if so, present

familiar examples and ask if it is a gas or not. Examples may include your

breath (air), car or ATV exhaust, helium for balloons, or propane for a bbq.

Point very close to steam and clouds on Science Card 2 to “show” water in

the gas state and say that this is evidence of water being a gas. You might

introduce the term “water vapour.” Add “solid,” “liquid,” “gas,” and “water

vapour” to the Word Wall and then have students draw an example of a solid

and a liquid in their Science Journals.

Water World

Create mini science centres with tangible examples of liquid and solid water

that students can explore. Examples may include ice cubes (various shapes

and sizes) or Freezies (different sizes); and warm, room temperature, and

cool water in shatterproof glasses, tubs, or bottles of various volumes. Use

washing tubs, plastic sheeting, newspaper, or towels to keep the area dry.

Also provide material that will allow students to explore the properties of

liquid and frozen water using their ﬁve senses, such as sponges, various

kinds of paper (e.g., loose leaf, toilet paper, wax paper, paper towel), empty

containers of various sizes, and thermometers. Make a record of students

explorations by making a video or taking digital photos. As students explore,

prompt deeper questioning and thinking by wondering aloud:

• I wonder if ice makes things wet?

• I wonder what happens when I put ice in water?

• I wonder what happens when I put this paper in the water?

• I wonder what material would best clean up a water spill?

• What do you wonder about?

Invite students to record any new questions they have on index cards or

sticky notes and add them to the I Wonder Wall.

Introduce/review the terms “explore,” “investigate,” and “evidence” during

discussions and add these terms to the Word Wall. Provide prompts such as:

• How could you explore that idea?

• How might a scientist investigate to see if that idea is true?

• What evidence can you ﬁnd to support your thinking?

Word

CONNECT

Word

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 21

Same or Different?

Divide the class into small groups, and provide copies of BLM Same or

Different? Instruct students to think back to their explorations of ice and

water. Ask:

• How are ice and water the same? How are they different?

For each answer given, have students decide as a group where and how to

record that answer on their graphic organizer. When work is complete, have

each group display their ﬁnished graphic organizer in the classroom. As a

class, discuss any differences between the graphic organizers, whether in

categorization of a response or in how groups decided to represent it.

Three “Types” of Water

Provide students with materials with which to create a scene depicting water

in each of its three states. If students struggle, consider providing a scenario.

For example, say:

• Imagine you and your family go for a walk in the winter beside a river or

the ocean. You bring along a thermos of hot chocolate to drink along the

way. Can you think where you might ﬁnd water in its liquid, solid, and gas

state on this day?

Alternatively, provide students with pictures to use as reference and/or for

clues, such as pictures of a kitchen scene, a waterfall in winter, or a picnic

scene.

Living with the Three States

Invite an Elder or Indigenous Knowledge Keeper to talk about the effects

and importance of the different states of water on traditional activities such

as hunting or ﬁshing. For example, the visitor could talk about how snow

changes with the temperature and affects activities such as pulling sleds

(e.g., on warmer days, snow melts, which makes it more difﬁcult to pull

sleds; on colder days, snow is dry and crystalized and so blows in wind more

easily, which makes travel more difﬁcult).

CONSOLIDATE

Same or Different?

Name:

_______________________________________________________

How are they the same?

How are they the different?

24 Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment

IWB Activity:

Challenge students to

name each form of water

shown in the illustration

using Activity 3: Where’s

the water? (see the

Teacher’s Website).

Literacy Place Connection:

“Fog” on page 7 of An Early Worm Got Out of Bed describes the feeling

of fog. Revisit or read the text with students and ask:

•

Is fog a solid, a liquid, or a gas? (Fog is made up of tiny droplets of

liquid water suspended in the air.)

Polar Bears and Ice

Working in small groups, challenge students to ﬁnd an answer to the question:

• Is ice important for polar bears?

Provide Internet and print resources. Groups can share their ﬁndings with the

class as a poster or an oral presentation.

Labelling States of Water

Revisit Science Card 2 and invite students to use sticky notes to label the images

on the card according to the states of water shown. (Students will readily

identify liquids and solids. Help them to identify gases [water vapour] any time

there is air shown. Remind students that water vapour is invisible: steam, fog,

and clouds are made up of tiny droplets of liquid water suspended in air, which

condensed from the water vapour when it contacted cooler air.)

EXPLORE MORE

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 23

Same or Different?

Name: _______________________________________________________

How are they the same?

How are they the different?

Focus: Students will predict how and why water changes from one state to another, make and record

observations and measurements while investigating how and why water changes state from

liquid to solid or vice versa, and discover the role of temperature in changes of state.

Water and Temperature

Specific Curriculum Outcomes

Students will be expected to:

• 5.0 investigate changes that occur when the

three states of water are heated or cooled

[GCO 1/3]

• 6.0 predict based on an observed pattern

[GCO 2]

• 7.0 make and record observations and

measurements [GCO 2]

Performance Indicators

Students who achieve these outcomes will be

able to:

• plan and test a means to slow down the rate of

melting of an ice-cube person

NOTES:

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 25

Attitude Outcome Statements

Encourage students to:

• willingly observe, question, and explore [GCO 4]

• appreciate the importance of accuracy [GCO 4]

Cross-Curricular Connections

English Language Arts

Students will be expected to:

• communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to respond

personally and critically [GCO 2]

• respond personally to a range of texts [GCO 6]

• Ensure that kettle/boiling water are not left unattended and that cords are

not placed where someone can trip over them.

Getting Organized

Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary

• Science Card 3

•

What Is the Inquiry

Process?

poster

• BLM

When Did It

Melt?

• IWB Activity 4

Literacy Place:

•

Journey of a Water

Drop

(Guided Reading,

Level N)

• kettle or humidifier

• two mugs

• thermometers

• metal spoons or hand mirrors

• frozen shapes or Freezies

(optional)

• hot and cold water

• paper towels

• incandescent lightbulb or hair

dryer

• containers of different shapes

and sizes

• tray or container for transport

• timer (optional)

• ice cubes

• cups with warm, room

temperature, and cool water

• trays

• index cards

• markers

• plastic googly eyes

• bowls, cardboard, bubble wrap,

and other materials to insulate

ice-cube people

• students’ Science Journals

• washtubs or other large

waterproof containers (optional)

• water or snow (optional)

• If using, put metal

spoons in the fridge to

cool.

• Make ice in containers

of various sizes and

shapes or provide

Freezies.

• Arrange access to a

freezer.

• Freeze ice cubes with

plastic googly eyes

attached to make ice

people.

• Make ice in various

colours (with food

colouring) in different

shapes and sizes.

• water vapour

• steam

• evaporation

• temperature

• thermometer

• evidence

Safety

• Review school safety rules before students go outside for an investigation.

• To change state from solid to liquid or from liquid to gas, a substance must

be heated to a speciﬁc temperature. To change state from gas to liquid or

from liquid to solid, a substance must be cooled to a speciﬁc temperature.

• Water is the only natural substance that can exist in all three states (solid,

liquid, and gas) in the normal temperature range of Earth. Water changes

from a solid (ice) to a liquid at 0 °C, and from a liquid to a gas (steam, or

water vapour) at 100 °C.

• Students may think of water, steam, and ice as being different substances.

Melting may be conceived as ice changing into water (or vice versa for

freezing), and students may believe that dissolving and melting are the

same thing. Evaporation (change of state from liquid to gas) is particularly

challenging. Common misconceptions are that steam is hot air and that

steam becomes air when it disappears. When asked to explain the bubbles

in boiling water, students might call the bubbles air or heat.

• Students may conceive of heat and cold as being substances that can be

added or taken away. This view can be reinforced by expressions such as

“letting the heat out” or “letting the cold in.” Address this by rephrasing

students’ remarks. For example, if a student were to say during the Stop the

Melt investigation that “the bubble wrap keeps the cold in,” you might say,

“So you think that bubble wrap keeps the ice from getting warmer.”

Changes

Share Science Card 3 with the class. Ask students to tell you about what is

happening in the picture. Allow students to describe any element that captures

their interest. Encourage students to notice differences between the “sunny”

side and the “shady” side. Then, ask students to ﬁnd the water in the picture.

Ask about the states of water with questions such as:

• Do you see any ice? Is that water?

• What is happening to these icicles? Why might that be happening?

• What is that coming out of the mugs?

Science Background

Change of State Science Term

solid to liquid melting

liquid to gas evaporation

gas to liquid condensation

liquid to solid solidification (freezing)

Possible Misconceptions

ACTIVATE

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 27

Put the Kettle On, Please

Have the students gather around you. Review safety rules and then boil a

kettle. (Note: you can also use a small humidiﬁer for this demonstration;

leave out the comparison of water temperature if you do.) Before you start,

pour some of the water into a mug. As the water heats, ask students to share

what they think is happening. Use the term “observe” and add this word to

the Word Wall. When steam begins to form, ask:

• What do you observe is happening?

• What is coming out of the kettle?

• Where did it come from?

Explain that the steam that comes from a kettle is actually small droplets

of condensed water that form when the water vapour contacts cooler air.

Remind students of the term “water vapour” and explain that it is water in

the gas state. Tell students that when water goes from the liquid state to the

gas state (when it becomes water vapour), this is called “evaporation.” Add

this term to the Word Wall.

Pour a small amount of the boiling water into a mug, and set it beside the mug

you ﬁlled before turning on the kettle. Wrap your hands around each mug or

use a thermometer, and describe the difference in temperature aloud. Ask:

• I wonder if temperature has something to do with steam. What do you

think?

Add students’ ideas to the unit KWLN chart.

Have ready a number of cold, metal spoons or small hand mirrors at room

temperature. If you are using cold spoons, pass them around and ask

students to tell you about their temperature; keep one spoon at the front.

Challenge the class to predict what will happen if you hold the cold spoon

or mirror in steam. Record students’ predictions. Boil water or turn on a

humidiﬁer, and carry out the demonstration. When condensation forms, ask;

• What is this substance? How do you know?

• Where did the water on the spoon come from?

• What is the evidence for that (how do you know)?

• How could we ﬁnd out (how can we explore/investigate that)?

Record students’ ideas. Introduce the term “condensation” and add it to the

Word Wall.

CONNECT

Word

Literacy Place Connection:

Journey of a Water Drop (Guided Reading, Level N) follows a water

drop on its journey from the sky to the earth and back up to the

sky. You may wish to focus speciﬁcally on pages 10–13 and review

with students the concepts of evaporation and condensation.

It’s Melting!

Inform the class that they are going to perform an investigation to explore

melting. Provide students with the frozen shapes (ice from containers or

Freezies), hot and cold water, paper towels, and a thermometer. Also provide

tools to apply heat, such as an incandescent lightbulb or a hair dryer—do

not allow students to use these items without supervision and be aware of

the potential presence of water at all times. Review what a thermometer tells

you and how the liquid goes up when temperature goes up and down when

temperature goes down. Add “temperature” and “thermometer” to the Word

Wall.

Allow students to explore the materials independently. As they are exploring,

wonder aloud if these items might be used to ﬁnd out more about melting. If

students need more direction, be more speciﬁc; for example, say,

• I wonder if there is a way to make ice melt faster? Maybe we could use

these materials to ﬁnd out.

As they share their ideas, guide students to think about what they think will

happen (predict) and how they will know what happens (observe, measure,

evidence). Remind students that they can use their senses to learn about

what is happening. For example, ask:

• What changes do you see? Feel? Hear? Smell?

Avoid telling students what to do. Instead, ask questions to prompt deeper

thinking, such as:

• How will you know that you have made it warm?

• How would a scientist ﬁnd that out?

Before students begin their investigations, display the What Is the Inquiry

Process? poster and read the steps with the students. Explain that making

a plan, exploring, recording results, and drawing conclusions are all part

of ﬁnding an answer to a question. Provide any materials students need

to record their observations. You might also document them working with

photographs and/or videos. After the investigation, have the class create a

bulletin board or Webpage to share their questions and conclusions. Include

a section for students to add new questions based on their results.

It’s Freezing!

Ask students if they have ever waited for something to freeze, such as

an ice rink or a Popsicle. Allow students to share their stories; when/if

an opportunity arises, prompt students to recall speciﬁcs about the time,

conditions, or any other relevant details. Alternatively, wonder aloud if it

always takes the same amount of time to make ice.

Display a selection of containers of different shapes and sizes in which to

make ice. Tell students you are going to ﬁll the containers with water and

put them in the freezer at the same time. Allow students time to explore the

containers. Then, ask students to predict which container would make ice

the fastest and explain why they think so. Record students’ predictions and

reasons in a central place.

Word

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 29

Fill the containers with water and place them in a freezer. Use a tray or

container to make transport easy, as you will be taking the containers out to

make observations once every 15 minutes. Each time you take the containers

out, have students record their observations using a method of their own

choosing (e.g., digital photos, sketches, or jot notes). Or, a parent volunteer

could take small groups of students to the freezer in order to observe and

record the changes.

After results have been gathered, meet as a class to discuss them and

ask for explanations of what happened. Prompt students to support their

explanations with evidence from their observations. Ask:

• How did what we see show that that is true?

Add the ﬁndings to the unit KWLN chart. Encourage students to record

additional questions based on the results. If time allows, assist students in

exploring these questions by providing materials and supervision.

Ice and Water

This investigation may be carried out during the It’s Freezing! investigation

above, in the waiting periods. Provide ice cubes; three shatterproof cups

ﬁlled with warm, room temperature, and cool water respectively; a

thermometer; and trays to contain any spills. If necessary, review the use of

the thermometer. Ask:

• In which glass will the ice melt the fastest? Why?

• What will happen to the temperature of the water when the ice melts?

What evidence could you look for to support that prediction?

Have students work in groups or two or three; assign each group a letter (A,

B, C, etc.), and a particular cup of water. Direct students to write the letter

of their group on an index card. Then, have students measure and record

the temperature of the water with a thermometer, by placing the index

card behind the thermometer and marking a line at the top of the liquid

in the column. If your class is ready, have them record the actual number

(temperature) on the card.

Have all groups place one ice cube into their cup at the same time. Tell

the students to watch their ice cube, and then, as soon as it is completely

melted, raise the card with their group’s letter on it so you can see. Record

the letters in order on BLM When Did It Melt?

Have each group share the temperature of the water in their cup with the

class and use this to sort the group(s). Record their sorting results on BLM

When Did It Melt?, and then post the completed BLM in a central place. Have

volunteers describe any patterns they see in the results. Ask:

• What do you notice about the temperature of the water for the groups

whose ice cube melted the fastest? How about the groups whose ice

cube melted the slowest?

• Why do you think this happened? What evidence is there for that idea?

• Where did the ice go? How do you know?

When Did It Melt?

Starting here, write the letter of each group as soon as they

raise their paper.

What was the temperature of the water for each group?

Cool WaterIn the MiddleWarm Water

32 Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment

IWB Activity:

Have students use

IWB Activity 4:

What’s happening to

the water? (see the

Teacher’s Website) to

identify the changes

taking place in each

photo.

Stop the Melt

Before class, make ice cubes with added plastic googly eyes. Brieﬂy show

the ‘ice people’ to the class, and then return them to the freezer. If this is not

possible, brieﬂy describe the ice people or show a photo of them. Tell students

that the ice people have an important message for their leader, and they all have

to leave the freezer to wait for her. The leader won’t come for 30 minutes! How

can they make sure the ice people last long enough to deliver the message?

Provide paper towels, bowls, cardboard, bubble wrap, and other materials of

your choosing at a central point in the classroom. You might want to have a

cupboard or box accessible for the ice people to ‘hide’ from sunlight. Divide

the class into groups and tell students that their job is to use the materials to

keep their ice person from melting for as long as possible. Prompt them to

think about what they have learned about melting and then come up with a

plan of what materials they will use and how. Consider telling students that

groups can work together to keep their ice people frozen longer. Students can

record their plans in their Science Journals.

After allowing time for thinking and discussion, provide an ice person to each

group on a paper towel or in a small container. Have students carry out their

plan, working on trays to avoid spills. Invite students to name their ice person.

Direct the class to watch how quickly their ice people melt. Invite students to

record the time using a digital timer or a central clock (this is not required).

While they are waiting, have students record in their Science Journals what they

did to protect their ice person. When records are complete, encourage students

to visit other groups to see what they did and ask questions and make comments

as melting occurs. Circulate and discuss with students what they did and why

they think it will work as they are working. Have students indicate when their ice

person has melted by raising their hand. Note the order in a central place.

Stop the activity after 30 minutes then review the results as a class. Ask:

• Did any of the ice people last long enough to deliver the message?

• What helped them to slow down the melting? What didn’t help?

• Why do you think [choose a method] slows down the melting?

• Was there anything you would do differently if you could do this again?

Build an Ice House

Use food colouring, water, and containers of different shapes and sizes to

create ice for students to build an ice house for ice people to live in. You may

provide commercially made trays in different shapes, empty juice and milk

boxes, or ﬁll and freeze balloons and then cut the balloon away. Have students

work in a washtub or other large waterproof container, or outside, if the

temperature is appropriate. Students can use water or snow (when available)

as ‘mortar.’ When the house/houses are built, add ice people, and ask students

to predict whether they will last longer inside the house and why.

CONSOLIDATE

EXPLORE MORE

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 31

When Did It Melt?

Starting here, write the letter of each group as soon as they

raise their paper.

What was the temperature of the water for each group?

Cool WaterIn the MiddleWarm Water

Focus: Students will ask and explore questions about the amount and location of moisture in the

environment and in living things.

Moisture Around Us

Specific Curriculum Outcomes

Students will be expected to:

• 8.0 explore evidence of moisture in the

environment, in materials, and in living things

[GCO 1/3]

• 9.0 propose an answer to an initial question

or problem and draw a simple conclusion

[GCO 2]

• 10.0 sequence or group materials and objects

[GCO 2]

Performance Indicators

Students who achieve these outcomes will be

able to:

• communicate places where moisture can be

found in the environment

• sequence three fruits or vegetables according

to moisture level

NOTES:

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 33

Attitude Outcome Statements

Encourage students to:

• show interest in and curiosity about objects and events within the immediate

environment [GCO 4]

• be open-minded in their explorations [GCO 4]

Cross-Curricular Connections

English Language Arts

Students will be expected to:

• communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to respond

personally and critically [GCO 2]

• use writing and other forms of representation to explore, clarify, and reﬂect

on their thoughts, feelings, experiences, and learning; and to use their

imaginations [GCO 8]

• Ensure students are not allergic to any foods used for testing.

•

Since it can dissolve more substances than any other liquid, water is

sometimes called the universal solvent. Many of the liquids found in living

things are composed of substances dissolved in water. For example, our blood

is 82% water. Small amounts of water (moisture) occur in almost any place

on Earth, including the atmosphere (humidity) and in soil and rock pores.

• Water is essential for all living things. Water-based liquids in an organism

can carry many essential substances, such as sugars (e.g. in blood or sap)

Getting Organized

Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary

• Science Card 4

• BLM

Which Is the

Juiciest?

•

Come On, Rain!

(Read Aloud)

•

What Is the Inquiry

Process?

poster

• BLM

My Plan

• slices of fruits and vegetables

of varying moisture levels

• paper towels

• clear plastic bag

• leafy house plant (e.g.,

Coleus)

• digital camera (optional)

• spray bottle of water

• dehumidifier

• students’ Science Folders

• materials to test for moisture

(e.g., soil, moss, baby wipes,

bread)

• students’ Science Journals

• Prepare slices of fruits

and vegetables of varying

moisture levels, some of

which students can taste.

• Gather photographs

or videos of athletes

perspiring. (optional)

• Collect (or have students

collect) fresh, non-food

plant material.

• moisture

• moist

• juicy

Safety

Science Background

and dissolved salts (e.g. potassium, calcium). Most cell activities cannot

occur without the presence of water. About 65-75% of the human body is

water.

• Students likely will think their bodies contain only substances they see

coming out of them, such as blood. Moisture in living things, such as juice

and sweat, is commonly seen as distinct from water instead of containing

water. Water is viewed as necessary to stop you being thirsty only, and that

other liquids substitute for this need. You might challenge this by diluting

condensed juice and asking students why water was needed.

• Some students may not perceive fruits and vegetables as living things.

Provide pictures of the plant that produces the fruits and vegetables students

explore. Have students match the pictures to the fruits and vegetables.

What Is Moisture?

As a class, review Science Card 4. Ask students if they see any water in the

pictures, and if it is a lot or a little. Introduce the term “moisture” and add it

to the Word Wall, and explain that we use this word to describe just a little

bit of water. Add “moist” to the Word Wall, and explain that we use this

word to describe things that have only a little bit of water on them or in

them. Then, direct attention back to Science Card 4 and ask students to use

“moisture” or “moist” to describe something on the card. Ask:

• What does moisture feel like?

• What does it look like?

• Do you have moisture in you? Do other living things? How do you know?

Which Is Juiciest?

Provide samples of various fruits and vegetables for students to test. Include

some that are very juicy, such as melons or citrus fruits, and some that are

quite dry, such as fresh beans or carrots. Tell students that foods that are

juicy have a lot of moisture (water) in them. Ask:

• Which of these do you predict will be the juiciest? Which will be the least?

•

If we put these in order from juiciest to least juicy, what would that look like?

As a class, predict the sequence of the items from the most moist (juiciest)

to least moist (driest). Record the class prediction. You might record their

prediction by taking and printing photographs and making a display of the

predicted order.

Inform students that they are going to gather evidence to test their prediction

by measuring the amount of moisture in each item. Divide the class into

small groups, and provide each with paper towels and fruit and vegetable

Possible Misconceptions

ACTIVATE

Word

CONNECT

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 35

samples. Tell students they are not to eat these samples. Make sure a sample

of each fruit/vegetable item is tested by at least one group. Tell students to

work with a fresh paper towel for each sample. Demonstrate how to blot a

sample by placing it on the towel and holding it there for a few moments.

Show them the difference between a very moist and a dry sample. Ask:

• What clues are on the paper towel that I can use to measure how moist

my sample is?

• How can I use my senses to gather evidence of how moist each item is?

Tell students to test their samples in the same way you showed them. Remind

the class that whenever they do an investigation, they need to record their

results in some way. Encourage them to plan how they will keep a record

before they begin testing.

As testing proceeds, circulate and make sure students are recording their

results in some way. When testing is complete, gather the class together

and have each group share their results. Direct attention back to the posted

sequence they predicted, and ask the class to help you revise the sequence to

ﬁt with their evidence. Prompt thinking about the results by asking:

• Did anything surprise you in the results?

• Is there anything you would like to learn more about?

• What new questions do you have?

Have students make a record of the agreed upon sequence on BLM Which Is

the Juiciest? Students might add magazine or computer-printed images to the

BLM. You might provide new, clean samples of the fruits and vegetables and

allow the students to eat them.

Moisture in Living Things

Carry out at least one of the following three demonstrations/activities.

1. Place a clear plastic bag over a leafy house plant, such as a Coleus, and

tape it to the pot so it is airtight. Leave the plant in a sunny location.

Moisture will fog up the bag in a few hours. Show the plant in the bag to

the class and ask them to explain where the moisture came from.

2. Hand out or have students collect plant material from the schoolyard (e.g.

dandelions, fresh leaves). Invite students to predict if any of the materials

are moist (juicy), and then direct the class to test their prediction by the

same method they used for fruits and vegetable slices. Students can record

their results by drawing, writing, or taking digital photos. As they are

working, circulate and informally ask if their predictions were correct and/

or if they are surprised by the results they see.

3. Invite students to play a game or engage in another activity that will cause

perspiration, or show pictures or a video of athletes perspiring. Challenge

students to relate what they experience or see, to moisture. Ask:

• What is sweat made of? Where do you think it comes from?

• Is sweat evidence that we have moisture in us? Why or why not?

Which Is the Juiciest?

Name:

Draw pictures of the fruits and vegetables in sequence from the most moist (juiciest) to

least moist (driest).

Juiciest Driest

40 Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment

• What about other living things? Do they have moisture too? How do you

know?

Invite students to ﬁnd pictures of their favourite animal, including reptiles,

and look for evidence that supports their ideas about moisture in living

things.

Summary

A girl hopes for rain to break three weeks worth of hot, dry weather and is

rewarded when a refreshing storm arrives and rain is everywhere.

Show students the cover of Come On, Rain! and ask:

• What is the weather like? How might the air feel?

• What is the girl holding? Why might she have an umbrella when it isn’t

raining?

Tell students that as you read the text aloud, they should listen to ﬁnd out

what the air is like throughout the story and to notice how the conditions of

the air change.

As you read the story to students, pause frequently to discuss the text

and illustrations. As you ﬁnish each page, clarify any new vocabulary or

concepts. Prompts for discussion could include:

After reading the ﬁrst spread:

• I wonder what “parched” means. Mamma says, “Three weeks and not a

drop” so it hasn’t rained for three weeks. I think “parched” must mean

“thirsty.”

• Do you think plants need moisture like people do? How do you know?

After reading the next two pages:

• Why does the sight of “gray clouds, bunched and bulging under a purple

sky” ﬁll Tessie with hope? What is she hoping for?

After reading about Mamma kneeling over a melon:

• What do you think the air feels like? Why do you think this?

• Why is Tessie sweating? How does sweating help us when we are very

hot? (Sweat contains water and cools off our skin.)

Read Aloud:

Come On, Rain!

Before Reading

During Reading

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 37

After reading about Tessie putting on her bathing suit:

• How will the iced tea help to cool Mamma down? (quenches thirst and

replenishes water in the body)

After reading the next page when the rain comes:

• What does the air feel like now?

After reading about the girls and their mamas in the rain:

• Have you ever felt the air get cooler when it rains?

• Why does the rain make everyone feel like dancing?

After reading the ﬁnal two pages:

• What does the air feel like now, after the rain?

• What do you think “The rain has made us new” means?

• Do you think the rain has helped the “parched plants”?

Discuss with students how the conditions of the air changed throughout the

story. Prompts might include:

• What was the air like at the beginning of the story?

• How did this change, just before the rain came?

• What was the air like during the rain?

• How did the air change after the rain? How did this change affect the

people and plants in the story?

Moisture in the Air

In front of the class, spray water in the air from a spray bottle. Ask students if

any of the water stays in the air; have students give reasons for their answers.

On a day when the air is sufﬁciently humid, bring a dehumidiﬁer to class.

Turn on the dehumidiﬁer as students watch, and let it run for several hours.

Help students observe the amount of water collected, then discuss the results

as a class. Ask:

• Where did the water come from?

• Why would we want to take moisture out of the air?

Moisture Around Us

Take students on a moisture treasure hunt in their immediate surroundings

or in the schoolyard. Guide students in looking for evidence of moisture

(e.g., water stains on ceiling tiles, condensation on windows, dew on grass,

frost on car windshields). As you are walking, ask students to suggest

places to look and to explain their choices. Take digital photographs or have

students draw or write to record where they ﬁnd evidence of moisture. After

After Reading

CONSOLIDATE

the walk, decide as a class where the most moisture was found. Ask students

to tell you what evidence they used in making their decision. Photographs

and other recordings may be kept in the students’ Science Folders.

Comparing Moisture

Challenge students to conduct an independent inquiry to compare the

amount of moisture in different objects and materials from the Curiosity

Centre, such as soil, moss, baby wipes, or bread. Tell students they can

choose any object or material they are curious about, other than fruits or

vegetables. Point out the What Is the Inquiry Process? poster and prompt

students to ask a speciﬁc question and plan how they will ﬁnd evidence to

answer that question. Hand out copies of BLM My Plan for students to record

the steps of their plans. Students can communicate their results in their

Science Journals, orally, or by making a digital presentation or a poster.

EXPLORE MORE

Name:

My question:

My plan:

I will need:

My Plan

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 41

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 39

Which Is the Juiciest?

Name:

Draw pictures of the fruits and vegetables in sequence from the most moist (juiciest) to

least moist (driest).

Juiciest Driest

Name:

My question:

My plan:

I will need:

My Plan

Focus: Students will explore changes in location, amount, and form of moisture, and communicate

with others as they are exploring.

Changes in Moisture

Specific Curriculum Outcomes

Students will be expected to:

• 11.0 explore changes in the location, amount,

and form of moisture [GCO 1/3]

• 12.0 communicate while exploring and

investigating [GCO 2]

Performance Indicators

Students who achieve these outcomes will be

able to:

• describe where liquid water comes from

and where it goes during explorations of

evaporation and condensation

NOTES:

Attitude Outcome Statements

Encourage students to:

• be open-minded in their explorations [GCO 4]

Cross-Curricular Connections

English Language Arts

Students will be expected to:

• speak and listen to explore, extend, clarify, and reﬂect on their thoughts,

ideas, feelings, and experiences [GCO 1]

• Evaporation is the process of water leaving the liquid phase and entering

the gas phase. Evaporation occurs even at low temperatures, such as when

a glass of water is left out at room temperature. The rate of evaporation

increases with temperature.

• Condensation is the process of water leaving the gas phase and entering

the liquid phase. When water vapour comes into contact with a sufﬁciently

cold substance, the water vapour enters the liquid phase, or condenses.

• Sometimes, water will go directly from a gas to a solid and form frost, in a

process called deposition. Deposition can only occur when air is saturated

(contains all the moisture it can hold) and the temperature is below 0° C.

Snowﬂakes are also formed by deposition.

Getting Organized

Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary

• Science Card 5

• IWB Activity 5

• BLM

Concept Diagram

• paper towel

• pencils or markers

• wet towels or bowls of water

• students’ Science Folders

• two identical containers

(ideally metal cans)

• water and ice

• students’ Science Journals

• plastic wrap

• ice cubes or snow

• warm water

• metal tray or pie plate

• large glass jar with a wide mouth

• digital camera (optional)

• coloured paper

• paint brushes (optional)

• Collect some ice

cubes or snow.

• evaporation

• condensation

Science Background

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 43

•

Students may think that evaporating water simply disappears or moves

in some way or by some agent while staying a liquid. It can be helpful to

explore the word “disappearing” with the class. For example, ask a student to

step into the hall and then ask the class if the person has disappeared or gone

somewhere else. When students observe evaporation, ask if the ‘missing’

water disappeared or went somewhere else, and to explain their thinking.

•

Students may imagine condensation as some sort of transformation from one

substance to another, such as liquid water becoming air (without a concept of

water vapour). Other common misconceptions are that condensation is water

leaking out of the container, or that air becomes liquid. To challenge these

ideas, have students review what they found out or observed about freezing and

melting, and then ask them to describe the relationship between water and ice.

Getting Dry

Share Science Card 5 with the class. Have students

suggest answers to the questions on the card.

Add their ideas to the unit KWLN chart. Prompt

deeper thinking by asking:

• Is water always a liquid?

• Can you think of any other examples of

something that we dry?

• What happens to the moisture when items

are dried? (evaporation)

My Disappearing Hand

Provide each student with a paper towel and a pencil or marker. Tell students

to place one hand on the paper towel and trace it with the other. Then,

provide a way for students to wet the hand they traced, such as a wet towel

or a bowl of water. Have students place their wet hand inside the tracing,

which should leave a handprint within the outline. Invite students to predict

what will happen to their handprint. Record their predictions.

Have the students observe their paper towel again when the handprints

have at least partly dried. Ask them to tell you what has changed and if it

was what they predicted. Introduce the word “evaporation” and add it to

the Word Wall. Explain that when water seems to disappear like it did in

their handprint, we call that evaporation. Note: you may wish to start the

demonstration It Got Wet! as you wait for the handprints to dry.

Provide students with a copy of BLM Concept Diagram. Have them ﬁll it in

using the word “evaporation.” Invite students to share their diagrams with a

partner. Completed BLMs can be stored in the students’ Science Folders.

Possible Misconceptions

ACTIVATE

IWB Activity:

Have students use

IWB Activity 5:

Dry it out! (see the

Teacher’s Website) to

match wet items with

the method of drying.

CONNECT

Word

Concept Diagram

Adapted from Frayer Model Diagram

Examples Non-examples

Definition Facts/characteristics

Name:

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 47

It Got Wet!

Gather the class around a table. Place two identical containers (metal cans,

if possible) of water on the counter and add ice to one. Invite volunteers to

touch the sides of the containers and share any differences they feel. Then,

let the containers sit until condensation forms on the container with the ice.

You may want to complete the activity My Disappearing Hand in the

meantime. When water has condensed on the container with ice, invite

volunteers to touch both the containers and share any differences. Have

students record their observations in their Science Journals.

Ask students for their ideas about where the water came from. Add these to the

unit KWLN chart, along with any questions student generate. Introduce the word

“condensation” and add it to the Word Wall. Explain that when water seems to

appear, like it did on the container, we call that condensation. Provide students

with a copy of BLM Concept Diagram, and have them ﬁll it in using the word

“condensation.” Invite students to share their diagram with a partner.

Open and Closed

Bring the class together to observe what you are doing. Place two identical

containers with the same amount of water in each somewhere in the

classroom where you can safely leave them for a few days. A sunny window

would be ideal. Cover one container with plastic wrap, and leave the other

one open. Invite a volunteer to draw a mark on each container to show the

level of the water, or mark them yourself. You could also take a digital photo

of the containers. Every day for the next few days, observe the two

containers as a class, and ask students to describe any changes they notice in

the containers. Take pictures or have students draw their observations in

their Science Journals each day. Students will observe that the water level in

the open container falls, while that in the closed one stays the same. They

should also see water droplets on the plastic wrap. You might use different

coloured markers to mark the new water level each day.

If you took pictures, post them in the classroom. As a class, review what

was observed and brainstorm an explanation. Prompt students by asking

questions such as:

• Did evaporation happen? In which one? What is the evidence?

• Did condensation happen? In which one? How do you know?

Foggy Days

Display some ice cubes or snow, warm water, a metal tray or pie plate, and

a large glass jar with a wide mouth. Gather the class to watch you, and tell

them that you are going to make fog. Pour warm (not boiling) water into the

jar to a depth of about 2 cm. Place the ice cubes or snow on the metal tray or

pie plate, then set the whole thing on the open mouth of the glass jar. As the

students watch, the warm moist air in the glass jar will rise and condense

against the cold metal surface, forming a fog-like mist.

Word

CONSOLIDATE

Concept Diagram

Adapted from Frayer Model Diagram

Examples Non-examples

Definition Facts/characteristics

Name:

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 47

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 45

Have the students make drawings of their observations in their Science

Journals. Challenge them to show on their drawings where they think water

is evaporating and where it is condensing. Ask them to explain their choices.

Disappearing Designs

Provide students with coloured paper, water, and a variety of paint brushes

(optional). Invite students to use the various brushes, or their ﬁngers, to

‘paint’ designs on the paper with water. Have them predict what will happen

to the water on their coloured paper. Ask:

• What happened to the water?

• Was your prediction correct?

EXPLORE MORE

Concept Diagram

Adapted from Frayer Model Diagram

Examples Non-examples

Definition Facts/characteristics

Name:

Focus: Students will, through guided inquiry investigations, discover how and why moisture changes,

and communicate what they did and what they found out.

Changing Moisture Levels

Specific Curriculum Outcomes

Students will be expected to:

• 13.0 investigate conditions that affect changes

in the location, amount, and form of moisture

[GCO 1/3]

• 14.0 communicate procedures and results

[GCO 2]

Performance Indicators

Students who achieve these outcomes will be

able to:

• communicate ideal conditions for setting up a

lemonade stand

NOTES:

Attitude Outcome Statements

Encourage students to:

• show concern for their safety and that of others in carrying out activities and

using materials [GCO 4]

• work with others in exploring and investigating [GCO 4]

Cross-Curricular Connections

Social Studies

Students will be expected to:

• describe how people’s interactions with their environment have changed

[2.4.2]

English Language Arts

Students will be expected to:

• interact with sensitivity and respect, considering the situation, audience,

and purpose [GCO 3]

• use a range of strategies to develop effective writing and representing and

to enhance their clarity, precision, and effectiveness [GCO 10]

Getting Organized

Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary

• Science Card 6

•

What Is the Inquiry

Process?

poster

• BLM

My Inquiry

• identical pieces of cloth

• sealable plastic bags

• slices of various fruits and vegetables

• digital camera (optional)

• Flex Arm camera (optional)

• food dehydrator (optional)

• containers of various shapes and sizes

(e.g., cups, saucers)

• variety of materials (e.g., foil,

construction paper, mirrors, plastic

wrap, wax paper, felt, cotton)

• heat sources (e.g., hairdryers, electric

fans, or heat lamps)

• students’ Science Folders

• small plastic cup and container it will

fit in (e.g., bowl)

• marker

• plastic wrap

• small stone

• students’ Science Journals

• lamp (optional)

• Invite a speaker

such as an Elder

or an Indigenous

Knowledge

Keeper to speak

about drying food.

Alternatively, you

can collect Internet

resources.

• Prepare slices

of fruits and

vegetables, all of

the same thickness

(at least one slice

per student).

• Dry slices of foods

in an oven at home.

• moisture

• evaporate

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 49

• Changes in moisture levels occur primarily through evaporation and

condensation. Important factors that affect the rate of evaporation are:

temperature, humidity (the amount of water vapour in the air), and

air movement (e.g., wind or resulting from tumbling in a dryer). If you

heat a moist object, liquid water in or on the object will change to water

vapour and dissipate into the atmosphere. The less humid the air around

the object, the higher the rate of evaporation, regardless of temperature.

However, air can hold only so much water vapour; when the maximum

amount is reached, the air is saturated. In saturated air, there will be no

net evaporation from a moist object and it will not dry. Finally, as an object

dries, the humidity of the air closest to the object increases. When the air is

moving, this moist air dissipates more quickly and is replaced by drier air,

and the rate of evaporation increases. The converse is true of condensation:

the rate of condensation increases as air temperature decreases, humidity

increases, and air movement decreases.

• Drying (dehydrating) food is one of the oldest and easiest methods of food

preservation. Most living things depend on water, including organisms

that decay our food. These organisms are therefore far less able to survive

on dehydrated foods. In addition, some biological processes continue in

the food items themselves after harvest, such as fruit ripening. These

are cellular processes which also rely on the presence of water, and are

therefore prevented by dehydration.

• Students are likely to have had experience using heat energy to speed drying.

Some students imagine heat to be a substance of some kind, so that drying

is understood as water turning into heat. Many students’ understanding of

energy is restricted to the movement of their bodies, or they think of it as

something that is used up, like a fuel. To help students build a more accurate

view, place a thermometer in, or have students feel the air coming from, a

hair dryer set on low. Prompt students to consider what is happening with

the temperature of the air from the dryer, and how that affects drying. Ask if

the dryer would still work if it didn’t produce warm air.

Preserving Food

As a class, review the evidence that living things contain moisture. Describe

how Mi’kmaq, Innu, Inuit, and other groups (e.g. early settlers, hunters,

ﬁshers) used or use drying to store meats, ﬁsh, or other food. Invite a

speaker or share Internet resources with the class to ﬁnd out more about

these methods. For example, an Elder or an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper

might share traditional drying methods for food preservation (e.g., Inuit

drying char, Innu or Mi’kmaq drying moose or caribou into jerky, or drying

berries). If possible arrange for samples of these dried foods to be available

for the students to touch and taste. The visitor might also speak about the

Science Background

Possible Misconceptions

ACTIVATE

process of removing the moisture from animal skins so they can be used to

create clothing.

Share Science Card 6 with the class. Ask:

• Which foods are moist and which are dry?

Have students give evidence for identifying food as moist or dry. Then, ask

students if they are familiar with any of the foods or have seen them prepared.

Challenge them to match the moist food with its dry form. Encourage sharing

of other dried foods they know about. Ask students to explain what happens

when food is dried using the words “moisture” or “evaporate.”

Out to Dry

Get two identical pieces of cloth and moisten them with water. Wring out

any excess. Place one piece of cloth in a sealable plastic bag, and lay it on an

easily accessible surface in the classroom, preferably in sunlight. Alternatively,

you could place it on a cooling rack (for baking) or hang it on a clothesline

you create in the window using string. Place the other piece of cloth beside it,

either on a tray or piece of plastic wrap if it is on a surface or directly on the

cooling rack or clothesline. As you are setting up the cloth pieces, challenge

the students to predict which will dry ﬁrst, and to give their reasons. Leave

the cloth pieces overnight, and then observe the changes in the two cloths as

a class. Ask students to explain what happened. Repeat their answers back to

them but rephrase using the words “condensation” and “evaporation” when

possible. Add any new student questions to the I Wonder Wall.

Where’s the Juice?

Show students previously prepared slices of various fruits and vegetables

(at least one slice per student). If possible, use the same types of fruits and

vegetables students sorted by moisture level previously (see Which Is Juiciest?,

page 35). Slices should all be of the same thickness. Tell students that they are

going to leave the slices out in the air for the next four days. Ask:

• Do you think the slices will stay the same as they are now? Why?

• How do you predict they will change? Why?

• What kind of evidence will you look for?

Have each student write her or his name on a piece of paper or foil, and

then choose and place one slice on it. Leave the slices somewhere they won’t

be disturbed. Each day, have the students check their slice and record any

changes using drawings or digital photographs. Encourage students to use

as many of their senses as they can to observe changes (sight, smell, touch).

However, ensure that students do NOT taste the slices! You may also use a

Flex Arm camera to create a time lapse video of the changes. Students might

create a multimedia poster of the fruit using Glogster.

After the four days of observation, have each student use their photos or

drawings to create a timeline showing the changes in the samples, along with

any other observations that were noted. Post the timelines in the classroom.

CONNECT

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 51

As a group, discuss the timelines, and have the students agree on an order in

which all the various fruit slices dried. Guide a discussion of how this order

relates to how much moisture the fruit contained and where that moisture

went. Extend the discussion by asking for suggestions as to how they might

make their fruit dry more quickly.

After the investigation, allow students to experience how the taste of foods

changes when they are dried. Dry foods in an oven at home and bring them

into class, along with undried samples. Alternatively, dry fruit or vegetable

slices in a food dehydrator in class.

What Do You Want to Know About Evaporation?

Wonder aloud to the class about factors that affect evaporation. For example,

say:

• I wonder if a lake evaporates as fast as a puddle?

• I wonder if clothes dry as fast in the shade as in the sunshine?

• I wonder what I can use to stop water from evaporating?

Ask students what they wonder about evaporation. Record their questions,

then inform them that they are going to have the chance to ﬁnd answers to

these questions.

In a central location, provide a variety of shapes and sizes of containers (e.g.

saucers, cups) and materials (e.g., foil, construction paper, mirrors, plastic

wrap, wax paper, felt, cotton). Provide some sources of heat and/or air

movement (e.g., hairdryers, electric fans, heat lamps) and inform students

that you will help them if they want to use these tools.

Divide the class into groups of three or four students. Have each group

choose one of the questions you recorded during the initial discussion and

use the materials to try to ﬁnd an answer. Remind students about the steps

of the inquiry process by pointing out the What Is the Inquiry Process? poster.

Have students record their plan, results, and conclusion on BLM My Inquiry

(see page 81). Completed BLMs can be stored in the students’ Science

Folders.

Provide materials for students to record their observations. If possible, have

students record their observations with a digital camera, or do so for them.

When student work is complete, have each group communicate what they

did (the procedure for their investigation) and what they observed (their

results) as a digital presentation.

Lemonade for Sale!

Tell students that they are going to create a plan for a lemonade stand, and to

make sure their customers are happy, they will need to use what they have

learned about the three states of water, and how water changes from one

state to another. Begin with a whole group brainstorming session by asking

questions such as:

My Inquiry

Name:

_______________________________________________________

My question:

My plan:

My results:

My conclusion:

How I will share what I learned:

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 81

CONSOLIDATE

• Where will you put your stand? Will it be in the shade or the sunshine?

• Will you keep your lemonade in a large pitcher until someone buys a cup,

or pour out several cups beforehand?

• Where will you store the ice? What kind of container will you use?

• Should you put ice in the pitcher of lemonade before you pour it for

a customer, or put some in one cup at a time when someone buys a

glass?

Record students responses on a chart, but do not agree or disagree with any

suggestions. Have students work in small groups to create a poster, ﬂyer, or

Webpage to describe their lemonade stand. Tell students to include all the

answers to these questions in their description. Have students present their

work to the class and ask them to explain the choices they made.

The Magic Cup

Show students a small plastic cup and a larger container it can easily ﬁt in,

such as a bowl, and tell students that you are going to move water from

the cup to the container without touching anything. Fill the cup about

half full with water, and mark the level with a marker. Make sure students

understand that the line marks the height of the water. Place the cup into

the larger container and cover it with plastic wrap. Place a small stone in the

centre of the plastic wrap. Have students draw a picture of this apparatus in

their Science Journals.

Leave the apparatus in sunlight or under a lamp for the remainder of the day,

then leave it overnight in darkness. The next day, check the apparatus with

the class. Water vapour that formed under the plastic wrap under the heat of

sunlight or the lamp will have condensed, and run into the larger container.

Check the level of water in the cup relative to the marker line; it should be

lower. Have students make a drawing that shows how they think the water

moved.

EXPLORE MORE

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 53

Focus: Students will observe and measure changes in air conditions, selecting tools appropriate for

their needs.

Changes in Air Conditions

Specific Curriculum Outcomes

Students will be expected to:

• 15.0 explore changes in air conditions in

indoor and outdoor environments, and

describe and interpret these changes [GCO 1/3]

• 16.0 use appropriate tools [GCO 2]

Performance Indicators

Students who achieve these outcomes will be

able to:

• observe and measure changes in air conditions

such as temperature and wind speed

• select appropriate tools to use to measure

particular air conditions

NOTES:

Attitude Outcome Statements

Encourage students to:

• show concern for their safety and that of others in carrying out activities and

using materials [GCO 4]

Cross-Curricular Connections

Social Studies

Students will be expected to:

• describe how people’s interactions with their environment have changed

over time [2.4.2]

English Language Arts

Students will be expected to:

• communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to respond

personally and critically [GCO 2]

• Weather is a combination of sunlight, precipitation (rain, snow, hail),

wind, humidity, air pressure, and temperature for a given area at a

particular time. Scientists measure and record these conditions in order

to describe the weather and to identify patterns over time. Meteorologists

forecast weather so that communities can prepare for speciﬁc conditions.

Getting Organized

Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary

• Science Card 7

• BLM

Venn Diagram

• IWB Activity 6

• BLM

Pinwheel

Literacy Place:

• T

he North Wind and

the Sun

(Guided

Reading, Level H)

• weather instruments (e.g.,

thermometers, hygrometers,

anemometers, wind socks,

weather vanes)

• students’ Science Journals

• paper or index cards

• markers

• crayons

• coloured pencils or markers

• scissors

• straws

• paper fasteners

• single-hole paper punch

• digital camera (optional)

• If necessary, gather

photos or videos

of various weather

instruments.

• Invite an Elder or an

Indigenous Knowledge

Keeper to talk about

how knowledge of

weather is important

in traditional practices

such as being on the

land.

• Punch holes through

both sides of a straw

at one end (one per

student).

• temperature

• thermometer

• rain gauge

• anemometer

• wind sock

• weather vane

Science Background

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 55

• Common misconceptions about weather include: clouds can block wind

and slow it down; wind is caused by moving objects or by Earth turning;

cold weather makes wind or makes stronger wind; rain falls out of holes or

funnels in clouds; rain is clouds sweating or melting; rain is caused by the

wind shaking clouds, by clouds colliding, or by clouds getting too heavy.

A Change in the Air

Focus on the images on Science Card 7 one at a time, and guide students on

an imagination walk through each scenario. Have the class tell you what

they imagine the air feels like. Record students’ ideas for each scenario on a

large chart and post the chart in a central place.

Then, divide the class into pairs and provide each pair with a copy of BLM

Venn Diagram. Tell the class that they are to work with their partner to

choose two of the imagination walks, and use the BLM to compare and

contrast the air in each scenario. Provide prompts such as:

• Was there anything different about how the air felt?

• Was the temperature the same in both?

• Was the air moving in both? If so, was it moving the same amount?

Invite students to suggest another scenario (e.g., entering a walk-in freezer

or walking on a hot beach) and lead an imagination walk to describe the air

conditions.

Measuring Weather

Gather together some instruments used to measure air conditions, wind speed,

and wind direction, such as thermometers, hygrometers, anemometers, wind

socks, and weather vanes. When possible, demonstrate how the instruments

work. Display the instruments in the classroom and allow the students to

explore them. (If you cannot assemble a collection of instruments, show

Possible Misconceptions

ACTIVATE

Venn Diagram

Name:

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 59

Literacy Place Connection:

In The North Wind and the Sun (Guided Reading, Level H) the North

Wind challenges the Sun to prove who is stronger. Invite students to

describe the air conditions when the North Wind is blowing and then

when the Sun is shining. Ask:

•

What evidence do you see in the illustrations to show the air is

moving?

CONNECT

students photos or videos of weather instruments.) Discuss what air condition

each instrument measures and how it is used. Ask:

• When is it important to know air conditions?

Weather Knowledge

Invite an Elder or an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper to talk about how

knowledge of weather is important in traditional practices such as being on

the land. Ask the guest to share information such as, when out on the land,

how they predict the weather; what they do to stay safe in severe weather;

and if they use any special tools to measure the weather.

Air Temperature

Working in small groups of three or four, have students explore

thermometers. If necessary, remind students how the liquid rises and falls

with temperature changes. Ask students to suggest ways to record the

temperature (e.g., draw a line on a paper that is as long as the liquid is high,

draw a line on an index card attached to the thermometer).

Tell students that you are curious about the air temperature inside and outside

the school. Invite students to ask questions about this; if necessary, prompt

thinking by saying “I wonder if the temperature is the same inside all the

time?” Record the students’ questions. Then, as a class, choose a question to

investigate, or have the small groups decide on their own question to

investigate. Work with the students to come up with a plan for gathering data

with the thermometers. Students should plan to measure and record air

temperature at different times of the day and in different locations, both inside

and outside the school. Students can record these observations in their Science

Journals. Assist students in keeping track of their data over the day as needed.

Spin Me Around: Pinwheels

Gather a class set of the following: crayons, coloured pencils or markers;

scissors; straws; paper fasteners, and copies of BLM Pinwheel. You will also

need at least one single-hole paper punch. Either before class or as the students

are working, punch a hole through both sides of all of the straws at one end.

Have students collect their supplies. Draw their attention to the BLM and

explain that they are to cut along the dotted lines and stop where the line

stops. Circulate when the students are cutting out the pinwheel, making

sure they don’t cut too far. Invite students to decorate their pinwheel after

they cut it out. Tell them to decorate both sides as they will be able to see

both sides of the paper when they are ﬁnished. When students have ﬁnished

decorating, have them use a paper punch to make holes where there are

black dots on their pinwheel.

Demonstrate the next steps to the class:

1. Form the pinwheel by looping each cut triangular piece back towards

the centre and lining up all the holes.

2. Insert the paper fastener through the aligned holes, and through the

holes in the straw, before opening it. It should be tight enough to keep

the pinwheel together but not so tight the pinwheel won’t spin.

IWB Activity:

Challenge students to

identify the weather

instruments using IWB

Activity 6: Mystery

Object (see the

Teacher’s Website).

Pinwheel

Cut along the dotted lines. Don't cut too far!

Name:

60 Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 57

After your demonstration, have students assemble their pinwheels as you

showed them. Circulate to offer assistance as needed. When pinwheels are

ﬁnished, invite students to make them move by blowing on them. Ask:

• What is making the pinwheel move?

Invite students to test the pinwheels in various locations in and around

the school to note how fast the pinwheel spins in different locations and

conditions. Students may wish to record their observations by taking digital

videos.

Weather Station

As a class, create a display showing the collected weather instruments and

describing what air conditions each measures. If possible, create a weather

station with the instruments. Make a large chart in a central area in the

classroom to display collected data. Have volunteers help you to read and

record data on the weather each day for several weeks using appropriate

instruments. Invite a student to make a weather report to the class each day.

Students could also take turns giving the weather report over the PA to the

entire school.

Blowin’ in the Wind

Have students draw a series of pictures of an object (e.g., a tree, clothes on

a clothesline, or a ﬂag) to show how it looks in various air conditions (e.g.,

no wind, light wind, and strong wind). Encourage students to exchange their

work with a partner and explain what is happening in each picture and why.

CONSOLIDATE

EXPLORE MORE

Venn Diagram

Name:

Pinwheel

Cut along the dotted lines. Don't cut too far!

Name:

Focus: Students will explore and describe how weather affects objects and materials, and investigate

ways to protect objects and materials under different weather conditions.

Protection from Different

Weather Conditions

Specific Curriculum Outcomes

Students will be expected to:

• 17.0 explore the effects of weather on objects

and materials [GCO 1/3]

• 18.0 investigate ways to protect objects and

materials under different conditions [GCO 1/3]

• 19.0 select and use materials to carry out their

own explorations and investigations [GCO 2]

Performance Indicators

Students who achieve these outcomes will be

able to:

• describe and explain the changes that occur in

objects and materials left outside

• suggest ways to protect objects and materials

from particular weather conditions

NOTES:

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 61

Attitude Outcome Statements

Encourage students to:

• consider their observations and their own ideas when drawing a conclusion

[GCO 4]

Cross-Curricular Connections

English Language Arts

Students will be expected to:

• speak and listen to explore, extend, clarify, and reﬂect on their thoughts,

ideas, feelings, and experiences [GCO 1]

• interpret, select, and combine information using a variety of strategies,

resources, and technologies [GCO 5]

Getting Organized

Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary

• Science Card 8

•

The Little Knight

Who Battled the Rain

(Read Aloud)

• Science Card 7

(optional)

• Science Card 9

• coloured construction

paper (sheets)

• common and galvanized

nails

• rust protection coatings

• craft sticks

• paint and/or wood stain

• leather swatches

• plain fabric and waxed

fabric

• protective spray, such as

Armor All

• students’ Science Folders

• small squares of dark- and

light-coloured construction

paper

• digital camera (optional)

• Survey an area around your

school to find weathered

human-made and natural

objects and materials (e.g.,

rust, peeling paint, rotted

wood, cracked concrete,

or tattered fabrics). You

may wish to add some

weathered objects for

students to find.

• Create a list of clues

describing objects and

materials for the Scavenger

Hunt. Alternatively, prepare

copies of a numbered map

identifying a material or

object at each stop.

• Gather pictures or articles

about a recent extreme

weather event in your

region and invite someone

from the community who

remembers the event

or an expert, such as a

meteorologist, to add

insight.

• weathering

• rust

• waterproof

•

Weathering is the changes that occur in materials and objects exposed

to changes in moisture, air movement, and air temperature (weather).

Eventually, weathering results in the breakdown of materials either into

smaller parts (e.g., when paint breaks down) or changes to another chemical

substance (e.g., the oxidation of metals such as iron).

• The rate of weathering can be decreased by reducing the contact of materials

and objects with weather changes. For example, paints and stains keep

moisture from penetrating wood, synthetic coatings are added to fabrics

to make them wind- or moisture-resistant, and objects may be wrapped in

waterproof substances such as plastic sheeting to protect against both wind

and moisture.

• Weathering due to acid rain can be (and in many areas has been) reduced

by eliminating or reducing the sources of pollution that contribute to making

rain acidic.

• Students may think weathered objects are dirty, and imagine they can be

restored by washing. They may explain weathering of objects as the result

of not taking care of the object. Explain to students that weathering is a

natural process when objects and materials are left outside under different

weather conditions.

Dressing for Weather Conditions

Remind students that when weather conditions change, it can affect us. It

can get warmer or cooler, drier or wetter, more still or windy. Share Science

Card 8 with the students, and have them answer the questions: What kind of

weather is the clothing designed for? How does each item protect you? You

might also invite students to show to their classmates any items of clothing

they wore today that offer protection from the air conditions (weather). Ask:

• What would you wear on a hot, sunny day?

• What would you wear on a cold, snowy day?

• What would you wear on a warm, windy day?

• What would you wear on a cool, rainy day?

• Why is it important to wear clothing that protects you from the weather

conditions?

Science Background

Possible Misconceptions

ACTIVATE

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 63

Summary

The little knight isn’t afraid of anything, except rain! Rain makes his armour

rust. But when a tremendous rain storm with violent winds lasts for 39

days and strands the villagers in their treetop homes, the little knight must

overcome his fear to save his village.

Ask students to think of a time that the weather interrupted their plans

for something special (e.g., rain during an outdoor party or strong wind

on a picnic). If student have difﬁculty thinking of anything, share a story

about changing air conditions (temperature, wind conditions, moisture or

precipitation) that you weren’t prepared for, such as low temperature on a

hike or having clothes on the clothesline when it started to rain.

Tell students that you will be reading a story about a huge rain storm in a

special village. Ask them to listen as you read aloud to discover what effects

the storm had on the village and to think about how the people could protect

themselves from these air conditions in the future.

As you read the story to students, pause frequently to discuss the text and

illustrations. Alternate between asking students to respond in a whole group

or with a partner. Prompts for discussion could include:

After viewing the ﬁrst page of small illustrations:

• Why do you think the little knight wears armour?

• What is armour made of?

After reading and viewing the next two pages:

• What is the only thing that the little knight is afraid of? (rain)

• What affect does the rain have on his armour? (makes it rust)

• Why might rusty armour be a problem?

After looking closely at the illustration of the village in the treetops:

• What is special about the little knight’s village? How is it different from

other places people live?

• What would it feel like to live in a village built in the treetops? How might

the air feel? (If necessary, remind students of the imagination walks they took

for the scenarios on Science Card 7 and how the air felt in each scenario.)

• Why are ladders important to a village in the treetops?

• What other ways might the people get to their homes from the ground?

What do you think would be the best way to reach their homes?

CONNECT

Read Aloud:

The Little Knight Who Battled the Rain

Before Reading

During Reading

After reading about and viewing the image of the storm:

• What would the air feel like during the storm?

After reading the next two pages:

• What does the little knight do when he is afraid?

• Why do you think eating chocolate cake makes him feel better?

After reading the next two pages about the ladders:

• What affect do the strong winds have on the village? (breaks and blows

the ladders away) Why is this a problem?

After reading and viewing the next four pages, ending when the little knight

promises a solution:

• What does the air feel like after the storm ends and the light rain is falling?

• What new problem do the villagers have?

After reading and viewing the next six pages, ending when the little knight

bakes chocolate cakes:

• What idea does the little knight have to save the village?

• How do you think the cats and birds can help him?

After reading about the delivery of the chocolate cake to the villagers:

• How do you think the villagers will solve the problem of being stranded

at the top of the trees?

After reading and viewing the next two pages:

• What did the villagers do? Was this one of the ideas we had for reaching

the houses?

• How else might they protect their homes from strong winds?

After reading the rest of the text:

• Why do you think the little knight is no longer afraid of the rain?

Ask students to think about the effects of the wind and the rain in the story.

Discuss how the villagers could protect themselves from these conditions in

the future. Provide prompts such as:

• What should the little knight do when he goes out in the rain? (protect his

armour)

• How could the little knight protect his armour from rusting?

• How can the villagers keep their ladders from being blown away again?

• Are some materials better than others for being made into ladders? Why

do you think so?

• Do you think it is a good idea to build a village in the treetops? Why or

why not?

After Reading

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 65

Scavenger Hunt

Hold a class discussion to engage students’ previous knowledge of weather.

Hold a brief discussion to ﬁnd out how students think weather affects objects

and materials. Introduce the term “weathering” and add it to the Word Wall.

Share Science Card 9 with the class. Have students share their ideas about

how weather affects the objects and materials shown. Ask:

• Are these objects new? How do you know?

• Why do things change when they are left outside?

• How does paint change on things that are left outside?

Tell the class that they are going to go on a scavenger hunt to ﬁnd objects and

materials that have been out in the weather (e.g., rusted metals, peeling paint,

rotted wood, cracked concrete, tattered or faded fabric). The scavenger hunt

should be conﬁned to a particular area around the school. Give each student or

small group a list of clues about items to ﬁnd. The clues should describe how

the object/material has been affected by weather. For example, the clue for

fabric might be “The wind and rain have worn me out.” Alternatively, provide

a numbered map, and have students ﬁnd the weathered object/material at

each stop on the map. Students may take a picture or make a drawing of

the weathered objects and materials they ﬁnd. Ask students to explain what

conditions caused the weathering of each of the objects and materials.

Fading Away

Hold up a piece of coloured construction paper and wonder aloud if the

weather can affect paper. Allow students to respond and record their

predictions on a chart. Ask:

• How can we test these predictions? What should we do to the paper?

Allow students to come up with suggestions, and follow up on any that are

reasonable. For example, students might tape a piece of construction paper in

a sunny window, or sprinkle water on a piece to model rainfall. Students can

sketch or take pictures of the results of their investigations. Invite students to

share their results and make conclusions about how weather can affect paper.

Remind students to store the pictures in their Science Folders.

Protection From the Weather

Now that students have observed how various weather conditions can affect

objects and materials, invite them to generate questions about how they

could protect these items. Provide prompts such as:

• How can objects be protected from rust?

• How can we keep objects and materials dry?

• How can we protect against sun damage?

Gather a variety of materials for students to investigate different ways

to protect objects and materials from the effects of particular weather

Word

conditions (moisture and sun/heat damage). Small groups of students

can choose objects or materials to investigate and make a plan for testing

their items. If students need more assistance, the investigations could be

completed for one test at a time with the whole group.

Moisture:

• Rust – Students can test common versus galvanized nails in water.

Encourage students to investigate various coatings to reduce or prevent

rusting of the nails.

• Warping and rotting – Students can compare untreated craft sticks with

sticks that have been painted, stained, or treated.

• Water repellant – Students can test how water repellant untreated leather

is vs leather that has been treated with a protective spray. Or, students

may choose to test plain fabric vs fabric that has been treated with a wax

coating.

Sun or heat damage:

• Sun damage – Students can test to compare dark- vs light-coloured

construction paper to model degrees of plastic and fabric colour fading.

• Sun and heat damage – Students can test untreated leather and plastic vs

pieces treated with Armor All or another protectant to model damage to

cars.

While students are investigating, encourage them to think about new

questions they have about protecting objects and materials from the weather.

These questions can be recorded on sticky notes or cards and attached to the

I Wonder Wall. Invite each group to share with the class what they learned

about protecting objects and materials from different weather conditions.

Weathered Objects

Revisit the small objects that have been kept outside since the beginning of

the unit. Ask:

• Do any of the objects show signs of weathering?

• What weather conditions may have caused the changes?

Bring the objects back to the classroom several more times over the course

of the school year and invite students to examine them for change. You

may wish to have students take digital pictures to show the progression of

weathering. Discuss what could have been done to protect the objects from

the weather.

CONSOLIDATE

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 67

Extreme Weather Conditions

Share with students pictures or articles about a recent extreme weather

event in your region (e.g., an ice storm, severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or

ﬂooding). If you experienced the event personally, share your memories of it.

If not, you might invite someone from the community who remembers the

event or have an expert, such as a meteorologist, visit the classroom to add

insight. Ask class members if they have ever had experiences with a really

big storm. Give students the opportunity to share. Start and keep a KWLN

chart on the topic of extreme weather.

After the discussion and/or class visit, ask students what else they would

like to know about extreme weather events. Record suggestions on the

KWLN chart. Divide the class into groups of three to four students. Direct

each group to choose one question from the KWLN chart they would like

to research. Provide access to relevant books and Websites. Allow students

to choose how they will present their ﬁndings to the rest of the class; for

example, as an oral presentation, a poster, or a dramatic skit. After each

group has made their presentation, add any new information or make

revisions to the KWLN chart. Encourage students to add any new questions

to the I Wonder Wall.

EXPLORE MORE

Focus: Students will explore how water is used and obtained in their homes and local community, and

construct and label pictographs to communicate some of their ﬁndings.

Air, Water, and People

Specific Curriculum Outcomes

Students will be expected to:

• 20.0 explore how water is used, obtained,

and distributed in personal, local and regional

environments [GCO 1/3]

• 21.0 construct and label concrete-object graphs

or pictographs [GCO 2]

Performance Indicators

Students who achieve these outcomes will be

able to:

• survey water use in their home and create a

labelled pictograph to communicate the results

• describe the source(s) of water for their

community

NOTES:

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 69

Attitude Outcome Statements

Encourage students to:

• be sensitive to the needs of other people, other living things, and the local

environment [GCO 4]

Cross-Curricular Connections

Math

It is expected that students will:

• construct and interpret concrete graphs and pictographs to solve problems

[2SP2]

English Language Arts

Students will be expected to:

• create texts collaboratively and independently, using a variety of forms for

a range of audiences and purposes [GCO 9]

• Only about 3% of the water on Earth is fresh water. This includes ice,

surface water (in lakes, rivers, and the like) and ground water. Ground

water is found in the spaces between materials in Earth’s upper layer.

About 70% of Canadians (66% of those in Newfoundland and Labrador)

rely on surface water for their supply. The remainder comes from ground

water. Wells are common in many rural communities that lack sufﬁcient

infrastructure to develop other sources.

Getting Organized

Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary

• Science Card 10

• IWB Activity 7

• BLM

Our Water Use

• IWB Activity 8

• students’ Science Folders

• students’ Science Journals

• rainwater

• snow

• ice

• run off

• stream

• river

• lake

• pond

• ocean

• well

• pipes

• tap

• water supply

• surface water

Science Background

• Typical water use by Canadians at home is shown below.

• Unless they do not use a municipal supply, students are unlikely to have

considered where the water in a faucet comes from.

Sources of Water

Brainstorm or review with students the different sources that provide people

with water, for example, lakes, rivers, streams, creeks, ponds, oceans, and

wells. Tell students that there is also water underground which they can’t

see. Explain that this water, called “groundwater,” is found in spaces under

the earth. This water is often directed to the municipal water supply. Ask:

• How does the water get to your house? (Students may say that water is

pumped in or comes through the pipes.)

How Do We Use Water?

Ask students to tell you about any ways they used water today before they

came to school. Make a list as students respond. Then, ask them if they have

used water today in school, and add these responses to the list. Share

Science Card 10 with the class. Ask students to describe the various ways

that water is being used in the illustration. List students’ responses, then ask:

Residential Water Use, Canada

Cleaning

Showers & Baths

Laundry

Kitchen & Drinking

Toilet Flushing

Source: Environment Canada

Possible Misconceptions

ACTIVATE

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 71

• Are there any ways that your family uses water that are not shown in the

picture? Tell me about them. (Record any uses not shown on the Science

Card.)

• Are there any other ways that people use water that you know about?

What are they?

As a class, brainstorm uses of water. Use the unit KWLN chart to record

students understanding and questions.

Water at Home

Tell the class that they are going to ﬁnd out more about how their family

uses water at home by conducting a survey. Brieﬂy explain what a survey

is. Provide students with BLM Our Water Use. The BLM provides a space for

recording the source of water at home. Instruct students to ask an adult to help

them identify the source of their water at home. Students use the rest of the

BLM to track, using tally marks, some common household uses of water in

their household over a weekend or in one day. Students may need their family

members to help them track some uses. Tally your own water use, too.

Review or demonstrate to students how to construct a pictograph using the

data on your tally sheet. Then, have each student construct a pictograph of

the data on water use collected from their home. Invite them to draw pictures

like those on BLM Our Water Use or to invent their own. Have students store

completed BLMs in their Science Folders.

How We Used Water

Have students share the pictographs of their home water consumption by

posting them in the classroom. Ask students to compare their results to those

of their peers. Ask:

• Does everyone use water for the same purposes?

• Does everyone use the same amount of water?

Have students make record their conclusions in their Science Journals.

Incorporate students’ responses in the KWLN chart.

Then, as a class, use the pictographs to sort the activities by how often they

were done for the overall class. Record the sorting results in a central place.

Ask:

IWB Activity:

Have students

sequence activities

according to the

amount of water

required for each

activity using IWB

Activity 7: How much

water? (see the

Teacher’s Website).

CONNECT

Our Water Use

Name:

Circle or write the answer.

We get our water from

our town our well bottles another source

Day Tooth

brushing

Drinking Hand

washing

Toilet

flushing

Bath or

shower

Cooking Other

74 Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment

CONSOLIDATE

• What could we do to use less water?

• Do you think it is important to conserve water? Why?

Revise the KWLN chart with new information or questions.

Conserving Water

Challenge students to suggest how they could reduce water waste at home

and at school. Prompt them to look at the results of the water use survey

when they are brainstorming. Students can communicate their ideas as a

poster or Webpage that can be shared with the school.

How Do We Use Water in My Classroom?

Create a tally sheet of common ways that students use water throughout the

day at school: e.g., going to the bathroom, washing their hands, or getting a

drink of water. Post the tally sheet in a central location, such as on the door,

and have students add a tally mark to the sheet each time they carry out

one of these activities, over a period of two or three days. If necessary, use a

fresh tally chart each day. As a class, create a pictogram from the data. Ask:

• Does anything on the graph surprise you?

• Was anything more or less what you expected?

• Can you use this information to suggest ways we can reduce water use

at school?

EXPLORE MORE

IWB Activity:

Alternatively, students

could use IWB

Activity 8: How do we

use water at school?

(see the Teacher’s

Website) to track

students’ water use

through the day.

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 73

Our Water Use

Name:

Circle or write the answer.

We get our water from our town our well bottles another source

Day Tooth

brushing

Drinking Hand

washing

Toilet

flushing

Bath or

shower

Cooking Other

Focus: Students will explore the causes and effects of air and water pollution, and suggest personal

actions they can take to reduce pollution.

Pollution

Specific Curriculum Outcomes

Students will be expected to:

• 22.0 explore ways to protect and improve the

quality of air and water in the environment

[GCO 1/3]

Performance Indicators

Students who achieve these outcomes will be

able to:

• plan and carry out actions as a class that may

reduce pollution, and explain the importance

of pollution control

NOTES:

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 75

Attitude Outcome Statements

Encourage students to:

• be sensitive to the needs of other people, other living things, and the local

environment [GCO 4]

Cross-Curricular Connections

Social Studies

Students will be expected to:

• demonstrate an understanding of how individuals and groups have

contributed to change [2.1.2]

• describe how people’s interactions with their environment have changed

over time [2.4.2]

• demonstrate an understanding of sustainable development and its

importance to our future (local, national, and global) [2.4.3]

Math

It is expected that students will:

• construct and interpret concrete graphs and pictographs to solve problems

[2SP2]

English Language Arts

Students will be expected to:

• select, read, and view with understanding a range of literature,

information, media, and visual text [GCO 4]

• respond critically to a range of texts, applying their understanding of

language, form, and genre [GCO 7]

Getting Organized

Components Materials Before You Begin Vocabulary

• Science Card 11

• IWB Activity 9

• Science Card 12

• bottle of dirty

water

• bottle of clean

water

• students’ Science

Journals

• Collect a sample of polluted water or mix

soil with tap water in a bottle.

• Find videos of air and water pollution

associated with human activities. (optional)

• Gather resources (e.g., books and

Websites) related to pollution.

• Make arrangements to visit a local water

treatment facility, or invite a worker from

the facility or an expert on water pollution

to visit the class.

• Invite an Elder or an Indigenous

Knowledge Keeper to discuss how air

or water pollution has affected their

traditional way of life.

• pollution

• polluted

• In Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador has the lowest levels of the six

most common air pollutants: sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, volatile

organic compounds, ammonia, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter.

• Sources of water pollution include: industrial discharges or spills, untreated

sewage, agricultural runoff, leaks in fossil fuel storage tanks or pipelines,

storm water overﬂows, deposition of airborne pollutants (e.g. sulphur

oxides dissolving in water to form acid rain), and plant and animal

decomposition.

• In Newfoundland and Labrador, boil water advisories are usually issued

as a result of contamination of the water supply with Giardia. Giardia is

a parasite that enters the water supply by contaminated wildlife using a

surface water source, and cannot be killed by other disinfection methods,

such as water chlorination.

• It is unusual for students to have thought about pollution at this age or

formed any misconceptions. Many people believe that air pollution or

pollution in general is a major contributor to climate change. The reality is

that most climate change is due to elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the

atmosphere. This greenhouse gas absorbs and retains heat from the sun,

raising the temperature on Earth.

Water Pollution

Bring in a bottle of dirty water (collect a sample from the environment,

or mix soil in with tap water) and a bottle of clean water. Pass the bottles

around and ask students which they would like to drink, bath in, or give to

Science Background

Air Pollutants Sources

sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides,

and carbon monoxide

- oil and gas industry

- transportation industry

- other industries (includes mining)

- fossil fuel use for heating and electricity production

- burning of firewood

volatile organic compounds - same sources as above for sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and

carbon monoxide

- paint and solvent use

- agriculture

- off-road vehicles

ammonia - agriculture; livestock waste and decomposing plant matter

particulate matter - burning firewood

- construction

- dust from roads (paved and unpaved)

Possible Misconceptions

ACTIVATE

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 77

a pet. Introduce the terms “pollution” and “polluted” and add them to the

Word Wall. Ask:

• How are people, animals, and/or plants affected by the pollution?

When students have ﬁnished offering suggestions, lead them to an awareness

of how important it is to their lives to have clean water.

What Does Pollution Do?

Share Science Card 11 with the students. In addition, you might watch videos

of air and water pollution associated with human activities. Prompt

discussion of the implications of pollution on humans and wildlife by asking

questions such as:

• Would you like to use this water? Why?

• Would you like to breathe this air? Why?

• Do you think water pollution would affect animals and ﬁsh? How?

• How do you think air pollution affects animals and/or plants?

Divide the class into small groups. Have each group choose an aspect of

pollution that interests them, and then write a speciﬁc question to which they

can ﬁnd an answer. Students can record their question in their Science

Journals. Provide resources such as books and Websites, and instruct students

to search for information related to the question they posed. When research is

complete, students can share their research with their classmates by giving a

class presentation, or creating a Webpage or poster.

Clean It Up!

Take students on a ﬁeld trip to a local water treatment facility. Alternatively,

have a worker from such a facility or an expert on water pollution visit the

class. As a class, brainstorm questions students would like answered. After

the trip/visit, discuss with students why using water wisely is important.

Review the pictographs students created in Water at Home (see page 72)

and help them to interpret the graphs to analyze their water consumption at

home. Prompt deep thinking by wondering aloud about water use and water

pollution. For example, you might say:

• I wonder why I can’t use all the water I want if we clean it up afterward?

• I wonder what happens to the stuff that they take out of the water?

• I wonder why we sometimes have to boil our water?

Have the class create a bulletin board presentation summarizing what they

learned during their trip/the visit. Revise and add to the unit KWLN chart

whenever possible.

What Causes Pollution?

Divide the class into small groups. Direct the groups to brainstorm ways in

which water and air might become polluted. Provide materials for students

Word

CONNECT

to record their ideas. When the groups have ﬁnished brainstorming, come

together as a class and invite each group to share their ideas. Create a class

list of ideas in a central location.

Have the class vote on which idea is most interesting to them. Write this in

a large format and post it in the classroom (e.g. air pollution comes from

cars). Then, divide the class into small groups and have the students conduct

research to ﬁnd out if pollution actually happens the way they think it does.

Provide resources and time for students to conduct research to check the

validity of their ideas. Remind students to keep records of what they ﬁnd, and

that they will be expected to share their information with the rest of the class.

After the groups have shared their ﬁndings, return to the statement you

posted. Ask students if their idea was completely correct, a bit correct, or not

correct at all. Have them explain their choice. Then, invite them to revisit

their statement and revise it, based on what they learned.

Let’s Keep It Clean!

Invite an Elder or an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper to discuss how air or

water pollution has affected their traditional way of life.

Share Science Card 12 with the class. Discuss the questions on the card as a

class. Then, ask students to suggest ways they, as a class, might act to reduce

pollution and, therefore, protect our environment. Then, work with the class

to create a plan to carry out their idea. For example, students might start a

recycling program, reduce the use of paper, or walk to school more often.

Students could create a poster campaign to encourage others in the school or

community to take action to reduce pollution.

What If?

Challenge students to draw, build a model, or relate a story in order to

communicate their ideas of how their community would be affected if we do

not act in ways that protect our water and air. Provide materials, books, and

online resources for students to use as needed.

Revisit any remaining questions posted on the I Wonder Wall and have

students discuss answers in small groups or with a partner. If there are

questions which cannot be answered at the time, these can remain on the

I Wonder Wall for students to research independently. Discuss what the

students have learned about the three states of water; moisture in the

environment, in materials, and in living things; changing air conditions; and

ways to protect and improve the quality of air and water in the environment.

IWB Activity:

Students can use

IWB Activity 9: Helpful

or harmful? (see the

Teacher’s Website) to

identify activities that

are helpful or harmful

to the environment.

CONSOLIDATE

EXPLORE MORE

WRAPPING UP THE UNIT

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 79

Specific Curriculum Outcomes Checklist

Name: __________________________________ Date: _______________

Rating: 1 – not evident; 2 – with assistance; 3 – mostly on own; 4 – on own consistently

Specific Curriculum Outcomes Rating and Observations

1.0 pose questions that lead to exploration and

investigation [GCO 2]

2.0 communicate using scientific terminology [GCO 2]

3.0 explore how air surrounds us, takes up space, and is

felt as wind when it moves [GCO 1/3]

4.0 explore characteristics of the three states of water

[GCO 1/3]

5.0 investigate changes that occur when the three states

of water are heated or cooled [GCO 1/3]

6.0 predict based on an observed pattern [GCO 2]

7.0 make and record observations and measurements

[GCO 2]

8.0 explore evidence of moisture in the environment, in

materials, and in living things [GCO 1/3]

9.0 propose an answer to an initial questions or problem

and draw a simple conclusion [GCO 2]

10.0 sequence or group materials and objects [GCO 2]

11.0 explore changes in the location, amount, and form of

moisture [GCO 1/3]

12.0 communicate while exploring and investigating

[GCO 2]

13.0 investigate conditions that affect changes in the

location, amount, and form of moisture [GCO 1/3]

14.0 communicate procedures and results [GCO 2]

15.0 explore changes in air conditions in indoor and

outdoor environments, and describe and interpret

these changes [GCO 1/3]

16.0 use appropriate tools [GCO 2]

17.0 explore the effects of weather on objects and

materials [GCO 1/3]

18.0 investigate ways to protect objects and materials

under different conditions [GCO 1/3]

19.0 select and use materials to carry out their own

explorations and investigations [GCO 2]

20.0 explore how water is used, obtained, and distributed in

personal, local and regional environments [GCO 1/3]

21.0 construct and label concrete-object graphs or

pictographs [GCO 2]

22.0 explore ways to protect and improve the quality of air

and water in the environment [GCO 1/3]

My Inquiry

Name: _______________________________________________________

My question:

My plan:

My results:

My conclusion:

How I will share what I learned:

Student Self-Assessment of Inquiry Process

Name: _______________________________________________________

Rating Scale = Great = Good = Needs to be better

Step 1

I asked a question.

I made a plan.

Step 2

I followed my plan.

I recorded my results.

Step 3

I thought about

my results.

I made a conclusion.

Step 4

I shared what I learned.

Teacher Assessment of Inquiry Process

Name: __________________________________ Date: _______________

1 2 3 4

Initiating and Planning

• poses a question that leads to exploration or

investigation

• makes a prediction based on an observed pattern

• makes a simple plan

• selects and uses materials

Performing and Recording

• carries out the plan/follows a simple procedure

• uses appropriate tools

• makes observations

• records observations and measurements

• identifies and uses a variety of sources of information

and ideas

• follows safety procedures and rules

Analyzing and Interpreting

• sequences or groups materials and objects

• constructs and labels concrete-object graphs or

pictographs

• proposes an answer to the initial question and draws

a simple conclusion

• poses new questions that arise from what was

learned

Communicating and Teamwork

• communicates while exploring and investigating

• communicates using scientific terminology

• communicates procedure and result

• responds to ideas and actions of others and

acknowledges their ideas and contributions

Comments:

Inquiry Process Rubric

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

talks about things that are

of interest

asks simple questions

about objects and events

that are observable

uses observations to ask

questions to investigate,

but questions are not

always realistic

uses observations and

prior knowledge to ask

questions to investigate

makes guesses about the

outcome of an inquiry

makes simple predictions

about the outcome of an

inquiry, but they may be

hoped-for outcomes

makes simple predictions

about the outcome of

an inquiry based on prior

observations

makes thoughtful

predictions about

the outcome of an

inquiry based on prior

observations and

knowledge

with prompting, offers

ideas for a procedure

contributes ideas for a

procedure, but they may

not be complete

provides ideas for a simple

procedure

provides clear, sequential

steps for a simple

procedure

with prompting, identifies

some materials which

could be used to carry out

the plan

identifies some materials

which could be used to

carry out the plan

selects and uses materials

to carry out the plan

selects and uses

appropriate materials to

carry out the plan and

explains reasons for

choice

carries out the plan/

follows a simple procedure

with prompting

carries out the plan/

follows most of a simple

procedure

carries out the plan/follows

a simple procedure

carries out the plan/

follows a simple procedure,

making adjustments as

necessary

with prompting, uses some

appropriate tools with

assistance

selects and uses common

tools

selects and uses some

appropriate tools

selects and uses all

appropriate tools

makes simple observations

using senses

makes some relevant

observations using senses

makes relevant

observations using

appropriate senses

makes relevant, detailed

observations using

appropriate senses

with prompting, records

observations and

measurements

records observations and

measurements which may

be incomplete

records observations and

measurements accurately

records observations and

measurements accurately

in a variety of ways

gets information from a

teacher-chosen source

identifies some relevant

information from familiar

sources

identifies relevant

information from sources

of the same type

identifies relevant

information from a variety

of sources

needs help to follow safety

procedures and rules

needs occasional

prompting to follow safety

procedures and rules

follows most safety

procedures and rules

follows all safety

procedures and rules and

explains why they are

needed

INITIATING AND PLANNING

PERFORMING AND RECORDING

Continued on next page...

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

sequences or groups

materials and objects

based on simple teacher-

chosen attributes

sequences or groups

materials and objects

based on a few simple

attributes

sequences or groups

materials and objects

based on multiple

attributes

accurately sequences

or groups materials and

objects based on multiple

attributes

with prompting, constructs

a concrete-object graph or

pictograph

constructs a concrete-

object graph or pictograph

but title and labels may be

missing or inappropriate

constructs a concrete-

object graph or pictograph

with appropriate title and

labels

constructs a concrete-

object graph or pictograph

with appropriate title and

labels to accurately reflect

results

describes what happened draws a simple conclusion

based on observations, but

may not link conclusion to

the initial question

draws a conclusion based

on observations which link

to the initial question

draws a conclusion based

on observations and states

if it supports or refutes

their prediction

with prompting, identifies

some new questions but

they may not be about this

inquiry

identifies some simple new

questions on the topic of

this inquiry

identifies some new

questions on the topic of

this inquiry that could be

investigated

identifies new questions

on the topic of this inquiry

and suggests how they

could be investigated

willingly asks for help and

accepts help from other

group members

makes suggestions to

group members as to what

should be done

communicates with group

members, sometimes with

problems

communicates and works

effectively with group

members

understands some

scientific terminology but

rarely uses it

understands simple

scientific terminology, but

does not always use it

correctly

usually uses scientific

terminology appropriately

consistently uses scientific

terminology appropriately

with prompting, describes

the result and some of the

procedures

communicates basic

information about the

result and most of the

procedures

communicates most of

the information about the

result and procedures

accurately communicates

the information about the

result and procedures

listens to others and

learns from their

observations

listens to others and learns

from their observations,

and draws on their

language use

considers and responds

to the ideas of others

and learns from their

observations and

descriptions

considers and responds

to the ideas of others and

applies the observations

and descriptions to

their own ideas and

understandings

ANALYZING AND INTERPRETINGCOMMUNICATING AND TEAMWORK

Inquiry Process Rubric

(Continued)

Additional Resources

About Habitats: Polar Regions, by Cathryn Sill (Peachtree Publishers, 2015)

Extreme Weather [Discovery Kids Series] (Parragon Books, 2013)

Eyewitness Explorer: Nature Ranger [Eyewitness Explorer Series] (DK Kids, 2015)

Make a Splash!: A Kid’s Guide to Protecting Our Oceans, Lakes, Rivers, &

Wetland, by Catherine Berger Kaye (Free Spirit Publishing, 2012)

National Geographic Kids: Polar Bears by Laura Marsh (National Geographic,

2013)

Polar Bears, by Mark Newman (Henry Holt and Co., 2010)

Raindrops Roll, by April Pulley Sayre (Beach Lane Books, 2015)

Why Does It Happen: Tornadoes, Hurricanes and Typhoons [Children’s

Weather Books] (Baby Professor, 2015)

Oil Spill! by Melvin Berger (HarperCollins, 1994)

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (Random House Books for Young Readers, 1971)

Where Do Polar Bears Live? Sarah L. Thomson (HarperCollins, 2009)

Why Are the Ice Caps Melting?: The Dangers of Global Warming by Anne

Rockwell (HarperCollins, 2006)

Why Should I Save Water? by Jen Green (Barron’s Educational Series, 2005)

American Museum of Natural History Ology: Water

http://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/water

BBC Science Clips: Solids and Liquids

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/8_9/solid_liquids.shtml

EekOWorld: Air and Water

http://pbskids.org/eekoworld/index.html?load=air_water

Hippothesis: Evaporation

http://www.knowledgekids.ca/videos/hippothesis/evaporation-s0-e8

Hippothesis: Fog

www.knowledgekids.ca/videos/hippothesis/fog-s0-e3

Hippothesis: Why Do Icicles Melt

http://www.knowledgekids.ca/videos/hippothesis/icicles-s0-e15

Kids Geo: Condensation

www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0107-condensation.php

Kids Geo: Evaporation

www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0102-evaporation.php

Tree House Weather Kids: How Do We Measure the Wind

http://extension.illinois.edu/treehouse/airpressure.cfm?Slide=8

Non-ﬁction Books

Picture Books

Websites

for Students

TVO Kids: The Green Squad: Water for Everyone

http://www.tvokids.com/shows/greensquad

TVO Kids: Finding Stuff Out: Water

http://www.tvokids.com/shows/ﬁndingstuffout

TVO Kids: Project Ice

www.tvokids.com/videos/projectice

AAAS SciLinks: Water3—Melting and Freezing

http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/water-3-melting-and-freezing/

Canadian Geographic: How to reduce water pollution by conserving water at home

www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/so03/indepth/knowledgetoolbox.asp

Earth Rangers

www.earthrangers.org/bring-back-the-wild-curriculum-resources/

EeekWorld

http://pbskids.org/eekoworld//parentsteachers/lessons.html

eSchool Today: Water

http://eschooltoday.com/science/needs-of-living-organisms/living-things-

need-water-to-survive.html

How Stuff Works: How Food Preservation Works

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/food-

preservation.htm

How Stuff Works: Science Projects for Kids—Air Pressure

http://lifestyle.howstuffworks.com/crafts/other-arts-crafts/science-projects-

for-kids-air-pressure.htm

National Centre for Home Food Preservation

http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/nchfp/factsheets/food_pres_hist.html

National Geographic: Condensation

http://education.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/condensation/

National Geographic: Evaporation

http://education.nationalgeographic.org/media/learning-about-evaporation/

National Geographic: Frost

http://education.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/frost/

NL Turn Back the Tide: At Home

www.turnbackthetide.ca/at-home/water/water.shtml#.VrIQMvkrLIU

PBS Kids Plum Landing: Evaporation

http://pbskids.org/plumlanding/educators/activities/evaporation_station_ed.html

Weather Watchers

https://sites.google.com/site/weatherwatchers65/home/

Weather Wiz Kids

www.weatherwizkids.com/

Websites for Teachers

Unit 1: Air and Water in the Environment 87

Dear parents and caregivers,

We are about to start an exciting new unit in science where we will be exploring air

and water in the environment. Through a variety of hands-on explorations and

investigations, your child will be developing an understanding of concepts such as

changes in air conditions; moisture in the environment, in materials, and in living

things; and the effects of weather on objects and materials. As well, your child will

be challenged to consider ways of protecting and improving the quality of air and

water in the environment.

You can talk to your child at home about how your family prepares for changing

weather conditions and explain the water supply for your home (e.g., well or city

supply). You can also help your child to conduct a survey of your family’s water

usage at home.

To ensure a wide range of experiences and make connections between this topic

and your child’s world, he/she may choose to bring one or more personal items to

school for exploration during in-class activities. These items will be returned home

once explorations are completed. To determine whether the item(s) is appropriate

please contact me, your child’s teacher.

Sincerely,

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