Colorado Agriscience Curriculum

Section: Plant & Soil Science

Unit: Environmental Factors

Lesson Number: 4 (With Option for Day 2 Lab)

Lesson Title: Understanding the Water Cycle

Colorado Agricultural Education Standards: Content Standard 11/12.1: The student will demonstrate/communicate an understanding of current issues relating to agriscience.

Content Standard 11/12.2: The student will gain practical experience in agriscience through laboratory and field work.

Content Standard 11/12.4: The student will demonstrate an understanding of physiological processes in agriculturally important plants.

Content Standard 11/12.5: The student will demonstrate team skills through problem-solving activities in agriscience.

Colorado Science Standards: SCI4.3.1 Identifying and explaining factors that influence the quality of water needed to sustain life. SCI4.3.2 Identifying and analyzing the costs, benefits, and consequences of using water and climate. SCI4.3.3 Explaining interactions between the circulations of oceans and weather and climate.

Student Learning Objectives (Enablers) As a result of this lesson, the student will …

Objective #1 Define and describe the water cycle. Objective #2 Describe all processes in the water cycle. Objective #3 Describe how the water cycle impacts Colorado agriculture.

Time: Instruction time for this lesson: 50 minutes.

Resources:  Plants & Animals Biology and Production (Lee, Biodo, Hutter, Westrom, Patrick, authors)  Biology The Dynamics of Life (Briggs, Gregg, Hagins, Kapicka, Lundgren, Rillero, National Geographic Society, authors) Tools, Equipment, and Supplies Ziploc Bags Water PowerPoint Presentation Heating element Soup Pan

Interest Approach

Provide each student with a sandwich sized ziplock bags. Fill with ¼ cup of water. Place in a very cool place in your classroom (such as a refrigerator). Place another ¼ cup of water in a pot and place on a heating element (stove) bring to a boil and turn down the heat. Leave on the stove. Measure the amount of water available at the end of the class. Teach the content. At the end of the hour have students report any change to you. What portion of the water cycle did they mimic?

Summary of Content and Teaching Strategies Objective 1. Define and describe the water cycle.

Utilize the accompanying PowerPoint to lecture on the water cycle.

What is the water cycle? The water cycle describes the existence and movement of water on, in, and above the Earth. Earth's water is always in movement and is always changing states, from liquid to vapor to ice and back again. The water cycle has been working for thousands of years and all life on Earth depends on it continuing to work.

Objective 2. Describe all processes in the water cycle. There are six important processes that make up the water cycle. These are:

Evaporation

Evaporation is the process where a liquid, in this case water, changes from its liquid state to a gaseous state. Liquid water becomes water vapor. Although lower air pressure helps promote evaporation, temperature is the primary factor. For example, all of the water in a pot left on a table will eventually evaporate. It may take several weeks. But, if that same pot of water is put on a stove and brought to a boiling temperature, the water will evaporate more quickly.

During the water cycle some of the water in the oceans and freshwater bodies, such as lakes and rivers, is warmed by the sun and evaporates. During the process of evaporation, impurities in the water are left behind. As a result, the water that goes into the atmosphere is cleaner than it was on Earth.

Condensation Condensation is the opposite of evaporation. Condensation occurs when a gas is changed into a liquid. Condensation occurs when the temperature of the vapor decreases. When the water droplets formed from condensation are very small, they remain suspended in the atmosphere. These millions of droplets of suspended water form clouds in the sky or fog at ground level. Water condenses into droplets only when there are small dust particles present around which the droplet can form.

Precipitation When the temperature and atmospheric pressure are right, the small droplets of water in clouds form larger droplets and precipitation occurs. The raindrops fall to Earth. As a result of evaporation, condensation and precipitation, water travels from the surface of the Earth goes into the atmosphere, and returns to Earth again.

Surface Runoff Much of the water that returns to Earth as precipitation runs off the surface of the land, and flows down hill into streams, rivers, ponds and lakes. Small streams flow into larger streams, then into rivers, and eventually the water flows into the ocean. Surface runoff is an important part of the water cycle because, through surface runoff, much of the water returns again to the oceans, where a great deal of evaporation occurs.

Infiltration Infiltration is an important process where rain water soaks into the ground, through the soil and underlying rock layers. Some of this water ultimately returns to the surface at springs or in low spots downhill. Some of the water remains underground and is called groundwater. As the water infiltrates through the soil and rock layers, many of the impurities in the water are filtered out. This filtering process helps clean the water.

Transpiration One final process is important in the water cycle. As plants absorb water from the soil, the water moves from the roots through the stems to the leaves. Once the water reaches the leaves, some of it evaporates from the leaves, adding to the amount of water vapor in the air. This process of evaporation through plant leaves is called transpiration. In large forests, an enormous amount of water will transpire through leaves.

Copyright © 1995-8 The Evergreen Project, Inc.

Objective 3. Understand the Importance of the Water Cycle to Agriculture

Show PowerPoint to accompany lecture. What amount of the earth’s water is available for human use? Fresh water accounts for only 3% of the total water! Agriculture in Colorado utilized between 95 and 97% of the total water usage in a year. This is a very precious resource, and should be management accordingly.

Review/Summary.

As you review the content, set each of the definitions to movement. Then ask students to mimic you as you review the content and say and move your hands. Movement help “lock” the content into place.

For each of the parts of the water cycle, I would like for you to move your hands like I do. Now, I realize that this may be a stretch for some of you; however it is important to help you remember the content.

Application Extended classroom activity: Get a guest speaker on local water issues, to come in and talk about water management. Contact a local water conservation district for ideas.

FFA activity: Research, write and deliver a prepared public speech on the water cycle and the important management techniques utilized in agriculture to help preserve this limited and precious resource.

SAE activity: For students utilizing crop production SAEP’s, have them develop a water conservation plan to utilize. What are the benefits to doing so? What are the difficulties?

Answers to Assessment:

1. 95% 2. Evaporation 3. Infiltration Evaluation. Give the following for a quick summary of content learned in today’s lesson.

1. What percentage of total water use is utilized in agriculture?

2. What is the process called where a liquid, in this case water, changes from its liquid state to a gaseous state? Liquid water becomes water vapor.

3. Name the process where rain water soaks into the ground, through the soil and underlying rock layers. Some of this water ultimately returns to the surface at springs or in low spots downhill. Some of the water remains underground and is called groundwater. Colorado Agriscience Curriculum Development

Section: Plant and Soil Science

Unit: Environmental Factors

Lesson Number: 4B

Lesson Title: Water Cycle

Agriculture Education Standards: 10.2 11.2

Colorado Science Standard: 2.32 3.25

Student Learning Objectives/Enablers As a result of this lesson, the student will be able to . . . 1. Define biogeochemical cycle 2. Define the steps of the water cycle

Time: Instruction time for this lesson: 50 minutes.

Resources: Modern Biology, Holt, Rinehart and Winston Agriscience Fundamentals and applications, Cooper and Burton Introduction to Horticulture, Schroeder/Seagle/Felton/Ruter/Kelley/Krewer

Tools, Equipment, and Supplies 1 Mason jar per group 1 head of lettuce per group 1 latex glove per group 1 heat source Bunsen burner or microwave (may have several to speed up the process) Moisture testing probe (three or four is ideal) 1- blank paper per student

Key Terms. The following terms are presented in this lesson and appear in bold italics: Biogeochemical Ground water Water cycle Transpiration Evaporation Precipitation Interest Approach Students are going to do a quick lab to demonstrate the water cycle. You will need one head of lettuce (or your desired plant) per group. Each group will also need a PSS.PROCEDURES.1 handout, a mason jar, a latex glove, and a heat source (microwave, Bunsen burner). Students will create a “cloud” using the moisture in the lettuce. Once students have all of the materials, they will follow the procedures on PSS.PROCEDURES.1. You may also add to this experiment if you have a moisture tester. Have students test the moisture before and after the experiment to notice where the moisture is coming from.

I need everyone’s attention. Thank you. We are going to do an experiment to show how water works in the atmosphere. Quickly find a partner and be seated, so I know that you are ready for the next step.

Give students 5 seconds to find their partner.

Now that everyone has their partner, each group needs to take one Mason jar, one latex glove and one heat source (unless you are using a microwave). Does everyone have the material? I am now handing out the lab procedures. Make sure you read all of the procedures before you begin.

Students will have 10 minutes to complete this lab.

Does everyone have their results? I am just curious which group had the most drop in percentage of moisture in your lettuce? Now that you have seen first-hand how moisture leaves a plant to go into the atmosphere, we are going to explain the rest of this process in a little bit more detail.

SUMMARY OF CONTENT AND TEACHING STRATEGIES

Objective 1. Define biogeochemical cycle

Through out the next several lessons, different cycles that occur in our atmosphere will be covered. All of these cycles can be summarized by the biogeochemical cycle. Once students understand the simple definition of biogeochemical cycle, it will help them understand the rest of the cycles. Students will learn this by using the “Little Professor e-moment.” You will need to divide the class into two groups: one group of “Einstiens,” one group of “Picassos.” You will teach the Einsteins the lesson while the Picassos sit quietly. Einsteins will need a blank piece of paper.

With the same partner that you had during the lab, you now need to decide which one of you is going to be an “Einstein” and which one will be a “Picasso.” You have 5 seconds. 5…4…3… 2…1… Time. Now the Picassos will sit silently while I teach the Einsteins. Picassos, you may read or doodle or whatever you want. Your only rules are that you must stay in your seat, you can not make any noise, and most importantly, you cannot listen to what I am teaching the Einsteins. Picassos, are you ready? Okay, Einsteins, pay attention. We are going to talk about the biogeochemical cycle. Do any of you know what that is? You should probably take notes because you will have to teach all of the Picassos what it is. Are you ready? The biogeochemical cycle is where substances move through the atmosphere into living things and then back again. This can include water and minerals. Some of the minerals are carbon, nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus. Einsteins, do you have the material? Okay, Picassos, come back to us. The Einsteins have been educated on an important topic, now it is their job to teach it to you. Picassos look at your Einstein, and say, “Oh wise one, please share your knowledge with me.”

Allow five minutes for the Einsteins to teach the lesson to the Picassos.

Objective 2. Define the steps of the water cycle

Students will use a spin off of the first objective. They will swap roles and the Picassos will teach the Einsteins. Keep students with their partner. Picassos will need a blank piece of paper.

The Einsteins did a wonderful job teaching the Picassos. Now, we are going to swap roles. Einsteins, you can now read or doodle, but remember you have the same rules as the Picassos. What were they? Yes, stay in your seat; no noise; and you now cannot listen to what I am teaching the Picassos. Are the Einsteins ready? Okay, Picassos you are going to take notes on what I am teaching you. Since you are not the note-taking type, you are going to draw pictures representing what I teach you. Are you ready? Today we are going to talk about the water cycle. The water cycle can be broken down into three processes, evaporation, transpiration, and precipitation. The water cycle states that water will become a vapor and evaporate into the atmosphere, then the water vapors, which form clouds in the sky, will cool and water will return to a liquid form, known as precipitation. This is how we get rain and snow. The water will then go into the ground and become ground water. Then through the process of transpiration the water will be sucked up into the roots of plants, and the process will be repeated. Does everyone have their pictures that illustrate this process? Do you need me to repeat the process?

It is recommended that you repeat this process 3 to 4 times in order for students to get the whole picture drawn.

Einsteins, the Picassos are ready to show you what they know. In order for the Einsteins to gather the new information, Einsteins will need to ask Picasso, “Oh brilliant one, paint me a picture please.” Once the Einsteins say this, the Picassos may show them the pictures and explain what each picture means.

Allow students to have about five minutes to teach this. Once they are done, you will want to display the picture PSS.PP.1. This picture illustrates the water cycle. Ask students if the Picasso of their group had a drawing that looked like the one displayed.

Review/Summary

Have students do a Bob the Weather Guy Moment. Ask students to summarize the day’s lesson as if it were a weather report. Challenge them to forecast what will happen in the lessons to follow such as the rest of the cycles. Have them highlight the highs and frontal systems in the lesson. This should be fairly easy for students to do since this lesson is basically about weather.

Application

Extended Classroom Activity:

Have students go to local soil conservation programs and research methods of dealing with moisture levels in the local area.

FFA Activity

Have students compete in the local speaking contest and utilize this topic. Have them highlight how ground water can help any crop producer.

SAE Activity

Students can develop a watering system that will be more efficient in saving ground water for their SAE in crop production or in the greenhouse.

Evaluation

(PSS.H20.Assess)

Answers to Assessment: 1. Substances move through the atmosphere into living things and then back again. This can include, water and minerals. Some of the minerals include carbon, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. 2. Water will become a vapor and evaporate into the atmosphere. Then the water vapors form clouds in the sky, which will cool and the water will return to a liquid form, known as precipitation. This is how we get rain and snow. The water will then flow into the ground and become ground water. Through the process of transpiration, the water will be sucked up into the roots of plants, and then process is repeated. 3. Precipitation- Water in the form of rain Evaporation- Water in the form of clouds Transpiration- Water being released by plants Ground water- Water found in soil

Suggested Scoring: 1. 5 points 2. 5 points 3. 4 points per term total 20 points

Total score- 30 points (PSS.H20.Assess)

Name: ______

The Water Cycle

1. Explain in your own words what the term biogeochemical cycle means.

2. Explain in your own words what the water cycle is. It is highly recommended that you include a picture.

3. Match the following key terms to the form of water.

Precipitation Water found in soil

Evaporation Water being released by plants

Transpiration Water in the form of rain

Ground water Water in the form of clouds