Title of Unit

Curriculum Area
Developed By

Water Cycle Instructional Design Unit

The Water Cycle /Narrative Writing
Grade Level Fourth Grade
Science/ writing
Time Frame 3 (45 minute sessions)
Martine Robinson
Identify Desired Results (Stage 1)

Content Standards
S4E3 Students will differentiate between the states of water and how they relate to the water cycle and
weather.
a. Demonstrate how water changes states from solid (ice) to liquid (water) to gas (water vapor/steam) and changes from
gas to liquid to solid.
b. Identify the temperatures at which water becomes a solid and at which water becomes a gas.
c. Investigate how clouds are formed.
d. Explain the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, and precipitation).
e. Investigate different forms of precipitation and sky conditions (rain, snow, sleet, hail, clouds, and fog).
ELACC4W3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique,
descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
a. Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence
that unfolds naturally.

Understandings
Overarching Understanding
Students will understand each stage of the water cycle.
Students will write a narrative that includes a sequence of
events.
Related Misconceptions
That water does not transform into gas and back to water.

Essential Questions
Overarching
Topical
What is the water cycle?
How does water change
from a solid, to a gas and
How can keeping a diary
a liquid?
tell a story?
At what temperature
does water change from
liquid to solid and liquid
to gas?
How are clouds formed?
What are the different
forms of precipitation?

Knowledge
Students will know

Skills
Students will be able to

How water changes states

At what temperatures will water change states
How clouds are formed
The difference between the different forms of precipitation

Explain the water cycle in detail correctly using the following

terminology: Water cycle
Precipitation
Condensation
Weather
Evaporation
Clouds
Use the above terms in a narrative
Write events in sequential order
Assessment Evidence (Stage 2)

Performance Task Description

Instructional Goal To write a narrative that depicts the water cycle process
Role Media Specialist / Instructional Partner
Audience Fourth Grade
The 24 students in Ms. Crosss fourth grade class are learning the process of the water
cycle in Science and narratives in Writing. When I met with the classroom teacher, she
was having trouble fitting in both her writing and her science. We decided to incorporate
writing into the science lesson for the week. The students took a pre-test on the water
cycle the week before the unit that revealed the students had very little back ground
Situation knowledge of water cycle. This is the classs third week writing narratives and their
previous writing samples show that they need assistance with ordering events. We
decided to have the students keep a diary from a rain drops perspective to tell the story
of the water cycle.
The class is composed of 24 African American students with 83% reading below grade
level. The majority of the students are visual of Kinesthetic learners.
Product/Performan Students will have a digital photo story of the water cycle written as a narrative from the
ce perspective of a rain drop
21 Century Learner The students will:
Standards 1.1.1 Follow Inquiry based process in seeking knowledge in curricular subjects, and make
real-world connection for using this process in own life
1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g., textual,
visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning
1.1.9 Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding

1.2.3 Demonstrate creativity by using multiple resources and formats.

2.1.6 Use the writing process, media and visual literacy, and technology skills to create
products that express new understandings.
3.1.6 Use information and technology ethically and responsibly
3.2.3 Demonstrate teamwork by working productively with others.
Other Evidence
The teacher will use a narrative writing rubric to assess the writing samples. Teach will use formative
assessments throughout the unit to assess student progress.
Learning Plan (Day 1)
The Teachers will introduce the lesson by explaining how the water cycle can be create in a ziplock bag. The
students will watch a short YouTube clip on how to make the water cycle in a bag. The students will then create
their own water cycle bag. The teacher will describe each station that has been set up in class.
The students will be broken into cooperative groups to rotate through stations. There are four stations set up for
the students.
1: Computer station: The students will watch the brain pop water cycle video and take notes on the process and
then as a group create movements that will represent each phase.
2. Students will participate in a read aloud with accountable talk (Destiny) on the water cycle.
3. With the classroom teacher: Teacher will provide different samples of narratives and model how to sequence
events in a narrative.
4. With the Media Specialist: The media specialist will read an excerpt from a diary entry and discuss how diaries
can be used to tell a narrative story. The students will create rain drop observations journals to keep track of
their observations over the next couple of days. Students will be encourage to use the vocabulary with in their
observations.
Multiple Means of Representation: During the lesson the water cycle will be represented in a video, an ebook, and
through a simulation.

Multiple Means of Engagement: Students will be allowed to work in cooperative groups, observe through the
quick lab and create through the water cycle in a bag activity.
Multiple Means of Expression: Students took notes, created movements and prepared journals to record
observations.
Learning Plan (Day 2)
Students will go back to their same groups from the previous lesson. There will be three stations set up to give
more time for each station.
Station 1: Pathfinder Scavenger hunt: The students will use the websites from the pathfinder to cooperatively
answer discussion questions.
Station 2: With the classroom teachers guidance, the students will read the science guided readers and create a
visual representation of the water cycle with all stages labeled.
Station 3: The media specialist will bring books from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series and Dork Diaries for
students to observe the writing styles. Students will discuss their observations of their water cycle in a bag and
discuss how they would like to write their entries. The students will then take their observations and begin
converting them into a diary written from the perspective of the rain drop. Each student is required to include
each stage of the water cycle in their narrative.
Multiple Means of Representation: Information will be delivered via, internet, graphics and written
Multiple Means of Engagement: Students will be engaged through group interaction and individual narrative
writing.
Multiple Means of Expression: Students will draw a diagram, respond to discussion questions and write a
narrative.
Learning Plan (Day 3)

The media specialist will introduce Abode Voice to the whole class and demonstrate how to create a digital story
using the app. As the class participates in a review game with the classroom teacher, the media specialist will
pull small groups of students to create digital stories from the narratives written during the previous lesson.
In the small groups, students will be given the chance to record their story, take photos of their book and choose
graphics that represent their story. The students will then have the opportunity to share their with their peers.
Multiple Means of Representation: The water cycle will be represent in the form of a narrative and through
examples given in the review game.
Multiple Means of Engagement: Students will be engaged through a digital review game and the exploration of
Adobe voice.
Multiple Means of Expression: Students can express themselves verbally or digitally.
From: Wiggins, Grant and J. Mc Tighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
ISBN # 0-87120-313-8 (ppk)