Paula Guerrero Rubio

Tasks module 1
Title of the The Water Cycle
Unit

Area Social Science

Course / 4th Grade

Level

Why I work I’m working with this unit because students should be aware of
with this the importance of water and its different forms, by learning about
unit? the water cycle and its continuous flow around us.
Also it’s important to understand that every organism on earth
depends on water to survive. So in order to understand the
importance of water, the students will discover how water is
created in nature and the path it takes to reach every stage in the
water cycle.

Teaching • Understand the importance of water.

objectives • Recognize and learn new vocabulary related to the water cycle.
• Learn the process of the water cycle.
• Identify the stages of water cycle.
Subject Area • Describe and appreciate every part of water cycle and explain
Objectives why happens.
• Read, analyze, synthesize and illustrate texts and specific
informations related to the water cycle.
• Participate in experiments and analyze what happens.
• Participate in online learning games and activities designed to
learn about the water cycle.

Learning • Search information on aspects of water cycle.

objectives • Develop communication skills.
• Apply the knowledge about the specific vocabulary of the topic.
• Know what the water cycle consist of.
Learning • Be able to relate the change of states of water to the different
outcomes levels of the water cycle.
• Be able to create a model of the water cycle.
• Interact orally with correction and respect toward peers.
• Develop the ability to listen and expose by arguing one’s own
opinions and respecting those of others.
• Behave with responsibility and autonomy in group relations.

 Paula Guerrero Rubio

Language Language OF learning:

Know different vocabulary related to Water Cycle:

• Elements involved in the water cycle: river, lake, rain, sea,
hail, snow, ice, water, clouds, fog, water, mountains, sun,
ocean, valley, vegetation, earth, condensed water, surface,
plants…
• Verbs: to evaporate, to drop, to condense, to freeze, to
melt, to change, to snow, to rain, to hail, to fall, to form, to
boil, to solidificate, to need…
• Adverbs: at this stage, before, when, after that, during this
process, as, eventually, then…
• States: liquid, solid, vapor, gas.
• Adjectives: hot, cool, freezing, warm, cold,...

And also…
• Phrasal verbs: heat up, warm up, cold down,...
• Present Simple and Continuous
• Some structures as… it changes into, it becomes,...
• Zero conditional sentences for cause/effect processes.

Language FOR learning:

Answer questions, making hypotheses and exchanging opinions

about the topic; language for explain the topic to their
classmates:

• Stating an opinion: In my opinion; if you ask me; I believe;

I think that…
• Asking questions: Can you repeat, please?; What does it
mean?; what’s the meaning of that word?...
• Expressing agreement: I agree; I’m afraid I agree with…;
me neither (agree with negative statement); I see/know
what you mean…
• Expressing disagreement: I don’t think so; I’m afraid I
disagree; I don’t agree with you…
• Offer solutions: I think we should…; we could…; one solution
may be…
• Connectors: first of all; on the one hand; moreover;
however; therefore; but; also; although; on the other hand;
eventually; to sum up; finally; in conclusion...

Content • Characteristics of water (temperature, colour, taste, odour…)

• Uses of water.
• The importance of water.
• Water states (liquid, solid, vapor, gas).
• Water cycle process.
• Water cycle stages (evaporation, condensation…).
• Water cycle experiment.
• Organize, create and present a water cycle model in pairs.

Paula Guerrero Rubio

SESSION 1 - “The importance of water”

Activity 1
Objective: Understand the importance of water.
Thinking skills: knowledge, comprehension, synthesis.

Description:
We’re going to start the unit talking about water and why is so
important to us. We’ll do a brainstorming in order to know how much
they know about water and it’s importance. We also talk about its uses
(warm-up).
After that, we’ll listen a song about water and it’s uses. Then we could
see if there are more uses of water than we thought or we know all of
it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwpHMPH-WbM

Activity 2
Objective: Understand the importance of water.
Thinking skills: comprehension, analysis.
Tasks /
Activitie Description:
s While talking about the different uses of water and in order to
to enrich understand the impact of water privatization and that we cannot waste
the unit the water unnecessary, we should try to understand how rare it is to
find clean, drinkable freshwater. We cannot treat water as a
commodity, but only as a necessity for all life.
The students will have to search Facts about the World’s freshwater.
After looking for it, they have to choose the most important for them
and explain the others why they think it’ the most important.
Activity 3
Objective: Understand the importance of water.
Thinking skills: comprehension, analysis, synthesis.

Description:
We’re going to work on the impact of water in different religions, due
to, in some of them, water is a purifying agent (cultural issues).
The activity consist on making 5 groups and each group is going to
investigate one religion (buddhism, christianity, hinduism, islam,
judaism). Each group will be the specialists on their religion, so they
will be the only ones knowing about their information. So they have to
work together in order to reach all the information needed and make a
good presentation to the whole class and make sure that they
understand everything clearly.
Paula Guerrero Rubio

SESSION 2 - “The Water Cycle”

Activity 1
Objectives:
• Learn the process of the water cycle.
• Identify the stages of water cycle.

Thinking skills: Knowledge, comprehension, analyze, synthesis.

Description:
First of all we’re going to talk about characteristics of water and the
water states to introduce the water cycle process. Then, we will show
a diagram of the water cycle.

And we will work on that vocabulary to be familiar with (precipitation,

condensation, evaporation, collection), and try to do some hypothesis
about what could happen with the water (vocabulary).
After that, we will be able to watch a video about the water cycle and
we could figure out if we were right or wrong about our hypothesis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY9HG8zUgOE

Activity 2
Objectives:
• Learn the process of the water cycle.
• Participate in experiments and analyze what happens.

Thinking skills: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis,

synthesis, evaluation.

Description:
The two kids are involved in an experiment in the previous video,
from the minute 4’13 to 4’44. Then, after having watched the video
and commented it about all happened with the water cycle, we will be
prepared to do the same experiment. We are going to be with groups
of 3-4 students so as to have more opportunities to participate and
exchange opinions with their classmates and being able to answer a
worksheet.
Finally, we will sing a song about the water cycle, while we are
watching the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWb4KlM2vts

Paula Guerrero Rubio

SESSION 3 - “Water jigsaw”

Objectives:
• Recognize and learn new vocabulary related to the water cycle.
• Read and analyze texts and specific informations related to the
water cycle.
• Learn the process of the water cycle.
• Participate in online learning games and activities designed to
learn about the water cycle.

Thinking skills: Knowledge, comprehension, analysis.

Description:
In this activity we’re going to divide the class into 5 teams of 4
students. We’re going to give a different colour for each team and
then, we’ll ask the learners within each group to number themselves 1
to 4 (student interaction).
After that, we’ll give each group a section of text or information about
what they’re going to study and they should spend some time reading,
discussing and helping each other to understand the text or
information.
Students who are now “experts” on their own section of text or
information, then move into “jigsaw” groups, with a shared number
(all the number 1s work in a group, all the number 2s work in another
group…). And each group will have to summarize, define and describe
a stage of the water cycle. Numbers 1s will work with the information
about precipitation; Numbers 2s with condensation; Numbers 3s with
evaporation; and Numbers 4s with collection.
Each “expert” learner shares with their “jigsaw” group the section of
text or information they were originally given. The others could ask
questions to ensure all have a good understanding.
Finally, they will have to explain all they’ve learned to their original
team.

In order to review all the concepts of the water cycle, we’re going to
play with some flashcards:
https://quizlet.com/33279825/water-cycle-flash-cards/
https://quizlet.com/202544/water-cycle-flash-cards/

Paula Guerrero Rubio

SESSION 4 - “Water cloze sentences”

Objectives:
• Recognize and learn new vocabulary related to the water cycle.
• Identify the stages of water cycle.
• Learn the process of the water cycle.

Thinking skills: knowledge, application, analysing.

Description:
Students are given a sentence, or a part of it, related to the water
cycle. They need to walk around the classroom asking each other
questions to find a person that have the previous and the following
sentence, in order to join every part and the information makes sense
in a text (student interaction, vocabulary).
It will be two students that only will have one following text (because
it’s the beginning) or one previous text (because it’s the end).
Moreover, their informations will be with some blanks, that they will
have to fill in with some vocabulary words (previous worked and
related to the topic) when they finally could join all the sentences
together.

This is an example of a cloze sentence text related to the water cycle.

Paula Guerrero Rubio

SESSION 5
Objectives:
• Understand the importance of water.
• Read, analyze, synthesize and illustrate texts and specific
informations related to the water cycle.

Thinking skills: comprehension, analysis, synthesis, evaluation.

Description:
The activity consist on studying about the influence of climate change
on the water cycle. Climate is changing and the water cycle is directly
related. So, we’ll work on that and what will happen with the water
cycle if the climate stills change more.
The class will be divided in two groups, and each group will have to
investigate in one web page. They have to understand what it is said
and make hypothesis according the information they’ve found.
http://agriwaterpedia.info/wiki/
The_influence_of_Climate_Change_on_the_water_cycle
https://thewaternetwork.com/_/water-cycle-management-history-and-
culture/article-FfV/climate-change-redistributes-global-water-
resources-1-3_N787-e4u6tdAecqWKLKg

After that, we’ll put all the information in common, and we’ll discuss all
the informations and make some conclusions.

 Paula Guerrero Rubio

SESSION 6 “What I have learned?”

Objectives:
• Apply the knowledge about the specific vocabulary of the topic.
• Know what the water cycle consist of.
• Be able to create a model of the water cycle.

Thinking skills: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis,

synthesis, evaluation.

Description:
The activity consists on assess what they’ve learned of the whole unit
of the Water Cycle. It has two parts, one which is an individual test
about some questions of the topic worked on, and they must have to
choose the correct answer or answer what is needed (Scaffolding).

Here are some examples of questions:

1. When water turns into water vapors due to heat, it is called…

A. Evaporation
B. Condensation
Final task C. Collection

2. When air becomes ……. It goes up.

A. Cold
B. Warm
C. Hot

3. It’s called Condensation when…

A. When water turns into water vapors due to heat.
B. When water vapors reach cooler places, they come near to each
other and again change into water.
C. When water becomes bigger and heavier, and starts to falling
down due to the gravity.

4. Note down when rain happens:

A. Condensations, evaporation, precipitation.
B. Evaporation, condensation and precipitation.
C. Precipitation, condensation, evaporation.

What does it means Colletion? ____________________________

What is the water cycle? _________________________________

Paula Guerrero Rubio

This part of the task will be evaluated with self-assessment.

The second part of the activity we’ll work in pairs. They will have to
create a model of the water cycle. They can choose the materials (if
they want to do a graphic, a map, a drawing, a mural, a
powerpoint…).
So, they have to be able to create a model of the water cycle and
explain it to their classmates. They have to show all they have
learned, including the vocabulary (Follow-up).

Here there are some examples:

Final task

The assessment in this case will be that each pair will evaluate the
others during their presentation in front of the whole class. Moreover,
the teacher will assess all the work done during the activity and the
presentation too.

Paula Guerrero Rubio

Tasks module 2
Paula Guerrero Rubio

Cultural topics:
Here below, there are some cultural topics/issues that could be good working with the
students, due to the fact that my Unit is about The Water cycle. We’re going to search
information about the past, the present and the future:

Present time
While talking about the different uses of water, and in order to understand the impact
of water privatization and that we cannot waste the water unnecessary, we should try
to understand how rare it is to find clean, drinkable freshwater. We cannot treat water
as a commodity, but only as a necessity for all life.

The students will have to search Facts about the World’s freshwater. After looking for
it, they have choose the most important for them and explain to the others and why
they think it’s the most important thing. Here we have some examples about facts:

• Water covers 75% of the Earth's surface. The total amount of water on Earth
remains about the same from one year to the next, as it circulates between the
oceans, land and atmosphere in a cycle of evaporation and precipitation. This
hydrological cycle is fundamental to the functioning of the Earth as it recycles
water, and has a role in modifying and regulating the Earth's climate.

• Nearly 98% of the Earth's water is in the oceans. Freshwater makes up less than
3% of water on earth, and over two-thirds of this is tied up in polar ice caps and
glaciers. Freshwater lakes and rivers make up only 0.009% of water on Earth
and groundwater makes up 0.28%.

• Water is essential for all life forms. The viability of all life on Earth is determined
chiefly by the presence of water, which is not evenly distributed on the planet. If
it were, it would cover the entire surface to a depth of 3 km (nearly five miles).

• It seems that while three-quarters of the Earth's surface is covered with water,
less than one percent (0.37% to be exact) of that water is drinkable.

Paula Guerrero Rubio

Past time
As water is a basic human right and something of significance to all cultures across
the globe, we’re also going to study about the impact of water in different religions,
due to, in some of them, water is a purifying agent. We’re going to make 5 groups,
and each group is going to study one religion (buddhism, christianity, hinduism, islam,
judaism). Each group will be the specialists and the only ones knowing about their
information. So they have to work together in order to reach all the information
needed and make a good presentation to the whole class and make sure that they
understand everything clearly.

Future time
Another cultural topic to work is about the influence of climate change on the water
cycle. Climate is changing and the water cycle is directly related. So we’ll work on that
and what will happen with the water cycle if the climate stills change more.

Here we have two web pages for the students to start working and searching for the
information. They have to do hypothesis according to the information they’ve found.

http://agriwaterpedia.info/wiki/
The_influence_of_Climate_Change_on_the_water_cycle

https://thewaternetwork.com/_/water-cycle-management-history-and-culture/article-
FfV/climate-change-redistributes-global-water-resources-1-3_N787-
e4u6tdAecqWKLKg

Thinking skills: 
Domain Appropriate verbs Student products

Knowledge Write Definition

Comprehension Match Photographs

Application Sketch Illustration

Analysis Debate Conclusion

Synthesis Invent Song

Evaluation Assess Self-evaluation

 Paula Guerrero Rubio

Tasks module 3
MATERIAL DESIGN: already done in all the sessions.

ASSESSMENT
Assessment criteria
• Identify the stages of the Water Cycle.
• Show interest in knowing about the process of the Water Cycle.
• Read and synthesize simple texts about the topic in English.
• Participate in the group activities respecting the other opinions.
• Participate in the experiments actively and interacting with the others.

Assessment tools
• Peer and self-assessment rubric
• Observation rubric (presentations)
• Teacher rubric (assess content)
• Test

Rubrics
• Teacher rubrics, to assess the content.
• Self - assessment rubric, to assess the knowledge about the student about the
whole unit.
• Self-assessment rubric to assess a group - work activity.

 Paula Guerrero Rubio

RUBRICS TO ASSESS

Teacher rubric - To assess the content

Descriptors:
• Unsatisfactory (1): Student shows a lack of knowledge or any knowledge of the
subject.
• Satisfactory (2): Student has essential knowledge of the subject and solves simple
activities with some mistakes or some missing contents.
• Good (3): Student shows a complete knowledge of the subject and solves activities
correctly or with some missing words.
• Excellent (4): Student shows a complete and thorough knowledge of the subject and
solves most difficult activities easily.

Excellent Satisfactory Unsatisfactory

Name: Good (3)
(4) (2) (1)

The student The student The student The student

name all the name most of name some name none of
Water
characteristic the of the the
characteristi
s of the characteristic characteristic characteristics of
cs
water. s of the s of the the water.
water. water.

The student The student The student The student

labels all four labels three labels two labels none of
Labelling of stages of the stages of the stages of the the stages of the
diagram water cycle water cycle water cycle water cycle or
correctly. correctly. correctly. does not label
them correctly.

The student The student The student The student

can can can cannot
differentiate differentiate differentiate differentiate or
and define all and define at and define define the water
the water least three some water cycle stages,
Water cycle
cycle stages stages of the cycle stages answering
process
answering water cycle answering wrongly the
correctly all answering correctly questions.
the correctly some
questions. almost all the questions.
questions.

The student The student The student The student

follow all the follow all the follow all the doesn’t follow
instructions instructions instructions the instructions.
correctly and correctly and but it doesn’t
Water cycle succeeded almost succeed with
experiment with the succeeded the
experiment. with the experiment.
Participates experiment.
all the time. Participates
all the time.

Paula Guerrero Rubio

Self - assessment rubric - Each student has to assess their own knowledge about
the whole unit (including content and language).

Descriptors:

I can do this! I’m getting there I need help!

Name:

Water characteristics
I can name all the characteristics of the water.

Labelling of diagram
I can label all four stages of the water cycle
correctly.

Water cycle process

I can differentiate and define all the water cycle
stages answering correctly all the questions.

Water cycle experiment

I have followed all the instructions correctly and
succeeded with the experiment. I participated all
time.

Vocabulary words
I know all the vocabulary words and I can use it
correctly.

Present Simple
I use correctly the Present Simple.

Specific structures
I use correctly the specific structures.

Cero conditional
I use effectively cero conditional sentences for
cause/effect processes.

Questions about content

I answer correctly all the questions about water
cycle.

Paula Guerrero Rubio

Self - assessment rubric - To assess a group - work activity.

Descriptors:

I can do this! I’m getting there I need help!

Name:

Participate
I provided useful ideas when participating in the
group.

Contribute
I thought and talked like an expert and support
my ideas with examples.

Take responsibility
I stayed focused on the task and what needed to
be done.

Quality of work
I provided work of the highest quality. I checked
the task and corrected for mistakes.

Listen to the other teammates

I actively listened and took turns.

Working with others

I shared with, I tried to keep people working well
together.