Lesson Plan : Biomes and the Water Cycle
Teacher Name: | Sarah Crunelle |
Grade: | Grade 11-12 |
Subject: | Science |
Topic: | Water Cycle/Watershed |
Content: | Distinguish how watershed and the water cycle determine unique biomes. |
Goals: | A.3.* understand that relationships exist among the earth (geology and soil science), the water (hydrology and oceanography) and the atmosphere (meteorology and atmospherics), and that the relationship is best exemplified by the water cycle. |
Objectives: | Students can define a watershed. Students can correlate parts and functions of a water shed with the water cycle. Students create their own watershed models using paper and predict where water reservoirs will form, test their hypothesis and revise prediction to match observations. Students can compare biomes based on watershed differences. |
Materials: | uses watershed lesson plan materials from http://www.cacaponinstitute.org/Lesson%20Plans/PWC%20Watershed%20Lesson%20Plans.pdf notebooks, construction paper, cardboard platforms. |
Introduction: | Day1: Review the water cycle. 1.Do brownie dance. Show water cycle animation from ecoplexity. Redesign dance-put on you tube. |
Development: | Definition of watershed 1.Using the composition notebook, have the students to write a brief description of a watershed, why is it important to people, and how can we improve the water quality? 2.Play the �What is a Watershed� Movie. http://www.cacaponinstitute.org/Watershed/What_Watershed.html 3.After the students have watched the video clip, have them make revisions to their description of a watershed. 4.Working together as a class, create a definition of a watershed based on the information from the website. 5.Place definitions on the overhead and give students Watershed wordplay analogies worksheet during down time throughout days. |
Practice: | Day 2: 1.Delineate Watershed Boundaries on crumpled paper and predict location of reservoirs. Spray with water and observe. Draw reservoirs. 2.Have students determine if their predictions were correct and revise original prediction. Have the delineate full water shed and define watershed. 3.Show pictures of PNW water sheds. Ask what are our boundaries/high points? |
Accommodations: | Student pairing. |
Checking For Understanding: | Formative assessment within lessons. Summative assessment will be at end of biome unit. |
Closure: | 2. Discuss Rain shadow. (show three biomes apparent in western Oregon along mt hood drive. End of week we will take field trip observing rain shadow creating different biomes in oregon. |
Evaluation: | Students define watershed by topography and gravity. Students relate the functions of a watershed to their previous knowledge of the water cycle. Students can associate water abundance and state as variable that ecosystems are dependent on. |
Teacher Reflections: |
| Create New Lesson Plan | Lesson Plan Center |