Session #3 : Water, water everywhere! Evaporation

Session #3 is an experiment. Here students will observe changes that occur when water is subject to high temperatures.

Recapitulative of the last session. What did we do? What happened? Teacher asks questions using images as base (Document 4_ Images evaporation) - If we put the water on the stove what do you think will happen? What if we heat water in a kettle? What if we put it out in the sun? Student responses are noted.

Students place a very small amount of water in a shallow container (a plate or large bowl). The container is placed in the sun and left for several hours. In the classroom the teacher uses an electrical kettle to heat ½ liter of water. For the safety of the students, they remain seated. The kettle is placed on a table in the middle/front of the class where it can be seen by everyone. [If student safety cannot be assured for whatever reason this part of the experiment should not be done].

When the water begins to boil students observe the kettle and say what they hear and see. Observations are noted and students can draw conclusions: so, when we heat water what happens?...there is steam/vapour…it means that the water is evaporating. Teacher can conclude with (Document 4_ Images evaporation). The process can also be drawn on the board.

Students verify from time to time the water left out in the sun. What do they see? Is there any change? What has happened? At the end of the day: ‘Is there water in the bowl? What happened to the water? Where did it go?

To explain the process of evaporation (and to introduce the water cycle) the teacher can use a story. This simplifies concepts that remain quite abstract especially for younger children. We used « Flè Soley », a bilingual story (French-Creole) that we told in English. The story shows how drops of water from the sea are heated by the sun and rise to the sky to form a little cloud. The sun goes away and the little cloud all alone in a storm is afraid and starts to cry. The falling rain wakes up a little seed that was sleeping under the earth. The seed stretches and grows out of the soil to become a beautiful sunflower.

Consolidating acquired knowledge:

Group work: in small groups (we split the children into four groups corresponding to the four stages of the story) each group chooses one part of the story:
What is the little cloud made of? Where does it come from?
Why is the little cloud afraid? What does it do?
Where does the rain fall? Who does it meet?
What happens to the little seed?

Each group illustrates the chosen part with a drawing/painting and the different illustrations are assembled to put together the story. The finished work can be displayed in the class.

Going further:

• Theatre: For the end of year show the children played out a skit that told this story that they liked. See Document 5_ Skit Water.
• Water and it’s uses: students can do a tour of their school and take note of all situations/places where water is used. This exercise helps students understand the importance of water and the resulting difficulties when there is shortage of the precious resource.

   

  Older students can do a mini project on the uses of water around the house. Students take notes of all situations that require water in the home. The project can be presented on Bristol board. Each situation can be illustrated by a collage (magazine photos or other photography, drawings, real objects stuck to the board – a small toothbrush or an empty tube of toothpaste, for example, can illustrate the brushing on teeth). Students present their project before the class. Students may also note the amount of water used (a lot, a little bit, not much, a glass, a bucket, a liter), and give their opinion as to whether the quantity of water used is necessary for that particular purpose (eg. brushing of teeth: the tap vs. the glass of water) and whether water could have been saved.

  Water here and in other countries: In this sequence students discover water, its states and the uses that people make of it depending on where in the world they are from.

  • Where does our water come from? Class visits (real or virtual) a water purification plant responsible for the town’s water supply.
  • Water in the world: Students work on water in different countries. This can be done as a group or individually depending on students’ level in the foreign language. The teacher may decide to let students work on countries where access to drinking water remains difficult for millions (Asian/African continent) or on water consummation in developed countries.

  Water in literature: Being aware of the importance of water, and of the differences between water where we live and water in other countries can give way to literary expression. Oftentimes students react very strongly when they discover that millions of people in the world do not have access to water. Some students may feel guilty that they are somewhat privileged. These sentiments may be expressed through writing:

  • The bilingual book: This project can be done at any level. Individually or in groups students create and illustrate a story on the theme Water. The teacher can ask students to work on a specific sub-theme (for example: access to water in different countries, or uses of water) or students may write freely.
    For younger children who have not yet learned to write, the book may be illustrated without text or the story can be created and illustrated by the group and written by the teacher. We think that the latter option is preferable as for the students the story takes meaning and becomes « real » when the words that they’ve said have been written. We did this project with the pre-K and grade K students with conclusive results. The children’s satisfaction of having written a book with a story that they could tell themselves was manifest. Students in upper levels can write their story with the help of the teacher. It’s up to the teacher to decide how far his class can go.
  • Poetry: This can be a fun and interesting activity
    • Students find rhymes in the foreign language and mix those with rhyming words in their first language. Here is an example of one we made:
      Ô! I see a C
      A sea?
      No, no! A C!
      Et si…
      C’était une scie?
      Oh no! A C
      Oh……peut-être Assis?
      Si, si! A C Assis on the sea!
    • In poetry the possibilities are endless. First tries are usually shaky as older students often think that poetry is difficult. The teacher may start this exercise with a group poem written with the contribution of the entire class.
      For students working individually, expressing one’s feelings in a foreign language may be difficult. Prior sessions on students’ life experiences and their feelings with relation to certain events can help build a foundation necessary for composing poetry.