Lesson 3: Where Did the Water Go?

2nd Grade Matter Unit Blueprint—Lesson 3: Where Did the Water Go?

(Only observe Petri dishes—do not conduct Warm/Cold experiment)
Pacing Suggestions:

Complete Procedure Steps 1 & first part of Step 2 in one day.

Teacher Resources:
Tips	I Learned Sheet Adobe® Reader® (PDF) I Learned Sheet (Microsoft Word Format)

Essential & Unit Questions ¹

Benchmarks ²

Formative and Summative Assessments ³

Using Assessments to Monitor Student Learning

What happens to water left out in an open container?

What happens to water left in a container with a lid?

4B(K-2)#3: Water left in an open container disappears, but water in a closed container does not disappear.

Student observations and class discussion about Petri dishes—students complete My Observation Sheet (See Procedure Step 1 on page 47 in Teacher’s Guide.)

Additional Directions: Draw a line down the middle of My Observation Sheet, available on page 198 in Teacher’s Guide. Use one half to draw and describe the uncovered Petri dish filled with water. Use the other half to draw and describe the covered Petri dish filled with water.

Click to view a sample of student work. (Acrobat PDF)

I Learned Sheet (teacher-generated sheet available under “Teacher Resources—Items to Print”) & experiment discussion

Petri Dish Experiment and My Observation Sheet

Do the students’ written observations include there is less water or no water left in the Petri dish without a lid?
Do the students’ written observations include the amount of water remained the same in the Petri dish with the lid?
Are the students accurately drawing pictures of the two Petri dishes? Are the students’ drawings on the My Observation Sheet improving in accuracy and detail?
Are the drawings titled?

I Learned Sheet

Do students know that water left in an open container disappears and water left in a closed container does not disappear?

Why is it important to keep accurate records or notes about things that are observed?

1B(K-2)#3: Describing things as accurately as possible is important in science because it enables people to compare their observations with those of others.

12D(K-2)#2: Draw pictures that correctly portray at least some features of the thing being described.

For conceptual benchmarks.
Bolded Sections indicate portion of benchmark addressed.
Unless noted as a Summative Assessment, the assessments are formative and should be used to guide teaching and learning.