Water Cycle Sugar Cube Mountain

Sugar Cube Mountains and Water Cycle Lesson Plan
Lea Fuscaldo
Cooperating Teacher: Mrs. Estrada
2nd Grade
Lesson Essential Question: What is the Water cycle and how does it work?
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.3
Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional
information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to identify and label the
different parts of the water cycle
Students will understand the meanings of the

names of the stages of the water cycle
Materials:
For main lesson:
Paper vocabulary strips
Document camera and projector
Image of water cycle without labels
Assessments
In class cooperation of labeling images on
the board
Exit ticket
Vocabulary worksheet for students to keep and use
as a reference to be filled out during lesson
For sugar cube mountain demonstration:
sugar cubes
warm water
royal icing
foil pie pan
eye droppers
food coloring for drizzling earth and
small cups
water
Lesson Description and Rationale:

Sugar cube mountains are an excellent tool for modeling how the water cycle functions in a very
realistic and three-dimensional way. Students literally can see how the water will precipitate out of the
eyedropper and then collect. The students cannot unfortunately see evaporation and condensation in the
physical model, but they can imagine this and look at the image projected on the board for reference.
Hook and Lesson Beginning:

I will display the image of the water cycle on the board without labels and ask students what they
think that image may be depicting. After a few students have given guesses or if any have guessed
correctly, I will either lead them toward the answer and once they know it is meant to be the water cycle,
I will ask them to tell me if they know the names of the stages of the cycle.
Prior Knowledge:
Water exists in many forms and places and moves through them in different ways
Instructional Plan:
Preparation before class:
1. Build a mountain cementing the sugar together with the icing using popsicle sticks, and
covering the outside with icing. Drizzle green food color as desired over top.
2. Create some rivers and lakes or oceans
1. Create word strips of vocabulary
Lesson:
Students will be learning about 4 simplified stages of the water cycle; precipitation, collection,
evaporation, and condensation
Once students have started volunteering information on the water cycle, I will have helpers pass
out the vocabulary sheets for the students.
Once all students have their sheets I will ask them all to look over their paper and tell me if they
know what any of the words mean,(I will switch the document camera to look at a projection of
the sheet so they can follow along as I guide them) if they do and their answer is correct we will
write down a definition the class agrees on
o If they do not know the words I will tell the m to wait until we look at the picture of the
water cycle again
Once the image of the water cycle is projected again, I will show the students that I have paper
vocabulary word strips to tape up on the board with the appropriate stage of the cycle. Starting
with the words that they knew, if any, I will ask volunteers to try and correctly place the word
strip next to the stage of the cycle it describes
Working together as a class they will determine which word strips and consequently which
words, describe and match each stage of the cycle
If there is extra time: I will ask the students if they would like to see a demonstration of parts of
the water cycle and take out the sugar cube mountain
Closure:
If there is extra time: I will have the students gather around me at a table in the classroom to
watch as I model precipitation by dripping warm water down the mountain and then tell the students to
try to tell me what other stage they can see happening in the demonstration. Once they have figured it
out they will return to their desks and fill out their exit tickets before moving on to the next lesson or
class.
If there is not time for the demo: I will ask two volunteers to pass out the exit tickets to their
peers. I will give the students directions and give them 5 minutes to complete their drawings of the water
cycle before collecting them so they can move to their next subject.
Differentiation:
Some students English level is more proficient than others are, the word strips and vocabulary
sheets will have both the English, and Spanish versions of the words to help the students better
understand.
Vocabulary: Write down the definitions of the words that are the stages in the
Water Cycle
1. Precipitation/ precipitacin
2. Collection/ coleccin
3. Evaporation/ evaporacin
4. Condensation/ condensacin
Exit Ticket
Directions: Draw a picture of the water cycle with the correct word that describes the
stage labeled with arrows. Use your vocabulary sheet for help if you need to.

Water Cycle Sugar Cube Mountain

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Sugar Cube Mountains and Water Cycle Lesson Plan

Students will understand the meanings of the

Paper vocabulary strips

Document camera and projector

Image of water cycle without labels

For sugar cube mountain demonstration:

foil pie pan

food coloring for drizzling earth and

Lesson Description and Rationale:

Hook and Lesson Beginning:

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