7th Grade - The Water Cycle from Britt Gow

Description

I have posted this on my blog and wiki and have received lots of favourable comments from teachers. Students enjoyed having their posters displayed on the Internet and parents were able to access student work.

Assignment

Year 7 Science students did a unit of work on water and the water cycle. They were asked to draw a picture containing mountains, clouds, the sea, a lake, a forest and an underground water reservoir (aquifer). They were then asked to label their posters to show the different aspects of the water cycle - evaporation, condensation, precipitation, transpiration and percolation. I then took photos of the student posters and uploaded the images to my computer, and to VoiceThread. Students were asked to find their poster and describe the water cycle to consolidate their learning.

The aim of this project was to consolidate student knowledge about the water cycle. Sometimes students have difficulty remembering scientific terminology and this activity reinforces what they have done in the classroom.

Easy Parts

The easiest part was drawing posters, taking photos, uploading images and labeling posters.

Challenges

We had some difficulty with microphones, and some students were reluctant to use audio and preferred to use text.

Tools

Digital camera and IrfanView to resize photos.

Tips

If student posters are to be photographed they looked much better with all the white space filled and bold-text colours (not greylead and lead pencil).

Variations

Great for many aspects of science where descriptions are required. Useful for clarifying student understanding and improving their understanding of terminology.