Title
- Water Cycle Summary: Making a Terrarium
Objectives
- Students will create a terrarium with materials provided to them in class.
- Students will record detailed predictions and observations of what will happen in the terrarium for two weeks.
Procedure
- Begin the lesson by doing a short SmartBoard presentation reviewing the entire water cycle process. Finish the presentation by describing what a terrarium entails
- Divide the students into groups of three. Each group will need one 2-liter soda bottle. The top of the bottle needs to be cut off (4-5 inches) so that the students can access the inside.
- Direct the students and assist the students to build their own terrariums. Explain all the steps in details. Include pictures on the board of each step.
o ½ inch of small gravel on the bottom
o Sprinkle some activated charcoal on top of the gravel.
o Add 2-3 inches of moistened potting soil. Add moss on top of the soil.
o Finally students can add some sticks and rocks to the terrarium.
- Tape the top of the soda bottles back on using clear masking tape. Each group needs to label their terrariums with their names and the date.
- In their science notebooks students need to draw a picture of their terrariums and make predictions about what will happen to their terrarium over time.
- Each day student’s will record observations in their science notebooks about what is occurring in their terrarium.
- Conclude the lesson by discussing how the terrarium demonstrates the water cycle. Ask students if we will need to water the moss for it to survive? Why or why not.
Materials
- Clear 2 liter soda bottles
- Gravel
- Activated charcoal
- Moistened potting soil
- Sticks
- Rocks
- SmartBoard presentation
- Clear masking tape
Assessment
- As a form of summative assessment the teacher will collect the science notebooks after the students have been recording their observations for two weeks.
- Water Cycle Summary: Making a Terrarium
Objectives
- Students will create a terrarium with materials provided to them in class.
- Students will record detailed predictions and observations of what will happen in the terrarium for two weeks.
Procedure
- Begin the lesson by doing a short SmartBoard presentation reviewing the entire water cycle process. Finish the presentation by describing what a terrarium entails
- Divide the students into groups of three. Each group will need one 2-liter soda bottle. The top of the bottle needs to be cut off (4-5 inches) so that the students can access the inside.
- Direct the students and assist the students to build their own terrariums. Explain all the steps in details. Include pictures on the board of each step.
o ½ inch of small gravel on the bottom
o Sprinkle some activated charcoal on top of the gravel.
o Add 2-3 inches of moistened potting soil. Add moss on top of the soil.
o Finally students can add some sticks and rocks to the terrarium.
- Tape the top of the soda bottles back on using clear masking tape. Each group needs to label their terrariums with their names and the date.
- In their science notebooks students need to draw a picture of their terrariums and make predictions about what will happen to their terrarium over time.
- Each day student’s will record observations in their science notebooks about what is occurring in their terrarium.
- Conclude the lesson by discussing how the terrarium demonstrates the water cycle. Ask students if we will need to water the moss for it to survive? Why or why not.
Materials
- Clear 2 liter soda bottles
- Gravel
- Activated charcoal
- Moistened potting soil
- Sticks
- Rocks
- SmartBoard presentation
- Clear masking tape
Assessment
- As a form of summative assessment the teacher will collect the science notebooks after the students have been recording their observations for two weeks.