Modeling Water Bodies

Overview

In this lesson plan, students investigate different types of water bodies on Earth by making models of lakes, oceans, and rivers inside an aluminum pan using various materials and real water. By describing each water body and sharing their observations about their differences and similarities, students will be able to identify the typical characteristics of each water body.

NGSS Alignment

This lesson helps students prepare for these Next Generation Science Standards Performance Expectations:

• 2-ESS2-2. Develop a model to represent the shapes and kinds of land and bodies of water in an area.
• 2-ESS2-3. Obtain information to identify where water is found on Earth and that it can be solid or liquid.

This lesson focuses on these aspects of NGSS Three Dimensional Learning:

Science & Engineering Practices	Disciplinary Core Ideas	Crosscutting Concepts
Developing and Using Models. Develop a model to represent patterns in the natural world Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information. Communicate information or design ideas with others in oral form using models that provide detail about scientific ideas.	ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in the Earth's Surface Processes. Water is found in the ocean, rivers, lakes, and ponds. Water exists as solid ice and in liquid form.	Patterns. Patterns in the natural world can be observed.

Materials

• Aluminum pan or another shallow dish
• Sand
• Pebbles
  Note: If you do not have any sand or pebbles, you can substitute these with other materials such as rice, grains, Lego®, or blocks. If you use other materials, make sure they are not able to dissolve in water or float.
• Water
• Water jug
• Cup or bottle with a narrow opening
• Aluminum foil
• Paper towels
• Printed example water body images