Objectives (5-10 minutes)

1. Understand the water cycle: Students should be able to identify and describe the different stages of the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff) in a simplified and contextual way.

2. Identify the different states of water: Students should be able to recognize the different physical states of water (liquid, solid, and gas) and understand how they relate to the stages of the water cycle.

3. Relate the water cycle to daily life: Students should be able to apply their understanding of the water cycle to explain natural phenomena that occur in their environment, such as the formation of clouds, rain, snow, and ice.

Secondary objectives:

• Promote critical thinking: Students should be encouraged to ask questions and think about how the water cycle impacts their daily lives and the environment.

• Stimulate active learning: Students should be encouraged to participate actively in the lesson, discussing, and sharing their ideas and observations with their peers and the teacher.

Introduction (10-15 minutes)

1. Review of previous content: The teacher begins by reminding students about the importance of water to life on Earth and the different ways that is used in their daily routines. This includes drinking water, bathing, watering plants, among others. The teacher can also ask questions related to the different states of water that students have already learned about (solid, liquid, and gas).

2. Problem Situation 1: "The mystery of the missing puddle": The teacher presents the following situation to the students: "This morning there was a big puddle of water in the street, but now it has disappeared. Where do you think the water went?" This problem situation is designed to spark the students' curiosity and get them thinking about the water cycle.

3. Problem Situation 2: "The adventures of the water droplet": The teacher then poses another situation: "Imagine that you are a water droplet. What do you think your 'life' would be like?" The goal of this activity is to get students to think about the different stages of the water cycle in a fun and contextual way.

4. Contextualizing the importance of the subject: The teacher explains that understanding the water cycle is essential for us to understand how water is distributed and renewed on Earth and how it influences climate and ecosystems. Additionally, the teacher emphasizes the importance of water for life and the need to care for this valuable natural resource.

5. Introduction of the topic with curiosities: To further engage the students, the teacher can share some curiosities about the water cycle. For example, that the water we drink today may have been the same that the dinosaurs drank millions of years ago, or that the water on Earth is constantly recycled and that the amount of water on the planet has remained practically the same over the centuries.

Development (20-25 minutes)

The teacher will have to choose one of the following activities to carry out with the students, all of which are designed to reinforce their understanding of the water cycle and the interaction of different states of water at each stage of the process.

1. Water Cycle Game: The teacher can prepare a simple board game where students will go through the stages of the water cycle. The objective of the game is to get the students to experience the transformations of water in its different states and the changes from one state to another in the water cycle in a playful way. For this purpose, each space on the board could represent a stage in the water cycle and students could roll a die and move their pieces according to the number obtained.

During the game, the teacher can ask questions about the stages of the water cycle, the states of water, and their transformations. Students who answer correctly can move ahead more spaces. In the end, the student who reaches the end of the board first is the winner.

2. "The Water Cycle in a Bottle" Experiment: In this activity, the teacher will demonstrate the water cycle in a practical and visual way. To do this, you will need the following materials: a transparent plastic bottle, water, food coloring (optional) and a container for the condensed water.

   The teacher will fill the bottle with water (food coloring can be added to make visualization easier), close the lid tightly and place it near a window or in a sunny location. After a while, the water will start to evaporate. As the water vapor comes into contact with the cold surface of the bottle, it will condense to form small drops of water that resemble "rain" inside the bottle.

   The teacher can then explain that the water in the bottle was going through the different stages of the water cycle: evaporation, condensation and precipitation. "Runoff" does not occur in this experiment, but the teacher can explain that the "rain" water in the bottle, if it were in a natural environment, would run into rivers, lakes and oceans, and the water cycle would continue.

3. Coloring and Drawing the Water Cycle Activity: This activity is more focused on students' artistic expression. The teacher distributes sheets of paper and colored pencils to each student. Then, students will be instructed to draw a scene that represents the water cycle. The teacher can suggest that students include elements such as the sun, the ocean, the clouds, the mountains, the plants, etc.

   While students are drawing, the teacher can walk around the room talking to students, and ask questions to test their understanding of the water cycle. At the end of the activity, students can share their drawings with the class, explaining how each part of the drawing represents a stage of the water cycle.

   The teacher may also present a model of the water cycle already colored to help students understand and as a reference for the activity.

In all the activities, the teacher should guide the students to reflect on what they are learning, encouraging them to ask questions and to share their observations and ideas with their classmates. Finally, the teacher should review the key points of the lesson, reinforcing the concepts learned and answering any questions that may have arisen.

Feedback (10-15 minutes)

1. Group discussion: The teacher should gather all the students in a large circle and start a group discussion. Each group of students that participated in the activities should present what they have learned. In the case of the Water Cycle Game, the students can explain how the water cycle works, the stages that water goes through and how the different states of water relate to the cycle. In the case of the "The Water Cycle in a Bottle" Experiment, the students can describe the stages of the cycle that they were able to observe and how it happened. In the Coloring and Drawing activity, students can share their drawings and explain each part of the drawing, linking it to a stage in the water cycle.

2. Connection with the theory: After the presentations, the teacher should review the key points of the lesson. He/she can ask students how the activities they did related to what they learned in the introduction and in the theory. For example, how does the "The Water Cycle in a Bottle" Experiment demonstrate the theory of the water cycle? How did the Water Cycle Game help to better understand the stages and states of water in the cycle?

3. Individual reflection: To end the lesson, the teacher should ask the students to reflect individually on what they learned. He/she can ask two simple questions to guide the students' reflection:

   • What was the most interesting thing you learned today about the water cycle?
   • How can you use what you learned today about the water cycle in your daily life?

   The teacher should allow students to think about the answers for a minute, and then can ask several volunteers to share their responses with the class.

4. Teacher feedback: The teacher should praise the students' effort and participation throughout the lesson, highlighting the strengths of each activity. The teacher should also reinforce the most important concepts of the water cycle, stressing the importance of the topic and how it relates to the students' daily lives.

5. Preparation for the next lesson: Finally, the teacher should tell the students that in the next lesson they will learn about the importance of the water cycle for living beings and the environment. He/she can suggest that students do some research at home on how the lack of water can affect life on Earth, so that they can discuss their findings in the next lesson.

This feedback moment is essential to consolidate the students' learning, to promote the reflection on and the application of the knowledge, and to provide constructive feedback on their performance during the lesson.

Conclusion (5-10 minutes)

1. Summary and Recapitulation: The teacher should start the conclusion by summarizing the main points covered during the lesson. The teacher could recall the stages of the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff), the different states of water (liquid, solid and gas), and how they relate to each other in the cycle. The teacher could also emphasize how the water cycle is an ongoing and essential process for life on Earth.

2. Connection of the Theory to Practice: The teacher should then explain how the activities carried out in the classroom contributed to the understanding of the theoretical concepts. The teacher could mention how the Water Cycle Game allowed the students to visualize and experience the stages of the cycle. Furthermore, the teacher could highlight how the "The Water Cycle in a Bottle" Experiment and the coloring and drawing activity helped students connect the theory to practice in a fun and meaningful way.

3. Extra Materials and Study Suggestions: The teacher can suggest some extra resources for the students to delve deeper into their knowledge about the water cycle. These could include children's books on the topic, educational videos available on the internet or even visits to places that can exemplify the water cycle, such as parks, rivers and water treatment plants. The teacher could also suggest that students practice observing the water cycle in their everyday lives, paying attention to how the water transforms into different states and how it moves in nature.

4. Importance of the Water Cycle: Lastly, the teacher should emphasize the importance of the water cycle for life on Earth and for society. The teacher could explain how the water cycle is one of the main processes that regulates climate and ecosystems, and how water, an essential resource for life, is distributed and renewed through this cycle. In addition, the teacher could underscore the need to take care of water and the environment, avoiding waste and pollution, so that the water cycle can continue functioning in a balanced way.

5. Closure: The teacher should end the lesson by thanking the students for their participation and effort. The teacher could remind them that learning is an ongoing process, and that each lesson is an opportunity to discover new and interesting things. Finally, the teacher can invite students to get ready for the next lesson, restating the importance of knowledge about the water cycle for understanding the world around them.