Grade 2

Water All Around Us

Where is water found and how does it move and change?

Water is an essential natural resource that supports all living things and plays a central role in our environment. Students will explore where water is found, how it moves and changes, and why it is important for plants, animals, and people. Through hands-on investigations and guided inquiry, students observe that water can exist as a liquid or a solid, that it flows and takes the shape of its container, and that it can change when heated or cooled. They begin to understand that water moves in a continuous cycle through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

This lesson aligns with the Ontario Science & Technology Curriculum (2022), primarily within the Earth and Space Systems strand: Air and Water in the Environment, while integrating expectations from Matter and Energy (Properties of Liquids and Solids), Life Systems (Animals’ Needs), and STEM Skills and Connections. Students develop scientific inquiry skills by making predictions, observing changes, recording findings, and communicating their understanding. The lesson also encourages environmental stewardship by helping students recognize the importance of conserving and protecting water as a shared resource.

Learning goals

To describe how water changes and moves in the environment
To describe the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation)
To identify sources of water in the environment
To describe the properties of water as a liquid or a solid
To suggest ways people can conserve water

Materials

Ziploc bags
Water
Food colouring
Ice cubes (some plain, with small plastic objects inside)
Trays or bowls
Salt
Paper towels
Chart paper and markers
Clear cups and containers of different shapes
Kettle or thermos with hot water
Mirror
Projector for videos and presentations

Visual Resources

Water Cycle Video – demonstrates how water moves through the environment in a continuous cycle. The animation shows evaporation, condensation, and rain fall (precipitation), helping students to visualize how water travels from the ground into the atmosphere and back again: Water Cycle – YouTube

All the Water in the World – explains how much of the water on Earth is actually drinkable: All the water in the world

States of Water: Introduces the three states of water – solid, liquid, and gas – and explains how water can change between these states when it is heated or cooled: States of Water – YouTube

Draw the Water Cycle: Provides a simple guide that helps students draw and label stages of the water cycle: Draw the Water Cycle

Activity instructions

There are two parts in this activity to be completed.

Introduction – Understanding Water Around Us (40 minutes):

Where is water found and who needs it? (15 minutes)
How does water move and change (25 minutes)

Hands-On Exploration – Investigating Water (50 minutes)

Water Cycle Investigation – Water Cycle in a Bag (25 minutes)
Properties of Water (25 minutes)

There are four parts in this activity to be completed:

Introduction
Hands-on activity
Class discussion
Wrap-up activity

Introduction:

Understanding Water Around Us (40 minutes)

Section 1: Where is water found and who needs it? (15 minutes)

Show images of:
1. Rain
2. Puddles
3. Lakes and rivers
4. Snow and ice
5. Groundwater
6. Animals drinking water
7. Plants growing with water
Ask students the following guiding questions:
1. Where do we find water?
2. Where does water come from?
3. Where does rain come from and where does it go after it falls?
4. Who needs water to live?
Record student responses on chart paper under the following headings:
1. Where water is found
2. How water moves
3. Who needs water
Guide students to recognize that water exists in many places in nature and that all living things need water to survive.

Section 2: How does water move and change? (25 minutes)

Share the video Water Cycle
Explain that water moves in a repeating cycle called the water cycle
Introduce the following vocabulary:
1. Evaporation – when water warms up and rises into the air
2. Condensation – when water cools and forms droplets in the air
3. Precipitation – when water falls tot he ground as rain or snow
Ask students to think about the following questions:
1. What happens to puddles after a sunny day?
2. Where do clouds come from?
3. What happens when clouds become full of water?
Show the video All the water in the world – YouTube
1. This video reinforces the idea that the same water moves through the environment and can take different forms

Hands-on activity:

Investigating Water (50 minutes)

Section 1: Water Cycle Investigation – Water Cycle in a Bag (25 minutes)

Concept: Students will observe how water moves through the water cycle.

Challenge: Have students predict what happens if you heat the water bag or cool it.

Have students place a small amount of water and a few drops of blue food colouring into a Ziploc bag.
Seal the bag and tape it to a sunny window or place it under a warm lamp
Over time, have students observe:
1. Water warming and moving upward (evaporation)
2. Water droplets forming on the inside of the bag (condensation)
3. Droplets running down the bag (precipitation)

Section 2: Properties of Water (25 minutes)

Share the video States of Water
Explain that water can exist in different forms, including:
1. Solid (ice)
2. Liquid (water)
3. Gas (vapour)
Have students rotate through three exploration stations, below.

Station 1: Solid Water – Ice Explorers

Students explore water as a solid (ice).

Big idea: water can freeze and become solid. Ice keeps its shape.

Materials:
- Ice cubes
- Trays or bowls
- Salt
- Paper towels
Activity:

Place ice cubes in bowls. Let students observe and touch the ice.
Sprinkle salt on one cube and compare it to one without salt.
Observe what happens over time

Discussion:
- How does the ice feel? What shape does it have?
- What happens when ice gets warmer?
- Does ice keep its shape?
- Which ice cube melted faster?

Station 2 – Liquid Water – Water Shape Shifter

Students explore water as a liquid.

Big idea: water flows and changes shape depending on its container.

Materials:
- Clear cups and containers of different sizes and shapes
- Water
- Paper towels
Activity:

Students pour water into different containers
Observe how the shape changes
Have students tilt the containers or gently swirl them

Discussion:
- Does water have its own shape?
- What happens when we move water?
- Can you hold water without a container?
Emphasize that liquid water flows and takes the shape of its container.

Station 3 – Water as a Gas – Mystery Stream

Students observe water as a water vapour (gas).

Big idea: Water can turn into water vapour (gas) and back into liquid when cooled.

Materials:
- Kettle or thermos with hot water (teacher-supervised)
- Cup
- Mirror
Activity:

Teacher pours hot water into a container.
Students observe steam rising.
Hold a cold lid or mirror above the steam.
Have students observe water droplets forming on the mirror’s surface.

Discussion:
- Why did water appear on the mirror?
- Where did the droplets come from?
- Can we always see water vapour?

Class wrap-up: create a simple anchor chart:

State	What it looks like	Example
Solid	Hard, keeps shape	Ice cube
Liquid	Flows, changes shape	Water in a cup, water in the ocean or a river
Gas	Invisible, spreads out	Steam

Class discussion:

Wrap-up activity:

Reflection and wrap-up (15 minutes)

Lead a class discussion:

How does water move through the environment?
What happens when water is warmed or cooled?
Why is water important for people, plants, and animals?

Have students draw and label the water cycle showing evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. The video Draw the Water Cycle can support this activity.

Ask students to identify places where they use water in their daily lives.

Discuss simple ways that students can help save water, such as:
1. Turning off the tap when brushing teeth
2. Using only the water they need
3. Not wasting water while washing their hands
4. Only flushing the toilet when it needs to be flushed