1. Introduce Morphie and Read his Story

Morphie’s GREAT WATER RIDE Adventure
Meet Morphie, a raindrop who travels, magically changes shape and form (hence his name), and shows us how many things water can do as he “rides” the water cycle. Use the story of Morphie’s adventures as:

• A downloadable, read-aloud poem, to make young children aware of the wonders of water in our lives
• An illustrated, interactive on-line water adventure for classroom computer use

Morphie’s rhyming story is a complement to science learning, and an invitation to investigate more about the properties, uses, vocabulary and responsible care of fresh water.

Ways to use Morphie’s Great Water Ride Adventure as a teaching aid:

• As a whole narrative, to introduce and/or sum up water concepts presented in Grade 2 science
• In parts, to illustrate the many different aspects of water in our lives and in the natural environment (through science, art, language)
• On a computer for children (in the classroom, or at home to read with parents)
• As a theme for related cross-curricular activities, demonstrations and extensions (see below)

2. Discover the Water All Around You!

Ms. Moss’s Water Walks
The first activity resource in this Toolkit is a series of five narratives called Ms. Moss’s Water Walks. The idea or theme for each of these walks is presented as a dialogue between Ms. Moss and her class at Sunshine School (narrated by Sonia, one of her students).

Download and print out Ms. Moss’s Water Walks, with the following 5 place-based themes, by clicking on the links below:

• Water Walk #1: Discovering Water in Our School
• Water Walk #2: Discovering Water in Our Neighbourhood
• Water Walk #3: Discovering the Water Cycle
• Water Walk #4: Discovering Water in Nature
• Water Walk #5: Keeping Our Water Clean and Healthy

These Water Walk narratives are built on the practice of place-based, experiential education. Each one provides a framework for taking children on a “discovery walk” into a part of their local environment. The objective is to look for and record “anything they see that’s about water.” Ms. Moss’s students discuss their observations, and they bring data back to the classroom for further conceptual science learning about water. They are familiar with Morphie (see #1, above), and think about some of the things they have learned from his story as they walk and explore.

Each Water Walk narrative can be used in a variety of ways:

• For ideas, for asking students to make individual observations about water in their local environments (at school, at home, in the neighbourhood)
• As models for actual short discovery walks with a class, using place-based exploratory learning experiences and local information-gathering as a part of “real world” scientific inquiry
• As guides for the creation of Wonderful Water Walks art projects made with visual displays (drawing, painting, models with water vocabulary use) in the classroom. Water Walks art projects could feature the five suggested themes, and add others such as “water at home,” “water at work,” “water fun,” “water habitats,” “taking care of water” to draw the forms and many uses of water in your students’ school, their homes, their community and in nature.

3. Related Water Concepts: Activity Sets

Click on any of seven Activity Sets that illustrate concepts explored in Morphie’s Great Water Ride Adventure and Ms. Moss’s Water Walks.

The following Activity Sets illustrate and enhance selected points of scientific inquiry about water made in Morphie’s Great Water Ride Adventure, and Ms. Moss’s Water Walks.

Activity Set #1: How Much Water Is Fresh Water?
Activity Set #2: The States of Water
Activity Set #3: Discovering the Water Cycle
Activity Set #4: Being Water: Discovering the States of Matter through Movement
Activity Set #5: Nature and People Keeping Water Clean
Activity Set #6: Making Rainbows, Indoors and Outdoors
Activity Set #7: Water and Animal Habitat Art

4. Extensions
Teach about water through:

1) Storytelling/Language Arts. Invite students to narrate short incidents from their own experiences with water, or imaginative water stories and adventures. What other adventures could Morphie have/where else could he go? If I were the water, what would I do? Read and write poems about water. Write about water in the four seasons.

2) Art. Illustrate Morphie’s story in parts with drawings, featuring a series of themes on the many ways that water is important (rain, rivers, groundwater [including wells, spring and soil moisture], snow, wetlands, habitat for many different kinds of plants and animals, farms, factories, reservoirs and dams. Add new themes about water - water and pipes (everywhere!), cooking, cleaning, transportation and shipping, early explorers and waterways, waterwheels doing work (in history and today), water and fire fighters (safety), and beautiful scenery and enjoyment of water (lakes, rivers, ponds, fountains, pools, and waterfalls. Draw water through the four seasons.

3) Music. Write and sing water songs. Write words about water themes to familiar tunes. Learn some new Water Songs: http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems17.html Play Handel’s Water Music and dance like water to this famous composition.

4) Social Studies. Make maps of local places that show the locations of water. Make posters about ways individuals, families, businesses and communities can take good care of their water.

Skills Developed
The examples from these stories offer learning links integrated across science and technology (water observation, data collection, making connections); social studies (our neighbourhood/our community exploration and mapping), language arts (vocabulary-building), art (drawing findings and representation of water applications), and math (graphing, data management).

5. WATER WORDS
A glossary of water words used in the context of this Toolkit is provided to help learners enhance their language skills in a science context. (See Vocabulary – Water Words)