The Water Cycle

Created By: Ms. Gilbert

Table of Contents

Introduction
Big Idea: The water cycle plays an integral part in our everyday
lives here on Earth.

1. Introduction: P. 2 4
2. Chapter 1: P. 5 P. 8
3. Chapter 2: P. 9 P. 12
4. Chapter 3: P. 13 P. 16
5. Chapter 4: P. 17 P. 20
6. Glossary: P. 21
7. Bibliography: P. 22

Goal of Unit: The goal of this unit is for students to understand

every component and stage that make up the water cycle.
Rationale for Unit: It is crucial for students to understand the
water cycle. They need to recognize that water on the Earth is
used over and over; the continuous movement of water from
ocean to air and land then back into the ocean in a cyclic
pattern is a central scientific concept.
Prior Knowledge: Students already know that clouds
produce rain, hail, sleet and snow. They also already know
precipitation gets absorbed into Earth, and when it doesnt it
may create floods or add to existing bodies of water.
Overall Learning Outcomes:
1. Students will be able to explain the process and
characteristics of each stage within the water cycle.
2. Students will be able to explain how each stage of the water
cycle is interdependent on the other.
Compelling Questions:
1. What components make up the water cycle?
2. How do the stages of the water cycle depend on one another?
3. Why is the water cycle important to our environment?
4. How does it affect our daily lives?

What is the water cycle?

Ever wonder what causes clouds to

produce rain? Hail? Sleet? Snow? Ever
wonder where the liquids of matter go once
fallen from clouds? Make a prediction.
In this book you will learn about the stages
of the weather, and their cause; the
water cycle!
Within, there will be terms, pictures, and
links to help better your understanding.
Before we get started, I would like you to
create a KWL chart in relation to the water
cycle. What do you know? What do you
want to know? We will complete the last
column (learn) at the end of this book.

Preview:
The water cycle is a continuous pattern in which water
evaporates into gas, travels into the air (transpiration)
becoming part of a cloud (condensation), then falls
from a cloud as precipitation, and evaporates again, to
repeat the never ending process.
Water keeps moving and changing from a solid to a
liquid to a gas, over and over again.
At the poles, it is huge masses of ice (solid). In lakes,
rivers, and oceans, it is liquid. In the atmosphere,
reaching upward for many miles, it is vapor appearing
as clouds.

Questions to Think About:

1. Does a cycle ever end?

2. What do the terms evaporation & transpiration mean?
3. What does it mean to condense?
4. Can you think of different forms of precipitation?
5. Where does water go once fallen from clouds?
6. Do we reuse water?
7. Do you think each stage within the water cycle depends
on the other?
Turn and talk with a partner and share your thoughts.

Now lets get started and learn about each stage!

Chapter One
Evaporation & Transpiration

I can identify the process and characteristics of evaporation.

I can identify the process and characteristics of
transpiration.

In order for the water cycle to take place,

evaporation and transpiration need to occur.
But what do evaporation and transpiration
mean?
Evaporation is a process in which liquid
turns into vapor (gas) when heat is applied.
Heat is applied to water from the sun.

T
AC
F
N
FU

75% of the human brain is

made up of water, and 75%
of a living tree is made up
of water.

Transpiration is the process in which

moisture from plants changes into vapor
and is released into the atmosphere. It is
essentially evaporation of water from plant
leaves.
Studies have revealed that about 10% of the
moisture found in the atmosphere is
released by plants through transpiration.
The remaining 90% is mainly supplied by
evaporation from oceans, seas, and other
bodies of water including lakes, rivers, and
streams.

Water covers about 70% of the Earths

surface, meaning there is a mass supply of
water that is able to evaporate and transpire
into the sky.
CT The water cycle only creates 1% of
FA
useable water for humans.
N
FU

FU
NF
AC
For every loaf of bread produced, there is 570
T
gallons of water from the water cycle used.

Transpiration performs the same function in

relation to that of humans sweating. Plants do it
to cool down their leaves where humans do it
to cool down their bodies.

Your turn! Turn and talk with a partner and list 5

facts about evaporation & transpiration before
answering Chapter 1 questions.
Think, Pair, Share!

Chapter 1 Questions & Activities:

Evapotranspiration is a term frequently used

within this stage of the water cycle. It is a
combination between both terms of evaporation
and transpiration.
The term evapotranspiration does not change
the meaning of the process. It is still the process
of evaporating water from leaves and soil
through plant transpiration during
photosynthesis.
Evapotranspiration is an important process in
the water cycle because it is responsible for
15% of the atmospheres water vapor. Without
the input of water vapor, clouds couldnt form
and precipitation would never fall. It is the
process that puts water into the atmosphere in
the first place.

1.Liquid turns into what form of water during

evaporation? What causes this change?
2.Imagine you are water vapor being released from a
plant. Write a descriptive paragraph, using key terms,
of your journey up into the sky. Must be at least 6
sentences long.
3.Water covers ____% of Earths surface.
1. 80%
2. 65%
3. 70%
4. 50%
4.What does transpiration mean? Where does water
transpire from?
5.____% of moisture in the atmosphere is released by
____ through ____. The remained ____% is mainly
supplied by ____ from other bodies of water. What
are these bodies of water?
6.What does evapotranspiration mean? It is
responsible for what percent of the atmospheres
water vapor?

Chapter Two
Condensation & Precipitation
I can identify the process and characteristics of condensation.
I can identify the process and characteristics of precipitation.
I can identify 4 forms of precipitation.

Once evaporation and transpiration occur,

water vapor (gas) turns into a liquid state and
condenses. This is the opposite of
evaporation. Condensation is the stage in
which clouds are formed. Clouds form in the
atmosphere because air containing water
vapor rises and cools. If you look closely at a
cloud you can see some parts disappearing
(evaporating), while other parts are still
growing through the process of condensation.

Even on a clear and cloudless day, water vapor is

always present in the atmosphere and its amount
varies. Once vapor water molecules in the air hit a
colder surface, it turns into liquid water.
Some familiar examples of condensation include:
ground-level fog, the water that sweats off the
outside of your glass of a cold drink, your glasses
fogging up when you go from a cold room to the
outdoors on a hot and humid day, and the mirror
in the bathroom during a shower becoming foggy,
as warmer water vapor in the air hits the cooler
surface of the mirror.

Cool temperatures are essential for

condensation to occur, because as long as the
temperature in the atmosphere is high, it can
hold onto the water vapor, which then delays
the process of condensation.
Click here to view the different forms of precipitation!

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Click here to view the current day and next 48 hours of

precipitation in Rochester!

When clouds form, tiny water droplets must

condense on even tinier dust, salt, or smoke
particles, which act as a nucleus during this
process. After condensation, water droplets
become bigger and heavier within the clouds.
Because of this, water has to come down.
When they fall, this is called precipitation.
Precipitation comes down in the form of
rain, hail, sleet, and snow. It is the transfer
of water from the atmosphere back to earth.
Without clouds, we would not get to this
phase.
Precipitation is the primary connection in the
water cycle; as it provides for the delivery of
atmospheric water back to the Earth. This is
essential to keep the cycle going. Most
precipitation falls as rain.
CT
FA
N
FU

Water cycle facts have determined that all our

water is recycled, and that some of it is very old.
In fact, we could be washing and drinking with
the same water that dinosaurs used millions of
years ago!

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Amounts of precipitation can vary by location. For

example, deserts, such as Nevada, average less than
an inch of total precipitation per year. The
agricultural Midwest, however, receives
approximately 15 inches per year, while tropical
rain forests, such as those located in Hawaii, can
receive more than 100 inches of precipitation per
year!
Chapter 2 Questions & Activities:
1.What is condensation? What is formed within this
stage? What types of condensation can you see?
Explain.
2.What types of precipitation fall from clouds?
3.What type of precipitation is the most common form?
1. Snow
2. Rain
3. Hail
4. Sleet
4.Create a cinquain poem about precipitation.
5.Using this website, find the mean of precipitation and
snowfall in inches for the year in Rochester.
6.Do the same amounts of precipitation fall all around
the world? What types of precipitation fall here in New
York? What types do you think fall in a hot place, such
as Florida?

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Chapter Three
Runoff
I can identify the process and characteristics of runoffs.
I can identify bodies of water runoff collects into.
I can identify why runoffs sometimes may be harmful to planet
Earth.

When rain, hail, sleet, or snow fall onto

earth due to precipitation, it doesn't just sit
there. It starts moving according to the laws
of gravity. A portion of precipitation seeps
into the ground to replenish groundwater,
and most of it flows downhill as runoff.
Rainfall that does not partake in runoff is
infiltrated, and is slowly discharged into
streams.

Such places include: oceans, seas, lakes,

rivers, and streams. This movement helps in
the continuation of the never ending water
cycle process.
Runoff is extremely important in that not only
does it keep rivers and lakes full of water, but
it also changes the landscape by the action of
erosion.
Flowing water, runoffs, have tremendous
power. They can move boulders and carve out
canyons!
Excess runoff can lead to flooding, which
occurs when there is too much precipitation.

T
AC
F
N
FU

Runoff is precipitation that did not get

absorbed into soil, or did not evaporate, and
therefore, made its way from the ground
surface into places that water collect.

13

Water has three different

sates: liquid, solid, and
gas.

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Storm water runoff is a problem. This is because

as it flows over the land surface, it picks up things
such as: potential pollutants including sediment,
lawn fertilizer nutrients, human and animal waste,
lawn and garden pesticides, chemicals, metals
from rooftops and roadways, plastic, and
petroleum by-products from leaking vehicles.
Polluted storm water runoff can be harmful to
plants, animals, and people.

T
AC A person can live about a month without food, but
F
N
only about a week without water.
FU

If it rains in areas with a lot of hills and

valleys, the water tends to have little time to
be absorbed into the soil. It quickly runs
down the slopes, into the valleys, and ends
up into flowing streams.
If an area is very plain and level in nature,
the water has nowhere to flow to and tends
to have more time to be absorbed into the
soil. It may also evaporate.
Runoff of course occurs during storms. For
example, in 2001 during a major storm at
Peachtree Creek in Atlanta, Georgia, the
amount of water that flowed in the river in
one day was 7 percent of all the stream flow
for the year!
The average total home water use for each
person in the U.S. is about 50 gallons per
day.

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FU
N

FA
CT

Chapter 3 Questions & Activities:

1.
2.

3.
4.

5.
6.

Why do runoffs occur?

What bodies of water do runoffs lead into?
1. Lakes
2. Oceans
3. Rivers
4. All of the above
If precipitation doesn'tt go to a body of water, where
does it go?
If it rains in areas with lots of ____ and ____, water
tends to have ____ time to be absorbed into____. If an
area is very ____ and ____, water has nowhere to flow
and tends to have____ time to be absorbed into____. It
also may____.
How can runoffs be harmful to the Earth? Create a
problem and solution graphic organizer.
Word Network: What things, situations, or words come
to mind when thinking about the word runoff? Create a
diagram.
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Chapter Four
Wrap Up & Reflection

Youre a scientist. Define the vocabulary

terms below in your own words.

Click on the picture below and watch a

BrainPOP clip on the water cycle!

Now that you have watched the BrainPOP

video, take the online quiz here to
demonstrate your understanding of the water
cycle.

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Follow Up Questions:
Hands On Activities:

1.
2.

What do you think happens when water touches hot pavement?

Where does it go? Click here to view a water evaporation
experiment. Now, lets perform the same one together as a class!
Click here to conduct your own water cycle experiment with your
group members! Make sure to predict what will happen before
creating, and take note of observations throughout the activity.

3.

4.

5.
6.

DR-TA Comprehension Strategy

Create a cloud [precipitation] model with provided materials.

Step 1: Trace cloud template onto white construction paper
and cut out.
Step 2: Trace raindrop template onto blue construction paper
and cut out 5 raindrops.
Step 3: Tape provided string onto the back of cloud to
connect raindrops with.
Step 5: Glue cotton balls onto clouds.
Step 6: Tape raindrops onto bottom of string.
Step 7: Add blue glitter to raindrops.

NOW: Reflect on what happened with your group members.

What were your findings? What happened? How does this
experiment relate to the water cycle that takes place here on
Earth? What were the similarities? Were there any differences?
Was your prediction correct? Record this information in one
journal between all group members.
7.
8.

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Fill in the rest of your KWL chart. Is there more you would
like to know?
Do you understand each component of the water cycle? Create
and label a diagram to represent your understanding. Then
briefly explain the process within each stage.
What stage of the water cycle do you find to be most
important? Convince me why this is the most important stage.
Write a paragraph no shorter than 6 sentences. Note: You will
share this information with class members in a debate like
manner.
You're a weatherman. With your group members, take note of
the weather outside each day for a week. Note your
observations and create a daily log that will be featured in your
classroom newspaper of your findings. Make sure when you are
describing the weather outside you are using water cycle
terminology. Once completed at the end of the week, you may
orally report OR act out your findings in the shoes of a
weatherman.
Create an ABC list in regards to the water cycle with your
group members.
Read this article.

BEFORE you start reading, preview the text to predict

what will be learned. Write down your predictions.

THEN, read the text and take notes.

Take note of any vocabulary words you do not

know or would like to further discuss.

NEXT, write about the accuracy of your predictions,

adding more important details.

LASTLY, review the text and write a summary about

what was learned.
Why are each of the stages within the water cycle
interdependent on the other? Explain.
What was your favorite part of this unit? What was your least
favorite part of this unit?

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Glossary
Condensation: water that collects as droplets to form a
cloud.
Cycle: any complete round or series of occurrences that
repeats or is repeated.
Erosion: the gradual destruction or diminution of something.
Evaporation: the process of a substance in a liquid state
changing to a gaseous state due to an increase in
temperature.
Evapotranspiration: the process by which water is
transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation
from the soil and other surfaces, and by transpiration from
plants.
Groundwater: water found underground in the cracks and
spaces in soil, sand and rock.
Infiltrate: to pass into or through something.
Interdependent: two or more people are things that depend
on one another.
Precipitation: the process of forms of water (rain, hail, sleet,
and snow) that falling from a solution to the ground.
Runoff: the draining away of water from the surface of an
area of land.
Transpiration: the process where plants absorb water
through the roots and then give off water vapor through
pores in their leaves.
Water Cycle: the cycle of processes by which water
circulates between the earth's oceans, atmosphere, and land,
involving precipitation as rain and snow, drainage in streams
and rivers, and return to the atmosphere by evaporation and
transpiration.

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Bibliography
Websites:
http://www.eschooltoday.com/watercycle/the-water-cycle.html
http://water.usgs.gov/edu/
http://facts.net/water-cycle-facts/
https://www3.epa.gov/safewater/kids/wa
terfactsoflife.html
http://sciencepoems.net/sciencepoems/w
atercycle.aspx#.V1VjYDdvN4M
http://google.com [glossary definitions]
https://www.brainpop.com/science/earth
system/watercycle/
Books:
The Magic School Bus Wet All Over: A
Book About The Water Cycle by Joanna
Cole.
Water Dance by Thomas Locker.

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