Developed by CLACE- PI Marina La Grave, Dr. Barry Kluger-Bell and Kristine Johnson
UNIT: Water
LESSON # 2
TITLE: Condensation and the Water Cycle
Summary: Children learn some basic ideas about
NASA Source:
Grade level:
Time:
Children
Learning
Outcomes:
condensation and how water vapor
changes to liquid water. This is followed
by using this understanding of
condensation and what children learned
about evaporation in the last session to
introduce the water cycle.
Adapted from the NASA sponsored,
Aquarius Education and Outreach “The
Water Cycle -- Now You See It, Now You
Don't”
<http://aquarius.nasa.gov/pdfs/water_cy
cle.pdf>
3-5
Total time: 70 minutes
Snack & introduction: 15 minutes
Part 1: Condensation: 25 minute
Part 2: Water cycle:
15 minutes
Summary and cleanup: 15 minutes
Children will learn that:
 The air (and your breath) contains
water vapor.
 Water vapor can turn into liquid water
on cool surfaces.
 The water cycle involves evaporation,
condensation, precipitation and
collection (infiltration, runoff, etc.).
Materials:
for condensation activity
Item
Plastic
drinking glass
Ice
Water
Accessible
glass window
or door or
mirror
Quantity
per pair–
trio
1
to fill the
glass
to fill the
glass
1
for water cycle discussion
Item
Chart of the
water cycle
Written lyrics
of the Water
Cycle Boogie
Quantity
per child
1
1
Take-home KIT per child:
Children will engage in and thereby
strengthen a number of scientific
Each child will receive:
practices such as:
1 sheet of paper on which to
 Observing condensation.
draw their home and/or the
 Inferring where the liquid water comes
water cycle as it happens
from in condensation.
locally.
Children will be able to (cultural goals):
1 half sheet of paper with the
 Relate overall science learning goals to
following instructions:
the context of their schools, families,
 Talk to your family members
and community.
about water in your home.
 Communicate ideas, collaborate with
 Where does the water in your
other children, and learn in a
1
Developed by CLACE- PI Marina La Grave, Dr. Barry Kluger-Bell and Kristine Johnson
personally meaningful way.
Big Questions:  Where do you think that the water
comes from on “fogged-up” surfaces
and cold glasses?
 How does water cycle through the
Earth system?

Lesson format: Hands-on activity, discussion and
singing.
National This activity relates to the following
Standards standards from the Next Generation
Addressed: Science Standards:
K-PS3-1. Make observations to
determine the effect of sunlight on
Earth’s surface.
K-ESS2-1. Use and share observations of
local weather conditions to describe
patterns over time.
2-PS1-1. Plan and conduct an
investigation to describe and classify
different kinds of materials by their
observable properties.
2-ESS2-3. Obtain information to identify
where water is found on Earth and that
it can be solid or liquid.
4-PS3-2. Make observations to provide
evidence that energy can be
transferred from place to place by
sound, light, heat, and electric currents.
5-PS1-1. Develop a model to describe
that matter is made of particles too
small to be seen.
5-ESS2-1. Develop a model using an
example to describe ways the
geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere,
and/or atmosphere interact.
5-ESS2-2. Describe and graph the
amounts and percentages of water and
fresh water in various reservoirs to
provide evidence about the distribution
of water on Earth.
MS-ESS2-1. Develop a model to describe
the cycling of Earth’s materials and the
2
home come from?
 Where does it go when you are
finished with it?
 Where are you in the water
cycle?
 Where do you see evaporation
and condensation happening
in your home?
 If you choose to draw water
use in your home, then draw
your home and mark every
place you get water from,
every place you use water,
every place water goes away,
and places where evaporation
and condensation happen.
These can be marked with a
word or a color.
 Please remember to bring in a
show and tell object that
makes you think about water
or the drawing of water in
your home for next week.
Word Wall:
Include following words in
discussion (in both English and
Spanish), orally defined in
understandable terms, and
visibly displayed. If possible,
project a large image of the
words (and associated pictures)
on the wall of the teaching area.









Evaporation • Evaporación
Condensation • Condensación
Precipitation • Precipitación
Collection
• Colección
Snow
• Nieve
Rain
• Lluvia
Ocean
• Océano
Lake
• Lago
River
• Río
Developed by CLACE- PI Marina La Grave, Dr. Barry Kluger-Bell and Kristine Johnson
flow of energy that drives this process.
• Groundwater • Aguas
subterráneas
• Glacier
• Glaciar
DIRECTIONS:
Overview: This session involves three parts and one take-home activity:
1) Give children an opportunity to share show and tell object that makes them think
about water or their drawing related to water. Then start with a brief multimedia
presentation on either evaporation and condensation or the water cycle and
introduce today’s topic.
2) Children then experience examples of condensation and discuss them.
3) Children learn about the water cycle and sing the Water Cycle Boogie.
4) Instruction for Take-home Kit/activity.
Steps:
LESSON INTRODUCTION (15 minutes)





Give children an opportunity to briefly share their show and tell object that makes
them think about water or their drawing related to water that was part of last
week’s take home.
Shift to the introduction of today’s lesson.
At the beginning of the session (during snack, if provided), show a multimedia
presentation to introduce today’s lesson.
http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX7555007a417a6d4c725d7f&t=State
s-of-Matter OR
http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX73676f0d5a4056514d7606&t=Wat
er-Cycle
The original is at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/index.php?id=558
Relate today’s topic to the last lesson (evaporation). Children will extend their
understanding of water vapor today. Remind them that by learning about water,
they will gain a better overall understanding of climate change, because water is one
of the important elements of our environment.
Last week we found out that water can evaporate. Liquid water can go into the air.
This week we will look at how we might get that water back.
3
Developed by CLACE- PI Marina La Grave, Dr. Barry Kluger-Bell and Kristine Johnson
o How do you think it might come back? How do you think the water that goes into
the air returns to Earth? What form do you think it will be in?
LESSON LEARNING TASKS (45 minutes)
Part 1: Condensation observations (about 30 minutes)
Procedures
Have the children breathe on a window or mirror. Make sure that they notice it fogs up.
What happens when you breathe on a window or a mirror? What do you see? What does it look
like? What do you think that is? How do you know? Why do you think that happens? (If they
identify it as water, ask where the water came from.)
Have children touch the fogged-up area and/or draw something in the fogged-up area (a happy
face for instance or their names.) Ask them where they have seen this sort of thing before?
When have you noticed this happening? Does it happen at home? Where else? What
conditions do you notice when it happens?
Have them fill a glass with ice and water. If they do not readily notice that it is fogging up, have
them breathe on the glass.
Ask them what they think the foggy stuff is? Lead the discussion to the conclusion that it is
water.
What is that on the glass—what do you see? What does it look like? What do you think that
is? How do you know? Why do you think that happens? How is this similar to/different from
the mirror/window?
Ask where they think the water comes from.
Where does the water come from? (If they identify it as coming from the air, ask how it got
into the air, why we cannot see it.)
Discuss that there is water vapor in their breath that they cannot see. There is also water vapor
in the air.
Ask the children to suggest other times they can really feel water vapor in the air—like a
steamy shower, a foggy day, a summer day that is really humid.
This invisible water vapor is what happened to the water on the paper towels last week. It went
into the air— it evaporated.
When the water vapor hits the cool glass, it turns into liquid water.
Why does it stay liquid in the air? What might happen if the air cooled down a lot?
Tell the children that the process of water "coming" out of the air is called condensation.
Ask them to describe some other examples of condensation (like fogged-up car
windows or moisture on bathroom mirrors and windows after a hot bath or shower or
dew on grass). Mention that clouds are like the fogged-up area on the window. It is where
the water vapor in the air condenses into tiny drops of liquid water.
Part 2: Introduction of the water cycle (about 15 minutes)
Ask children, “When it rains, where do you think the water comes from?”
I would expect answers like the clouds. If they answer, the sky, ask them what is in the
sky when it rains?
Ask where do they think the clouds get their water from.
4
Developed by CLACE- PI Marina La Grave, Dr. Barry Kluger-Bell and Kristine Johnson
Children probably would not be able to answer this. Ask them to think about the work
they did in the condensation activity. Where did the water on the mirror or glass come
from? How does the water get into the sky/cloud—where did that water come from?
Remind them that there is water vapor in the air. Clouds get their water from the air
by condensation. The air gets its water vapor from the Earth by evaporation.
Introduce the water cycle.
Pass out the standard water cycle chart.
 Evaporation - as water going into the air as water vapor, a gas.
 Condensation – as the water vapor rises, the air cools and the water forms
tiny drops (condensation) which form into clouds.
 Precipitation - when the tiny water drops combine together they form drops
that get so heavy, that they fall out of the sky as rain or snow.
 When the rain hits the ground it either soaks into the ground and collects as
groundwater or runs off into streams and rivers that may flow into lakes and
eventually, into the ocean.
Teach the children "Water Cycle Boogie". This is a song that teaches the terminology of
the water cycle with hand movements. Pass out copies of the lyrics.
The tune can be heard at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipAiWXvH_24
"THE WATER CYCLE BOOGIE"
Evaporation,
Condensation,
Precipitation,
Saturation
And the water cycle boogie goes round and round,
And the water cycle boogie goes up and down.
REPEAT twice [or your choice]
SPANISH VERSION
Evaporación, Condensación, Precipitación, Saturación
Y la canción del ciclo de agua vuelve a empezar
Y la canción del ciclo de agua vuelve a empezar
LESSON DISCUSSION AND SUMMARY (10 minutes)
After teaching the song, discuss the following questions:
 Does the earth have more or less water now than 1,000 years ago? Explain—if yes,
why do you think so? If no—why do you not think so? (It has the same water
continually going around in the water cycle.)
 From where does water that is on the ground come? Where does it go to?
 How does water get into the oceans?  What are clouds? What are clouds made of?  How does rain form?  What do you think all those words we used when we sang the "Water Cycle Boogie"
Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation and Saturation mean?
5
Developed by CLACE- PI Marina La Grave, Dr. Barry Kluger-Bell and Kristine Johnson
From this lesson, children should have learned:
 Liquid water can evaporate and become water vapor in the air.
 A variety of things can affect the rate of evaporation.
TAKE HOME
Children will take home a sheet of paper for drawing and with suggested discussion
questions to ask family and friends (in both English and Spanish). Introduce the Take-home
activity with a short discussion on “Where does the water in your home come from, where
does it go? Where are you in the water cycle? Where do you see evaporation and
condensation happening in your home?”
Give each child a sheet of paper on which to draw their home and/or the water cycle as it
happens locally.
 Talk to your family members about water in your home.
 Where does the water in your home come from?
 Where does it go when you are finished with it?
 Where are you in the water cycle?
 Where do you see evaporation and condensation happening in your home?
 If children draw water use in their homes, ask them to draw their home and to mark
every place they get water from, every place they use water, every place water goes
away, and places where evaporation and condensation happen. These can be
marked with a word or a color.
 Please remember to bring in a show and tell object that makes you think about
water or a drawing related to water for next week.
ASSESSMENT:
 Ongoing, through the discussion and activities: monitor children’s usage and
understanding of words and ideas related to today’s lesson. Ask supporting questions
to encourage children to make connections. Clarify misconceptions.
 Demonstrations of understanding: do any drawings, writing, theater, etc., display
sophisticated, accurate understanding of today’s lesson? Were children able to make
personal connections to the ideas? Were children able to make connections to prior
lessons?
 Take-home work (assessed following week): did children follow through and discuss
the lesson with their families, bring a related show and tell object, and/or make a
drawing/other art project related to today’s lesson? Did discussion around these things
show continuing understanding of the ideas, including making connections to prior
lessons and to community?
 Do children’s understandings, as displayed by their demonstrations of understanding,
questions, and discussion show connections between today’s topic, and the big picture
of the unit topic?
 Photograph objects save drawings brought in for sharing in individual child’s portfolio.
Do the artifacts in the portfolio demonstrate an increasing trajectory of understanding
6
Developed by CLACE- PI Marina La Grave, Dr. Barry Kluger-Bell and Kristine Johnson
about the elements of the Earth System over time? Do children show understanding of
climate change? Do children show personal connections, including self, school, family,
and community, to their understandings of climate change?
RELATED NASA ACTIVITIES IN THE UNIT AND RESOURCES:
NASA Education: What are Clouds?
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/what-are-clouds-58.html
Some brief information on clouds for 5-8 students slightly more advanced than the K-4 site.
Earth Observatory - Changing Global Cloudiness: How do Clouds Form
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalClouds/
This site provides a short discussion of changing global cloud patterns and effect on global
climate.
Earth Observatory - Changing Global Cloudiness: Clouds and Climate Change
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalClouds/cloudiness2.php
Information on how clouds form and travel.
NASA Education: Learning About Clouds and How They Are Formed
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Learning_Abo
ut_Clouds.html
Portal to a Quicktime video on clouds and how clouds form.
NASA - Earth Science Week: What are the Primary Forces in the Earth’s Climate System?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoI19mbSkgA
A short NASA video focusing on the sun’s and clouds’ role in the climate system.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Condensation is the transformation of water from the gaseous phase to the liquid phase.
Water vapor in the air is a gas just like the rest of the air. When it condenses, individual
water molecules join together to form tiny drops that make up clouds. This process is
necessary for rain, snow and any form of precipitation. It is another critical part of the
water cycle.
In the atmosphere, a parcel of hot air will rise. As it rises, it experiences lower pressure so it
expands and an expanding gas will cool. In the cooling air, water molecules eventually
clump together faster than they are torn apart from their motion. This clumping will
happen sooner and faster if there are nuclei (dust, soot or other small particles) in the air
for the water to condense on.
When the water molecules condense, they release the heat energy that they absorbed when
they evaporated. That heat energy for evaporation came from the sun heating the Earth’s
surface. The energy from the sun absorbed by the surface, is transferred by rising vapor to
the upper atmosphere and then released by this process.
7
Developed by CLACE- PI Marina La Grave, Dr. Barry Kluger-Bell and Kristine Johnson
As water vapor condenses in the atmosphere, it forms clouds. Clouds form a critical part of
the Earth’s environment and serve many functions. Clouds regulate the flow of radiant
energy (visible light and infrared) in and out of the Earth’s climate system. They can reflect
solar radiation back to space helping to cool the Earth. They can reflect outgoing radiation
(mainly infrared) from the Earth’s surface back to the ground. At night, they can act like a
blanket, helping to retain energy absorbed during the day. Changing cloud patterns change
Earth’s energy balance creating a new balance of energy in versus energy out and can be a
major element in climate change.
Water is used over and over in a continuous cycle on the Earth. This Water Cycle; the
movement of water from the ocean and other bodies of water, into the air as vapor,
condensing to form clouds and precipitating back to the surface of the Earth; is a central
concept in understanding weather and climate. In the Water Cycle, the sun provides the
energy to drive the movement of water. The sun heats the Earth’s surface. This heat in turn,
heats the water on the surface and increases water evaporation. Water vapor then rises in
the atmosphere. The water vapor cools and condenses into tiny drops, which combine
together to form clouds. The wind moves clouds and vapor over the Earth transporting
water to new locations. When the drops in the cloud get too heavy they fall as rain, snow or
other forms of precipitation over oceans and land. The water that falls over land flows
downhill and can be temporarily stored in lakes, glaciers, ice caps, plants and animals.
Some of it returns to the ocean in streams and rivers. Some of it is used by plants and
animals, returning to the air via transpiration and evaporation of sweat.
CULTURAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Water is one of the natural resources present in all aspects of human civilization.
Historically, the need and demand for water has been one of the driving forces for social
organization, economic prosperity, culture, development and health.
Then and now, the efficient use of this resource largely determines how one perceives,
assesses and manages it. Its effective use represents individual and collective well-being of
communities.
Historically, communities of the world honored and worshiped this important natural
resource. In its unique way, they created stories, gods, symbolisms and characters that
highlighted its importance:




To most Native American tribes, water was used as a clan symbol. To the Hopi,
Navajo, and Pueblo tribes the water clan named is Piikyasngyam.
To Peruvians, the god of water was Naylamp. It was believed that Naylamp came
from the sea, and brought civilization to the lands of Lambayeque.
To Hindus, Ganga was the goddess of the Ganges river and is represented ridding a
sea monster.
In Norse mythology, Ægir is the king of the sea, and is a personificates of the power
8
Developed by CLACE- PI Marina La Grave, Dr. Barry Kluger-Bell and Kristine Johnson




of the ocean.
To Greeks, Neptune governed all waters and seas.
To Mayas, Tlaloc (sometimes called Nuhualpilli) was the Nahuatl name of the God of
water and fertility in Teotihuacan and Nahuatl religions.
For the Egyptians, Sobek - was the water God. They believed that the Nile water
came from the sweat of Sobek and he was the god of all surface water.
To Japanese, Kappa is a mythological creature that lives in lakes, rivers and
wetlands.
The list goes on! Make sure to encourage your students to do a little research on a culture
of their choosing.
LESSON CONNECTIONS
This lesson is tied to ideas in other lessons:
In Lesson 1 (Evaporation), children are introduced some basic ideas about evaporation and
water vapor.
In Lesson 3 (Clouds), children gain some basic ideas about what clouds are and how they
form, drawing from what they learned in the previous two lessons (on evaporation and
condensation). The lesson starts with everyone watching the first 2 minutes of a NASA
video on clouds. Then each group does an experiment, assisted by the facilitator, where
they make a cloud in a bottle.
In Lesson 4 (Water and Life) children answer the question, “Why do living things need
water?” It has two active parts and a discussion. Children start with looking at how plants
take up water by doing the classical celery in colored water activity. This requires saving
materials to view in the next session. Next, children do a simple activity to get across the
idea that many chemical reactions (particularly biochemistry) need water to happen.
In Lesson 5 (Precipitation, Collection, and the Water Cycle)—grades 3-5 only—children
delve deeper into the water cycle in a three-part experience. The first part is a
demonstration/observation activity that models precipitation. The second is a discussion
of what happens to the water after it hits the ground. In the third part, children build closed
system terrariums that show the whole water cycle in miniature.
9
Developed by CLACE- PI Marina La Grave, Dr. Barry Kluger-Bell and Kristine Johnson
10