Water Cycle Objective 1 Lesson Ideas
4.1.1.a
Identify the relative amount and kind of water found in various locations
on Earth (e.g., oceans have most of the water, glaciers and snowfields
contain most fresh water).
A. Use 100 pennies to represent 100% of the water on earth. Have students make piles
showing how much water they think is in different places on earth. Or use colored
pasta and string it on a necklace for the same purpose.
B. Play “Pin the Drop on the Map” with a map of the world. Give students a water drop.
Blindfold them and have them place their drop randomly on the map. Figure the
percentages of drops that landed in the ocean, on land, in glaciers, etc. Remind
students that the ocean holds much more water than other collection locations
because of its depth and breadth.
C.
D.
4.1.1.b
Identify the sun as the source of energy that evaporates water from the
surface of Earth.
A. Use a lamp, a sunny window, and a hot rock (heat in boiling water on the stove
before class begins) to represent manmade heat, the sun, and the earth’s hot core.
Have students take the temperature of each place over time. Talk about the
differences in these types of heat such as how they are produced, how large the
source is or how much energy they require.
B. Show this NASA clip http://goo.gl/PJfIFM to open a discussion about the Sun’s role
the energy providing energy to Earth. Have students write about their
understanding.
C.
D.
4.1.1.c Compare the processes of evaporation and condensation of water.
A. Demonstrate how heat drives the change from one phase of matter to the next by
heating an ice cube until it melts and then boils. This is a teacher demonstration, but
students should record data on the temperature of the water as it changes.
B. Build a cloud in a bottle (http://goo.gl/XlYeuJ) to demonstrate evaporation and
condensation. You can also use a mason jar with a balloon stretched over the top to
do this experiment. Just push the balloon down and wait a moment, then pull it up
and a cloud should form. This approximates a low pressure and a high pressure and
feeds into Standard 2 – Weather.
C.
D.
4.1.1.d Investigate and record temperature data to show the effects of heat energy on changing the states
of water.
A. Students can put thermometers on ice, in liquid water, and in a steamy bathroom at home to determine
how heat energy affects phase change.
B. Connect outside weather conditions to the type of precipitation students see. If it’s cold it will likely
snow or sleet. If it’s warm it will likely rain. Have them write why they think this is so, reminding
them to use heat energy in their answer.
C.
D.