Climate, Precipitation, and the Ecosystem
A Yakima WATERS Mini Lesson
Targets and Assessment
Lesson Parameters
WA Science Standards Addressed:
6-8 PS2A Substances have characteristic
intrinsic properties such as boiling
point, and melting point.
6-8 ES2C In the water cycle, water
evaporates from Earth’s surface,
rises and cools, condenses to form
clouds and falls as rain or snow
and collects in bodies of water.
6-8 LS2A An ecosystem consists of all the
populations living within a specific
area and the nonliving factors they
interact with.
Content Area: (e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Geology,
Physics)
Biology, Earth science, and Chemistry
Assessments:
 A formative assessment consisting of a list
of the states of water and their respective
temperatures will be used to address the
knowledge outcome.
 Students will be graded on the worksheet
and map assignment- no partial credit (it is
either right or wrong). This will assess the
knowledge outcome and all of the skill
outcomes.
Overview:
In this lesson students will apply their knowledge of
the water cycle to investigate how annual
precipitation patterns are related to geography and
biology.
Grade Level:
6th grade or higher
Suggested Time:
One 90 minute period
Special Materials:
 Monthly Precipitation and Temperature
Records
 Computer lab with Google Earth for the
extension activity
Learning Outcomes:
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Knowledge:
List states of water in the water cycle and their associated temperatures
Skill:
Analyze monthly precipitation and temperature records, displayed in bar charts, collected in metric units
Discern which forms of precipitation locations received at different times of year based on precipitation and
temperature records
Predict the types of plants and animals that live in a location based on the precipitation, temperature, and
biomes graph (included at the end of this lesson).
Science Concept Background:
The main processes involved in the water cycle are evaporation/transpiration, condensation, and precipitation. As
water moves through the water cycle it changes states. The three main states of water are ice, liquid water, and water
vapor. In solids such as ice, particles are packed in a nearly rigid structure; in liquids such as water, particles move
around one another; and in gases such as water vapor, particles move almost independently.
Evaporation describes the change of water from liquid to water vapor due to the addition of heat. Condensation
describes the transformation of water from water vapor to liquid water due to the loss of heat. Precipitation describes
all forms of water that originate in the atmosphere, condense into clouds, and fall onto the surface of the Earth.
Forms of precipitation include rain, hail, snow, and sleet. To keep things simple we will focus on rain and snow.
Precipitation is measured with a rain gauge. Rain gauges measure all types of precipitation even though it is called a
“rain gauge”. Precipitation is collected in the rain gauge, and the amount of precipitation received within the
collection period (usually 1 day) is read in the measuring tube or recorded by a data logger (for longer collection
periods). In the United States precipitation is recorded in inches of rain but globally it is often reported in centimeters
of rain.
Precipitation data is reported over a variety of time scales; daily, monthly and annual precipitation. In this activity,
we will be analyzing total monthly precipitation records to calculate annual precipitation and average monthly
precipitation. Using the average monthly temperature data students will be able to determine the type of precipitation
the location received during each month and weather the location receives most of its precipitation in the form of
rain or snow.
The students will apply their knowledge of the water cycle to investigate how annual precipitation patterns are
related to geography and biology. Students will guess the location in Washington State that is associated with the
precipitation/temperature records and identify the location on a state map. Students will also make predictions as to
the type of ecosystem, as well as the types of plants and animals, associated with each precipitation/temperature
record.
This lesson is designed for students in Washington who are already familiar with the rain shadow effect but it can be
used for students elsewhere as long as they are familiar with climate and geography (i.e. the equator is more tropical
the poles are colder etc…)
Materials:
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Monthly Precipitation and Temperature Records for 4-6 different locations across Washington. These can be
downloaded at: http://www.worldclimate.com/
A Washington map for each student, or student group, to write on.
A copy of the questions that students will answer during the activity (included in the lesson plan).
Extension: Requires access to a computer lab. Each computer should have the Google Earth application
installed, and there should be enough computers so that no more than one or two students are seated at each
computer.
Procedure:
Begin the lesson by posing the questions;
“Did you experience any parts of the water cycle with your senses (see, touch, smell, taste, or hear) today?”
“What type of precipitation have you experienced today or recently? Is there only one type of precipitation?”
Then ask students to take out a sheet of paper and list all of the different states/phases of water, and the temperatures
at which the form of water exists (A good answer will say, ice at and below 0ᴼC, water above 0ᴼC and below 100ᴼC,
and water vapor at and above 100ᴼC; students should know this from previous lessons). Discuss the answers as a
class and take time to go over aspects that students do not seem to understand/remember.
Ask students why is it useful to study precipitation?
Answer: Precipitation records are useful to many different people. Climatologists use precipitation records
to study a regions climate history, and to evaluate the likelihood of changes in precipitation patterns particularly
periods of drought and flood. Scientists called hydrologists use precipitation records to estimate the amount of water
that is stored in reservoirs, lakes and groundwater. Governments rely on the hydrologists’ water storage estimates for
regulating water use. Farmers use precipitation records to decide when they should plant specific crops, or how
much water they will need for irrigating their crops.
Next, tell the students that today they are going to do an investigation of precipitation patterns across the globe, over
the course of an entire year!
Pass out the following documents to each student or group of students.
 A Washington map (included at the end of the lesson).
 A copy of each of the bar charts for the monthly precipitation and temperature records over the course of a
year for each location.
 A copy of the questions they will answer as a part of this activity and a biome graph (included at the end of
the lesson).
Ask the students to look at each pair of precipitation and temperature records. Explain that they will be using these
graphs to answer the questions on their worksheet and to identify the locations on their map. Make sure you point
out that the scale on the y axis (precipitation) varies from graph to graph. Remind students that precipitation and
temperature information tells them about the amount of water and form of water entering an ecosystem.
After students have completed the questions and map exercise present a series of questions to students about what
form water will be in at a particular temperature i.e. what state do you expect to find water in if the temperature is
below 0°C and why? How about at temperatures at or above 100°C? 25°C?
Answers (in order): ice/snow because that is the melting/freezing point of water, water vapor because that is
the boiling point of water, liquid water because it is between the melting and boiling points
Extension(s):
This activity can be extended by having the students use Google Earth to identify regions of the world that receive
low (or high) annual precipitation. Because we have discussed the effects of annual precipitation on vegetation
students can look at vegetation on the satellite images to infer precipitation. Students can look up precipitation
records for those places and see if their hypotheses were correct.
Note: One of the primary goals of this lesson is to get students familiar with snow science and weather forecasting.
This lesson will be followed by a lesson that teaches students how to make a rain gage, hydrometer, and barometer
from everyday items.
Supplements:
For more information on rain gauges and collecting precipitation data please visit the following website:
http://www.cocorahs.org/
Teaching Tips:
Print copies of the world map, the handout of the questions for the students to answer, and the precipitation and
temperature record bar charts for each student or student group.
This activity can be tailored to older, more advanced students by having the students make their own bar charts of
the monthly precipitation and temperature data, instead of providing them with bar charts.
Extension: Google Earth may need to be installed on each computer in the computer lab that will be used for this
lesson. The time to download and install Google Earth on each computer is expected to be 5-10 minutes, depending
on CPU, memory, and speed of network connectivity on each computer. Google Earth is free!
By: Renee Holt, Fall 2011, for Selah Intermediate School
Assignment 36points total
1. Calculate the total annual precipitation and the average monthly precipitation for each precipitation/temperature
record? (1 point each)
Record 1Record 2Record 3Record 4Record 5Record 6-
2. Does most of the precipitation fall as rain or snow? (1 point each)
Record 1Record 2Record 3Record 4Record 5Record 63. During what season does each location get the most precipitation? (1 point each)
Record 1Record 2Record 3Record 4Record 5Record 64. Based on the biome graph, what type of ecosystem belongs to each precipitation/temperature record? (1 point
each)
(examples- desert, grassland, rainforest)
Record 1Record 2Record 3Record 4Record 5Record 65. What types of plants and animals do you think live in this ecosystem? (1 point each)
Record 1Record 2Record 3Record 4Record 5Record 66. Based on what you know about the rain shadow effect, where in Washington do you think each
precipitation/temperature record belongs and why? Mark the location on your state map. (1 point each)
This graph shows how biomes are affected by changes in annual precipitation and annual average temperatures.