vit
acti ies
18&19 The Water Cycle
(Sessions I and II)
BROWARD COUNTY ELEMENTARY SCIENCE BENCHMARK PLAN
Grade 3—Quarter 2
Activities 18 & 19
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The student knows that most things that emit light also emit heat.
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The student knows that the water cycle is influenced by temperature, pressure, and the
topography of the land.
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The student knows that a successful method to explore the natural world is to observe and
record, and then analyze and communicate the results.
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The student knows that to work collaboratively, all team members should be free to reach,
explain, and justify their own individual conclusions.
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The student knows that to compare and contrast observations and results is an essential
skill in science.
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The student knows that a model of something is different from the real thing but can be
used to learn something about the real thing.
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The student knows that natural events are often predictable and logical.
ACTIVITY ASSESSMENT OPPORTUNITIES
The following suggestions are intended to help identify major concepts covered in the activity
that may need extra reinforcement. The goal is to provide opportunities to assess student
progress without creating the need for a separate, formal assessment session (or activity) for
each of the 40 hands-on activities at this grade level.
1. Session I—Activity 18: Ask, Why do we call this the water cycle? (Because a cycle means a
circle. Water follows the path of a circle from liquid to gas, up into the air, where it cools
and comes back down to Earth as liquid or frozen water.) Ask, What is the source of
energy that makes the water cycle continue? (The sun provides heat energy.) What is the
role heat plays in the water cycle? (It makes water evaporate into the air so it can then
cool and condense into clouds and turn back to liquid water.)
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2. Session II—Activity 19: Tell students, The setup you used for this activity is called a
model. The Water Cycle chart is also a type of model. Have students compare these two
models. (They both show the same thing happening: water moving through the water
cycle.) For each part of the Water Cycle chart model, have students identify that part as
represented in the Water Cycle Chamber model.
3. Use the Activity Sheet(s) to assess student understanding of the major concepts in the
activity.
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activities 18 & 19 The Water Cycle
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In addition to the above assessment suggestions, the questions in bold and tasks that
students perform throughout the activity provide opportunities to identify areas that may
require additional review before proceeding further with the activity.
vit
acti ies
18&19
The Water Cycle
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2
1 sht
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OBJECTIVES
Students build water cycle chambers that
show what happens to precipitation after it
falls and compare their model with pictures
of the water cycle in nature. As a class, they
create a Water Cycle Chart.
The students
predict what happens to precipitation after
it falls
model the process by which water flows
into lakes and oceans
diagram the movement of water in a water
cycle chamber
compare their simulated water cycle with
the water cycle in the environment
create a Water Cycle Chart
1 set
2
1
1 roll
*provided by the teacher
SCHEDULE
Session I—Activity 18 About 25 minutes
PREPARATION
Session II—Activity 19 About 40 minutes,
about 2 hours after Session I
Session I—Activity 18
1
Make a copy of Activity Sheet 18 for each
student.
2
Set up a distribution station with the
masking tape, a pitcher of ice cubes, and
a pitcher of water.
3
Set up the light sources with paper
towels on the table beneath them, as
for Activity 16.
VOCABULARY
water cycle
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dots, blue, large
dots, blue, medium
dots, blue, small
ice cubes*
light sources
paper, construction, blue
paper, construction, brown
paper, construction, green
paper, construction, white
paper, construction, yellow
paper towels*
pictures, Water Cycle
pitchers*
spoon, plastic
tape, masking
water, tap*
Delta Science Reader Water Cycle
MATERIALS
For each student
1
1 pr
Activity Sheet 18
safety goggles*
4
For each team of two
1 stick clay, modeling
2
containers, plastic, 1-pt
For the class
1 sht
2
chart paper, approx. 1 m x 1.25 m*
crayons or markers, light blue*
Each team of two will need several paper
towels, a stick of clay, two plastic
containers, and access to the masking
tape, water, and ice cubes.
Session II—Activity 19
1
Acquaint yourself with the descriptions on
the backs of the Water Cycle pictures.
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If you cannot get crushed ice, place
several cubes in a plastic bag and
hammer them into bits.
3
Place the crushed ice and plastic spoon
at a distribution station.
4
Each team of two will need its water
cycle chamber from Session I (Activity
18), several paper towels, and a spoonful
of crushed ice.
5
Tack the chart paper to a bulletin board
or attach it to the board in preparation
for the gradual construction of a display
on the water cycle. Prepare the shapes
of construction paper for use on the
water cycle chart as follows: From the
blue construction paper cut shapes to
represent bodies of water on Earth. Cut
the brown paper as shown in Figure
18-1. From the green paper cut out a
plant as shown in Figure 18-1. Cut a
circle out of the yellow paper to
represent the sun. Cut the white paper
into cloud-like shapes.
6
If necessary, Session II can be
scheduled for the day after Session I.
Figure 18-1. What the finished water cycle chart will
look like.
Activity Sheet 18
y
The Water Cycle
In the outline of the container, draw your mountain with its riverbeds. Add water
and snow. Use arrows to show what happens to the water and snow.
Label your drawing. Use the words mountain, riverbed, snow, water, cloud, water
vapor, evaporation, condensation, precipitation, melt, and flow.
water vapor
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Only about 25 percent of all precipitation
actually falls onto land. Of this, about onethird runs directly off into lakes, rivers, and
streams, or soaks through the soil and
eventually enters these bodies of water.
The remaining two-thirds evaporates into
the air.
Less than 1 percent of precipitation falls
into rivers and lakes. Another small fraction
of precipitation, about 6 percent, is taken
up by plants and then given off into the
atmosphere through transpiration.
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activities 18 & 19 The Water Cycle
cloud
evaporation
precipitation
condensation
snow melts
and flows
water
water flows down
riverbeds on mountain
mountain
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2
Since about 75 percent of all precipitation
falls onto the oceans, most water vapor
enters the atmosphere through evaporation
from the oceans. At any given time, about
1 percent of the total water supply of the
world is in the atmosphere.
Display the pictures on a bulletin board
where all the students can easily see
them. Place the pictures in the order in
which they are numbered.
Guiding the Activity
1
Session I—Activity 18
Remind the students about the models that
they built and observed in the previous
activity. Ask, What was missing from those
models?
Tell the students that in this activity they will
build the same type of model, but they will
add land. Ask, What is the purpose of
building a model with land in it?
2
Additional Information
Give each team of two students several paper
towels, a stick of clay, and two plastic
containers. Tell the students to mold the clay
into a mountain. Explain that the mountain
should be no more than about 7.5 cm (about
3 in.) high and should have a wide base and
two or three grooves running down the sides.
Land was missing. Students may also
mention plants, rivers, and so forth.
If students do not suggest it, tell them that
with land in their models, they can observe
what happens to precipitation when it falls
on land.
The students should keep the clay on the
paper towels in order to protect the table
tops.
Instruct the students to place their
“mountain” in one of the containers.
Show the students the distribution station.
Tell them to build the same type of water
cycle chamber that they built in Activity 16
(see Figure 16-1, page 163).
You may wish to review the steps in making
the chambers. Remind the students to label
their containers with their names.
Instruct the students to add four ice cubes to
the tops of their containers and place the
containers on the paper towels under the
light sources.
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3
Ask the students, What will happen to the
water in the containers?
The water will evaporate from the bottom
container and water vapor will condense on
the walls of the container and fall back into
the bottom container.
Ask, What do you predict will happen to the
water droplets that fall on your “mountain”?
Accept all predictions. Some students
may say that the droplets that fall on the
mountain will slide down the sides back into
the water.
Ask, What was the purpose of making
grooves in the sides of the mountain?
These represent riverbeds. The students
should predict that some of the water that
falls on the mountains will flow into the rivers
and then down the sides of the mountain.
Tell students they will observe their water
cycle chambers again later.
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Guiding the Activity
Additional Information
Additional Information
Session II—Activity 19
Have the students observe their water cycle
chambers. Have them tap on the top of the
upper container to make more drops of water
fall off, as they did in the previous activity.
Ask, What happens to the water that falls
on the mountain?
Remind the students that, as in the previous
activity, their setup is a model of what happens
in nature. To review, ask, What part of nature
does the lower container represent?
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Students may see some drops fall on the
mountain and may see them roll down
toward the water.
a body of water such as a lake or ocean
Ask, What does the light source represent?
the sun
Ask, What do the droplets that condensed
on the top of the container represent?
a cloud
Ask, What does the ice on top of the
containers represent?
colder air high in the sky
Ask, What do the falling water drops
represent?
precipitation; raindrops
activities 18 & 19 The Water Cycle
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4
Figure 18-2. A closed water cycle chamber with a mountain and riverbeds.
Guiding the Activity
5
6
Ask the students, In what ways does this
model differ from the one in the previous
activity?
It contains a mountain with riverbeds and
streambeds.
Invite volunteers to summarize what is
happening to the water in the containers.
Students should say that the water, aided by
the heat from the light source, evaporates
into the air in the containers; the water vapor
condenses on the inside of the upper
container; water droplets fall off the upper
container, slide down the mountain in small
rivers, and enter the body of water.
Ask the students, What do you think
happens to rain that falls on mountains
in nature?
The students should say that it rolls or flows
down the mountains and eventually enters
the ocean.
Point out to the students that water droplets
flow down small streams that join small rivers
and then bigger rivers before entering the
ocean. Ask, Have you ever seen this
happening?
Allow students time to relate their
experiences with streams and rivers.
To reiterate, ask the students, How does rain
water get from the tops of mountains to the
oceans?
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7
Turn the students’ attention to the pictures of
the various stages of the water cycle on the
bulletin board. Have the students look at the
pictures one at a time, in order. For each
picture, ask, What forms of water do you
see in this picture?
Ask, What is happening to the water in
this picture?
8
Additional Information
It flows through streams and rivers.
Answers will vary depending on the picture.
Students should use words such as water,
water vapor, snow, clouds, and water
droplets.
Answers will vary depending on the picture.
Encourage the students to use the words
evaporation, condensation, transpiration,
precipitation, freeze, melt, and flow to
describe the stages in the water cycle that
each picture represents.
Give each student a copy of Activity Sheet 18.
Tell students to read and follow the directions
for drawing and labeling their water cycle
chambers.
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Guiding the Activity
9
Additional Information
Begin a water cycle chart. Glue the blue
construction paper bodies of water to the
chart paper.
Refer to Figure 18-1, page 172, to see how to
position each part of the water cycle chart.
Ask the students, What does the blue paper
represent?
the water and ice on Earth
Glue the brown construction paper to the
chart alongside the body of water. Ask, What
does the brown paper represent?
soil on Earth
Explain to students that the soil contains
water. Tell them they can represent water in
the soil by shading the brown construction
paper with a blue crayon or marker. Invite
volunteers to come up to the chart and
do this.
Glue the green construction paper plant to
the chart on top of the soil. Ask, What does
the green paper represent?
the plants on Earth
Explain to students that water is stored in
plants. Invite a volunteer to use the blue
crayon or marker to show the water in plants.
Ask, What happens to water in lakes or
oceans, in the soil, and in plants on a hot
day?
Explain that water evaporates and goes into
the air in the form of water vapor. Tell
students that the water vapor can be
represented by small blue dots. Ask, Where
should we put these dots on the chart?
Students may suggest that it evaporates
and goes into the air.
over the blue water, the brown soil, and
the green plants
Invite volunteers to place the dots on the
chart. With the marker, add arrows pointing
up to show evaporation.
Explain to students that evaporation happens
more quickly when the water, soil, and plants
are warmer. Ask, What do we need to add to
the chart to show what warms everything?
Glue the yellow sun on the chart, near the
top. Tell students this will represent the sun.
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activities 18 & 19 The Water Cycle
the sun
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10
Guiding the Activity
11
Show students the medium blue dots. Tell
them that these represent drops of water. Ask
students, Where should we put these?
Invite volunteers to come up and place the
blue dots on the surface of the green plant.
Using the marker, add arrows pointing
downward onto the plant from the water
vapor dots in the air. Ask, What do these
arrows represent?
12
Glue the white paper cloud shapes to the
chart. Ask, What do these represent?
condensation of water vapor on plants
clouds
small water droplets and water vapor
Ask, What will we use to represent the
water vapor in the cloud?
small blue dots
Ask, What will we use to represent the
water droplets?
medium blue dots
Ask, What should we show on the chart
coming out from the cloud?
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Students should suggest putting them on
the plant to represent dew that sometimes
forms on cool mornings.
Then ask, In what form is water in the
clouds?
Invite volunteers to come up and place the
small and medium blue dots on the white
paper clouds. Add arrows pointing into the
cloud. Ask, What do these arrows represent?
Tell students large blue dots will represent
precipitation. Invite volunteers to come up
and place the large blue dots below the
clouds. With the marker, add arrows pointing
out of the cloud. Ask, What do these arrows
represent?
13
Additional Information
With a black marker, draw some mountains
on the soil. Ask, How does water move along
the mountains?
condensation
precipitation
condensation and precipitation
It flows down mountains and into streams,
rivers, lakes, and oceans.
Add arrows to the chart to show the
movement of water down mountains and into
bodies of water.
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Guiding the Activity
Additional Information
14
To summarize, ask, What does our chart now
show? Point out each item on the chart. Have
a different student say what each item
represents.
blue paper: bodies of water and ice
brown paper: soil
green paper: plants
blue crayon on brown paper: water in the
soil
blue crayon on green paper: water in plants
yellow circle: sun
small blue dots: water vapor that
evaporated from soil, plants, and bodies
of water
medium blue dots on plant: water that
condensed out of the air
white paper: clouds
small and medium blue dots in the sky:
condensation of water vapor
large blue dots falling from cloud:
precipitation.
15
Write the word cycle on the board. Ask, What
is a cycle?
something that goes around and around in
a circle, or a pattern that repeats itself
Ask, What would be a good title for our
chart?
Students may suggest Water Cycle Chart or
something similar.
Write the title Water Cycle Chart across the
top of the diagram. Ask, How does our chart
show a water cycle? Be sure students
understand that the water cycle is a repeated
pattern of water movement on, beneath, and
above Earth’s surface.
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As appropriate, read or review pages 8–12 of
the Delta Science Reader Water Cycle.
activities 18 & 19 The Water Cycle
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16
REINFORCEMENT
Have the students repeat the activity, but
this time place small amounts of powdered
drink mix on the mountains. Ask the
students to predict what the water in the
“ocean” will look like later in the day. Have
them notice that it becomes colored as the
water droplets flow down the mountain and
into the ocean.
SCIENCE JOURNALS
CLEANUP
Have the students remove the tape from
the containers and discard it. Have them
dump out the water and remove the clay.
Have them rewrap the clay in its plastic if
you wish to use it again in other classroom
activities. Otherwise, you may dispose of it.
Have students dry the containers and
spoon and put the picture set, masking
tape, and containers in the kit. Return the
light sources to their location over the
terrariums.
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Have students place their completed activity
sheets in their science journals.
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Connections
Science Challenge
Science and the Arts
Have students model what happens to snow
that falls on top of mountains. Have students
wipe the water off the top plastic container of
the water cycle chamber. Tell them to remove
the top container and slightly flatten the top
of the mountain. Then have them place a
spoonful of crushed ice on top of the
flattened mountain and reseal the containers.
Have students identify what the crushed ice
represents and predict what will happen to it.
(The ice represents snow on the mountain.
The snow will melt and run down the
mountain.) Let students observe what
happens in the water cycle chamber.
As an extension of Science and Language Arts
below, suggest that students write and
perform a play about the water cycle using
some of the ideas in their short stories. This
could be done as a cooperative learning
activity, with one group writing the script,
another group serving as actors, a third group
creating props and costumes, another
recording and playing sound effects and
music, and so forth. Encourage the
scriptwriters to include several water drops
traveling different routes through the cycle—
one drop evaporating from a puddle, another
leaving a plant through transpiration, and the
like. When the play is finalized and well
rehearsed, let students present it on Parents’
Night or at a school science fair.
(Safety Note: The following activity involves
collecting and preserving snowflakes on
glass slides. If your students are mature
enough, let them handle the materials
themselves. Otherwise, collect the flakes
yourself and let students simply examine the
slides.) On a snowy day, arrange several glass
slides on a sheet of cardboard so the slides
do not overlap. Put the cardboard, slides, and
a spray can of clear enamel in a covered box
outdoors or in another protected place where
the temperature is below freezing. When the
slides and can are cold, spray the slides with a
thin coating of enamel, then immediately
expose the cardboard to the falling snow.
When a few flakes have collected on each
slide, put the cardboard in the cold, protected
place again. Once the enamel is thoroughly
dry, the flakes will be preserved. Let students
examine them with a magnifier or microscope.
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activities 18 & 19 The Water Cycle
Science and Language Arts
Ask students to imagine that they are a tiny
drop of water in an ocean, lake, pond, or
puddle. Tell them to imagine all the changes
they would go through and all the places they
could go as they traveled through the
complete water cycle. Have each student
write or tape-record a short story based on
these imaginary experiences.
Science and Social Studies
Suggest that students find and examine
photographs of the Grand Canyon, and help
them locate it on a United States map. Ask
any students who have visited the Grand
Canyon to describe what they saw. If students
do not mention the river (the Colorado)
flowing through the bottom of the canyon,
prompt them to do so. Explain that the Grand
Canyon, now about 1.6 km (1 mi) deep, was
formed by the river as it wore away dirt and
rock bit by bit over millions of years.
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Science Extension