Water Cycle / Dr. Binoc's Show (3 min)
Water Cycle Information for Kids
The Water Cycle
Overview
This lesson focuses on the basics of the water cycle. Included in this resource are videos, a PowerPoint presentation, and a post-assessment. There are additional resources attached, including hand-on activities, a short video and an informational page about the water cycle in an easy to read format for kids to read.
Water Cycle Lesson
This lesson is designed to educate students on the basics of the water cycle. There are additional resources attached to this lesson. Hopefully you will be able to experiment with some of the hands-on activities in the additional resources section. The students really enjoy, and learn from, being able to see the water transformation first hand.
The lesson begins with a video to introduce students to the water cycle. The video is approximately 7 minutes long. Remind the students to play close attention the the vocabulary and the processes that water goes through during the water cycle.
View the Water Cycle PowerPoint Discuss each slide. It may be helpful to define
Activity: Have students define the vocabulary words (in the table below) in their science notebook for future reference. It may be helpful to allow them time during the PowerPoint presentation to define each word as it appears in the slide show.
| Vocabulary Word | Definition |
| Evaporation | water changes from a liquid to a gas, caused by heat applied to the water |
| Transpiration | water evaporated from plants |
| Condensation | water vapor changes back to liquid form, caused by cooling the water vapor |
| Precipitation | water falling from the clouds (rain, snow, sleet, hail) |
| Runoff / Accumulation | water collects in oceans, rivers, lakes or underground water |
Assessment Activity (borrowed from Exploring the Water Cycle Pre-Post Assessment.pdf (nasa.gov) )
Pretend you are a drop of water. Describe a trip through the water cycle. Begin your journey in the ocean. Be sure in include: Evaporation, Transpiration, Condensation, Precipitation, and Runoff in your journey through the water cycle. If you finish early, draw a picture of the water cycle.