Baylor College
What Is the Water Cycle?
Small groups place sand and ice in a covered box, place the box in the sunlight, then observe as evaporation, condensation, and precipitation occur. These models serve as miniature water cycles and demonstrations of the three phases of...
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Exploring the Water Cycle
The water cycle is one of earth's most easily observable processes, but demonstrating each step within classroom walls can be a challenge. Through a series of videos and quick demonstrations, cover each aspect of the hydrologic cycle in...
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Understanding the Water Cycle
Investigate the water cycle and how water moves from the land to the air and back to the land. Create a terrarium and observe the water cycle at work. Define weather terms including evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.
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Water Cycle Reading and Writing
After listening to a story about the water cycle, learners create their own versions of this tale. This is a great way to have your class review the concepts of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.
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Water Cycle Reading and Writing
Here is a great way to get pupils to express a scientific concept in a fun way. After hearing the story of Walter the Water drop and learning facts about the water cycle, the class will write a creative expository piece describing what...
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Building A Solar Still
Students investigate the water cycle by viewing an online video. In this drinking water instructional activity, students create solar stills at their campus in order to purify water that is tainted. Students view a video on their...
US Department of Energy
Solar Distiller
Explore the sun's ability to distill contaminated water with this simple set of classroom experiments. After filling two glass bowls, one with muddy water and the other with salt water, they are covered with plastic wrap and placed in...
Outside Education
Water Cycle Adventure
Evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, accumulation. Steam, clouds, rain, lakes. Guide your class members on an imaginary journey through the water cycle with a water cycle adventure script.
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Water Cycle Bag
Learners enclose water in an airtight bag and leave it in a warm area to view the water cycle. In this water cycle lesson plan, students observe evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. They then discuss what they learned about the...
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Survival Still
Lead your class to construct a solar still on campus to demonstrate how water can be extracted from the soil. The power of solar energy is emphasized, as is the concept of how capillary water can be recovered and purified by using a...
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Build a Solar Sill
Students explore how to generate fresh water from seawater. In this solar energy lesson, students use the power of the sun, evaporation, and condensation to generate freshwater. Students focus on the water challenges in Cape Verde and...
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Rain Machine (Solar Still)
Students experiment with a solar still. In this distillation lesson plan, students find a simple way to use evaporation to make salty water drinkable.
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Survival Science: How Evaporation and Condensation Can Save Your Life!
Eighth graders demonstrate how scientific principles can be used to provide resources in an emergency situation. In this evaporation instructional activity students view a demonstration on a solar still and see a brief PowerPoint...
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Water Cycle Adventure
Students take an imaginary journey through the water cycle. In this water cycle lesson, students identify the various parts of the water cycle, listen while their teacher leads them on an imaginary journey through the water cycle, and...
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Clouds
Students explore clouds. In this weather lesson, students identify the steps in the water cycle, define condensation and evaporation, and relate this information to cloud formation. Students perform a cloud experiment, predict weather...
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Rain and Rainbows
Students explore the weather system by analyzing water properties. In this precipitation lesson, students review weather related vocabulary terms and discuss how rainbows are created by light hitting droplets at the right time. Students...
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Why Does a Puddle Shrink?
Fourth graders describe the relationship between heat energy, evaporation and condensation of water on Earth. They compare evaporation rates when the back of the hand and an equal area of a paper towel are moistened with the wet swab.
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'Round and 'Round it Goes!
Students discuss and interpret background knowledge on poster copy given on the water cycle. Students complete the included activity sheets using the poster as a reference in small groups. Students identify and name where water can be...
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Hydrologic Cycle Scavenger Hunt
Students explore the water cycle using educational resources. In this water cycle lesson, students use a global climate DVD to complete a scavenger hunt on the hydrologic (water) cycle.
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Water Cycle in a Bag
Young scholars participate in a hands-on activity that demonstrates how the water cycle functions. Students look specifically at condensation and evaporation during the recycling of water.
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Survival Still
Students explain how to desalinate water using solar energy. In this solar instructional activity students complete a lab activity and explain capillary water.
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The Water Cycle
Students create an "animated" water cycle wheel that illustrates where water comes from and where it goes.
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Create a Cloud in a Bottle
Students look at how clouds form. For this cloud lesson, students make a cloud using water, 2 liter bottles and a match. They watch how the pressure and temperature changes the atmosphere in the bottle to create a cloud.