Water Cycle Lesson

Water Cycle

Introduction to the

Water Cycle

●Did you know the water in your glass
has traveled around the world many
times?

●The water cycle is a worldwide system
that moves water on, above, and
below Earth

●Water can exist in three states: solid
(ice), liquid (water), gas (water vapor)

●Question: What are some places you've
seen water today?

Multiple Choice

How many states can water exist in?

• 1

• 3

• 5

• 4

The Sun: The Power

Source

●The Sun provides energy to start the
water cycle

●Sun heats oceans, lakes, and other
water bodies

●Heat causes liquid water to turn into
water vapor

Evaporation: Water Rises Up

●Evaporation happens when
liquid water turns into water
vapor

●Water vapor is invisible and
rises into the sky

●The sun's heat makes water
vapor rise into the sky

Condensation: Making Clouds

●As water vapor rises, it cools
down

●Cool water vapor turns back
into liquid water droplets

●These droplets join with dust
particles to form clouds

Multiple Choice

How do clouds form?

• Droplets join with dust
  particles

• They are made of cotton candy

• Water rises from the ground and cools

• The wind helps form the clouds

Precipitation: Water

Falls Down

●When water droplets get heavy
enough, they fall as
precipitation

●Can be rain, snow, sleet, or hail
depending on temperature

●It takes millions of tiny cloud
droplets to make one raindrop!

Multiple Choice

What is NOT a form of precipitation?

• Rain

• Snow

• Hail

• Fog

Where Does the Water Go?

●Some water flows into streams and rivers to reach oceans

●Some soaks into the ground through soil

●Some quickly evaporates back into the air

●The water from rainfall follows gravity, often flowing down
the sides of mountains and hills, eventually forming rivers.
This is process is called runoff

Multiple Choice

The water from rainfall follows gravity, often flowing down
the sides of mountains and hills, eventually forming rivers.
This is process is called a hat?

• evaporation

• runoff

• condensation

• rain

The Cycle Continues

●The water cycle repeats over
and over

●Creates weather events like
hurricanes and blizzards

●Moves water all around the
world