The Water Cycle
Aligned to MS-ESS2-4 — Next Generation Science Standards.
What this lesson teaches
Water endlessly cycles among ocean, air, and land, powered by two forces: the Sun's energy lifts water into the air, and gravity pulls it back down. Along the way water changes state — evaporating to vapor, condensing into clouds, falling as precipitation, and flowing or soaking back toward the sea.
Worked example
Sunlight evaporates water from the Pacific Ocean; the vapor rises, cools, and condenses into clouds; wind carries them inland where they drop snow on the Rockies; the snow melts and gravity pulls the meltwater down rivers back to the ocean, ready to start again.
Practice questions
- Put a cup of water in a sealed clear bag in a sunny window and watch evaporation and condensation happen over a day.
- Draw the water cycle and label where the Sun's energy acts and where gravity acts.
- Explain what would happen to the cycle if the Sun suddenly stopped warming the ocean.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
El ciclo del agua
El agua circula sin fin entre el océano, el aire y la tierra, impulsada por dos fuerzas: la energía del Sol eleva el agua al aire y la gravedad la hace bajar. En el camino el agua cambia de estado: se evapora en vapor, se condensa en nubes, cae como precipitación y fluye o se filtra de regreso hacia el mar.
Ejemplo: La luz del Sol evapora agua del océano Pacífico; el vapor sube, se enfría y se condensa en nubes; el viento las lleva tierra adentro donde dejan nieve en las Rocosas; la nieve se derrite y la gravedad arrastra el agua por los ríos de vuelta al océano, lista para empezar otra vez.
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