Overview

After reading a summary about water and the water cycle, students do an activity to learn what evaporation is and how it works. Students can also visit Web sites that show them the stages of the water cycle.

Objectives

Describe the process of evaporation.
Observe water evaporating.
Compare and contrast water levels and evaporation times.

Materials

• Computer and modem
• Web-browsing software
• Printer
• Drip Drop, Water's Journey Activity worksheet (one copy for each student)
• Materials for the activity: two identical clear containers, one with a top that closes; masking tape; markers; water; measuring cup. (Materials are for small groups of students.)

Steps

1. Share the book summary with students and invite them to comment on water and the water cycle. Ask them to name the stages of the water cycle. Follow up this question by asking more specifically what evaporation is, why it is important, and how long it takes.

2. Provide small groups of students with the materials for the experiment. Invite the groups to make predictions about what will happen to the water in each container over a week's time. Then have the small groups mark and date the water levels they observe each day for a week. Students should record their observations on their charts, and compare their predictions with their observations. Invite groups to share their results with the class.

3. Online, review the stages of the water cycle at Water, A Never-Ending Story, located at http://www-k12.atmos.washington.edu/k12/pilot/water_cycle/grabber2.html. Invite students to take turns describing a part of the water cycle to the class.

Families can explore water by downloading a lesson page about the Water Cycle at http://faldo.atmos.uiuc.edu/w_unit/LESSONS/water.cycle.html. This page will tell them how to build their own terrarium, which models the processes of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation on a small scale.

Extension

Have small groups of students visit the the USGS Water Science for Schools Web site at http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/. Students can find out facts about water use and how it is replenished. Invite students to do an oral report on water, its uses, and how we can conserve this essential natural resource.

Product Links

Take your students on an Internet Field Trip to find out more about the water cycle. Visit Houghton Mifflin Science DiscoveryWorks and investigate all of Earth's resources.