This document provides information about the water cycle, including definitions of key terms like evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. It outlines objectives for students to understand the main parts of the water cycle and how water moves between oceans, lakes, and the atmosphere. Examples of classroom accommodations, modifications, online resources, and assistive technologies are also included to help teach about the water cycle.

1. Water Cycle
By: Angela Vazzana
&
Amanda Dobner

2. IL Learning Standard
12.E.2a (Late Elementary)
Identify and explain natural cycles of the
earth’s land, water and atmospheric
systems (e.g. rock cycle, water cycle,
weather patterns)

3. Objectives
 Name three ways water gets back into
oceans and lakes
 Label 4 main parts of the water cycle
 Explain the difference between surface
runoff and percolation

4.  Match water cycle vocabulary with the
definitions
 Explain the importance of the water cycle

5. Vocabulary
 Condensation-Water vapor in the air gets cold
and changes back into liquid, forming clouds.
 Precipitation-occurs when so much water has
condensed that the air cannot hold it anymore
so the clouds get heavy and water falls back to
the earth in the form of rain, hail, sleet or snow.
 Evaporation- is when the sun heats up water in
rivers or lakes or the ocean and turns it into
vapor or steam. The water vapor or steam
leaves the river, lake or ocean and goes into the
air.

6.  Transpiration-is the process by which
plants lose water out of their
leaves. Transpiration gives
evaporation a bit of a hand in getting
the water vapor back up into the air.
 Atmosphere-blanket of air
surrounding the earth.
 Surface runoff- water that flows down
hill into streams, rivers, ponds and
lakes.

7.  Percolation-Vertical and lateral
movements of water through spaces
between soil and rock layers.
 Collection-when water become part of the
“ground water” that plants and animals
use to drink or it may run over the soil and
collect in the oceans, lakes or rivers where
the cycle starts

8. Accommodations
 Extended time on tests and quizzes
 Having directions re-explained by classmate
 Guided notes
 Tasks to be completed written on the board
 Enlarged print

9.  Squishy ball to play with while teacher gives
directions
 Verbal reminders of what the student should be
doing
 Task check off list (taped on desk)
 Preferential seating
 Using a variety of teaching styles to reach
different modalities of learning

10. Modifications
 Marginal gloss for some of the vocabulary (e.g.
precipitation=rain, snow)
 Alternative worksheets/assignments
 Simplified vocabulary used on tests
 Learning basic information on the water cycle (difference
between an ocean and a lake)
 Only need to know two parts of the water cycle
(evaporation and percipatation)

11. Teacher Resources
 www.proteacher.com (includes lesson plan ideas utilized
by other teachers)
 www.songsforteaching.com
 www.teachers.net
 Greenway, Theresa.(2000) The Water Cycle
Raintree (reading level age 9-12)

12. Teacher Resources
 Trueit, Trudi. (2002). The Water Cycle
Franklin Watts
 Frost, Helen. (2000). The Water Cycle
Capstone Press
 Relf, P. & Bracken, C. (1996) The Magic School Bus Wet
All Over: A Book About the Water Cycle New York,
NY: Scholastic Inc.

13. Tips for Parents
 Make flash cards for vocabulary and quiz
kids
 Ask kids on a rainy day where the rain
comes from and where it will go to
reinforce their learning

14.  Look up information on the internet with
kids
 Play online games related to the water
cycle
http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/droplet.html

15. Research Findings
 The Environmental Protection Agency. (2000). Great
Minds! Great Lakes!. Chicago, IL:
Great Lakes National Program Office.
This research gives fun facts about how much water a
person uses every day and how they use that water (on
average a person uses 168 gallons of water a day). This
research article also provides teachers with different
activities in reference to different elements of the water
cycle and how to incorporate them into other subjects to
reinforce learning.

16.  The Environmental Protection Agency. (2000). Great
Minds! Great Lakes!. Chicago, IL: Great Lakes
National Program Office. The Environmental
Protection Agency. (2002). Magnificent Ground
Water Connection. Retrieved October 22, 2004 from
World Wide Web:
www.epa.gov/region01/students/teacher/groundw.html
This research article provides statistics on the amount
of salt water and fresh water the earth has and the
things that we use it for. It also provides a variety of
activities for children from different age groups in
relation to the water cycle.

17. Special agencies/organizations
 U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS)
http://www.usgs.gov/
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/index.html
(specialized for schools)
 Water Environment Education
http://www.wef.org/
 Enviromental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov

18. Assistive Technology
 Spell checker
 Using a computer for written assignments
 Vibrating watch (remind student of what
he/she should be doing)
 Larger grip for pen/pencil
 Squishy ball

19. Website Review
 http://www.kidzone.ws/water/
This website is a very good website for kids
to use as a resource. It explained the different
parts of the water cycle very well and had
pictures to go along with its explanations. It
would not be a good idea for a teacher to use
this website for substantial materials for a lesson
since it only provides coloring sheets.

20.  http://mbgnet.mobot.org/fresh/cycle/index.htm
This website had a lot of explanations for on
the water cycle but did not provide pictures to go
along with them. The pictures that the website
does provide of the water cycle would be very
confusing for kids because the has arrows
going all over. Kids would probably become
bored with this website due to the lack of color
and pictures.

21.  http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/oce
an/Watercycle.shtml
This website is very kid friendly in that it is
brief and to the point, has understandable
pictures of the water cycle, and fun facts to
interest kids in other things related to the water
cycle. For teachers this website provides some
worksheets on the water cycle that they could
incorporate into their lesson.

22. The End