The Sun and the Water Cycle

By: Laura Wolfe and Amanda Clark

GLCE

• Standard: E. ES. 07. 11 Demonstrate, using a model or drawing, the relationship between the warming by the sun of the Earth and the water cycle as it applies to the atmosphere (evaporation, water vapor, warm air rising, cooling condensation, clouds).

Engage

• Read Water Cycle skit– Review previous knowledge– Have fun reading how water drops communicate– Skit

Explore

• Experiment 1 – Cloud Formation

• Experiment 2– Salty water and "sun“• Watch video due

Work in groups after observing what happens during experiments and fill out worksheets.

Explore cont.

• Review observations by students– What parts of the water cycle observed?

– What caused the cloud to form?

– Why is the condensed water not salty?

– What role does the sun play?

Explain

• Power point presentation• Be sure to bring the observations from the

explore into context with the explain

Evaporation

• Evaporation occurs as liquid water turns into water vapor

• Sun’s energy heats up the liquid water to change it to vapor

• Oceans, plants, glaciers, lakes and land are places where evaporation can take place

Condensation• Condensation is when water vapor changes to a liquid form

• Wind blows water vapor to form clouds

• Small particles (like smoke, salt) combine with the water vapor molecules to form clouds, called condensation

nuclei.

• Fog is also condensation, at the surface instead of in the sky

Precipitation• Cloud water drops fall as

– Snow (solid)

– Rain (liquid)

– Hail (solid)

– Ice (solid)

Because the water drops become to heavy

Primary source of fresh water on Earth

Precipitation cont.

• The water drops either fall– Into the ocean to start again– Onto the land• Runoff (back to Oceans, lakes and groundwater) and

Evaporation – Lakes for Evaporation– Groundwater

• Glaciers-Evaporate back into the atmosphere

Transpiration

• Plants is where transpiration occurs. It is how plants return water back into atmosphere as water vapor through the

plant’s stomata (openings on the underside of the leaves

– The role of the sun to plants for photosynthesis (how plants make food) is very important

Assignment

• Create a water cycle bottle and write a paper explaining the balance and importance of each part of the water cycle. Also in the paper will be a “What if” question.– Include in your paper

• Sun’s energy• Transpiration• Evaporation• Condensation• Property of water in each stage• Clouds• Precipitation

Evaluate

• Participation in experiments, group work and making a water bottle

• Water cycle bottle completion and accuracy• Paper about water cycle bottle and “what if”

Resources• http://

sfr.psu.edu/youth/sftrc/lesson-plans/water/6-8/watercycle• http://

www.wessexwater.co.uk/education/threecol.aspx?id=1430&linkidentifier=id&itemid=1430

• http://windows2universe.org/earth/Water/water_cycle.html• http://

www.enchantedlearning.com/rt/weather/watercycle.shtml• http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/atmos/hydro.htm• http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/followadrip.html• http://

www.windows2universe.org/earth/Water/water_cycle.html

Resources cont.

BookAhrens, C. Donald. Essentials of Meteorology. Belmont, CA:

Brooks/Cole, 2012. Water Cycle Bottle Project

Water Wonders – University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History Family Reading & Science Workshops, workshop 1 http://www.lsa.umich.edu/exhibitmuseum