The Water Cycle

Summary
This lesson introduces the water cycle of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

Objectives
• To bring a basic understanding of how nature supplies, uses, and purifies our water by the repetition of the hydrologic cycle. To develop a better understanding of earth?s limited supply of fresh water.

Suggested Grades
4th Grade
5th Grade
6th Grade

Excerpt
Every living organism on earth needs water. Over 2/3 of the human body is water. Even our blood and muscles are largely made of water. Since about ? of the Earth?s surface is water, why do we need to be concerned about our water supply?

The trouble is, most of our water (97.5%), is salt water in our oceans and seas. This mass of water has large deposits of material and debris (such as salt) that we can?t use. These deposits come from being washed off the surface into rivers and streams. It collects and travels downstream eventually empting into the sea.

Continued...