Teacher sheet · Ages 10–11 · about 45–50 minutes
The water cycle: evaporation, condensation and precipitation
Lesson page: echoesof.science/school/water-cycle/ages-10-11/ · Pupil worksheet: echoesof.science/school/water-cycle/ages-10-11/print/
Learning aims
- Name and describe evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff and infiltration.
- Explain that the Sun's energy and gravity drive the water cycle.
- Know that most of Earth's water is in the oceans.
- Plan and carry out a fair test, changing one variable.
Lesson plan
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Starter: breathe on a cold mirror. What appears? Where did it come from? |
| 10 min | Read the text and draw the cycle on the board together. |
| 20 min | Set up the evaporation fair test in groups and write a prediction. |
| 5 min | Play Name that step. |
| 5 min | Quiz. Over the next days: measure and compare the dishes. |
Materials for the experiment
- Four identical small dishes or jar lids
- A measuring jug or syringe
- A ruler
- Water
- A sunny or warm spot and a cool, shady spot
Safety: Use plastic dishes if possible, and don't put glass where it can fall. Wipe up spills so nobody slips. Don't drink the water.
Common misconceptions
| Pupils may think… | Actually… |
|---|---|
| Clouds are made of water vapour. | Water vapour is invisible; clouds are tiny liquid droplets (or ice) that have condensed. |
| Water on a cold glass leaks through the glass. | It is water vapour from the air condensing on the cold surface. |
| Evaporation only happens when water boils. | Water evaporates at everyday temperatures, just faster when it is warmer. |
Worksheet answers
- A cycle: sea → evaporation (up) → condensation (cloud) → precipitation (down) → runoff back to the sea, with arrows.
- Rising air cools; in the cooler air the water vapour condenses into tiny droplets that make clouds.
- Changed: the place (warm or cool). Measured: the amount of water left. Kept the same: dishes, starting amount, start time, no lids.
- Sea water is salty. (Hint: when sea water evaporates the salt stays behind, so rain is fresh water.)
Quiz answers
- What is evaporation? Liquid water changing into water vapour. Evaporation changes liquid water into a gas.[2]
- Why does water vapour condense into clouds high up? The rising air cools. As air rises and cools, the vapour condenses into droplets.[4][3]
- What is transpiration? Plants releasing water vapour through their leaves. Plants release water vapour through their leaves.[4]
- Where is most of Earth's water? In the oceans. Over 96% of Earth's water is in the oceans.[2]
- Which force pulls rainwater downhill into rivers? Gravity. The Sun's energy and gravity drive the water cycle.[1]
- In the fair test, why must every dish get the same amount of water? So only the place changes and the test is fair. Change one thing (here the warmth) and keep everything else the same.[4]
Going further
Put a little salty water in a dish on a sunny windowsill and let it evaporate completely. What is left behind? How does this explain why rain is not salty?
Sources used in this lesson
- [1] The Water Cycle (U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Science School): reliability High
- [2] The Water Cycle for Schools and Kids (U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Science School): reliability High
- [3] The Atmosphere and the Water Cycle (U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Science School): reliability High
- [4] Water cycle (Met Office (UK national weather service)): reliability High
- [5] The Hydrologic Cycle (JetStream) (NOAA National Weather Service): reliability High
Full list with links and a note on each source's reliability: echoesof.science/school/water-cycle/sources/
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