Earth Science · Water in Earth's Systems
The Water Cycle: Driven by Sunlight and Gravity
Build and revise a multi-pathway model of water moving among ocean, land, living things, and atmosphere; distinguish solar-powered phase changes from gravity-driven flows.
Lesson plan
The Water Cycle: Driven by Sunlight and Gravity
A step-by-step guide to help you teach this lesson.
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Lesson overview
What students will learn
- Model evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff, infiltration and plant transpiration with arrows and reservoirs.
- Explain where solar energy and gravity drive processes and where water changes state.
Key science ideas
- The Sun provides energy for evaporation; plants also move water to the atmosphere by transpiration.
- Water vapor is a gas and is invisible; clouds contain tiny liquid droplets, ice crystals, or both.
- Condensation occurs when water vapor becomes liquid water; clouds can later produce precipitation.
Lesson at a glance
- Grade 6
- 50 min
- ~12 min prep
- MS-ESS2-4
- 5 materials
What’s included
- Lesson Plan
- Investigation
- Teacher Slides
- Printable Worksheet
- Teacher Answer Key
- Interactive Activity
- Vocabulary