Water Cycle Intro and Lesson

water cycle - the cycle through
which water moves to renew itself and
return to the earth as rain

evaporation- when water turns into
a gas called water vapor. Wind and heat
from the sun speed up the evaporation

process.

1-Gains heat energy

2-Water drying on a car
3-Mud Puddle drying

up

4-Faster on Hot Days

5-Steam

6-Water to Gas

condensation - when water, in its
gas form, called water vapor, turns back

into its liquid form

1-fog on mirror
2-dew on grass
3-water outside
cup wets hands
4- cooling of gas

to liquid

5-loses heat

energy

precipitation -
when water in the form
of ice, rain, sleet, hail,

or snow, falls to Earth

1-rain
2-sleet
3-hail
4-snow

5- water that falls

from cloud when too

heavy

transpiration – the water that plants
give off as part of their respiratory
process (they “breathe” in carbon dioxide
and “breathe” out oxygen – in this
process, they also make water)

runoff – when

precipitation hits the

ground, it is either

absorbed, or it flows over
the surface of the earth.

water vapor - water in its gas form is
water vapor. If you can see it, it’s not
really water vapor!

groundwater – water that is in
the ground

humidity – the level of moisture in the
air; the amount of water vapor in the air