The Water Cycle: Where Rain Comes From
4th grade · 50 min · Science
Objective. Students will describe the four phases of the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation, collection) and explain how water moves between them in a continuous loop.
OverviewH+C
The water cycle is everywhere around students, but it tends to feel abstract on a diagram. This lesson anchors it in a kettle of boiling water and a glass lid: students literally watch evaporation and condensation happen in five minutes. From there, the diagram makes sense. We close with a labeled drawing and a short partner-explanation.
Lesson stepsH
Step 1 · 5 minAI-generated — review
Teacher: Ask: 'Where does the water in the sink come from? Trace it backward as far as you can.' Listen. Write the answers on the board as a rough chain.
Students: Volunteer answers — pipe, water tower, reservoir, rain, clouds, ocean.
Step 2 · 10 minscaffolded
Teacher: Run the demo (safely). Start the kettle. While it heats, fill the pie plate with ice. When the kettle boils, hold the pie plate above the steam. Droplets form on the underside. Ask: 'Where did the drops come from?'
Students: Watch closely. Shout out observations.
Step 3 · 8 minscaffolded
Teacher: Name what they just saw: evaporation (kettle) and condensation (pie plate). Write those words on the board. Connect to rain.
Students: Copy the two new words with their definitions.
Step 4 · 10 minscaffolded
Teacher: Distribute diagrams. Have students label the four phases: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, collection. Circulate.
Students: Label and color the diagram. Ask a neighbor if stuck.
Step 5 · 10 minscaffolded
Teacher: Partner explanations: one partner traces a water drop's journey starting from a lake; the other starts from a cloud. Swap.
Students: Take turns narrating the cycle using the diagram as a map.
Step 6 · 7 minscaffolded
Teacher: Hand out exit tickets. Students complete individually.
Students: Complete the exit ticket.