Day 3

Hydrologic Cycle

WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT YOUR LAST DRINK OF WATER COULD ONCE HAVE BEEN USED BY A DINOSAUR?

Introduce vocabulary through a game where students match definition with vocabulary word (5 min). Hand out sheet (Appendix 4), let students work in partners and check orally.

Hydrologic- relating to water
Evaporation- liquid water becoming a gas
Water vapor- water as a gas in the air
Condensation- water vapor becoming a liquid
Surface runoff- water that runs along the soil and goes into lakes and rivers
Precipitation- rain, snow, sleet, hail
Groundwater- water under the ground, as in a spring or well
Aquifer- a large water source under the ground
Percolation- water moving downward through openings in the soil

Introduce Video –Water as a Precious Resource (50 min) [link to information on this video in the Resource Listing document] or any other video that introduces the Hydrologic cycle.

Let students read question sheet (Appendix 5) and review for comprehension prior to viewing.
Allow students to jot down any notes needed to answer questions.

In pairs, label the picture using vocabulary on the side of the picture. Correct together. (5 min)

Water Puzzlers
Q: What do you think if the hydrologic cycle stopped?
A: All life on earth would end. Without this never-ending cycle, plants would die.
Underground sources would soon be emptied. Rivers, lakes and oceans would overflow and flood large areas of land. The whole ecologic cycle would end.
Q: Dinosaurs drank the same water that we drink now. True or False
A: Think of how water is used over and over again! Dinosaurs from millions of years ago drank
the same water because the hydrologic cycle recycles water over and over again!

Reprinted from “The Story of Drinking Water,” by permission. Copyright 2001, American Water Works Association. For additional information and educational materials relevant to safe water, contact AWWA at www.awwa.org or call 800-926-7337

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