| 🎯 Objective | Students will identify and explain the four main stages of the water cycle: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection |
| 📊 Grade Level | Grade 2–4 |
| ⏱️ Duration | 45 minutes |
| 📚 Subject | Science — Earth Science |
Ask: "Where does rain come from? Where does it go after it falls?" Let a few students share guesses without correcting yet — this surfaces existing ideas to build on.
Introduce the four stages using simple language: Evaporation (the sun heats water, turning it into invisible water vapor that rises), Condensation (water vapor cools high in the sky and forms clouds), Precipitation (water falls back down as rain, snow, or hail), Collection (water gathers in oceans, lakes, and rivers, ready to evaporate again). Draw the cycle on the board as you explain each stage, emphasizing that it's a continuous loop, not a one-way process.
Set up the water cycle bag demonstration together: add a small amount of water to a clear resealable bag, seal it, and tape it to a sunny window. Ask students to predict what will happen over the next few hours or days. As a class, label a blank water cycle diagram together, discussing each stage as it's added.
Students individually label their own water cycle diagram from memory, then write one sentence explaining what would happen if the sun stopped heating the ocean (connecting evaporation to the rest of the cycle).
Revisit the water cycle bag prediction — check on it later in the day or the next day to see condensation forming inside, connecting the demonstration back to the stages just learned.
Check the independently labeled diagram for correct stage names in the correct order, and review the written sentence for a reasonable explanation connecting evaporation to the rest of the cycle — not for scientific precision, but for evidence the core relationship was understood.
Support: Provide a word bank with the four stage names for the independent labeling task. Extension: Ask advanced students to research and explain how the water cycle connects to weather patterns in their specific region.