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Can we make it rain?

Can we make it rain?

Lesson narration:
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DISCUSS:

Imagine you lived in the same town as Pat’s brother. What could the town do to solve the problem of running out of fresh water? Do you have any ideas?

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THINK & DRAW:

What makes it rain? How does rain get up into clouds?

Draw a picture of your ideas. Label your picture with words describing what you think happens.

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DISCUSS (1 of 2):

Have you ever noticed a situation where water droplets formed on something?

Go to the next slide to see examples we thought about.

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Example (1 of 3): The bathroom mirror after a shower

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Example (2 of 3): The outside of a cold glass

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Example (3 of 3): Blades of grass first thing in the morning

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DISCUSS (2 of 2):

Where do you think the water droplets came from? Why do you think they formed in these places?

Hint...

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Slide Image
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boil


1 of 14

to heat a liquid until it bubbles and turns quickly into a gas
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water vapor


2 of 14

water when it is a gas, such as steam
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evaporation


3 of 14

the process of a liquid changing to a gas
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Slide Image

condensation


4 of 14

the process of a gas changing to a liquid
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precipitation


5 of 14

when water falls from clouds in the sky; including rain, snow, and hail
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hydrosphere


6 of 14

all the water (solid, liquid, gas) on and around planet Earth
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atmosphere


7 of 14

the air that surrounds a planet
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cycle


8 of 14

a set of events that repeats in the same order over and over
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water cycle


9 of 14

the movement of water between the ocean, air, and land
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temperature


10 of 14

how hot or cold something is
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model


11 of 14

a pretend version of something that scientists use when the real thing is too big, small, or complicated to work with
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experiment


12 of 14

a test used to discover new information about a question
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observe


13 of 14

to pay close attention to something
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predict


14 of 14

to guess what will happen based on things you know
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Lesson narration:

Activity Prep

Print Prep

In this lesson, students develop a model to explain how water cycles from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere and back again. In the activity, Make It Rain, students create simple models of the ocean and sky to see how these two systems interact. Students compare how the temperature of the ocean and the temperature of the sky affect evaporation and condensation.

Preview activity

Exploration

23 mins

Wrap-Up

7 mins

Extend this lesson