Materials Included In Kit

Additional Materials Required

Prelab Preparation

1. Cut out one die template on the solid lines.
2. Fold the die sections and tabs inward on the dashed lines.
3. Use tape or glue on the tabs to make the die template into a cube. Note: The final fold may need to be taped to hold the die together well.
4. Repeat for the other die templates.
5. Cut apart each station sign on the solid lines.
6. Make a tent-fold with each sign on the dotted lines.
7. Place one sign and its respective die at each station around the classroom.

Safety Precautions

The materials in this activity are considered nonhazardous.

Lab Hints

• Enough materials are provided in this kit for 30 students working individually. This activity can reasonably be completed in one 45- to 50-minute class period. The prelab questions may be completed before coming to class, and the questions may be completed the day after the activity.
• The dice templates and station signs are printed on card stock for durability with repeated use. Laminate the dice templates and station placards before cutting for even greater durability.
• Assign students to different stations before the activity begins. Three students at each station to begin with is a reasonable number to avoid long waiting periods for the dice.
• If desired, photocopy the dice templates on colored card stock before cutting out and make two or three dice for each station. This may be especially helpful at the Atmosphere station.
• Be sure the correct die is placed at each station. The name of each station is printed in italics on the lower right corner of each die face.

Teacher Tips

• This is a great interactive exercise to help students understand the dynamic nature of the water cycle and its stores and flows.
• Place photos depicting each of the stores represented by the respective stations.
• If time allows, instruct students to complete the activity a second time, starting at a different station, and then compare their two “adventures” through the water cycle.
• Continue to explore water on Earth with the following kits available from Flinn Scientific: Groundwater Simulation Model Guided-Inquiry Kit (Catalog No. AP7368) and Forensic Groundwater Contamination (Catalog No. FB0012).

Answers to Prelab Questions

1. Identify the process described by the events listed below. Some events may involve more than one process.
   1. Water droplets in clouds freeze into snow crystals and fall to the ground. Precipitation
   2. Water in soil moves into an underground aquifer. Percolation
   3. Water vapor near the ground cools and forms dew. Condensation
   4. Water from the ocean surface changes to water vapor. Evaporation
   5. Rainfall hits a paved parking lot and flows across the lot to a drainage ditch. Runoff
2. List at least five water storage areas illustrated in Figure 1 (in the Background section).

   Atmosphere, clouds, glacier, lake, river, ocean, aquifer (groundwater), soil.

Sample Data

Answers to Questions

1. Consider your journey through the water cycle.
   1. Did you move completely through all the stations of the water cycle?

      No—nine of the ten stations were included in the journey.

   2. If not, which water storage areas were not included?

      The glacier was not included in the journey.

2. Compare your water cycle adventure with a classmate’s.
   1. Describe several ways the two adventures are different.

      The path travelled was in a different order; only five stations were visited in one and nine in the other; more time was spent in certain storage areas for one journey and in different storage areas for the other, etc.

   2. How are they alike?

      Both journeys involved the processes of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation; etc.

3. Why is the process of water transport between various water storage areas described as a cycle?

   The cycle represents the never-ending process of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

4. The water cycle is a closed system, meaning no water enters from beyond the system nor leaves the system. Why, then, is it important to keep the water on Earth and in its atmosphere free from pollution?

   Polluted water in one part of the cycle may be transported along with the water to another part of the cycle. The amount of water on Earth today is the same as it has ever been and is all that is available for life on Earth.

Teacher Handouts

12373_Teacher1.pdf

References

Figure 1 was adapted from POGIL^® Activities for High School Biology, Trout, L., Editor; Flinn Scientific, Inc; Batavia, IL (2012).

Introduction

When you get a glass of water from a faucet, do you wonder where in the world that water has been? The amount of water on Earth today is the same as it has ever been. Water on Earth is in constant motion, sometimes traveling very quickly and sometimes extremely slowly. Follow the adventure of a drop of water as you navigate the water cycle.

Concepts

• Water cycle
• Evaporation
• Condensation
• Precipitation

Background

At the molecular level, water is engaged in an endless cycle, from lakes, to rivers, to oceans, then to be evaporated, carried aloft and returned to Earth. The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, is one of the major biogeochemical cycles upon which all living things on our planet depend.

Energy from the Sun drives the water cycle, which may be described in terms of three physical processes of evaporation (change from liquid to vapor), condensation (change from vapor to liquid) and precipitation (water returning to Earth in the form of rain, snow, sleet or hail). However, much more is involved as water is transported throughout the atmosphere and the Earth.

The water cycle may also be thought of as water in its various forms flowing or being transported between a series of water storage areas. These storage areas include the atmosphere and clouds, bodies of water, such as rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, oceans, glaciers and groundwater. As precipitation falls to Earth, the water may infiltrate the soil surface and then percolate downward into underground storage areas called aquifers (see Figure 1). Groundwater may be discharged into other bodies of water or upward to the surface of the Earth. Absorption is the process of water in the soil being taken up through plant roots. More than 90% of the water entering a plant passes through the plant and evaporates—primarily through the leaves—by the process of transpiration. If the surface on which precipitation falls is hard or already saturated, the water may flow into lakes or rivers through a process called runoff. Some precipitation may never reach the ground if it is intercepted by leaves of plants or other objects and then once again evaporated by the energy from the Sun.

Experiment Overview

The purpose of this activity is to track a water droplet through stages of the water cycle by moving from one station to another based on the roll of Water Cycle Dice at each station. The various stages experienced and the amount of time spent at each will be recorded.

Materials

Prelab Questions

1. Identify the process described by the events listed below. Some events may involve more than one process.
   1. Water droplets in clouds freeze into snow crystals and fall to the ground.
   2. Water in soil moves into an underground aquifer.
   3. Water vapor near the ground cools and forms dew.
   4. Water from the ocean surface changes to water vapor.
   5. Rainfall hits a paved parking lot and flows across the lot to a drainage ditch.
2. List at least five water storage areas illustrated in Figure 1 in the Background section.

Safety Precautions

Please follow all classroom safety guidelines.

Procedure

1. Begin at one of the ten stations assigned by the instructor. Note: Each station represents one of the storage areas in the water cycle: atmosphere, cloud, river, lake, ocean, glacier, soil, groundwater, plant and animal.
2. Record the starting station in the data table on the Water Cycle Adventure Worksheet.
3. Roll the Water Cycle Die found at this station. Note: If other students are at the same station, take turns rolling the die. Follow the directions for your roll only.
4. Note the directions on the side of the die facing up. Record the event designated on the die under Event and the process (when applicable) by which the event occurred under Process on the same line as the starting station in the data table.
5. Record the station designated as “Go to” on the die for Roll 1 in the data table. If directed to stay, rewrite the name of the current station.
6. Move to the station indicated by the roll of the die (or stay at the same station if directed).
7. Repeat steps 3–6, recording the event, process, and the next station for each roll of the die until 20 rolls have been completed or the time allotted by the instructor is up.
8. Complete the Water Cycle Adventure Worksheet.

Student Worksheet PDF

12373_Student1.pdf