Looking for a Water Cycle Activity?

Have your students been learning about the water cycle? Can they determine which stage is represented when evaluating different images and examples? If your class needs additional practice identifying the water cycle steps, you have come to the right place!

Teach Starter has created a set of 18 task cards for students to practice and review their understanding of the water cycle. With each picture and written example, students will identify each card as an example of:

• Evaporation
• Condensation
• Precipitation
• Transpiration
• Collection
• Runoff

Through this activity, students can identify different examples that show varying stages of the water cycle.

Tips for Differentiation + Scaffolding 

A team of dedicated, experienced educators created this resource to support your science lessons.

In addition to individual student work time, use these task cards to enhance learning through guided science groups, whole class lessons, or remote learning assignments. 

If you have a mixture of above and below-level learners, check out these suggestions for keeping students on track with the concepts: 

🆘 Support Struggling Students

If there are students who need additional support, encourage them to reference previous assignments, posters, or anchor charts. Additionally, this activity can be completed with a small group of students or 1-on-1.

➕ Challenge Fast Finishers

For students who need an additional challenge, encourage them to create a list of additional examples that show each stage of the water cycle.

🛴 Scoot Activity

Place the cards around the room in numerical order and give each student a recording sheet. Assign students or pairs to a starting point card. Give students time to review the card and record their answers in the corresponding space on their paper. Students will rotate to the next card when you say, “SCOOT!” Continue in this manner until students return to their starting point. 

👋 Exit Ticket 

Use these cards as a formative assessment after your lesson. Pick a random assortment of cards and project them on the board for the whole class to see. Students can record their answers on a sheet of paper, sticky note, or their notebook. 

Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource. A recording sheet and answer key are also included with this download. 

Print on cardstock for added durability and longevity. Place all pieces in a folder or large envelope for easy access. 

To keep the task cards out of pockets or under desks, punch a hole in the corner of each to place them on a binder ring. 

Sustainability Tip: Print a few recording sheets on cardstock and slip them into dry-erase sleeves. Students can record their answers with a whiteboard marker, then erase and reuse them. 

This resource was created by Melissa McLaren, a teacher in Massachusetts and Teach Starter Collaborator. 

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more activities and resources that cut down on lesson planning time:  

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