**Title: Exploring the Water Cycle**

**Objective:**
To introduce Grade 3 students to the water cycle and help them understand the processes involved in the
continuous movement of water on Earth.

**Materials Needed:**
- Large poster or visual aid depicting the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation)
- Whiteboard and markers
- Clear plastic cups
- Water
- Heat source (e.g., lamp or hot plate)
- Ice cubes
- Blue food coloring (optional)

**Introduction (5 minutes):**
- Begin by asking the students if they know what happens to water when it rains or when they see steam
rising from a pot of boiling water.
- Explain that water is constantly moving and changing form through a process called the water cycle.

**Main Lesson (15 minutes):**

1. **Evaporation:**
- Discuss evaporation as the process by which water from oceans, rivers, lakes, and even puddles turns
into water vapor and rises into the air.
- Explain that heat from the sun causes water to evaporate, turning liquid water into an invisible gas.

2. **Condensation:**
- Discuss condensation as the process by which water vapor cools and changes back into liquid water.
- Explain that when water vapor cools, it forms tiny droplets that come together to create clouds.

3. **Precipitation:**
 - Discuss precipitation as the process by which water falls from the clouds to the ground in the form of
rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
- Explain that precipitation replenishes water sources on Earth, such as rivers, lakes, and underground
aquifers.

**Demonstration (10 minutes):**

1. **Evaporation Experiment:**
- Fill a clear plastic cup with water and place it in a sunny spot near a window.
- Have students observe the cup throughout the day and note any changes, such as the water level
decreasing.
- Discuss how the heat from the sun causes the water to evaporate and disappear into the air.

2. **Condensation Experiment:**
- Fill another clear plastic cup with hot water (not boiling) and cover it with a lid or plastic wrap.
- Place a few ice cubes on top of the lid and wait a few minutes.
- Ask students to observe what happens on the inside of the lid, where droplets of water will form.
- Discuss how the warm water inside the cup creates water vapor, which then condenses on the cooler
lid, similar to how clouds form in the atmosphere.

**Conclusion (5 minutes):**
- Review the three stages of the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation) with the students.
- Discuss the importance of the water cycle for sustaining life on Earth and how it affects weather patterns
and ecosystems.
- Encourage students to observe the water cycle in action in their everyday lives, such as watching
puddles evaporate after rain or noticing clouds forming before a storm.

**Extension:**
- Have students create their own diagrams or illustrations of the water cycle, labeling each stage and
explaining what happens during each process.
- Explore the impact of human activities on the water cycle, such as pollution and deforestation, and
discuss ways to protect water resources and the environment.