The Water Cycle Developed by the GPM Education and Public Outreach Team NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Where does our drinking water come from? ENGAGE Where does our drinking water come from? How do we use water in our daily life? Ask the students these questions to start a conversation. Inquire about how water resources are used in our daily lives (i.e. drinking, watering crops, generating power, etc.) At this point, don’t worry about giving the students the answers, but rather generate curiosity and get a feel for their pre-existing background. Photo credit Nasa.gov

EXPLORE: Model Water Cycle Photo credits http://www.mcwa.com/MyWater/KidsWaterFun.aspx#cycle

EXPLAIN: Webquest Follow a molecule of water through the water cycle: http://pmm.nasa.gov/education/videos/tour-water-cycle Tell the students that they will complete a webquest to learn some background about the water cycle. They should have a student capture sheet to use to write their answers on, and will interact with many different websites and data sets. Review the answers to the questions on the student capture sheet as you go. Photo credits Nasa.gov

EXPLORE: Water, Water Everywhere Learn more about the water cycle: http://pmm.nasa.gov/education/videos/water-water-everywhere Watch the video “Water, Water Everywhere.” (6:31) Review the answers to the questions on the student capture sheet as you go. Photo credits Nasa.gov

Explain: Model Water Cycle What do you observe? What is on the plastic wrap? Why? What is in the mug? Why? What does the water in the bowl represent? What does the plastic wrap represent? Photo credits http://www.mcwa.com/MyWater/KidsWaterFun.aspx#cycle

EVALUATE Draw a picture of the water cycle. Add words, arrows, etc. as needed. Where is the hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere?

EXTEND Can you name these parts of the water cycle? A - Storage in ice and snow B - Precipitation C - Snowmelt runoff to streams D - Infiltration E - Groundwater discharge F - Groundwater storage G - Water storage in oceans H - Evaporation I - Condensation J - Water storage in the atmosphere K - Evapotranspiration L - Surface runoff M - Streamflow N - Springs O - Freshwater storage P - Sublimation Q – Surface runoff R - Plant uptake http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycleguess.html

GPM The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Satellite will collect precipitation data from around the world. Knowing where and how much rain or snow falls globally is vital to understanding how weather and climate impact both our environment and Earth’s water and energy cycles. Precipitation patterns have effects on agriculture, fresh water availability, and responses to natural disasters. Give the students some information about the GPM satellite and mission. Click on the GPM picture to go to the GPM website for more information. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/GPM/overview/index.html

Video- “Freshwater Connection” Click on the picture to go the webpage to show this short video (1:24) “GPM: The Fresh(water) Connection” http://gpm.nasa.gov/education/videos/gpm-freshwater-connection in which scientists discuss why it is important to study Earth’s freshwater resources and explains the purpose of the GPM mission.