This term the Year 7&8s have been studying the Water Cycle in Science and Literacy. We have written information reports with our new found learning about the Water Cycle. We have focused on the structure of a good information report, and also on Sentence structure and Punctuation.

Here is Anneke's (Year 7) Information report:

The Water cycle is a process that water goes through between land, sea and atmosphere. The steps in the water cycle are evaporation, condensation, precipitation, ground-water, runoff and accumulation. The water is recycled throughout the process. The water changes state throughout the process, liquid, gas (water vapour) and solid.

Evaporation

Evaporation is when sun heats up the water in the lakes rivers and oceans and turns it into as also known as vapour. The process is invisible and changes liquid and frozen water into water vapour then it floats up into the sky. On hot days the water evaporates better than on cloudy winter days. When warm air with lots of water vapour in it moves into colder temperatures, it causes the water vapour to condense into a liquid. Once the water turn into a gas and it floats up into the sky it forms into cloud which is called condensation.

Condensation/Precipitation

When water vapour that has gone into the sky cools it becomes clouds; it then gets pushed around the world by moving air currents and winds. Tiny droplets fall onto each other and merge making a larger droplet. When a droplet is big enough gravity will pull it down stronger than the updraft of the cloud, making the droplet fall out of the cloud onto the ground. The amount of precipitation that falls every year is different all around the world. In desserts it may only rain one inch per year while on some mountains it could rain to up to 600 inch per year. Condensation happens because of the temperature. After precipitation the water goes into the ground causing groundwater and runoff.

Runoff/Groundwater

Runoff is nothing more than water running off the land surface due to gravity. Runoff is important because it flows over the land and some goes into the ground recharging groundwater and giving water to plants. The ground stores lots of water and it exists to some degree no matter where on Earth you are. Groundwater serves oodles in nature such as keeping plants alive, filling aquifers, from which people can take water, contributing water to rivers and lakes, and finally flowing into the oceans.

The water cycle is an important process that recycles water using these 5 steps evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff and groundwater.

Here is Jonathan's (Year 8) Information Report:

The water cycle is the cycle that water goes through. It is also known as the hydrologic cycle. The water is recycled and there is no new water created and no water is lost in the process. The water changes state as a liquid, solid and gas. There are four steps in the water cycle and the four steps are: evaporation, condensation, precipitation and runoff.

Evaporation

Evaporation is an invisible process where the water from oceans, lakes and rivers rises into the atmosphere as a gas. On hotter days the process of evaporation is greater, because the sun’s energy breaks the bonds that hold the liquid water molecules together. Water vapor in the air is known as humidity, in some hot places there is more humidity. After the water turns into a gas, the water rises into the atmosphere and forms clouds. This step is called condensation.

Condensation

Condensation is when the water vapor collides with the dust in the air and then the clouds are formed. In the atmosphere, cooler temperatures cause the water vapor to condense (water vapor turning back to a liquid). Colder air can contain less water vapor than warmer air, so the warm air rises to where the temperatures a much cooler, that is how condensation happens. Then the clouds get too heavy and the water in the clouds comes down as rain, hail, snow etc.

Precipitation

Precipitation is the stage where the clouds get too heavy and the water inside the cloud comes down as rain, hail, snow etc. In some places there is less precipitation and in others there may be more precipitation. As the water comes down it goes through a process called infiltration when the water infiltrates into the ground. After the water infiltrates into the ground it goes to the plants. The water that doesn’t go into the ground goes to the ocean, lakes and rivers. The water that lands in the rivers goes back the oceans and lakes, this step is called runoff.

Runoff

This is the process when the water from precipitation goes back to the ocean, lakes and rivers. The water flows through rivers back to the ocean. It’s like water running down on your driveway. It also goes under the ground and back to the ocean, this is called the groundwater flow and it comes out of vents that are in the oceans.

After the water goes back to oceans, lakes and rivers the process is repeated and repeated and repeated. There is no new water created, it is the same water used by your great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandparents.