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From the flap of your tent, clouds stretch like a soft blanket across the valleys below. This view isn’t just beautiful, it’s science in action. The water cycle is happening all around you, even from the top of a mountain.

Your task: Write an informative piece that explains how the water cycle is taking place in this scene. Things to include:

• Evaporation: How water from lakes, rivers, and plants rises into the sky as vapour.
• Condensation: How that vapour cools and changes into the clouds below.
• Precipitation: How those clouds might soon release rain or snow on the mountain slopes.
• Collection: How water gathers again in rivers, lakes, and streams, beginning the cycle anew.

What is the water cycle, and why is it important?

Can you describe the process of evaporation?

How does water vapour turn into clouds during condensation?

What happens during precipitation, and why does it occur?

How do rivers and lakes play a role in the water cycle?

Why do you think the water cycle continues without stopping?

What role do plants play in the water cycle?

How might the weather affect the water cycle on a mountain?

What do you think happens to rainwater after it falls on the mountains?

Why is it important to understand the water cycle?