Cycles of LifeUnit B Lesson 3

What is the Water Cycle?

What happens to rainwater after it

falls?!?

http://water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle-kids-adv.html

Water moves from one part of the environment to another.

WATER IS RECYCLED!

Evaporation

The process in which a liquid

changes into a gas. The heat from the sun is absorbed by oceans, seas,

lakes, streams, ponds, and even puddles.

This heat makes the water evaporate and go into the air.

Condensation

The process in which a gas changes to a

liquid. As the water vapor (from evaporation) rises higher into

the atmosphere it cools.

When it is cooled enough it condenses into tiny water droplets.

Precipitiation

Any form of water particles that falls to

the earth. When the enough of the tiny droplets (from condensation)

gather a cloud is formed.

As they become to heavy they fall to the ground or precipitate.

Rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Other occurrences

On land some of the precipitation seeps into the ground and is stored as ground water.

Some water flows downhill and becomes run-off. It is collected in streams, lakes, or rivers.

http://youtu.be/al-do-HGuIk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al-do-HGuIk

How are trees recycled?!?

How can dead trees help things??Even though the tree is dead it is turned into other

substances that organisms need to survive!

The cycle of matter is continuous.

Cycle of matter

Decomposers have an important job! They break down the dead matter into carbon dioxide and

ammonia.

All living things need Carbon dioxide to make sugars.

Ammonia is a simple substance that contains the element nitrogen. Nitrogen is extremely important to for plants- No plant

can grow without nitrogen. Nitrogen is a chemical found in fertilizerFertilizers are natural substances used to add minerals to

the soil. (Dead and decaying animal wastes- yes wastes!)

How can you help?

Composting!Composting is used to make soil more fertile. A good

mixture for compost is 3 parts:1. Three parts dry leaves and plant material.

2. One part fresh grass clippings.

3. One part food scraps.

The compost becomes rich in nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.

The Carbon Cycle

• Have you ever roasted a marshmallow until it turned black on the outside?

• The ‘black’ you see is carbon.

• Carbon is a very important element. It is the make up of all living things.

• Used in photosynthesis.

• Carbon is recycled in nature.

The carbon cycle is the continuous transfer of carbon between the atmosphere and living things.

Nitrogen is recycled too!

Why do we need nitrogen? When you eat meat, fish, cereal, or veggies you are making

proteins.

What is protein? Protein are part of the muscles and many cell structures. Rich in nitrogen 78% of the air is made of nitrogen

Animals and plants cannot use the nitrogen in the air Animals get nitrogen by eating proteins. Plants get nitrogen through the soil.

The Nitrogen Cycle

The way nitrogen moves from air, soil, plants, and animals.

RECYCLE!!!

Find something with a recycle symbol on it.

WHY SHOULD

WE RECYCLE

?!?

Resources

Inexhaustible Resources- will last for millions of years. It can’t be used up. Ex: sunlight.

Raw materials- Wood, metal, sand, and oil. They are the building blocks of material.

Nonrenewable resources- Ex: oils and metals. There is a limited amount of it and once it is gone- IT’S GONE!

Renewable resources- Ex: Wood. Can be replaced.

SUM IT UP!Write 3 interesting things you learned about in

this lesson.

Write 3 facts (Different than the 3 interesting things).

Name the cycles we talked about.

Are you test ready?

Lesson Project

Choose one of the cycles we talked about in the lesson.Water cycleMatter CycleNitrogen CycleCarbon Cycle

Make a visual representation of that cycle on the white computer paper.

Due Date: