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2nd grade · Science · Unit 4 of 7

Water World

The water cycle

What your child practices

The water cycle, where our water comes from, and simple ways to save water and keep rivers clean.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 2E.4.2.1.1 · where water is found on Earth

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. The sun warms water, and it rises into the air.
  2. The water forms clouds of tiny drops, then falls as rain or snow.
  3. The water flows back to lakes and oceans, and the cycle starts again.

Example: What comes right after clouds form in the water cycle? Clouds hold tiny drops of water. When the drops get heavy, they fall. Answer: rain or snow falls

Water World in Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 4 of 7 in 2nd grade Science, after Push & Pull and before Weather & Seasons.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Put the water cycle in order. Start with the sun warming the water.

    • 🌊Water collects in rivers and oceans
    • 🌧️Rain or snow falls
    • ☀️Sun warms water and it rises
    • ☁️Clouds form

  2. Question 2

    The water that falls on land and flows along the ground is called…

    • ☁️a cloud
    • 🏞️runoff
    • 🌑a shadow

  3. Question 3

    Water as a solid is called…

    • 🧃juice
    • 🧊ice
    • ♨️steam

  4. Question 4

    Water falling from clouds as drops is called…

    • 🌧️rain
    • 💨wind
    • ☀️sunshine

  5. Question 5

    Clouds are made of…

    ☁️
    • 🧶cotton
    • 💧tiny drops of water
    • 💨smoke

  6. Question 6

    Does it save water or waste water?

    Sort into: 👍 saves water · 👎 wastes water

    • 🪥turn off the tap while brushing
    • 💦leave the hose running
    • 🛁take a really full bath
    • 🚰let the tap drip
    • 🪣collect rain for plants
    • 🚿take a short shower

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