The Water Cycle
5th Grade Science · 6 lessons
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Lessons
- 1Identifying MineralsMinerals are naturally occurring, inorganic solids with a crystalline structure and definite chemical composition. Minerals are identified by hardness, luster, color, streak, and cleavage.Experiment
- 2How Sinkholes FormSinkholes form when underground limestone dissolves, leaving a cavity that collapses. They are common in areas with karst topography where water slowly dissolves the bedrock.Experiment
- 3Hot and Cold DesertsDeserts receive less than 25 centimeters of rain per year. Hot deserts have extreme daytime temperatures, while cold deserts like Antarctica are dry but freezing.Experiment
- 4How Caves FormCaves form when slightly acidic water dissolves limestone over thousands of years. Stalactites hang from the ceiling and stalagmites grow from the floor as minerals are deposited.Experiment
- 5What Makes One Place Wetter Than AnotherDistance from the sea, height above sea level, and which way the prevailing wind blows all shape a local climate. That is why one side of a small island can be lush and the other nearly bare.Experiment
- 6Renewable and Nonrenewable ResourcesA renewable resource is replaced as fast as we use it — timber if forests are replanted, wind and sunlight always. Coal, oil, gas and metal ores are not; once a deposit is worked out, it is gone on any human timescale.Experiment
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