The hydrological cycle
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the hydrological cycle, including the major stores of water and the movement between them.
Key learning points
- The hydrological cycle identifies the flows and stores of water globally.
- The major stores of water are the ocean, ice caps, groundwater, surface water and the atmosphere.
- The global hydrological cycle is a system.
- The movement of water between the water stores are called transfers.
- Climate change has an impact on the size of stores.
Keywords
Hydrological cycle - the continuous movement of water between the ocean, land, rivers and atmosphere
Transfers - the way water moves between the different stores within a cycle
Stores - where water is stored within the hydrological cycle
Atmosphere - the layer of gases that surround the Earth
Common misconception
Around one quarter of water is found on land.
Only 0.9% of water is stored on land.
Teacher tip
Get students to look at their water bottles and they can think of different places that water may have been for millions of years.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is a river?
Q2.Where do rivers start?
Q3.What do rivers carry?
Q4.What is erosion?
Q5.What is the longest river in the world?
Q6.What is the water cycle?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What is the hydrological cycle?
Q2.What is evaporation?
Q3.How much of the Earth's water is stored on land?
Q4.__________ are the way water moves between the different stores within a cycle.
To help you plan your 9 geography lesson on: The hydrological cycle, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 geography lesson on: The hydrological cycle, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 geography lessons from the Rivers: How do rivers shape the land? unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.