Teaching The Water Cycle in Spanish

One of the biggest challenges for Spanish teachers and parents teaching Spanish to their children is providing sufficient input at the appropriate level.  Working with familiar information is one way to make the process easier. The water cycle in Spanish is an excellent lesson for tapping into knowledge kids have to teach language.

Using a child’s knowledge of a subject is a good way to provide comprehensible input. If a child is familiar with certain information, she can draw on what she already knows to understand Spanish.  For example, as she learns about the water cycle in Spanish, she will understand relationships between words and be able to predict what she will hear.

Children understand the key vocabulary and concepts associated with topics such as the water cycle, the solar system, and basic geography. Although children will not understand every word, books and activities related to topics like these are one way to provide your child with exposure to comprehensible Spanish at a level that will promote learning.

Here are a variety of resources that deal with water and the water cycle in Spanish.

Websites to Teach the Water Cycle in Spanish

Click the link for a site that explains the water cycle in Spanish with simple activities. This site from Paraguay has clear audio and excellent graphics. There are three buttons- conocer, completar and actividades.  Done in order, these three steps provide repetion and the chance to interact with the subject matter and the language.

Click this link for a site with a graphic of the water cycle in Spanish.  As you mouse over the terms for the parts of the water cycle, the graphic changes to show that part of the cycle.  Click on the button Ejercicios for exercises where you match a description of a process to the term.

Videos to Teach the Water Cycle in Spanish

These videos explain the water cycle, presenting new Spanish vocabulary and structures with information that is already familiar to children.

Click the link for a video of the water cycle in Spanish. The most important content appears as text on the screen.

Printable Materials to Teach the Water Cycle in Spanish

Click this link for a printable diagram of the water cycle with brief descriptions in Spanish.

Click the link for an illustration of the water cycle with the parts of the cycle labeled in Spanish.  The graphic can be printed and colored.

The USGS has this fabulous resource to teach the water cycle in Spanish.

Books to Teach the Water Cycle in Spanish

These picture books in Spanish deal with water and the water cycle.

Soy el agua – a very simple book about the different uses and states of water.

El agua – arriba, abajo y en todos lados – a simple explanation of the water cycle with a glossary and activities.

El agua – simple text with lots of repetition and excellent photographs.