It just stopped raining and now the Sun is shining, which is causing the air to warm up. Alisha decides to go outside and jump in the rain puddles on the pavement of the playground. When she comes back to the playground the next day, she notices that the puddles have all disappeared overnight, even though the puddles couldn’t have soaked through the playground pavement.

The Earth can be thought of as four systems (land, air, water, and living things). Two of these systems interacting caused the puddles to disappear from the playground. List which two systems you think they are.

Jayden is trying to grow a flower garden in his town. He wants to grow two types of plants, Plant A and Plant B. Plant A has short, shallow roots and Plant B has long, deep roots. It hasn’t rained in a very long time in Jayden’s town. There is groundwater below the line shown in the picture above. Which plant interacts with the ground water?

Jayden wants to plant more flowers in his garden, but he also wants to conserve water. He wants to choose plants that won’t need to be watered with a hose. Which plant, Plant A or Plant B, is a better option for Jayden’s garden?

Sara lives in a house near the ocean. Both the air near her house and the ocean are very warm. Choose the best answer for each letter to show how the ocean (hydrosphere) can interact with the air (atmosphere) to eventually bring rain to Sara’s yard. What word best describes what is labeled "a" in the picture above?