OVERVIEW

This three-part lesson utilizes the stream simulator, scaled global water supply examples and simulated field trips to engage participants in deeper thinking about how water affects human lives and the lives of other living things.  Participants will initially be divided into three groups that will rotate every fifteen minutes between three stations.  At one station participants will learn about the water cycle while exploring the stream simulator and concepts of evaporation, condensation, transpiration and precipitation.  At another station participants will learn about the connecting aspect of water as they go on a simulated field trip as a drop of water.  At the final station students explore the relative scarcity of fresh water and how they can conserve water in their own lives.  Water is universally important, constantly moving and scarce in freshwater form. After this lesson, students should have a clearer understanding of the fundamental role water plays in their lives and how they can more respectfully conserve this vital resource.

 

Levels: Grade 5

 

Subjects Areas

·   Scientific Inquiry

·   Language Arts

·   Math

 

Group Size: 20-28 participants

 

Concepts

• Ubiquity of water

• The Water Cycle

• Water is a precious  

   resource

 

Materials

See Stations

 

Time: 45-60 minutes

 

Key Terms

Middle Fork river, Willamette river, Columbia river, Pacific ocean, Evaporation, Transpiration, Condensation and Precipitation.

 

OR State Standards

·   SC.05.ES.01.03 Recognize that the supply of resources is limited, and that resources can be extended through recycling and decreased use.

·   MA.05.CE.03 Model, recognize, and generate equivalent forms of commonly used fractions, decimals, and percents.

·   EL.05.RE.09 Understand, learn and use new vocabulary that is introduced and taught directly through informational text, literary text, and instruction across the subject areas.  

 

OBJECTIVES

By the end of this activity, participants will be able to:

1) Name two local bodies of water. Name a distant body of water.

2) Name the actions of the water cycle: Evaporation, Transpiration, Condensation and Precipitation.

3) physically or verbally demonstrate the relative amounts of water on earth allocated between salt and fresh water and how much fresh water is available to humans, and be able to identify one way to conserve water at home.

 

RATIONALE

    Our increasingly specialized society is growing increasingly detached from the natural resources that sustain our lives and give life to the places we dwell. Water, a resource that defines our bioregion is a vital for filling our water glasses, baths and toilets and growing our food. Yet, as it falls from the tap we forget to remember the steps in how it got there, or what happens to it once it is flushed away. Though plentiful on the surface of the earth, water is scarce in freshwater form, a fact that is unknown to many. We must acknowledge our dependence on this valuable resource, understand its value, and that we must use it wisely in a changing climate so as not to impact its availability for us or for other living things that depend upon it as well. Educating citizens enables them to take an informed and active role in protecting the most vital and basic of needs and helps ensure the protection of such resources as they become more and more precious.

 

BACKGROUND

    People have always depended upon water. The Kalapuya depended on the river for travel, drinking water and as habitat for wild food sources. Today, we depend on river water for those same needs.

    Water makes up the majority of our planet, covering 70% of its surface. Only 3% of that water is fresh water usable for drinking and farming. Of that freshwater, about 69% is trapped in glaciers and ice caps, 30% is hidden as ground water and less than 1% is visible surface water. Only 2% of that surface water is in rivers and streams (USGS, Water). This very small amount of water is crucial to the lives of many species including humans.

    The water cycle uses the power of the sun to continually take water from the oceans to recharge rivers and lakes as rain. The sun is responsible for warming water resulting in evaporation, and the sun also causes plants to photosynthesize resulting in transpiration- the release of water as a gas. This water vapor condenses at high altitudes and stays in the atmosphere as clouds. Clouds can precipitate back onto the oceans or onto land as ice, snow or rain. The rain descending on land runs off as surface runoff in streams or infiltrates into the ground water table. Fresh water can be stored on land in lakes, in glaciers or in the ground as ground water (USGS, Water).

     The city of Eugene gets its water supply from the McKenzie river. It is important to keep the water in this river as safe and clean as possible to ensure a safe drinking supply. Agricultural and forest fertilizer and pesticide use need careful thought and monitoring. The Eugene Water and Electric board owns treatment plants that go through a process of cleaning this water for human consumption. This process is hugely important to human health. In 1906, a breakout of typhoid fever was traced back to the city water supply. State health officials called it the worst epidemic in Oregon history at the time. Today, EWEB pulls water out from the McKenzie river a few miles from its confluence with the Willamette, and is treated at the Hayden Bridge Filtration Plant in three steps. Step one adds chlorine for disinfection. Then the water is filtered and sediments and suspended materials are removed. Third, the pH of the water is adjusted to prevent corrosion in plumbing. 200,000 people receive this water from an 800 mile network of water lines that mechanically pump or use gravity as their delivery mechanism. (EWEB)

     70% of freshwater is used in agriculture (Brown), but the average person uses 80-100 gallons of energy intensive treated water each day. The number one use is flushing toilets followed by showering and bathing (USGS, Science). A leaky toilet can use 200 gallons of water a day (EWEB). To reduce our use of water we can use low flow fixtures, cut our use by not running faucets or taking short showers, plant native or adapted species appropriate for our climate and finally, reusing rain and grey water for non-potable needs. 

     World water demand has tripled over the last fifty years, and has exceeded the sustainable yield of aquifers in many countries. This action depletes water tables, and this usually occurs silently, with no warning until it is too late and wells go dry. As water use climbs, the world is incurring a vast water deficit, one that is largely invisible, historically recent, and growing fast. With 70% of water used in agriculture, unsustainable water use puts food production in peril (Brown).

     Two thirds of the Pacific Northwest precipitation comes between October and March. Summer drought makes us dependent upon summer snowmelt for our water supply. Global warming is expected to greatly reduce late summer snow pack making conservation increasingly important (Climate). Rain water harvesting for non-potable use has become an effective strategy for drought prone climates and not only provides water for landscaping, flushing toilets and other safe uses, but eliminates the need for energy intensive purification, and also reduces storm water flows that negatively affect local ecologies.

 

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

 

Set-Up

    * Set up Stream Simulator (15-20 minutes).  Find detailed description of how to set up the simulator provided under additional resources.

    * Have classroom or area arranged so that there are three separate stations. The stations where participants will be away from the stream simulator should have a circle of chairs.

    * Each station should be equiped with all the materials on the list for each station.

 

*Note for Facilitators

    For large student groups, three facilitators should each guide 1/3 of the class at each station. Have students rotate every 15 minutes. A fourth person is helpful. This person tracks time, acts as an observer to help with evaluating the lesson, and fills in where help is needed. If possible, this person also has references ready to accurately answer questions posed.

 

 Brief Introduction/Popcorn (about 2 minutes)

    Introduce facilitators, where you are from and why you care about water.

    Next, engage participants by playing 'popcorn’. The facilitator will pose the questions below to the group and whenever a participant answers "I do" or "yes" they will 'pop' up out of their seat and sit right back down (explain these rules to participants).

 

    “Who has seen water today?”

    “Who has touched water today?”

    “Who has drank water or juice today?”

 

    Explain that water is important to all of our lives and that we should know as much as we can about it so that we can protect it.

 

Split up the Class (1-2 minutes)

  Have the participants count off in threes.  Assign all of the 'ones' to station one, all of the 'twos' to station two, and all of the 'threes' to station three.  After everyone has organized at their assigned station they will begin their activities. It is important for every student to make it to each station, so one of the facilitators should be designated as a 'timekeeper' (presumably the facilitator that is the observer).  The timekeeper should give each station a five minute warning before the participants rotate, and about thirty seconds should be allowed for the participants to rotate between stations.

 

Station #1: Water Water Everywhere! (15 min)

 

 

Materials: (See attached resources)

• Paper
• Markers
• Photos of ecosystems 
• Narrative of Simulated Field Trip

 

Step 1) Engage and Explore: Show students photos of ecosystems around the world: deserts, ponds, glaciers, tide pools, rivers, lakes, forests (attached). “Think about all you know about water. What word best describes the role of water in each ecosystem I hold up?” With each picture, use a circular whip. Start off alternating patting legs twice and snapping once. To the rhythm each student in the circle takes a turn to say one word about the role of water in this ecosystem. The facilitator should start off with a few examples to show participants what to emulate. Last, show a picture of the local ecosystem, a picture of the local stream, and a picture of a recognizable ditch, swale or pond on school grounds.

 

Explain: After each picture, explain the basic characteristics or important features of water in that particular ecosystem. Acknowledge answers that were given and explain those that were not.  (fresh water, salty water, rainy, dry, etc.)

 

Step 2) Elaborate: Read the Simulated Field Trip, Adapted from "Water Wings", PLT, page 111, describing the natural path of a water molecule (attached). Step 3) Reflect and Evaluate: For the remaining time, have students reflect on the journey they took. Have each write a short haiku about the path of a water molecule. Supply colorful markers and pens, and encourage the students to explore changing letter and word color, size, capitalization, style, etc. to add emphasis to their words and beauty to their poems. Showing participants an example of a poem you’ve made will help clarify what you are looking for.

 

Haiku: 

3 syllables                                        5 syllables

5 syllables                   OR                 7 syllables

3 syllables                                        5 syllables

 

Assessment: What types of questions are the students asking? What concepts are explored in poems? Are place names, local and global relationships, or water concepts included in poems? 

 

Station #2:  Always Moving! (15 minutes)  

 

Materials: (See attached resources) 

• Stream simulator
• Identity cards labeled: Sun, plants, clouds and rain
• Buckets labeled: Condensation, transpiration and evaporation
• Colander labeled: Precipitation.
• Towels

 

Ground Rules: establish "hands in" (hands in the simulator) and "hands out" (hands out of the simulator and listening to each other).  

 

Step 1) Engage and Explore: let students get their hands dirty in the simulator by modeling a large watershed. Clarify that they need to include mountains, plants and the ocean. Make sure the water table measurer (Half pipe) is inserted.  

 

Step 2) Explain: The water cycle

There is water on earth, the sun warms the water up and "evaporates" it. 

Q: Does anyone know what evaporation is?

A: Evaporation is the change from a liquid to a gas. (Discuss examples students may have seen: tea kettle boiling, rain puddles drying up). All together say “evaporation”

Q: What is photosynthesis?

A: When plants "eat" sun rays to get energy. When they sweat, we call it "transpiration". This evaporation and transpiration creates moisture (steam) in the air. (say transpiration)

Q: What happens to evaporated water in the air?

A: Eventually clouds will form from this moisture, as the gas turns back to a liquid. This is called condensation. (Discuss examples students may have seen: water vapor from our breath condensing on the windows or seeing our breath when we are outside on a cold day. (say condensation)

 

Q: What do the clouds do next?

A: They rain! This is called precipitation.

Q: What else besides rain?

A: snow, hail, freezing rain… etc. (say precipitation)

   

    Hand out Identity cards labeled Sun, Plants, Clouds and Rain. In the stream simulator, sun students "evaporate" (take water from the ocean) water and hold it in a container.  Give plant students cups of water labeled "transpiration" to give to the sun students. Explain these concepts and have students repeat the words evaporation and transpiration. The sun rays then pour their water into the Clouds' container labeled "condensation". Explain this concept and have students repeat the word condensation. The clouds pour their water through the colander labeled "precipitation held by the Rain students. Explain this concept. Have the students repeat the process continually, to demonstrate that there is no beginning or end, but that it is a continuous cycle. Point out to students how the water flows as surface runoff, stays in the lake, runs into the ground water table, or runs through the river. Remind students that this water cycle occurs on a global scale and every drop of water is connected in this cycle. "Even the water held in your container was probably once a glacier, soaked up by a tree, or running through the rain forest in the Amazon River!".

 

Q: Ask students to continue demonstrating the water cycle, but adjust to show a very wet climate. (speed up cycle)

Q: Why might this be good or bad? For humans?

A: A lot to drink and use for irrigation and recreation, also, possibility of floods.

 

Q: For the ecosystem? How might plants adapt?

A: Plants can photosynthesize (causes loss of water through transpiration) without drying out, animals have water to drink, etc.

 

Q: Ask students to continue demonstrating the water cycle, but adjust to show a dry climate (little rain).

Q: Why might this be good or bad? For humans?

A: less water to use.

A: For the ecosystem? How might plants adapt?

A: Cactus’ and other plants grow slower because they photosynthesize less and thus don’t lose water. They have ways to photosynthesize that cause less transpiration.

 

Q: What happens here in the winter? (students speed up cycle to show more rain)

Q: What happens here in the summer? (slow - drought)

Q: Where do we get water from in the summer?

A: snow melt

Q: What will happen in 30 years according to the majority of scientists predicting a drier and warmer climate? What will happen to snow pack?  

A: It will melt sooner and there won't be as much fresh water in the summer.

Q: How might plant and animal species change or adapt?

A: drought tolerant species will probably begin to replace native species.

Q: How might humans adapt?

A: use less water, store rainwater from spring, grow drought tolerant crops, etc.

 

Assessment: 

 

Can students act out the water cycle without prompts? Can students explain the concepts of evaporation, transpiration, condensation and precipitation? Can students explain the role of the sun in the water cycle? Can students adjust actions for flood/drought conditions? Can students be effectively guided through inquiry to understand the effects of global warming on the water supply?

 

Station #2:  And Not a Drop to Drink! (15 minutes)  

 

Materials: (See attached resources)

• Five Gallon Bucket of Water
• Smaller Water Containers
• 12 inch Diameter Globe.
• 1/2 cup of water.
• Towels

 

Step 1) Engage: “Let’s pretend this ball represents the earth” Use a globe 12 inches in Diameter.

 

     Have students estimate the volume of water available on the globe if it were the same as earth, and then show the answer.

 

Earth: Diameter: 7,926 miles or 502,212,598 inches,

Volume of Water: 1.3 billion cubic kilometers, or 5,494,778,700,000,000,000,000 OR five and a half hexillion cups!

 

Globe:  Diameter: 12 inches.

Volume of Water: less than 1/2 a cup of water.

 

million = 10⁶

billion = 10⁹

trillion = 10¹²

quadrillion = 10¹⁵

quintillion = 10¹⁸

hexillion = 10²¹

heptillion = 10²⁴

 

Q: Can the earth get more water? 

A: Our global water supply is finite. Scientists think that what we have today is all we will ever have

 

Step 2) Explore and Explain: A five gallon bucket (1280 tbs) represents all the water on earth. (five and a half hexillion cups!) Again tell participants, “let’s pretend that this bucket represents all the water on earth?”

     Q: How much of the earths water is fresh (unsalty) water?

     A: 2.5%, but use activity to explore the meaning of this number

 

Have students calculate 2.5% (32 Tbs.) of five gallons (1,280 tbs.)

 

1280 x .025 = 32 tbs. OR 1280/40

 

(cancel zeros, divide 128/4)

 

Explain that this is the equivalent percentage of fresh water on earth.

 

Bring out the container with 32 tbs. of water in it. Talk about this amount. Is it big? Small? Precious?

 

Elaborate: 

Q: Why do we need fresh (unsalty) water? 

A: humans and many other organisms need fresh water for survival. Salt makes us more thirsty, and so we drink water to remove the salt and quench our thirst, if there is too much salt in water means it means we get more dehydrated and eventually get sick. Explain that many plants have the same needs, while others can live in saltier conditions. 

  

Q: Can you name another local species that depends on fresh water? 

A: Bull Trout 

Western Pond Turtle

Red legged frog

Steelhead

Alder 

People

Others

   

Q: If fresh water isn't in the ocean, where is fresh water? 

A: Ice burgs, glaciers, in the ground (well water), trapped far under the ground, in rivers, lakes, streams, in the air, and in us and other plants and animals.

 

Q: Where do you get your water?

A: Might vary, but probably from a river, stream, lake or wells.

 

Q: Did you know that “< 1% of the world's fresh water (~0.007% of all water on earth) is accessible for direct human uses.? This is the water found in lakes, rivers, reservoirs and those underground sources that are shallow enough to be tapped at an affordable cost. Only this amount is regularly renewed by rain and snowfall, and is therefore available on a sustainable basis.” (human)

 

From the 32 Tbs. remove 9 one-hundredths of a tablespoon (a couple drops). Show this percentage out of the five gallons. (.09/1280 = .007%) 

 

Q: Where is the rest?

A: Most of it is in ice burgs, glaciers and inaccessible ground water

 

Discuss the relative scale of salt, fresh and accessible water, and what a precious resource our water really is. 

Act out the relative amounts of salt water (BIG WIDE ARMS!!!!). Act out the relative amount of fresh water (little hands). Act out the relative amount of accessible water on the earth (tiny tiny fingers)

 

Evaluate: 

Q: How small a number is .00007%

A: Act out (little tiny fingernails)

Q: Do you think the water we use is scarce (rare, precious)?

Q: Are you glad you live where it rains?

Q: How much water does an average person use? 

A: 80-100 gallons a day in the U.S. (that is 20 5 gallon buckets!!!)

Q: Can you think of ways to conserve this precious resource?

A: Grow crops that don't need a lot of water. Use low flow fixtures. Cut our use by not running faucets while brushing teeth or washing dishes. Take shorter showers. Plant native or adapted species for landscaping that are appropriate for our climate and drought tolerant. Reuse rain and grey water for non-potable (non purified) needs like flushing toilets.

  

Assessment:

Can students verbally express or act out the relative quantity of freshwater to salt water? Can students verbally or physically explain the source of and scarcity of our available fresh water supply? Can students name one way to use less water?

 

ADAPTED FROM / ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Climate Impacts Group, About Pacific Northwest Climate, retrieved on February 2, 2009, http://cses.washington.edu/cig/pnwc/pnwc.shtml
• • Brown, Lester R., "World Creating Food Bubble Economy Based on Unsustainable Use of Water". Earth Policy Institute. March 13, 2003. retrieved February 16, 2003. 
  http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update22.htm

• • Milwaukie Water Treatment Facility, tour, January 9th, 2009, Milwaukee, Oregon.
• Project Wild Aquatic: "How Wet is Our Planet?" pages 121-123
• Project Wild Aquatic: "Water Wings" pages 110-113 
• Teachers' Domain, Water Treatment Plant, published October 21, 2005, retrieved on February 2, 2009,
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.watcyc.h2otreatment/
• USGS, Science for a changing world, "U.S. Geological Survey: The water cycle" published November 7, 2008, retrieved on February 2, 2009,http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclesummary.html
• USGS, Water Science for Schools, "U.S. Geological Survey: Water Q&A: Water use at home" last modified January 29, 2009, retrieved on February 2, 2009, http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/qahome.html
• • "Water Home" Eugene Water and Electric Board, retrieved on February 2, 2009, 
• http://www.eweb.org/content.aspx/9f80ece3-b15d-4bc6-b172-7079609ce8b8.
•  

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

• Stream simulator set up/take down instructions and basic information about the simulator
• Role playing cards (sun, rain, clouds, plants)
• Labels: Precipitation, Condensation, Evaporation, Transpiration
• Photos of ecosystems 
• Narrative of Simulated Field Trip

 

DEVELOPED BY:

Janna J. Green

3/1/2009

 

X-Stream Team

Lesson #1

2009 Environmental Leadership Program

 

Water, Water, Everywhere!:

LOCAL:Adapt the simulated field trip to begin at a nearby stream, and running through the connecting rivers through to the ocean. 

           Find a picture of a local stream or lake and a picture of a recognizable ditch, swale or pond on school grounds if possible,

RELEVANCE TO STUDENTS: find out how these local ecosystems are affected by water and if there is something we can do to make the ecosystem healthier or more resilient. (What is causing the toxic blooms in the reservior?) 

 

 

 

 

And not a drop to drink!: 

LOCAL: Find out if students get water from a river or a well or both. Adapt lesson to show how much water is available in rivers or in wells or both. River water issue is summer snow melt. 

             

RELEVANCE TO STUDENTS: Q: When do we get all our rain in oregon? A:(half of the annual total precipitation falls from December through February; about one-fourth in the spring and fall and very little during the summer months.) Q: Where to we get water in the summer if it doesnt rain? A: Snow melt Q: If climate change is warming up the planet, what will happen to the snow melt? A: The snow will melt sooner in the year and summers will be drier and drier. Q: Do you think it will be really important to conserve water during these times? A: yes, because if we use too much water for unnecessary things, we may run out of water for important things like drinking and bathing. Introduce math flash cards that show water use (to flush a toilet, to take a shower, to brush teeth, etc.) include on flash card how we can use less. Example: Shower uses x gallons/minute. That's ____ buckets! Installing a low flow shower head, and taking shorter showers can conserve our resource for times when water is scarce.

 

 

Always Moving:

LOCAL: Explore the rain shadow effect using mountains on the simulator. Explain why western oregon and the oregon coast is so rainy. Explain concepts of summer and winter rain in Oregon. (half of the annual total precipitation falls from December through February; about one-fourth in the spring and fall and very little during the summer months.)

 

Relevance to Students: Because of the mountain range and the coast, we have a lot of rain, but most of it comes in the winter. Q: Where to we get water in the summer if it doesnt rain? A: Snow melt Q: If climate change is warming up the planet, what will happen to the snow melt? A: The snow will melt sooner in the year and summers will be drier.