Day 7
Overview
Today’s lesson is conducted in large part as a teacher demonstration to address the Question of the Day –How much water is there for people to use? Students observe a teacher demonstration to learn that much of earth’s water is not available to people. In addition, students listen to an excerpt from Water, Water Everywhere about the topic. Students actively make sense of this new understanding by writing in their books about water. Teachers will evaluate students’ responses to the Question of the Day.
Materials
Chart paper or interactive white board to record answers to the question of the day
Rauzon, M. J. and C. O. Bix. (1994) Water, Water Everywhere. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books for Children.
Specifically, the text on pages 25 – 27.
Globe
2 liter, clear plastic soda pop bottle filled with colored water (blue food coloring), label removed
Measuring cup calibrated in milliliters (at least 50 ml)
2 Medicine cups with a capacity of 30 ml
Clear container to hold 50 ml of water
Clear container to hold 35 ml of water
Labels with words and/or pictures: Salt water; Fresh water; Ice caps; Air, Soil, and Underground;
Paper for students to use to create books about water
Markers, crayons or pencils to use in student books about water
Water
Activity
1. Remind the students about the books they are writing about water and the chart paper of questions. Remind them that they recently wrote about ways that water is used. Today, we will investigate the amount of water on the earth that is good for people to use.
2. Today’s activity is conducted as a teacher demonstration. The teacher should arrange the classroom and students in such a way that everyone will be able to see the materials.
3. Show the students the globe. Spin the globe and remind students that they can see a lot of blue - this is why we call the earth the “water planet.”
4. Hold up the 2 liter bottle filled with colored water. Tell the students to imagine that this bottle holds all of the water on the earth. Ask:
Is there any water on the earth that we cannot drink? The students may say polluted water or water inside of animals. Tell the students that water in the ocean tastes salty. Some animals can drink salty water, but people cannot.
5. Measure 50 ml of water into another clear container. Tape the “Salt Water” label to the large 2 liter bottle. Tell the students that you have poured off some water; the rest of the water in the 2 liter bottle is salt water from oceans. People cannot drink it. Set the 2 liter bottle aside.
6. Pick up the 50 ml of water. Tell the students that this container shows the water on earth that does not have salt in it. We call it “Fresh Water.” Attach the label to the container.
7. Measure 35 ml of the fresh water into another clear container. Tell the students that this water shows all of the water that is frozen in ice caps. We cannot drink it because it is frozen. Label the container “Ice Caps.”
8. Measure 14.5 ml of the remaining fresh water into another container. (This will leave only .5 ml remaining in the fresh water cup.) Label the 14.5 ml as “Air, Soil, and Underground.” Tell the students that this is the fresh water that we cannot get to because it is in the air or too deep in the soil for us to reach.
9. Show the students the .5 ml that remains. This is approximately 2 drops of water. Label the container “Water for people to use.” Review the demonstration. Ask the students:
Do you think the amount of water people have to drink on earth is a lot or a little? Students should say “a little.”
10. Read aloud pages 25 & 27 from Water, Water Everywhere by Mark Rauzon and Cynthia Overbeck Bix. Ask the students:
Do you think we should be careful with water? Why? Students should respond (from the text) that we have such a small supply of fresh water that we need to learn to use our water wisely.
If you compare the class demonstration to the reading from Water, Water Everywhere, what is the same? The students should say that both the demo and the reading show that the earth has just a small amount of water for people to use.
What do the authors say we should learn about our water? Students should say to learn to use water wisely.
What are some examples of ways we can use water wisely? Students should say that we should not waste water, take showers instead of baths, don’t leave the water running.
11. Tell the students that they are going to create a page for their book about water. The page will say “How much water is there for people to use?” The students can use words or pictures to answer the question. Review the chart paper. Think out loud about how you (the teacher) might show the answer to this question. You may wish to add “Don’t waste water” to the book about water and include ideas for saving water. Use another piece of chart paper to model how you create your drawing and/or write your words.
12. Provide the students with materials to answer the question “How much water is there for people to use?” Have them discuss their plans with others. Remind students that authors sometimes have to write and re-write. Encourage them to add as much detail as possible to their writing and illustrations to answer the question. Scaffold this activity for students by providing paper labels with the words “How much water is there for people to use?” as well as scribing responses for the students where needed.
13. Note to teacher – Be certain to return to the initial list of questions students have about water. If there are additional questions that students can investigate, create opportunities for students to explore those questions another day and have the students write/draw about them for their book about water.
14. Throughout the activity, make anecdotal notes about strengths or weaknesses among the students’ conceptual understandings as well as in their science practices. Plan appropriate interventions. After the students have finished the day’s question and answer page for the books that they are writing, look over the completed work to assess whether each student could formulate words and/or pictures to adequately and accurately answer the question.