Lesson Plans - Water, Water Everywhere

Check out:
X4: Locator Booth

- Standard #4: The physical and human characteristics of places

- A Dinosaur's Neighborhood
- Geographic Groceries
- Wonderworld

Overview:

Most Americans take an endless supply of drinkable water for granted. This is not so in all parts of the world. The goal of this lesson is to familiarize students with the realities about water supply in other nations, as well as in the United States, and what the future holds.

Connections to the Curriculum:

Geography, physical science, computer science, current events

Connections to the National Geography Standards:

Standard 4: "The physical and human characteristics of places"
Standard 7: "The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth's surface"
Standard 11: "The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's surface"
Standard 13: "How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of Earth's surface"

Time:

Two to three hours

Materials Required:

Computer with Internet access

Objectives:

Students will

locate a news story of interest about water at the National Geographic News site;
search the Internet for related stories;
compare and contrast the information found in all the stories; and
assess the impact of the information on the environment and cultures affected.

Geographic Skills:

Asking Geographic Questions
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information

S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e

Opening:

Explain to students that this lesson is designed to help them develop investigational skills. Ask them to first read the National Geographic News story, Ban Sale of Water for Profit. Tell students they will be seeking related stories at other sites to gain more information on the scarcity of water and its impact on humans and the environment.

Development:

Activity 1:
Have students work in small groups or individually to find another National Geographic News story about the scarcity of water. [Note: Students can do this by going to the National Geographic News site and searching for "water."] Then have them search other Internet sites for related stories. Students can begin their research with the following sites:

Arizona Water Resource: Global Weather Shortage Looms in New Century
University of Wisconsin: Water Woes—Not All Wet
Great Lakes Environmental Directory: Drought Afflicts Much of the Nation
Science Central News: Wet Water Shortage

After students have read several articles, have them compare and contrast the material in the articles. Have students work together to complete this interactive Venn diagram to compare information they have read about countries in each of these situations. Instruct students to use the note-taking tabs in the interactive to cite their sources and make additional notes about the details they add to their Venn diagrams.

Activity 2:
Have students identify nations both where the water supply is a problem, and where fresh water is so plentiful that it might be taken for granted.

Ask students to use their notes and Venn diagrams to discuss in small groups why the primary differences exist. In particular, ask students to consider whether there is anything humans can do to improve the situation.

Closing:

Have students convene in an "international assembly" (similar to the United Nations), representing different nations to debate what the earth's governments can do to make the distribution of water more equitable.

Suggested Student Assessment:

Ask students to work in small groups to develop national and/or international policies to address the uneven distribution of fresh drinkable water across the Earth's communities.

Extending the Lesson:

Have students read about PlayPumps, an innovative water supply solution, in the PBS Frontline/World article, South Africa: The Play Pump, or watch the accompanying video clip (7 min). Discuss the effectiveness of this method for combating water scarcity in rural South Africa.
Ask students to do some research in U.S. history, including conversations with their parents and grandparents, to see if there ever was a notable shortage of water in the United States. Suggest they ask about the "Dust Bowl"—its causes and effects. Ask them also to research whether any measures are currently in place to control the use of water in the United States as a whole and/or in their local area.