Water Curriculum

Overall Objectives, SWBAT:

  • Identify how habits relate to food/water consuption/environmental impacts
  • Propose solutions to food/water availability issues
  • Understand general/specific water cycles
  • Name dangerous substances/pollutants in water
  • Identify health issues with water supply
  • Define key terms
  • Evaluate how food relates to environmental resources

Module 1: Cycles, SWBAT:

  • Explain/draw a water cycle
  • Follow domestic water from source to wastewater release
  • Identify steps in water preparation
  • Identify steps in wastewater disposal

Module 2: Availability/Scarcity, SWBAT:

  • Understand human consumption of water
  • Identify degrees of sustainability for different water uses/processes
  • Explain geographic/economic/political factors in water supply and availability
  • Identify limits of water sources (salt vs fresh, natural contamination)
  • Explain impacts of water shortages
  • Propose conservation solutions

Module 3: Environment/Health Effects, SWBAT:

  • Identify pollutants in water
  • Explain how pollutants get into water
  • Understand persistence, bio-accumulation, toxicity
  • Identify human health/ecological effects
  • Describe processes for remediation/prevention

Module 4: How we Use Water, SWBAT:

  • Identify industry and agriculture as significant uses of water
  • Explain why a canal uses wate
  • Compare the amount of water that goes into growing food to the amount of food we get
  • Identify 2 ways water is used in energy production: cooling and hydroelectric
  • Identify environmental impacts from water use for cooling and hydroelectric power

Lesson 1: Introduction to the course

Lesson 2: California's water cycle

Lesson 3: How we use water  Readings Worksheet

Lesson 4: Water testing: what is pollution?  Worksheet

Module 1: Water Cycles

Lesson 1: The natural water cycle Magnet Images

Lesson 2: Building a sand filter

Lesson 3: Wastewater treatment plants Worksheet

Lesson 4: Aquifers

Module 2: Water Availability and Scarcity

Lesson 1: Water footprint Calculator

Lesson 2: Water War: Fight for water rights Worksheet

Lesson 3: Distillation vs filtration Lab Instructions

Lesson 4: Impacts of water shortages

Module 3: Environmental and Health Effects of Water Pollution

Lesson 1: How pollution gets in water: Leeching and Runoff  

Lesson 2: How bad is pollution: Toxicity, Persistence, Bioaccumulation  Directions and Worksheet  Game Cards

Lesson 3: Identifying Water Pollutants Bioaccumulation! Cards

Lesson 4: Wetland Remediation Worksheet

Module 4: Uses of Water

Lesson 3: Hydropower