Abstract: This fun science experience integrates writing, math, and science in a four-stage process. Students work in teams of two or three learners using peer interaction and writing to understand the concept.

Keywords: freshwater, saltwater, groundwater, water distribution, water conservation, water supply, glacier water consumption, direct water consumption

Lesson Plan Grade Level: fifth through ninth grade

Total Time Required for Lesson: 60 minutes

To the Teacher: This activity is a simulation of earth’s water distribution. Students will see the amount of fresh water compared to saltwater. This activity should follow a background lesson on water conservation or water supply and distribution for your local area.

Four-Stage Process:

1- Background Activity- completed prior to doing the activity

2- PreLab: questions to answer before doing the activity

3- InLab: completing the activity

4- PostLab: writing a lab report to promote scientific reasoning

Suggested Links for background activities:
The Groundwater Foundation Kids Corner.
http://www.groundwater.org/kc/kc.html

NASA earth observatory, “The Water Cycle.”
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/Water/

USGS, “The water cycle: Water storage in ice and snow.”
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycleice.html

Sustainable Forestry, "Earth Water Distribution and Water Consumption."
http://sftrc.cas.psu.edu/LessonPlans/Water/earthWater.html

United Nations Environmental Programme, “Freshwater issues.”
http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/Issues/Freshwater.asp#index

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Water Distribution Activity

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Stage One: Background

Background Concepts:
Water is the only known substance that exists naturally as a solid, liquid and gas on the earth’s surface. Almost 97% of the earth’s water is too salty to drink. Most of the fresh water is in glaciers and ice caps. Less than 1% of the earth’s water is available for our use. We must conserve the water available to us.

Ground water flows underground through the soil and rocks. Ground water supplies wells and springs.

Surface water is above ground in lakes, swamps, rivers and ground ice.

EARTH’S WATER

Saltwater:
Oceans, seas, and bays 96.5%
Freshwater: 3.5%
Icecaps, glaciers and permanent snow 1.74%
Ground water 1.7 0%
Lakes 0.013%
Swamp water and rivers 0.001%
Soil moisture and atmosphere 0.002%
Ground Ice 0.022%
Other 0.022%

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Stage Two: PreLab
Answer questions before completing the activity

1. Carefully read the directions for the activity. Read everything. Don’t just skim it.

2. Write at least one question you have about the activity.

3. Brainstorm everything that you know about water distribution. Write as much as you can. Don’t be concerned about spelling or editing.

4. What is the overall purpose of the activity? Write one sentence describing how what you are being asked to do today will help you learn about water distribution. What will completing this activity teach you about water supply and distribution?

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Stage Three: InLab
Complete during the activity

Materials:
1000 mL beaker
100 mL graduated cylinder
6 small jars
Food coloring
Eyedropper
Seven 3 X 5 cards

Procedure: Check off each step after you complete it.

____ 1. Fill the 1000 mL beaker with tap water. The full beaker represents all of earth’s water.

____ 2. Pour 35 mL of water from the beaker into the 100 mL graduated cylinder. The 35 mL represents all of earth’s fresh water. The 965 mL left in the beaker represents the saltwater in the oceans.

____ 3. Add a few drops of food coloring to both beakers. Make saltwater and fresh water different colors.

____ 4. Divide the 35 mL of fresh water by pouring it into the smaller jars.

____A. Pour 174 mL into the first jar. This represents the fresh water in glaciers and icecaps.

____B. Pour 170 mL into the second jar to represent groundwater.

____C. Pour 13 mL into the third jar to represent water in lakes.

____D. Place 1 drops into the fourth jar to represent water in rivers and swamps.

____E. Place 2 drops into the fifth jar to represent the water in the atmosphere and soil.

____F. Pour 22 mL into the sixth jar to represent ground ice.

____ 5. Label a 3 x 5 card with:
A. glaciers and icecaps
B. underground
C. lakes
D. rivers and swamps
E. atmosphere and soil
F. ground ice
G. saltwater

____ 6. Place each 3 x 5 card you made in front of the jar or beaker it goes with. Draw a picture of your jars and beaker under observations.

____ 7. Use your results to answer these questions.

1. Where is most of earth’s water?

2. Where is most of earth’s fresh water?

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Stage Four: PostLab
Write a lab report
You will begin by describing in writing the materials and methods you used and then your results. You will write a summarizing paragraph.

Section One
Materials and Methods: Describing the procedure

Write one paragraph describing the procedure you followed during this activity. Make sure to use enough detail about your materials and methods that someone else could repeat your procedure.

Hint: Refer to your PreLab, this handout, background materials, the textbook and any notes you took during the activity.

Section Two

Results: Making sense of your data for yourself and others

Step 1: Review all the data from your experiment. Summarize the main finding of the activity in one sentence.

Step 2: Conclusions
Answer the questions in complete sentences. 1. Should cities near the ocean use the water from the ocean for household and industry? Explain your answer.

2. Should saltwater be treated to remove the salt and then used as fresh water?

3. Is water in icecaps and glaciers accessible to humans? Why or why not?

4. How can we conserve our fresh water?

Section Three
Discussion: Interpreting the results

Step 1: Write a one-sentence statement of your conclusion(s) about the results.

Step 2: Write a paragraph stating how the data from your activity should influence future decisions about water conservation, use and supply?

Note: This activity incorporates the premise of the college LabWrite program developed by North Carolina State University: http://www.ncsu.edu/labwrite/

I am a freelance writer and editor who gave up a career as a successful middle school teacher to write full time. I started the Storm of Thought Writing Center and am currently working on a thriller novel, several short stories and a children's novel. My publications include Dana Literary Society, and Thunder Sandwich. My articles about teaching, curricular materials and presentations have appeared in educational magazines such as Science Scope.

Trina Allen
http://www.trinaallen.com or http://spaces.msn.com/members/stormofthought/