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Water, Water, Everywhere? Our Watershed

Source: /www.recycleworks.org/kids/watershed.html

A watershed is an area of land where all of the water that drains off of it or is under it goes into the same place.

IDEAS FOR WATER ACTIVITIES

1. THE WATERSHED AS CENTRAL COMMAND:
(This will be a review for many, but it is essential to have students with the same working vocabulary about the water cycle and watersheds.) Provide charts (or film) with information on where the water comes from and where it goes, and challenge students to find out how they all are connected through a watershed. Students demonstrate their knowledge base by conducting a watershed experiment (see teacher packet).

Younger students learn about water and raindrops through simple charts and visuals. See the EPA kids website. Visuals such as films, videos, coloring books all available. They are quizzed on how water gets into their homes (they usually say faucet), but they will use the water cycle chart to learn how to trace that water back to its source.

2. YOUR COMMUNITY IN THE WATERSHED: PRESENT
Brainstorm with students about all the surface water bodies they have seen in the town: lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and wet areas surrounding them. Students locate these resources on the community map. They fiind the school and determine its immediate watershed (check nearest water bodies and elevation). Students move from the community map to the larger watershed map and again locate the school and its sub-watershed. They make a chart showing how water from the schoolyard reaches the ocean and how many political boundaries the larger watershed includes.

Younger students describe (or draw) their favorite water body (maybe where they visit in the summer.) Have them think about ways that this water spot can be ruined. They write a story about what they like about this water spot and why it should be saved.

3. WATER RESOURCES IN YOUR COMMUNITY: PAST

Students learn about the historical use of water locally (grist mills, saw mills, farm irrigation, tanning and other businesses) through contact with the local Historical Society or local library archivist. They find out how the local water supply evolved (from private wells and springs to a municipal system (reservoir, community wells, larger metropolitan system) through contact with the local water dept. How has the water been kept pure enough to drink? Students develop questions to ask of specialists invited into the classroom and write a news article about what they have learned. Online visuals are available to incorporate into news story.

Eric Sloane and others have easy to understand visuals on mill construction & use.

4. THE SCHOOL YARD AS WATER LABORATORY:
Students get up close to see how water from the school yard travels to the larger watershed. They work in a small group on an assigned quadrant of the school yard. Each group observes and discusses its features, and each student makes a sketch (map) and fills out the worksheet. On the next rainy day (Prepare for raincoats), each group observes direction of flow and accumulation on their quadrant, marking details on worksheet. They make judgments and predictions about what has happened and about problem areas on their site.

Younger students look for signs of water effects on the schoolyard. They are asked to discuss what happens to rain when it hits the school ground. To relate the schoolyard to the water cycle, they can do a simple experiment using cups on window sills to demonstrate evaporation and condensation.

5. ADOPT A STREAM:
Older students get involved in an observation and data recording activity which demonstrates the techniques of monitoring. (See teacher packet) They take a field trip to the nearest accessible stream with equipment, after preparation on techniques. Data sheets for the entire watershed are available online, and students results can be added, and compared to the larger picture.

Read the story about the Swift River to younger students. They follow the journey along different water bodies, and take parts to act out the story.

6. POLLUTION SOLUTION:
Students identify an environmental problem related to water in their community and propose solutions, Students research & write up positions of different (often conflicting) aspects of the community about the problem. Conduct a town meeting (or city council meeting) to discuss a proposed solution with winners and losers represented. Class votes on issue and discusses how this relates to a healthy community. If this is a real community problem, send in results of student study to appropriate boards (conservation, health, water dept. etc.), with a copy to the newspaper.

Younger students learn about waste disposal at home & school. Where does the water that goes down the sink drain and down the toilet go? What happens to it? The MWRA has some great stories & videos they can send about “potty talk” “down the drain” etc.

7. SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT:
The school may be a microcosm of the larger community water use (and abuse). Students working in groups are assigned research topics on water & other resource use at school: electricity, fuel, water for indoor use & lawn, waste disposal, lawn care (maintenance procedures, use of pesticides,) cleaning products used for school plant etc. Students trace the resource back to its source: ie. How is electricity produced, does the electricity get delivered locally etc,) Get the Info from community boards: school janitor, principal, district office or?

A chart on family water use is filled out at home by younger students with follow-up in the classroom (and in activity #8).

8. WATERY GAMES:
Water Conservation Bingo: The Bingo game lists 25 possible things that individuals can do (or are doing) for water conservation. The teacher can call out the numbers in class and give “green awards” to first 3 who can holler Bingo (5 across etc.). Students are asked to make a list of those things they are not doing and to play the game again in 2 weeks (or so). The aim is to see how many more of the 25 can be checked off. Have them prepare a simpler Bingo card for students in K-2 classes.

Trivial Pursuit: Students are provided with questions about water statistics and ways to conserve water. After they take the “test”, the class discusses the answers that show how much water on average each family, business, country etc. uses for lots of purposes. Students then make a trivial pursuit game for younger students K-2 based on the info they have learned.

Younger children get to play either of these games. Older students make plans to go into the K-2 classrooms with age-appropriate questions, game to work with the students. Afterwards students list all the ways they (and their family) can conserve water. Think up some exciting green prizes!

Science and Technology:

Grades PK-2:
1. Recognize that water, rocks, soil, and living organisms are found on the earth's surface.

Grades 3-5:
10. Describe how water on earth cycles in different forms and in different locations, including underground and in the atmosphere.
11. Give examples of how the cycling of water, both in and out of the atmosphere, has an effect on climate.

Grades 9 -10: 3.6. Explain how water flows into and through a watershed, e.g., aquifers, wells, porosity, permeability, water table, capillary water, runoff.

2.1. Recognize, describe, and differentiate between renewable (e.g., solar, wind, water, biomass) and nonrenewable (e.g., fossil fuels, nuclear [Ura-235]) sources of energy.

History and Social Sciences:

Gr 3, LS #8 3.8 On a map of Massachusetts, locate the class's home town or city and its local geographic features and landmarks. (G)

Language Arts

Grades 3-4: 2.2. Contribute knowledge to class discussion in order to develop ideas for a class project and generate interview questions to be used as part of the project.

Grades 5-6: 2.3. Gather relevant information for a research project or composition through interviews.

These lesson ideas contributed by Barbara D. Robinson.
Questions? Contact: k12.msp@umb.edu

The Mass. Studies Project	These curricular modules were developed with support from the John H. and H. Naomi Tomfohrde Foundation. The "Our Town, Our City" Curricular Resources Project is an initiative of the Massachusetts Studies Project, Institute for Learning and Teaching, University of Massachusetts, Boston The lesson plan formatting is based on The WebQuest template.