Water is Wonderful

Contributor
Christine Anne Royce
Type Category
Instructional Materials
Types
Lesson/Lesson Plan
Note
This resource, vetted by NSTA curators, is provided to teachers along with suggested modifications to make it more in line with the vision of the NGSS. While not considered to be "fully aligned," the resources and expert recommendations provide teachers with concrete examples and expert guidance using the EQuIP rubric to adapted existing resources. Read more here.

Reviews

Description

This resource is a 5-E lesson based on the book "All the Water in the World" by George Ella Lyon and Katerine Tillotson.  In this lesson students describe ways they use water and how they can reduce their water consumption.  Although this resource does not contain an engineering component I am suggesting ways to integrate an engineering activity.

Intended Audience

Educator
Educational Level
  • Early Elementary
Language
English
Access Restrictions

Free access with user action - The right to view and/or download material without financial barriers but users are required to register or experience some other low-barrier to use.

Performance Expectations

K-2-ETS1-1 Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.

Clarification Statement: none

Assessment Boundary: none

This resource was not designed to build towards this performance expectation, but can be used to build towards it using the suggestions provided below.

Comments about Including the Performance Expectation
Again this resource does not mention the engineering aspect, however, teachers can make this an engineering activity by having students ask the following questions, "Where else do you use water in your everyday life?" "What are some ways to conserve water?" Have students generate their own questions and make observations on how their families use water for one week. (This can be a family activity.) Ask students to think about the ways their family uses water and devise a way to conserve their water usage. Using nonstandard measurements or with the assistance of their parents, students can make a chart about how much water they use in a day and create a way to conserve water. Students can compare and contrast the different ways that their families and classmates families use water and devise a better way to use water. Additionally students should analyze their observations or the teacher can provide scenarios that may lead to engineering activities. The lesson suggests the following, "After discussing how much water they use each day doing the actions identified, have them return to their brainstormed list of where else they use water and begin to consider ways they can reduce their water consumption. For example, students might identify shutting off the water faucet while they are brushing their teeth, taking shorter showers, or not filling the bathtub as much as they do." You can have students create a design that will allow them to conserve water when they brush their teeth or create a way to add more water to their family gardens. The emphasis is on asking questions, making observations, and gathering information to solve a problem and not designing an actual model.

K-ESS3-3 Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.

Clarification Statement: Examples of human impact on the land could include cutting trees to produce paper and using resources to produce bottles. Examples of solutions could include reusing paper and recycling cans and bottles.

Assessment Boundary: none

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this performance expectation.

Comments about Including the Performance Expectation
After reading the book "All the Water in the World" students will identify individual ways that they can reduce their water usage and create "I statements" as a commitment to that goal.

Science and Engineering Practices

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this science and engineering practice.

Comments about Including the Science and Engineering Practice
Students will obtain information from the text as to what happens within the water cycle; collect data about their own water usage and share it with the class; and examine their water usage and identify where they can reduce it.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
Engage students in a conversation on identifying where water is found on Earth. Refer back to the trade book, "All the Water in the World" to help children understand the water cycle and water's movement throughout various geographic locations. A great technology integration would be to take students on a virtual field trip starting with water bodies in their local area, state, and expanding to major bodies of water such as the Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes, Bering Sea, and the oceans (Atlantic, Pacific, and etc.)

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
Have a discussion on how things that people do to live comfortably can affect the world around them and how they can make choices that reduce their impacts on the land, water, air, and other living things. Students can identify individual ways that they can reduce their water usage and create "I statements" as a commitments to that goal.

Crosscutting Concepts

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this crosscutting concept.

Comments about Including the Crosscutting Concept
Have students explain how their actions help to conserve water or keep it clean. Throughout this activity students completed a data sheet on their water usage. The teacher can organize students' data and determine if there are any pattens when it comes to their water consumption and discuss ways on how to reduce such consumption. For example, if the teacher notices that a lot of students leave the water on when they brush their teeth s/he can discuss ways to save water such as using turning the water off or using a water cup.

Resource Quality

  • Alignment to the Dimensions of the NGSS: The resource is aligned to the performance expectation by having students think about individual ways that they can reduce their water usage and create "I statements" as a a commitment to identify their goals. The science and engineering practices of obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information are highlighted because students will obtain information from the text; collect and analyze data about their own water usage; and identify where they can reduce it. Although, the author does not mention an engineering design it is implied when students have to come up with a solution on how reduce their water consumption. Students will be able to ask questions, make observations, and gather information regarding their family water usage as they design a solution to help conserve or reduce water. For this engineering design students will not be required to make a physical model. An illustration/sketch will be sufficient.

  • Instructional Supports: This lesson includes questions and suggestions on how to guide students on creating their "I statements" regarding reducing their water consumption. The author also provides a school-to-home connection where students can tally how much water their family uses.

  • Monitoring Student Progress: To monitor student progress a student data sheet is provided and questions to assess their learning during each stage of the 5-E model are embedded within the lesson.

  • Quality of Technological Interactivity: This resource does not contain a technological activity.