Lesson 7: Water Everywhere

Getting Started

Stuff You Need

Geography of the World by DK Publishing
Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
Internet access

Ideas to Think About

How do the physical characteristics of an environment such as its landforms, water forms, and climate cycles influence the development of local cultures?
How do human beings use water and how do their actions affect the availability and quality of this natural resource?

Things to Know

Humans use water for drinking, irrigation, washing, industrial use, transportation, as a source of power, and for recreation.
Watersheds are areas of land that drain into a common body of water. The actions of humans can affect the watershed in positive or negative ways.
Water for home use can come from municipal or private water systems or from private wells. Wastewater can flow into sewer systems or septic systems.
Families use water for many of their daily activities and can make choices to conserve water.

Skills

Understand that the amount of fresh water located in rivers, lakes, underground sources, and glaciers is limited and that its availability can be extended by recycling and decreasing the use of water. (SS)
Know the origin of the water used by local communities. (SS)

Introducing the Lesson

In the previous lesson, your child learned about natural resources. In this two-day lesson, she will explore one of our most critical natural resources - water - in-depth.

Note
Your child will use online resources to do research on sources of water for this lesson. If you do not have Internet access at home, be sure to arrange a trip to a library or other location where you can conduct computer-based research. Also, be sure that you are available to supervise your child's online research.