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Description
Earth is known as the “blue planet” because over 70% of the surface is covered by water. However, most of this water is unavailable for human consumption. Canadians often assume our country has a generous supply of freshwater but many of our First Nations communities lack access to clean drinking water. This lesson examines the realities of freshwater availability while raising awareness of the need for everyone to be involved in the long-term conservation of this precious natural resource. A problem-solving approach actively engages students in the following learning goals:
- Describe the relative quantities and forms of water on Earth
- Graph the distribution of water between saltwater, freshwater and glaciers
- Identify strategies for water conservation
General Assessment
What skills does this resource explicitly teach?
- Data analysis and presntation
- Critical thinking
- Problem solving
Strengths
- Provides authentic evidence that supports informed decision making
- Has strong Canadian content
- Includes the "Amazing Race" activity which encourages physical movement
Weaknesses
- Does not provide student information about water availability in other countries compared to Canada
- Does not include a specific action strategy such as a personal water audit
Recommendation of how and where to use it
This resource supports Science and Social Studies curriculum related to the water cycle, distribution of natural resources and conservation. There is also a strong mathematics component that actively involves learners in analyzing and presenting data using bar graphs.
The lesson would make a great introduction to a classroom action project focused on protecting a local waterway. A class could work with a community based conservation organization to "Adopt" a watershed and organize a litter clean-up or plant native species to protect a riparian zone.
Relevant Curriculum Units
The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.
- Step 1Select a province
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland & Labrador
- Northwest Territories
- Nova Scotia
- Nunavut
- Ontario
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 4
- Step 3Select a subject
- Math
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Data
- Grade 5
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science & Technology
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Earth and Space Systems: Conservation of Energy & Resources
- Prince Edward Island
- Quebec
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 4
- Step 3Select a subject
- Math
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Statistics & Probability
- Science & Technology
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Earth and Space
- Saskatchewan
- Yukon Territory
Themes Addressed
Water (2)
- Water Cycle
- Water Use
Sustainability Education Principles
| Principle | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Good | Students are able to examine evidence and graphically represent information to formulate opinions and draw conclusions. |
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
| ||
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Good | Students will recognize that water is a vital resource essential to all life on our planet. Climate change is an integral component of water distribution and our contributions to changing weather patterns are impacting ecosystems and creating economic and social hardships for many regions of the world. |
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
| ||
| Respects Complexity | Satisfactory | Learning could be extended by exploring why so many Canadian First Nations communities are still under drinking water advisories. Students could investigate this issue to further their understanding of how access to natural resources is often complicated by government regulation and funding. |
| Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
| Acting on Learning | Satisfactory | No specific projects are included in this resource but the content does support action opportunities such as personal water conservation goals, peer education about water pollution or community based projects to clean up a local waterway. |
| Acting on Learning: Learning moves from understanding issues to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community, or for the planet
| ||
| Values Education | Satisfactory | This investigation supports individual goals for reducing water consumption and encourages a stewardship ethic. |
| Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
| Empathy & Respect for Humans | Satisfactory | Discussions around hardships associated with water scarcity in countries like Africa fosters concern for populations struggling with poverty. |
| Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.). | ||
| Personal Affinity with Earth | Satisfactory | In the "Amazing Race" activity the class explores water concepts by solving clues in the school and outside in the school yard. They consider where water has come from and where it goes which provides an opportunity to learn more about the natural environment. |
| Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
| ||
| Locally-Focused Learning | Good | Students are able to explore this topic from a Canadian perspective and will recognize that they are fortunate to live in a country that has a relatively abundant freshwater supply. |
| Locally-Focused Learning: Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community.
| ||
| Past, Present & Future | Poor/Not considered | |
| Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future. | ||
Pedagogical Approaches
| Principle | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Open-Ended Instruction | Good | The lesson is designed to allow students to reach their own conclusions concerning the information they are presented with. New learning is used to develop ideas about water conservation strategies. |
| Open-Ended Instruction
: Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer. | ||
| Integrated Learning | Good | This resource has been developed as a science lesson that requires extensive use of English Language Arts outcomes such as summarizing, communicating opinions and critical reading. Numeracy and data analysis are used to create bar graphs that visually portray water distribution. |
| Integrated Learning: Learning brings together content and skills from more than one subject area
| ||
| Inquiry Learning | Good | The teacher's role is to support rather than direct student discussions and reflection which provides many opportunities for self discovery. |
| Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
| ||
| Differentiated Instruction | Poor/Not considered | |
| Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
| ||
| Experiential Learning | Satisfactory | The lesson could become more experiential with a visit to a local watershed to observe and describe the natural feature. |
| Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
| ||
| Cooperative Learning | Poor/Not considered | |
| Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
| ||
| Assessment & Evaluation | Good | The "All the Water in the World" worksheet and the bar graph could be used as summative assessments of the learning. There are many opportunities for formative assessment through guided questioning. |
| Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc. | ||
| Peer Teaching | Poor/Not considered | |
| Peer Teaching: Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.
| ||
| Case Studies | Poor/Not considered | |
| Case Studies: Relevant case studies are included. Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore concepts in an authentic context. | ||
| Locus of Control | Poor/Not considered | |
| Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue. | ||
