WATER: WHAT CAN WE DO WITH IT?
MASTER TEACHER Gladys
M. Tilley
GRADES K – 2
OVERVIEW
This lesson provides students with an understanding that water
is one of our most precious resources and the knowledge that water, although
plentiful, is not all-pure and ready for use. This lesson uses the
hands-on approach, learner interactions with each other and the teacher,
real-life experiences and a video segment to teach about water. Students
will use the hands-on approach as they go to work stations to experiment with
water. Experiments include learning about the shape of water, what
does/does not float, the surface tension of water, building boats that float,
and determining what liquids will mix/ not mix with water.
ETV SERIES
Science Treehouse # 109 – Water- Go With the Flow
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
* name three forms of water
* tell why we need water
* tell how much of the Earth’s surface is covered
by water
* tell how much of the Earth’s water is available for our use
* name two kinds of water and tell where each kind is located
* tell how water is harnessed, controlled and moved for our use
MATERIALS (for teacher)
record player
record – Thomas Moore’s “I Am Special” – Side 1
Band 2 – “I Like Water”
glass of water
ice cube
glass or saucer
hot plate with pan for boiling water, hot pot
trash bags or small trash can
1 plastic blow up globe
100 pennies
3 resealable plastic sandwich bags
MATERIALS (for students)
cups or small containers of water for each learner
Work Station I – The Shape of Water
1 each of different shaped containers, such as, test tube, cup,
flower vase, baby food jar, resealable plastic bag, food coloring, balloon, etc.
(teacher choice of available items)
1 pitcher with water
1 – 1 cup measuring cup
paper towels (for spills)
Work Station II – Will It Float? Will It Sink?
1 each of items such as: test tube with stopper, test tube
without stopper, drinking straw, plastic spoon, plastic fork, plastic knife,
small plastic medicine cup, film canister (with/without lid), cork, marbles,
pencil, crayon, metal paper clip, plastic paper clip, coin, feather, leaf,
stick, etc.
plastic tub half filled with water (teacher choice of container
size)
paper towels (for spills)
‘Float’ sign
‘Sink’ sign
Work Station III – Surface Tension
5 clear plastic measuring cups (for use in surface tension
testing)
1 small measuring cup (for filling surface tension cups)
3 small bowls (for coins)
50 pennies
30 – 40 nickels
20 – 30 quarters
pitcher with water
paper towels (for spills)
Work Station IV – Building Boats That Will Float
5 – 6 packages of clay with 4 sticks in each box
5 plastic knives
plastic container half filled with water (teacher choice of
container)
paper towels (for spills)
Work Station V – Will It Mix or Not?
pitcher with water
measuring cup with ½ measure marked
vegetable oil
food coloring (optional)
4 plastic jars with lids
1 – 2 qt. juices, such as orange, grapefruit, etc. or
1 gallon plastic jug of punch
VOCABULARY
aqueduct – a large conduit (pipe) for carrying a large
quantity of flowing water or a bridge-like structure supporting a canal over a
river
aquifer – the layer of underground gravel, sand or
rocks where water collects
displace – to take the place of
hydroelectric – producing electricity by the use of
water power
ice cap – a permanent cover of ice over a large
area of land sloping down from a central point
irrigation – watering the land or crops artificially
liquid – a fluid substance which under the influence of
small forces assumes a shape imposed by its container but does not expand
indefinitely
reservoir – an artificial lake where a large quantity
of water is collected and stored to be piped to a city or used for irrigation
solid – having a definite firm shape and volume
turbine – a motor having one or more rotary (turning)
units mounted on a shaft which is turned by the force of gas or a liquid
water – the transparent, colorless liquid that falls
from the sky as rain, issues from the ground in springs and covers nearly
three-fourths (3/4) of the earth’s surface.
PRE-VIEWING ACTIVITIES
Hide a glass of water, an ice cube in a glass or saucer, a hot
plate with pan for boiling water or hot pot with water. Say, “Today we begin a
new scientific learning. I would like for you to predict what it will be
about after we sing an echo song.” Begin Thomas Moore’s “I Like
Water” and encourage students to sing along with you. If not a
song, maybe a poem or you may elect to begin your lesson using your hidden
teacher props. Start heating the water. Ask students to predict what today’s
lesson will be about. Accept all predictions. Show a glass of water. Ask,
“Can you tell me what I have?” (Water) Ask, “Why do you think
that?” (Accept all answers.) Give each learner a container of water.
Say, “Taste what is in your container.” Taste some of your water as
students taste theirs. Say, “How does it taste? Does it have a
distinct taste?” (Accept all answers.) Ask, “What color would
you say your drink is?” (No color. Clear. Colorless)
What do you think your drink is?” (Water) Say, “You are very good
detectives. It is water. Now, touch your water.” (If the
water is in bottles, you may ask learners to pour a small amount into the bottle
caps for touching.) Ask, “How does it feel?” (Wet. My finger is wet.
Cold.) Ask, “Does the water feel hard?” (No) Say, “Shake the
water in your container and tell me what happened.” (It moves.) Ask, “Does
this mean that water is a solid or liquid?” (Liquid) Say, “ Let us
review what we have learned about the properties of water. We have learned
that water is a liquid that is odorless, tasteless and colorless. We see
water in other forms also. We know that it is a liquid but it also comes
in this form.” Produce the ice cube. “How does water get in this
form?” (My mom puts water in the ice trays in the freezer and the water
freezes. It is purchased at the grocery store. Accept all answers.)
Ask, “Is this form of ice a liquid?” (No.) “Does anyone know
what we call this form of water?” (A cube. Solid.) If no one says
‘solid’, tell learners that it is called a ‘solid’ and define the term.
Say, “There is still another form of water and if you look very carefully at
the pot you will see the other form. Can you tell me what you see?”
(Steam coming out of the pot.) Say, “You are correct. Steam
is the other form of water. In this form we call it a gas. Who can
tell me what the three forms of water are?” (Liquid. Solid. Steam/gas.) Say,
“You have been such great water detectives, let’s all stand and sing our
water song again. (If you did not use a song or poem, have students
stretch, wiggle or do some other activity before having them sit and view the
video.)
FOCUS FOR VIEWING
To give students a specific responsibility for viewing, say,
“Water is very necessary for our survival. We have a wonderful video
that will help us learn more about water, its uses and power. The
Science Treehouse always has some very interesting and exciting science lessons.
Watch and listen so that we may discuss how water is harnessed, controlled and
moved for our usage.”
VIEWING ACTIVITIES
Begin video where Kate Brown is standing in front of a
waterfall saying, “Hi! I’m Kate Brown, host for H. E. B. Televentures.” Pause
video when Kate Brown says, “harness, control and move the power of water.”
Ask, “What did Kate say water was?” (Our most precious resource.) Say,
“You are correct. What are the three things that Kate said our video was
going to show us that has been done with the power of water?” (Harness,
control and move the power of water.) Say, “Good listening.” Resume
video where Kate says, “but first, let’s join Karen who’s going to tell us
a little bit more about water and why we just couldn’t live without it.” Pause
video when Karen picks up the globe and says, “More than half the Earth’s
surface is covered by water.” Ask, “Why did Karen say we need water?” (To
live.) Ask, “How much of the Earth’s surface is covered by water?”
(More than one half.) Show the globe(s). Pass it around so students
may see that water does cover most of the Earth. When the globe returns to
you, say, “I’m going to toss the globe to some of you. Tell me where
your first fingers are on the globe – on the water or on land.”
Chart on chart tablet or chalkboard the times fingers land in water or on land.
Example: Toss globe twenty (20) times and chart how many times the fingers
landed in water or on a land mass. Collect globe(s). Resume video
where Kate puts the globe down and says; “Now that’s a lot of water.” Pause
video as Karen pours water into a bowl and says, “We actually have less than
1% of the Earth’s water that is available for our daily needs.” Ask, “How
much of the Earth’s water is found in oceans and seas?” (Nearly 97%.)
Ask, “What three things did Karen say we cannot do with this water?” (Drink
it, cook with it or give it to animals.) Ask, “If 97% of the Earth’s
water cannot be used, how much water did Karen say is fresh water?” (3%). Say,
“ 97% and counting on 3% more, count with me, 97, 98, 99, 100. That’s all of
the water. But, if most of the fresh water is found in the polar ice cap,
how much did Karen say is left for our use?” (1%) Depending upon the
maturity level of your students, you may wish to discuss the polar ice cap and
what Karen was doing as she talked about water. Later allow your students
to recreate what Karen was doing to show there is less than 1% water remaining
for use. Resume video where Karen is standing, hands together saying,
“That’s why we must take care of the water that we have.” Pause
video when Karen says, “between the grains of sand, rocks and soil” and
begins to pick up a pitcher of water. Say, “Karen mentioned two kinds of
water. What are they?” (Surface water and ground water) Ask, “Where
can surface water be found?” (In rivers, lakes, streams and man made
reservoirs) Ask, “Where is ground water found?” (Below the earth
between grains of sand, rock and soil) Say, “Good listening again!
As you watch the next portion of the video, listen for ways water has been
controlled and moved so that we can use it.” Resume video where
Karen is pouring water into soil and saying, “When it rains, water is absorbed
by the different particles.” Pause video when Karen says,
“water tanks and faucets inside our homes.” Ask, “How is water
harnessed and controlled for our use?” (Water is brought from underground to
the surface by pumps and wells.”) Ask, “What happens then?” (Large
pipes carry (move) the water to a water main and it goes to water tanks and
faucets in our homes for us to use.) Say, “Wow! More excellent
listening. Now let’s listen to find out about too much water.” Resume
video when Karen says, “Before modern technology, early settlers in San
Antonio built aqueducts” and aqueducts are seen. Pause video when Karen
says, “and worst of all – human lives” and we see a child being lifted
from the water and into a boat. Ask, “What can happen when there is too
much water?” (A river can overflow its banks and flood the dry surrounding
areas.) Ask, “What else can floods do?” (Sweep away towns, crops and
human lives) Resume video where Karen says, “Modern technology tries to
help us control rivers,” and there is a picture of a dam. Pause video
when Karen says, “flood control panels,” and there is a picture of a flood
control panel. Ask, “How has water been controlled for our use?” (By
building dams and flood control panels) Resume video as Karen is
standing, gesturing with her hands and saying, “Floods show us the power of
water….” Stop and rewind the video when Karen says, “and light up
your house” and a round dial with numbers is seen. Ask, “How is moving
water used?” (To drive machines) Ask, “Today, how is moving water used?”
(For turbines to generate electricity to run the TV we are watching and to light
up our houses. (NOTE: You may wish to replay the video without sound and
discuss parts of the video not covered in the lesson. Student maturity
level is paramount at this point in the lesson for further discussion.)
For second grade and above, use the remaining parts of the video if needed.
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITIES
Say, “We have seen and talked about water, its importance and
how it is harnessed and controlled for our use. In the video, Karen showed how
97% of the Earth’s water is in oceans and seas. This is salt water.
She also told us that the 3% left was fresh water. Let us see how this
looks up close using pennies.” (hold up a sandwich bag with 100 pennies) I
would like two volunteers to help me with this experiment.” When two
come up, give each one an empty sandwich bag. Say, “Let us see what 97%
of our pennies, representing the water, looks like.” Begin counting the
pennies into one of the empty bags held by a volunteer as you encourage the
class to help with the counting. When 97 pennies has been counted, stop
counting. Say, “These 97 pennies represent 97% of the water in our oceans and
seas. Since we started with 100 pennies, how many pennies do we have left?”
(3) Say, “You are correct. These (hold up the 3 pennies) represent the fresh
water on our Earth. Can we use all of this fresh water?” (No.)
Ask, “Why not?” (Most of it is at the polar ice cap.) Ask, “About
how much of the fresh water do we actually use?” (About 1%.) Put 1 penny in
the other empty bag held by the volunteer. Say, “Let us all hold up our
bags. Look at each bag. Where is most of our water?” (In oceans
and seas.) This experiment clearly shows that we have very little water and that
we should protect our water supplies at all times. Thank you, volunteers.
Let us give them a round of applause.” Applaud the volunteers. Say, “ Now it
is time for you to experiment with and explore water on your own. You will
discover the shape water can take, find out what floats and sinks in water,
experiment with surface tension of water, construct boats that float and
discover what will and will not mix with water.
WORK STATION ROTATIONS
Divide the class into five (5) groups of no more than 5 each for
the rotations.
Rotation 1 – The Shape of Water
See materials list.
Learning – Water takes the shape of its container.
Learners pour water from the pitcher into the measuring cup.
This water is poured into the containers. Students discuss the different
shapes the water takes.
Color the water for use in the resealable bag. Reseal bag
after taking out as much air as possible. Students take turns holding bag
upright, lying it down to watch what the water does and holding the bag
different ways to watch the shape(s) the water will take.
NOTE: If learners are keeping a science journal, this may
be an activity to record in the journals.
Rotation II – Will It Float? Will It Sink?
See materials list.
Learning – When objects are placed in water, water is
displaced. Some objects displace more water than their own weight and
float. Other objects do not float because there is not enough water
displacement to support them. Therefore, they sink.
After water is put into the container for floating/sinking,
students try to float objects. Objects that float are laid under the
‘float’ sign. Objects that do not float are laid under the ‘sink’
sign.
NOTE: This is another activity that can be used for science
journals. Activity may be drawn and objects labeled. Students may also
bring in other objects from home for more floating and sinking experimentation.
Rotation III – Surface Tension
See materials list.
Learning – surface tension holds water together until the
breaking point is reached and the water spills out of the cup.
Coins are put into the three bowls – pennies in one, nickels
in one, quarters in one.
Each group member fills his/her measuring cup to the brim with
water.
Each takes turns sliding pennies into his/her cup to see who can
get the most pennies into the cup before the surface tension is broken and the
water spills over the side.
Follow the same procedure with the nickels and quarters.
You may wish to add dimes to this activity.
NOTE: This activity may also be recorded in science journals by
drawings. Have students record how many of each coin they used.
Rotation IV – Building Boats That Will Float
See materials list.
Cut each piece of clay into three (3) pieces and give each group
member one (1) of the cut pieces. Each student is instructed to use the
clay to make a boat that will float.
Fill container half full with water for boat testing.
Rotation V – Will It Mix or Not?
Learning – Water mixes with some liquids but oil and water do
not mix.
See materials list.
Using the marked measure on the measuring cup, students pour
equal amounts of water and a juice into container. Screw lid on tight.
(May need teacher help.)
Food coloring may be added to the measure of vegetable oil and
mixed.)
In the other jar, students put in equal amounts of vegetable oil
and water. Screw lid on tight.
Both jars are shaken vigorously by group members.
Group members observe jars for a few minutes and discuss the
findings. (The water and juice will mix, but the oil and water will not.
The oil will float.)
NOTE: This activity may be recorded in science journals using
drawings and labels.
ACTION PLAN
1. Schedule a visit to your local water department to learn
about your city’s water supply and how it gets to your homes.
2. Invite the local hydrologist to your class to talk about and
bring visual aides for the study of water, especially its natural occurrences,
characteristics, control and conservation.
3. Check with your school district’s science center for water
experiments that may be available for class size groups of students.
4. Ask the high school science department to include your class
in any water experiments they may do.
5. Have students pair up with their upper level buddies and
research the water/rain cycle.
EXTENSION
Science/Math Connection
1. Watch the weather channel and chart rainfall in the local
area as well as in other parts of the country. Compare rainfall and graph.
2. Find out if a raw egg will float/sink in water?
Partially fill a glass with water – about ¾ full. Place
the egg in the glass. What happened? Remove the egg from the glass;
begin adding salt to the water and stirring. Between additions of salt to
the glass, return the egg to the glass until the egg floats. Discuss why
the egg did not float in the fresh/plain water and why it did float in the salt
water.
NOTE: Since salt water is heavier than fresh/plain water, it
holds up objects that are heavier because it pushes harder on the objects than
fresh water.
3. Put an ice cube in each of two cups. Place one in the
sun and one in the shade. Chart the time it takes both to melt.
Students discuss why the differences in the times.
Language Arts/Social Studies/Art Connection
1. Have students draw, color and write about where water is used
in their home.
2. Collect weather pages from the newspaper. Discuss the
rainfall in different parts of the country and if the newspaper shows it, the
rainfall in other countries.
3. Since moving water can work, ask learners to find out what
work moving water does coming from faucets in the house, out of a water hose,
moving in gutters and drains, at beaches and any other place they can find
moving water.
INTERNET CONNECTION
www.kedt.org Science Aboard Ship, Kids Fun
Zone - an excellent source to find activities for sink or float, density,
why some liquids do/do not freeze and expand at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the
interesting ice cube, and, why submarines can float and submerge. Plimsoll
marks on ships are explained. There are many interesting facts about
water.
This is a very kid friendly web site.
www.nsf.org
National Science Foundation
Information about water can be found. When and where water
symposiums are
held – example: small drinking water and wastewater systems
and others.
Updated: April 01, 2008
