USED WATER Lesson Eight Overview Water is very important to all living things. Without water, all plants, animals, and people would die. On the average, each American uses about 100 gallons of water each day. Of that amount, only about 1/2 gallon is used for drinking. Some of this water is used for cleaning, watering plants and animals, and for recreation. Water is used everyday by everyone. At the conclusion of this section, your students should be able to write or explain ways people use water in their everyday lives. Objectives TEKS objectives that will be addressed in this section include: Science 7.B,C Completion Time 45 Minutes Materials 1. 1 plastic gallon jug 2. 100 copies of jug pattern 3. Water Use Signs 4. Copies of Rain Gauge Journal Page (Journal page #10-enough for each student) Advanced Preparation 1. Gather the materials 2. Fill the plastic jug with water, put a top on it. 3. Prepare the Water Use signs by attaching them to sign stakes or cones. [TEACHER: To make them more durable and to last for several years, mount them to cardboard and laminate the signs. If possible, have them blown up to larger sizes.] Setting the Stage: 1. As a class, read the poem Water is Very Special by Beth Corum. WATER IS VERY SPECIAL Beth Corum Water is in drippy drops Water is in soapy mops, WATER IS VERY SPECIAL Water fills swimming pools, Water fills fishes schools, WATER IS VERY SPECIAL Water makes spaghetti floppy Water makes puddles sloppy, WATER IS VERY SPECIAL Water keeps us all alive, It s necessary to survive, WATER IS VERY SPECIAL Activity 1. Write 300,000,000 or the most current population figure on the chalkboard. Ask, What is this number? Say the number and have the children repeat it. Say, That is the number of people who live in the United States of America. Every day almost every one of these people uses 100 gallons of water. 2. Show the gallon jug of water. Say, This is one gallon of water. Do you think you drink that much water during one day? No, most people don t. But we do drink some water, so I m going to write, We drink it on this picture of a gallon jug. Have students think of some other ways people use water. (Remind students that factories/industries use lots of water in making the things they use.) Science ENGAGEMENT 1.
USED WATER Lesson Eight 3. Each time the students think of a new way, write it on one of the jug pictures. Ask, How many jug pictures do you think I have? 100. Why do you think I have 100? (That represents the amount of water most Americans use each day.) 4. Continue listing ways people use water as long as interest is high. Spread the pages around the room to emphasize the amount of 100 gallons. Do as a whole group activity. Advanced Preparation 1. Locate a large outdoor location where the students can move around free from obstructions. [TEACHER: Note that this activity can be conducted in a large indoor location such as a cafeteria, gym, or even classroom as long as the students are able to move around freely from location to location.] 2. Stake the water use signs in the ground or attach them to cones or other objects in the large outdoor space where they will not blow away and can be seen easily by the students. Outside Activity-Freeze 1. Begin the outdoor exploration by having the class check the rain gauge placed in the school yard during Lesson Four. Is there any water (precipitation) today in the gauge? If so, how much water is there? Using the Rain Gauge Journal Page (Journal page #10), have the students color in the amount of water found in the rain gauge on the rain gauge illustration marked Day 4 with their blue crayon or colored pencil. If the gauge is empty, the students should not color anything on the illustration. 2. Take students to the large outdoor space where the water use signs have already been posted. 3. Instruct the students that they will participate in an activity called Freeze. As the teacher reads the directions found on the teacher instruction sheet, the students will follow all directions. When the teacher says Freeze the students will stand completely still in the location that they are standing while the teacher gives final directions and declares a winner. Hero Talk How many glasses of water do you think we should drink every day? 2.
USED WATER Lesson Eight FREEZE Read the directions found below. As you give the students directions, have them move to the various water use stations marked with the signs. The signs include: Toothbrush Shower Washing hands Flushing the toilet Washing dishes Drinking water Mopping the floor Cooking Watering plants Playing in sprinkler Swimming pool Washing car Washing clothes GAME ONE 1. Fly to a picture of a way you will use water when you get home tonight. -They can move to any station 2. Skip over to a picture of a way water is used to cool you off on a hot day. (Recommended Stations) -Shower -Swimming pool -Drinking water -Playing in sprinkler 3. Move to a picture of a way water is used to clean. (Recommended Stations) -Toothbrush -Shower -Washing hands -Washing dishes -Mopping the floor -Washing clothes -Washing car 4. Hop to a picture of a way water is used outside. (Recommended Stations) -Watering plants -Playing in sprinkler -Swimming pool -Washing car FREEZE! Is anyone standing on the picture of the swimming pool? If so, winners, take a bow! 3.
USED WATER Lesson Eight GAME TWO 1. Jog to a picture of a way water is used here in our city. -All 2. Gallop to a picture of a way water is used in the bathroom -Toothbrush -Shower -Washing hands -Flushing the toilet -Drinking water -Mopping the floor 3. Skip to a picture of a way water is used to clean something at your house -Washing dishes -Mopping the floor -Washing car -Washing clothes 4. Twirl to a picture of a way water is used to cool down children -Shower -Drinking water -Playing in sprinkler -Swimming pool FREEZE! Is anyone standing on the picture of the drinking water? Winners, do a silly dance GAME THREE 1. Hop to a picture of a way water is used in the United States -All 2. Skip to a picture of a way water is used in the kitchen -Washing dishes -Drinking water -Mopping the floor -Cooking -Washing hands 3. Walk backward to a picture of a way water is used outdoors -Watering plants -Playing in sprinkler -Swimming pool -Washing car FREEZE! Is anyone standing on the picture of watering plants? Winners, hop up and down 4.