Classroom Activities: All About Water!

Water is the most important liquid for life on Earth. It covers almost 75 percent of Earth’s surface in the form of oceans, rivers and lakes. Some 60 percent of the human body is water. It is so vital that people often build towns around bodies of water.

The following activities help primary and middle school students develop their own understanding of the water cycle, as well as the important role it plays in ensuring our survival.

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Primary/Elementary School

Use this Britannica School Primary level resource pack to help your students learn about the water cycle. It includes articles and multimedia to support student inquiry and learning.

Activity

1. Read the article “Water Cycle” in the pack and complete a Sequence worksheet describing each stage of the cycle.
2. What is the Urban Water Cycle? (Hint: refer to the Sydney Water document, “Urban Water Cycle” inside the resource pack.) Explain what this cycle is using the Main Idea and Detail worksheet.
3. Compare the Natural Water Cycle to the Urban Water Cycle using the Venn Diagram.

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Middle School

Use this Britannica School Middle level resource pack to help you with the following activities. It contains articles and multimedia addressing water usage and conservation around the world.

Activity

1. Is water renewable or non-renewable? Use the articles in the resource pack to decide and validate your position. Record your ideas using the Claim, Reason, Evidence worksheet.
2. Create a list of water sources such as dams and ground water. Identify alternative sources such as desalination, rainwater tanks and stormwater harvesting. Complete the Comparison Chart identifying the Advantages, Disadvantages and Other Points to Consider for each of alternative water sources listed.
3. Discuss why and how we use water efficiently. Watch the videos about water use in Germany and Australia from the resource pack. Students then create an Efficient Water Use poster to promote water efficiency in the school.

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These activities and resources have been created using content from Britannica School, the go-to site for safe, comprehensive student research. Contact your librarian to find out if your institution already has access. Find out more about Britannica School or set up your own free trial.

Featured Image from Britannica School: A tree frog enjoys the rain. ©jimcumming88/Fotolia.