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Framework
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Topic outline
Click the linked topics below for additional
resources
| Water Resources |
| 1. Characteristics of water on Earth |
a. Properties of water
b. Physical, chemical, biological aspects
(adaptations)
c. Distribution
d. Watersheds |
| 2. Surface water |
a. Fresh - lakes, streams and rivers, wetlands
b. Estuaries
c. Salt - oceans |
| 3. Groundwater |
a. Models
b. Aquifer
c. Artesian well
d. Water table
e. Zones - cone of depression, recharge,
saltwater intrusion |
| 4. Human use |
a. Historical use
b. Use sectors - agricultural, residential,
commercial (including fisheries),
municipal,
industrial
c. Demands and consumption |
| 5. Impacts of water use |
a. Shortages
b. Salinization
c. Pollution/contamination - point vs. non-
point
d. Erosion
e. Waste management
f. Storm water/flooding
g. Water diversion |
| 6. Sustainable use of water/solutions |
a. Conservation and preservation
b. Reduced use
c. Irrigation management
d. Water rationing |
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RESOURCES
| Impacts of water use - Pollution/contamination |
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A Civil Action (book, video, lessons)
Source: Jonathan Harr (book); Learn Inc., (lessons)
DVD: ~$12.50 at
Amazon.com
Book: ~$11.00 at
Amazon.com
Lessons
In this story, the families of children who died
sue two companies for dumping toxic waste. The novel and movie
provide a look at the legal and ethical issues associated with
Superfund. The concepts of groundwater, contamination, and plume
are reinforced in some of the movie frames, which can be used in
short clips for class discussions. The activity can be used to
assess your students' understanding of the steps needed to
determine if a water source is contaminated and how it got that
way, and to suggest possible methods of cleanup or remediation. |
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Poisoned Waters (Video)
Source:
Frontline, PBS
Web site (segments three and four focus on agricultural
impacts on water)
This 2009 Frontline special investigates
America's troubled waterways. Human impacts on the environment
and health are illustrated through interviews and stories. Each
10 minute segment is organized around a question. The video can
be downloaded from the web site which also features teaching
resources. |
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Pond Critter Search (lab)
Source:
Cynthia
Landers, Hudson School District
Worksheet (MS Word)
In this lab, students collect
microinvertebrates and classify them to determine water quality. |
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Seas of Plastic (online video)
Source: TED: Ideas worth spreading
Web site
Capt. Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine
Research Foundation first discovered the Great Pacific Garbage
Patch - an endless floating waste of plastic trash. Now he's
drawing attention to the growing, choking problem of plastic
debris in our seas. |
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Troubled Waters (video)
Source: National Geographic
Web site
DVD: $39.95 at
Shop PBS
Borrow from
WCEE EE Resources Library
This video (narrated by Edward Norton) shows amazing footage and
testimony of what happens to water when pollution seeps (or in
some cases is dumped) in. This is part of National Geographic's
Strange Days on Planet Earth series. Internet resources are
available as support material. Approximately 50 minutes in
length. |
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