Students will describe how water is distributed on earth and build a model watershed.
Students trace the Mississippi River and its major tributaries on a map of the United States. They use an interactive map or atlases to locate other major rivers and identify the major U.S. watersheds.
In this lesson, students will use GPS to calculate watershed sites in a local area and then create a topographic map.
Students are introduced to the social and scientific issues surrounding the removal of the Glines Canyon Dam on the Elwha River in Washington state, and conduct a hands-on experiment with real-world application to observe the effects and consequences of removing the dam.
In this class demonstration, students observe a simple water cycle model to better understand its role in pollutant transport. This activity shows one way in which pollution is affected by the water cycle; it simulates a point source of pollution in a lake and the resulting environmental consequences.
Students develop an appreciation for the complex interrelationships of natural resources in a river basin and how we must learn to steward them. Students will also generate and test hypotheses regarding the effects of specific pollutants upon an aquatic ecosystem by designing and implementing a controlled experiment. Although this module focuses on the Lake Pontchartrain Basin, the activities and content can be applied to any river basin.
Plastic bottles are used to simulate the link between land and sea. Students investigate some of the potential impacts increased nutrient use on land can have on the marine environment.
In this multimedia lesson, students learn about the water cycle. Associated interactive activities include "Global Warming and the Water Cycle," where students explore the interdependent relationships between global warming and the water cycle and "Groundwater Use and Overuse," where students complete a simulation where they are the city water master responsible for managing the water supply to local homes and farms.
Through a literacy connection with Ocean! Waves for all by Stacy McAnulty and Illustrated by David Litchfield, students will engineer a solution to help the oceans and humans maintain balance given constraints.
Students discuss the geography of the ocean and explore how the ocean has been categorized in the past and today.
This resource is an article discussing water distribution and shortages.
This quiz assesses student knowledge of the poles and ice cover.
This quiz assesses student knowledge of the water cycle.
This quiz tests student knowledge on soil as it relates to agriculture and flood prediction.
This multimedia resource, part of the NC Science Now series, outlines how pollution can impact the water cycle and affect out local water supply. The City of Durham has launched a multi-year study to see if a series of rain gardens and cisterns can improve or control storm water runoff. Components of the resource include a video, related text articles, photo gallery, instructions on how to build a rain garden, and an interview with Maverick Raber, City of Durham water quality engineer. Links to these components are provided on the page underthe heading "UNC-TV Media."
In this lesson, students will practice rapid ideation—an important step in design thinking—by brainstorming solutions to issues surrounding global water use and conservation.
This video explores what some communities are doing to put water back into the ground to recharge aquifers. A set of discussion questions and post-viewing activities are provided.
This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 8th Grade Science.
This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 8th Grade Science.
This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 8th Grade Science.