Earth's Water: A Drop in Your Cup

Here's how.

Grade Range

3rd-5th

Active Time

20 minutes

Total Time

20 minutes

Area of Science

Geology

Key Concepts

natural resources, hydrology, water distribution

Credits

Overview

Photo by Tim McCabe, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Our planet's surface may be mostly covered in water, but how much of that can we use? In this activity, students will see how water is distributed across different sources, how much can be used by humans, and will brainstorm ways to decrease their usage of fresh water.

NGSS Alignment

This lesson helps students prepare for these Next Generation Science Standards Performance Expectations:

5-ESS2-2. Describe and graph the amounts of salt water and fresh water in various reservoirs to provide evidence about the distribution of water on Earth.

This lesson focuses on these aspects of NGSS Three Dimensional Learning:

Science & Engineering Practices	Disciplinary Core Ideas	Crosscutting Concepts
Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking. Mathematical and computational thinking in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to extending quantitative measurements to a variety of physical properties and using computation and mathematics to analyze data and compare alternative design solutions. Describe and graph quantities such as area and volume to address scientific questions.	ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth's Surface Processes. Nearly all of Earth's available water is in the ocean. Most fresh water is in glaciers or underground; only a tiny fraction is in streams, lakes, wetlands, and the atmosphere.	Scale, Proportion, and Quantity. Standard units are used to measure and describe physical quantities such as weight and volume.