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Overview |
This webquest was designed to help elementary students develop a better understanding of water. You will learn how the Earth has a limited supply of water and how it is recycled for our use. You will learn how we get water to use, what happens to it after we are through with it, how we all are impacted by and, in turn, impact the Earth's water supply. You will also learn various methods to help conserve the Earth's water. In other words, how we can use water wisely. |
Introduction |
| The townspeople of Wastealotofwater in the state of Dripsalot have just received a notice from their state water commission that the town's water supply is in trouble. The commissioners are notifying everyone in the community that they need to cut their water consumption (usage) by 25% or the town's water supply will dry up and the town will be forced to close down.
They decide to ignore the warning and continue to live as usual. After all, water seems to be available whenever they want it. They turn on a faucet and water pours out. They want to cool off - they go to the town pool. They want to go images/fishing or boating - they go to the lake. They need clean clothers - they turn on a washing machine. If their pet is thirsty - they fill the water dish. Have you ever worried about your water supply drying up someday? Have you ever heard anybody else in town worrying about where their next drink of water would come from? What would you do if you suddenly were without water to use? Would that affect the way you live? How? Is there anything that you can do to help keep this from happening? |
Task |
| Even though most of the adults do not take the warning seriously, you as an elementary student have taken notice. You don't want the town you love to close down. The warning has made you decide to take matters into your own hands. You know that if you are going to get the adults to listen to you, you need to be sure of your facts. You gather your friends together and form a plan of action.
You contact the state water commissioner, Mr. E. Z. Fawcett, and ask questions. You discover that your town's water reservoir has received too little water in the past few years and that Wastealotofwater is now entering into a severe drought stage. Mr. Fawcett says again that without quick action the town will be lost. He states that it is extremely important for you to find ways for every citizen of the town to reduce their water usage so the town can be saved. After a discussion with your friends it is decided that before you can attempt to find a solution for the current problems, you all need a better understanding about water issues and droughts.
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Process |
Mission 1 Get informed about water issues and droughts By democratic vote it is decided that the kids can work by themselves or in pairs as they wish. With the help of their trusted teacher, Ms. Wastenotwantnot, they locate several Internet websites to help them find answers to their questions. (write answers on Water Supply and Drought Conditions Worksheet) Water Cycle links:
Drought Links
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Mission 2 To research water conservation methods Now that you have learned about water and what the threat of drought means to you and your town, it is time to get to work discovering what each person in town can do to reduce their water consumption. As Ms. Wastenotwantnot points out, the task will be accomplished quicker if we divide it amongst us. We decide to lump the members of our town into four broad groups for the purposes of research and Ms. Wastenotwantnot assigns each person or pair a group to research. With a reminder from Ms. Wastenotwantnot to take good notes of the information we want to use so we can find it later if we need to, we dig in to find helpful hints for water conservation. Click on the Group below that you have chosen to research. When you feel you have researched your assigned group and can provide ways to conserve, you may continue on to Mission 3. |
Mission 3To educate the townspeople and convince them to conserve water This project will either help save or destroy the town of Wastealotofwater. You realize that you need to create a product that clearly shows why and how the townspeople need to save water. This is your only chance to make your point. You need to pair up with an individual or pair from each of the four groups of research. Together you need to develop a product that clearly shows how water has been wasted by all four groups of people and how we can change our habits to conserve water. Please combine your information to make the best product you can. Remember that a method of water conservation for one group of people may not be in the best interests of the whole town. You may have to make compromises to satisfy everyone and save the town. This product can be done by making posters, a brochure or pamphlet, a Hyperstudio presentation, or other methods approved by Ms. Wastenotwantnot or your teacher. |
Conclusion |
Each of your groups has come up with a product that gives your best tips for water conservation that will benefit your entire town. Now that your quest is over and you have had time to view the other projects and compare notes about the experience, I'd like for each of you to respond in your writing journals about the following questions:
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Teacher Resources |
This WebQuest is designed to be used at the 4th and 5th grade levels, but could certainly be used beyond those grades by adding an extension activity or two. In the course of this activity, the students will address several content areas including reading, writing, science, art, and technology. The culminating project for each group is to use the information they learn to create a visual product that documents and/or illustrates the damage caused by environmental occurrences and humans to the water supply. It should also give suggestions on how humans can do things differently to help conserve the earth's water supply and improve the quality of the water. This project can be presented in several forms such as posters, a brochure/pamphlet, a Hyperstudio presentation, or any other method approved by the teacher. It is possible, depending on the reading abilities and prior knowledge of your students that you will want to introduce the water cycle and drought conditions and their ramifications prior to this webquest. You may also need to pull out unfamiliar vocabulary and introduce the meanings of words like drought, evaporation, groundwater, conservation, condensation, … Real-Life Connection A connection needs to be made between the fictionalized account developed here for the town of Wastealotofwater, Dripsalot, and the real life consequences of water and weather conditions that result in drought conditions. Students need to be aware that this happens all over the world with regularity in order to take their learning seriously. Evaluation Rubric grading is an option for the projects developed in this webquest. The following are rubric links to take into consideration. |