IB Units

Sharing the Planet - Splish Splash (water)

Central idea: Water is a finite resource which is essential to all living things.

An inquiry into:

• properties of water
• how living things use water
• why we need water
• water conservation

Before we begin our water unit, we give the students a pre-assessment to find out what they know. We use this same assessment at the end of the unit to find out what they learned. It is a simple page with sentence starters, such as, "Water comes from...," and, "We need water because..."

The first two weeks of the unit are spent on properties of water and the water cycle (see experiments below). The next two weeks are spent on how living things use water. We spend time learning about lakes, rivers and streams, oceans, and rainforests. Our family project during this time is to do a report on an animal that lives in or near water. The last two weeks are spent discovering why we need water and why it is important to conserve water. Unicef has great information and pictures of water sources and shortages around the world. Goggle images is another good resource for pictures.

During the unit I have the students keep a water journal. It really is just a file folder where they put their papers. Then we assemble each journal at the end of the unit.

Below are just a few of the experiments we do during our water unit. Some of the activities were taken from 365 Simple Science Projects. I have typed up recording sheets to go with each activity.

This download (pdf) includes a sheet for students to record their current knowledge of water and the questions they have. The second page is to be used after you teach the three forms of water. The last two pages are experiments on surface tension and water displacement.

Capillary action and molecular movement. For molecular movement, I used a cup of cold water and a cup of hot water. Place a drop of food coloring in each and let the kids observe the difference. The water molecules in hot water are moving faster and you can tell by watching the food coloring. This was a favorite!

Condensation. Classic cold soda can observation.

Evaporation. Experiment and salt crystals.

Dr. Jean's Water Cycle Song (sung to "Oh My Darlin'")

The Water Cycle- A poem by Helen H. Moore

Links to other great water ideas:

Ocean Activities

Water Conservation

Drinking Water

Groundwater Foundation