1 Author Alison Smith, SRP Original text by Judy Wheatley, Water Education Foundation Editorial Assistance Catherine May, SRP Crystal Thompson, Central Arizona Project Greg Kornrumph, SRP Karen Collins, SRP Rebecca Davidson, SRP Robert Pane, SRP Shelly Dudley, SRP Steve Westwood, SRP Teacher Review Panel Angela Conklin Carla Hedge Dawn Koberstein Deborah Patton James Cassidy Jean White Joanne Toms Joshua Briese Julia Goucher Kim Wallis-Lindvig Leslie Zraick Sarah Sleasman Photos Arizona Game and Fish Department Central Arizona Project SRP Water Education Foundation Program Sponsors Central Arizona Project and SRP The Arizona Water Story: An Upper Elementary School Unit of Study Unit Overview Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 6 Lesson 1: What We Know About Water ................................................................................................. 8 Activity 1.1: Building Background for the Unit .................................................................................. 9 Students list things they already know about water in an informal pre-assessment of their knowledge level. Activity 1.2: Globe Toss – Water Sources on Earth .......................................................................... 10 Students explore the global water budget through a hands-on game in which the ratio of water to land on Earth is analyzed. Activity 1.3: Global Water Budget ................................................................................................ 11 Students learn about how much (or how little) of the water on Earth is available for drinking in this demonstration. Activity 1.4: The Water Cycle Model ............................................................................................. 12 Students construct a model of the water cycle and observe the movement of water through the environment. Lesson 2: Arizona’s Geography ............................................................................................................ 17 Activity 2.1: Geography Scavenger Hunt .......................................................................................19 Students work in cooperative groups to explore Arizona’s geography while locating key physical and human features of Arizona. Activity 2.2: Regions of Arizona ...................................................................................................21 Students construct a salt dough map of the three regions of Arizona (desert, plateau and mountain) while exploring the distinct features of each. Activity 2.3: Annual Rainfall Patterns and Analysis ......................................................................... 23 Students analyze the rainfall patterns of various locations in Arizona and relate their findings to make generalizations about the three regions. Lesson 3: Arizona’s Watersheds ...........................................................................................................29 Activity 3.1: Watersheds and Runoff .............................................................................................30 Students explore how the regions of Arizona relate to surface-water runoff and water supply in Arizona. Activity 3.2: Groundwater Model .................................................................................................31 Students work with a groundwater model to discover where water exists underground. 4 5 Lesson 4: Arizona Water Story Video ...................................................................................................36 Segment 1: The Water We Take for Granted .....................................................................................38 Segment 2: Arizona Wasn’t Always This Way ....................................................................................41 Segment 3: What About Tomorrow? .................................................................................................44 Students learn about the history of water in Arizona, from the Hohokam days to the current day. Lesson 5: We All Need Water, But Supply Is Limited .............................................................................48 Activity 5.1: Whose Water Is This Anyway? ...................................................................................50 Students simulate surface-water and groundwater laws, and discuss issues related to water-rights management. Lesson 6: How Can We Use Water Wisely? ..........................................................................................52 Activity 6.1: Personal Water Conservation ....................................................................................56 Students explore their own water usage by making a collage and conducting a home-water-use audit. Then students evaluate ways in which they can conserve water around their homes. Activity 6.2: Water Savings All Around Us .....................................................................................57 Students explore various water-saving devices and what they’re used for. Activity 6.3: Water in the Desert – Past ..........................................................................................58 Students analyze tree-ring evidence of historical water supplies and predict water supply for years to come. Activity 6.4: Water in the Desert – Future .......................................................................................59 Students take part in a problem-based learning simulation in which they make recommendations to the city council for ways to meet our water needs in the future. Arizona Water Story – Appendix ......................................................................................................... 68 Appendix A: Unit Supply List ................................................................................................... 68 Appendix B: Glossary of Terms ................................................................................................ 69 Appendix C: Student Vocabulary Page ..................................................................................... 70 Appendix D: Unit Answer Key ................................................................................................. 74 Appendix E: Supplementary Resources and Readings ................................................................ 76 Appendix F: Supplementary PowerPoint Presentations ................................................................ 78 4 5 THE ARIZONA WATER STORY: AN UPPER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL UNIT OF STUDY Teacher Introduction This study unit is designed for use in grades 4–6. It may be particularly useful as a supplement to the study of Arizona as a state or as a supplement to a physical-science unit about natural resources. Every effort has been made to integrate many subject areas (geography, history, science, math, literacy and art) and to help students develop specific skills (critical thinking, organizing data, predicting, mapping and graphing). The goals of this unit are to teach students: • The importance of water as a natural resource • How water relates to the state’s geography • The nature of the hydrologic water cycle • The place of water in Arizona’s history and its importance in Arizona’s economy • How water is used and transported around the state • The importance of water conservation • The importance of how water is managed Materials Included in This Unit • Lesson plans with worksheets • DVD: Arizona Water Story How to Use This Unit Prioritizing for Time: These lessons can be taught individually or as a unit. Teachers can choose any part or the entire unit, as their time and interest allow. The entire unit can range from six to 14 days of instruction. Suggested times have been given for each lesson and each activity within the lesson so you can prioritize and plan according to your schedule. Arizona State Standards Correlation: The lessons and activities included in this guide have been correlated to Arizona state standards for fourth grade* and have also been prioritized for easy reference. “Standards Taught” indicates that the activities included in the lesson are specifically designed to meet the state-required competencies addressed by that particular performance objective. Standards listed as such are also evaluated at the end of the lesson. “Standards Addressed” indicates that those standards have a connection to the lesson and can be addressed if teachers so choose. However, at the end of the lesson, students will not be evaluated based on those performance objectives. *If you are not a fourth-grade teacher and would like a copy of the correlations for your grade level, visit www.srpnet.com/education. Language and Literacy: Lessons that take a cross-curricular approach work well and engage all students in authentic learning situations. We also know that this is an essential approach for teaching English Language Learners (ELLs), a common reality in Arizona classrooms. Teachers can incorporate many language and literacy experiences into this unit of study. Examples of literacy connections you can make with your students are called out in “Literacy Links” boxes throughout the guide and have language-arts standards associated with them as well. Also, suggested language objectives and a vocabulary list accompany each lesson so teachers can integrate language instruction into the unit. Language objectives are aligned to state standards included in the Discrete Skills Inventory (DSI). There