Student+Space

Inquiry Question: Why is it important to conserve water and who should be responsible for this?

Complete the activities included on this page in order to learn more about water conservation.Click on any links provided to be directed to the programs or sites named.

‘Establishing what we want to find out’

1. **Getting interested:** Read up on some interesting water facts from the ‘Getting Interested’ section of the Resource page. Post any on the [|Blog] site that you think are particularly interesting and that make you want to investigate water use further and why. Read through your classmates’ posts, these may contain some facts that you did not come across. You may add any other web sites or resources to the resource page that contain interesting water facts that you come across throughout the course of the semester.

2. **Your thoughts:** Watch the video under the ‘Getting Interested’ section of the Resource page. Do you think it is possible that if we use water in the way the man in the video is using it that we could also run out? Why/why not? Post your response o n the [|Blog] site. Read through your classmates blogs, they may have different opinions to you.

‘Finding out’

1. **Where does our water come from?** Find out where our water comes from by researching ‘The Water Cycle’ using the links provided within the Resource page. Watch the videos, read the information and compete the activities. You may also like to do your own research and add any relevant resources to this site to aid the other students in your class. Post a [|Blog] entry abou t your understanding of the water cycle. Include an explanation of the different stages of the cycle and a diagram (either constructed on the computer or drawn and scanned onto the computer) that clearly demonstrates your understanding of this cycle. Read through your classmates’ blogs, they may explain things differently to the way you do. Comment on their explanations!

2. **Why dams?** Investigate the importance of dams by visiting the links provided on the Resource page about dams. Creat e a [|Blog] entry answering the following questions:
 * What is the purpose of making a dam and who does it benefit?
 * How would our lives be changed if we did not have the technology to build dams?

Investigate this question along with the process water takes getting from the dam to our homes by following the links on the Resource page under ‘Water Treatment’. Post a [|Blog] on the blog site answer ing the following questions:
 * 3. Do you think water goes straight from the dams to our taps? Why/why not? **
 * What is the importance of water treatment plants?
 * How would our lives be different if we did not have the technology to filter and clean our water before we drank it?
 * Do you think it is fair that some people don’t have clean water to drink and is there any action we might be able to take to help them to get clean drinking water (this may require Google research)?

Investigate ways to conserve water using the resources, videos and games provided on the Resource page under ‘Water Conservation’. Record 10 easy ways you and other children at the school could conserve water and post these on th e [|Blog] site. Read through other children’s ideas as they may be different to yours. Comment if you think someone has a really simple and easy way to conserve water that you didn’t come across in your studies.
 * 4. How do we go about conserving water? **

‘What we want to do with what we have found out’

Write a reflection on how your actions have changed in regards to water use over the course of the semester by answering the following questions: Post your responses on the [|Blog] site.
 * 1. Reflection on Learning **
 * Were you conscious about how much water you used before you started the unit?
 * Are you conscious of how much you use knowing what you now know?
 * Do you think that having gained this knowledge you should also inform others so we can save as much water as possible?

2. **Informing others** Use [|280 Slides] to create a presentation about the importance of water conservation, include actions that other children within your school can take at home and at school to conserve water. Post your presentation o n the[| Blog] site for other students to comment on.

Using important words and phrases from your 280 slides presentation create a [|Wordle] word cloud to be placed at the start of your 280 slides presentation. This should be done in 30 words or less only containing what you think are the MOST important messages from your presentation.
 * 3. Informing others **