Additional Resources for Teachers
Great story books about wateR
Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle by Claire A. Nivola
Rachel Carson: Preserving a Sense of Wonder by Thomas Locker and Joseph Bruchac
The Water Hole by Graeme Base
I Am Water by Jean Marzollo
In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming
Short Activities to Explore Water
Does it float?
Fill a clear storage bin with clean water. Go on a nature walk or let children explore the yard to collect natural and non-natural objects that they can test. Children guess whether an item will float and put it in the water in the bin to see whether it floats. Have students discuss what determines whether an object will float.
Make it float!
Fill a clear storage bin with clean water. Give each group/pair of students the same size sheet of tinfoil. Challenge them to fold and crease their tin foil into a boat shape that will float and support weight. Have each group/pair put their tinfoil boat into the clean water in the storage bin. Put objects of uniform size and weight into the boat (you could use nickels, base ten blocks, Lego pieces of a certain size, etc.) and count how many of that object the boat can hold before it sinks. The group/pair whose boat holds the most objects before sinking wins.
resources from other organizations
Planet Protector Academy: H2Whoa!
A fun, engaging teaching resource on water conservation and protection that supports curriculum expectations for Grades 3-6.
Meet Saskatchewan's curriculum standards for Grades 3-6 in science & tech, arts education, language, and social studies, as well as core competencies!
Save time with 4x pre-planned lessons about 60-90mins each - no training required
Integrate Indigenous knowledge and perspectives into your lessons, with content developed in collaboration with Indigenous Elders, culture keepers, and artists.
Engage diverse learners through a fun arts-based and interdisciplinary approach
What’s in Your Water?
“What’s in Your Water?” by Betty Jo Chitester and Weslene T. Tallmadge, Chemistry Department, Gannon University, Erie, Pennsylvania is a directed case study that uses a fictionalized story about a family that has recently moved to the Washington DC area and is confronted with a situation involving lead contamination of the municipal water supply. Students learn how basic chemical principles apply to human health and safety and, through selected readings, are introduced to sources of lead drinking water as well as background information on municipal water supply treatment. The case includes opportunities for exploring the ethical issues involved in the DC lead contamination incident as well as for getting some practice in applying general chemical principles such as solubility and concentration units. This case would be appropriate for use early in a fundamental chemistry course, after students have been introduced to ionic compounds, atomic structure, ions, and unit conversions.
CAWST (Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology) Action Projects
Teachers who enroll in the Calgary Wavemakers Summit and/or CTF course are eligible to receive a grant of up to $500 for their action project.
Roots & Shoots A.P.E. Fund
The Roots & Shoots A.P.E. Fund is an opportunity for youth led Roots & Shoots community projects (through the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada) to be awarded up to $1000 to fund their project goals. Their funding in 2019 will be going to projects that focus on climate change, sustainable food or indigenous perspectives. The funding application will open October 1, 2019.
