Blue Planet Links does not guarantee the accuracy or objectivity of the information presented on listed websites or publications. We have attempted to present a variety of perspectives on the issues in the hope that the more you know, the more likely you are to influence and make wise public and personal decisions to promote healthy oceans and fresh water.
© 2012 Blue Planet Links
Teaching ideas
Links to a zillion things you can learn about H2O
Amazing water! It's probably our most valuable natural resource. Nothing can live without it. As the world's population grows, we use more, poison more, and waste more H20 every day. Learn more:
A Teacher's Guide to Drop Around the World
by Bob Malnor, Carol Malnor, Michael S. Maydak, with illustrator Barbara Shaw McKinney (Dawn Publications, 2003) Lesson plans for the book, "A Drop Around the World."
Being Wise with Water
http://blueplanetlinks.ca/files/water_wo...
This free downloadable PDF is a teacher resource for intermediate hands-on Water Stewardship experiences. User-friendly, requires very few materials, and includes a classroom game. Created by the Vancouver School Board, and successful in British Columbia schools.
Big Water Cycle Trip
http://www.madison.k12.ky.us/district/pr...
A third-grade water cycle unit begins,"You are a young drop of water...."
Canadian Council for Geographic Education
http://www.ccge.org
The Royal Canadian Geographic Society and the National Geographic Society sponsor this site as a resource for geography teachers. Lesson ideas include Rivers of Canada, map making tools, participation in national geography contest.
Canadian Water Resources Association
http://www.cwra.org/
Look under About CWRA for Project WET (see also below), a water education module for teachers. CWRA comprises private and public sector water resource professionals, scientists, academics, students and users. Water News has a few items on climate change, watershed protection, conference reports. CWRA awards scholarships to post-graduate students studying water.
Destination: Galapagos Islands
http://www.pbs.org/safarchive/5_cool/ga...
Cyber Field Trip to the Galapagos includes a Teaching Guide, doing experiments such as comparing water salinity at home with that in Galapagos waters.
Environment Canada: Teachers' Corner
http://www.ec.gc.ca/water/en/info/pubs/...
Offerings range from a Power Point presentation, "Every Drop Counts!" to Fact Sheets on a variety of water topics
Environment Education Link
http://eelink.net/
Head for Environmental Subjects on the Site Map, and hit Water for a selection of ideas. EE-Link is a participant in the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE).
Green Teacher
http://www.greenteacher.com
Check Issues 46, 48 and 53 for articles on water.
National Geographic Explorer
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer
National Geographic's online magazine for children. Search WATER for activities, teaching resources..
One Drop
Cirque de Solei founder, Guy Laliberté set up One Drop to fight poverty by raising awareness and involvement in water issues through the Aqua exhibition, Teachers' Guide on this website, and large-scale projects to bring safe water suppplies to communities in developing countries.
Project WET: Water Education for Teachers
http://www.projectwet.org
Offers ready-to-use, water-based educational activities for students in K-12, designed "to increase awareness, appreciation, knowledge and stewardship of the world's water resources". Variety of units, teacher support.
ProTeacher
http://www.proteacher.com/110056.shtml
Community Archive (type in" water") by teachers provides lots of quick tips, songs and activities that have been used successfully in the classroom to explain or expand on pollution, the water cycle, etc.
Rivers of Life - Centre for Global Environmental Education
http://cgee.hamline.edu/rivers/
Rivers of Life is a full model for contextual learning - a "flood" of projects, adventures, and resources to help K-12 teachers and students learn about and from their own watersheds (or the Mississippi). Many, many links to other river-related web sites.
SAHRA
http://www.sahra.arizona.edu/
Arizona institute offers EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES focusing on semi-arid and arid water regions and issues.
Stream of Dreams
http://www.streamofdreams.org
British Columbia-based group educates communties and schoolchildren about local watersheds, rivers and streams, "while dazzling them with community art". Look for brightly-painted fishes on fences.
Warnings from the Ice
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/warnings
What if the Antarctic ice cap melted? This companion to the PBS Nova program of the same name includes a Teachers' Guide.
Water Education Foundation
http://www.water-ed.org/
California group offers school programs on the history, geography and science of water. Sells programs, lively games (The No-Know Game), maps, posters, CDs (Ollie Saves the Planet).
Water on the Web - WOW
http://www.waterontheweb.org
Goal of this University of Minnesota web-based program is to train high school and 1st year post-secondary students to solve real world environmental programs. Uses online remote underwater sensing data.
Water Science for Schools
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/
The U.S. Geological Survey runs this lively site, which includes a wide range of special topics - e.g., acid rain, "Kids' View of a Water Quality Problem", urbanization and water, "Thirsty? How about some seawater?" - as well as a data library, maps and more.
Pages
Quick Facts About Water
- Water covers 70% of Earth's surface. (That's why astronauts in space dubbed it "The Blue Planet".)
- Only 1% of this resource is drinkable. About 97% is ocean water: salty, unpotable and not usable for irrigation. The other 3% is fresh water, but nearly one-third of that is locked up in the form of glaciers and ice fields.
- The world's population more than tripled in the last century, but during the same time, our consumption of water increased six times. The U.S.A. and Canada, in that order, use the most water per capita.
- Agriculture is the largest user of water world-wide, consuming about 68%. Industry uses 22%.
- Water is life: we might survive a month without food, but less than a week without water.
- Water is weather: rain, snow, ice - and drought. It determines what we eat, what we grow, and what plants, animals and water life thrive.