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1. Present the problem to your students. (Your family’s cruise in the South
Pacific ends short with an unexpected encounter with an iceberg, and your
lifeboat ends up on an uninhabited island. You discover that drinking ocean
water is not quenching your thirst. So, how do you supply your family with
your first basic need for survival—water?) Have a small discussion about the
objectives to this unit.
Include information about research on the internet, using
textbooks, and the library.
2. Teach a mini lesson on copyright laws and “fair
use.” Have students begin a
works cited document in Microsoft Word before any research is done. Include information on copying and
pasting to make this job easier for elementary age children.
Works Cited
Template
3. Have students create a PowerPoint presentation that
explains what they would do to find water on the island. Specific guidelines for the
presentation are included in the multimedia assessment plan.
Multimedia
Project Rubric
4. Using information that they learned doing research for
the PowerPoint, students will create a newsletter that includes a story of
what would happen if a community has absolutely no water. This can be incorporated into a
writer’s workshop. Students
are encouraged to use scientific terms.
Newsletter
Rubric
5. Form groups of two or three and assign a topic of
environmental concern that the group will research and present by creating
a website. (Ex: water pollution, air pollution,
rainforests, etc.)
Website Rubric
6. Wrap up the unit by taking a field trip to the Sioux
Empire Water Festival.
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Unit
Plan Water