by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
© The Vegetarian Resource Group
Grade Level and Subjects: Grades K-2 science, math, social studies, health
Length: 1-2 class periods
Purpose: To visualize for young children how much water is used to do everyday tasks and how much water is needed to grow common food items. To graphically illustrate for children how some human activities and how food production causes water pollution. To instill in children that water is a precious resource and should not be wasted.
Objectives: As a result of this lesson's activities, students will be able to:
National Science Content Standards* Correspondence:
NS.K-4.1 Science as Inquiry As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students should develop
NS.K-4.2 Physical Science As a result of their activities in grades K-4, all students should develop understanding of
NS.K-4.3 Life Science As a result of their activities in grades K-4, all students should develop understanding of
NS.K-4.5 Science and Technology As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students should develop
NS.K-4.6 Personal and Social Perspectives As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students should develop understanding of
*Education World (2008) U.S. National Education Standards. Retrieved September 18th, 2009 http://www.education-world.com/standards/national/index.shtml.
Materials:
Prior Knowledge and Skills Needed:
Assessment:
Students will be assessed through these means:
Vocabulary:
Lesson Background:
Teachers may look at the United Nations' 2006 report titled Livestock's Long Shadow available at http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0701e/a0701e00.htm. Chapter IV deals with water pollution due to animal agriculture. Both national and global issues are discussed. The major conclusion of this Report is that livestock production is a leading source of environmental damage including climate change; water and air pollution; land degradation; and loss of biodiversity. The Report suggests that a human diet that is plant-based would prevent much of the environmental damage caused by animal agriculture, including the feedcrop production associated with it.
Procedure:
NOTE: The water and mud activities are best performed outside in warm weather, possibly as an Earth Day activity. Parent helpers are recommended. Older students could help as part of a service learning activity if school principal approves.
Alternatively, the activities may be done inside using hundreds of small plastic balls to fill up a kiddie pool or a large trash can instead of water. Tissue paper streamers may be used instead of mud in a waterless trough.
Lesson Step #1: Introduction and Topic Setting
The teacher introduces the subject by showing pictures or video clips of polluted water bodies. This can be followed by role playing a "water waster" by letting the water run in the schoolyard or bathroom. Teacher leads a general discussion to be sure children can identify water pollution and know when water is being wasted. To lead into the activities, teacher proposes that food choices also can be responsible for water pollution and water wastage.
Lesson Step #2: Activity 1: Making Large Quantities of Water Concrete
Lesson Step #3: Activity 2: How Pollution Travels in Water
Lesson Step #4: Culminating activity:
Teams of students present a picture to the class of each activity as they did it. The team states how some behaviors conserve water while others waste it and give one example of what they can do at home to conserve water. (Answers based on Table 1 below.) Students state how some food choices use more water than others. They suggest one way that they can use less water through their diet. (Answers may include eating more vegetables, eating less meat, becoming a vegetarian, etc.)
Water Facts:
Table 1. Water Consumed during Daily Activities (data taken from http://www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/p2pages/water.pdf)
Activity | Water consumed (gallons) |
Flush toilet | 5-7 |
Run dishwasher | 15-25 |
Wash dishes by hand | 20 |
Water a small lawn | 35 |
Take a shower | 25-50 |
Take a bath | 50 |
Wash a small load in a washing machine | 35 |
Brush teeth with water running | 2-5 |
Table 2. Water Used to Produce some Common Items (Data taken from Hoekstra and Chapagain 2004; numbers are rounded off on table children use for activity.)
Product | Water used (gallons) |
1 glass of milk (200 ml) | 50 |
1 glass of apple juice (200 ml) | 47.5 |
1 glass of orange juice (200 ml) | 42.5 |
1 bag of potato chips (200 g) | 46.3 |
1 slice of bread (30 g) | 10 |
1 egg (40 g) | 33.8 |
1 slice of bread (30 g) with cheese (10 g) | 22.5 |
1 hamburger (150 g) | 600 |
1 potato (100 g) | 6.3 |
1 tomato (70 g) | 3.3 |
1 apple (100 g) | 17.5 |
1 orange (100 g) | 12.5 |
1 cotton T-shirt (medium sized, 500 g) | 1,025 |
1 pair of shoes (bovine leather) | 2,000 |
1 sheet of 8½ x 11 inch paper | 2.5 |
Chapagain A, Hoekstra A (2004) Water Footprints of Nations Volume One: Main Report. Value of Water Research Report Series No.16. Delft (The Netherlands): UNESCO - IHE Institute for Water Education. http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/Publications
Chapter Four of Livestock's Long Shadow cites sources that on average, people consume 30-300 L of water per day for household uses while 3,000 L of water are used to grow their daily food.
There are several categories of well-developed environmental lesson plans for all grade levels. Topics include climate, sustainability, and organics and food. Site has an environmental jeopardy game that students will enjoy.
http://eelink.net/pages/Lesson+Plans
The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) has a multitude of lesson plans, teacher guides, and student resources at its site.
http://www.ehponline.org/science-ed/2007/Food.pdf
A lesson plan that shows interconnections between water use and food production and contains links to several helpful websites.
This site is written to appeal to children of all ages. There are many interactive features and many downloadable resources. With art, game, and science rooms, as well as pages devoted to environmental issues of all types, this site could make a good supplemental resource or lesson enhancement.
http://www.footprintnetwork.org
Provides an interactive quiz that students will enjoy to calculate the ecological footprint of cities, businesses, and individuals.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has an enormous website filled with useful resources for teachers and students in all grade levels. Certain pages are written at a child's level and cover many different topics related to environmental health.
First grader Ryan Hreljac was inspired by a classroom lesson about children who don't have clean water around the world and began raising money to provide it. Now, over ten years later, his Ryan's Well Foundation is still very active. At this site, children and youth can learn about fundraising projects and ways to get involved so that everyone in the world can have clean water.
Name: ________________________________ Date: ______________
Directions: Answer the questions with pictures or numbers.
1. Look below at Table 1
Table 1. Water Consumed during Daily Activities
Activity | Water consumed (gallons) |
Flush toilet | 5-7 |
Run dishwasher | 15-25 |
Wash dishes by hand | 20 |
Water a small lawn | 35 |
Take a shower | 25-50 |
Take a bath | 50 |
Wash a small load of clothes in a washing machine | 35 |
Brush teeth with water running | 2-5 |
Draw a picture below of gallon size jars to show how many gallons of water it takes to flush the toilet. |
2. Look below at Table 2.
Table 2. Water Used to Produce some Common Items
Product | Water used (gallons) |
1 glass of milk (200 ml) | 50 |
1 glass of apple juice (200 ml) | 48 |
1 glass of orange juice (200 ml) | 43 |
1 bag of potato chips (200 g) | 46 |
1 slice of bread (30 g) | 10 |
1 egg (40 g) | 34 |
1 slice of bread (30 g) with cheese (10 g) | 23 |
1 hamburger (150 g) | 600 |
1 potato (100 g) | 6 |
1 tomato (70 g) | 3 |
1 apple (100 g) | 18 |
1 orange (100 g) | 13 |
1 cotton T-shirt (medium sized, 500 g) | 1,025 |
1 pair of shoes (bovine leather) | 2,000 |
1 sheet of 8½ x 11 inch paper | 3 |
How many gallons of water does it take to make a hamburger? _____
3. Draw a picture below to show how pollution moves in a stream.
Name: ________________________________ Date: ______________
Directions: Answer the questions in complete sentences.
1. Look below at Table 1
Table 1. Water Consumed during Daily Activities
Activity | Water consumed (gallons) |
Flush toilet | 5-7 |
Run dishwasher | 15-25 |
Wash dishes by hand | 20 |
Water a small lawn | 35 |
Take a shower | 25-50 |
Take a bath | 50 |
Wash a small load in a washing machine | 35 |
Brush teeth with water running | 2-5 |
Do you think it takes more or less water to brush teeth without the water running than it does to flush the toilet? Explain your answer in one or two sentences.
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2. Look below at Table 2.
Table 2. Water Used to Produce some Common Items
Product | Water used (gallons) |
1 glass of milk (200 ml) | 50 |
1 glass of apple juice (200 ml) | 48 |
1 glass of orange juice (200 ml) | 43 |
1 bag of potato chips (200 g) | 46 |
1 slice of bread (30 g) | 10 |
1 egg (40 g) | 34 |
1 slice of bread (30 g) with cheese (10 g) | 23 |
1 hamburger (150 g) | 600 |
1 potato (100 g) | 6 |
1 tomato (70 g) | 3 |
1 apple (100 g) | 18 |
1 orange (100 g) | 13 |
1 cotton T-shirt (medium sized, 500 g) | 1,025 |
1 pair of shoes (bovine leather) | 2,000 |
1 sheet of 8½ x 11 inch paper | 3 |
Based on what the table above says about a potato and a hamburger, do you predict that a baked potato takes more or less water to make than a hamburger? Explain your answer in one or two sentences.
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3. Based on what you saw with the mud and food dyes, how do you think animal manure will move in a stream as compared to liquid weed killer? What can make them move faster or slower?
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