GRADE LEVEL• 3-6

SUBJECT AREAS• EarthScience,LifeScience,

EnvironmentalScience,Ecology,Health

SKILLS• Analyze,Interpret,Apply,

Evaluate,Technology

VOCABULARYAdaptations,aquatic,binoculars,carnivorous,channel,desert,drought,elevation,erosion,freshwater,gravity,groundwater,industry,lake,migrate,pressure,reproduce,river,spring,survive,terrestrial,tributary,wetland,vegetation

CONTENTSMeasurable Objectives

Background and Text Overview

Vocabulary

Activities

• InvestigateFreshWaterActiv-ityandAnswerKey

Take Action!

• PosterItems

• Activities

Assessments

• Pretest/PosttestandAnswerKey

• CriticalThinkingQuestions

• WhatDidILearn?OnlineQuizAnswerKey

Extensions

Resources

• ProjectWETResources

• AdditionalStudentResources

• AdditionalEducatorResources

MEASURABLE OBJECTIVESThelearnerwill:

• Identifyanddescribediffer-entfreshwaterandterrestrialhabitats.

• Giveexamplesofanimalsthatliveinfreshwaterand/orter-restrialhabitatsandhowtheyrelyonfreshwater.

• Explainwhytheprotectionoffreshwaterand/orterrestrial

habitatsisimportant.

• Giveexamplesofactionsthatindividualscantaketoprotectfreshwater.

BACKGROUND AND TEXT OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTIONAbout3%ofallthewateronearthisfreshwater—therestissaltwaterfoundintheocean.Althoughthismightnotsoundlikealot,itisenoughtosupportalllife,aslongaswetakecareofitandrespectit.Allliferequiresfreshwatertosurvive.

BACKGROUND OR READER TEXTWHAT IS FRESH WATER?About3percentofallthewateronearthisfreshwater—therestissaltwaterfoundintheocean.Freshwaterisfoundassurfacewater,groundwaterandice.

Surfacewaterincludesstillwaters,suchaslakes,pondsandwetlands(swampsandmarshes)andrunningwatersuchasriversandstreams.Lakescancontainfreshorsaltywater.Infact,iftheCaspianSeainAsiaisconsideredalake,morethan40percentofalllakewaterissalty(theCas-pianSeacontainsmorethan¾totalvolumeoftheworld’ssaltynon-oceanwater).LakeBaikalinSiberiaistheworld’slargestfreshwaterlakeandcontainsmorewaterthanallfiveoftheNorthAmericanGreatLakes(Superior,Huron,Michigan,OntarioandErie)combined!

Investigate Fresh WaterWhat is one thing we all share and can’t live without?

1 DiscoverWater.org©2011ProjectWETFoundation

Droughtisaperiodofwatershortage,whenlackofprecipi-tationproducesdryconditionslastingaslongasseveralyears.Peoplestorewaterinreservoirsandwatertankstopreparefordrought.Whatdoplantsandani-malsdo?Somehaveadaptationstohelpthemliveindrycondi-tions.Forexample,asaguarocactuscanstorehundredsofgallonsofwaterforuseduringdrought.Deserttortoisescanrecyclewaterwithintheirbod-iessotheydon’tneedtodrinkoften.Theycangetmostofthewatertheyneedfromtheplantstheyeat.Eveninadesert,notallanimalsandplantsareequippedtosurvivedrought.Frogs,fish,birdsandotheraquaticanimalsthatliveinriversorspringsmaynotsurviveiftheirhabitatsdryupandtheycan’trelocatetoanewwatersource.Lackofwatercausesstressforplantsandanimals.Whentheyareweak-enedbydrought,theyaremorelikelytogetsick.Othereffectsofdroughtcanincludeinsectinfes-tationsandmoreforestfires.Youmayseefewerwildflowersandmoreweeds,birdsmaymigrateatdifferenttimesofyearthanusualandanimalsmayhavefewerbabies.

FRESH WATER SHAPES THE LANDFreshwaterisapowerfulforceinshapingthelandscape.Riverserodeorbreakdownrocktoformcanyons.Riversandlakesalsodepositsedimenttobuilduplandinotherareas.

HUMANS AND FRESH WATERHumansneedfreshwatertosurvive.Humansaffectfreshwa-teronplanetEarth.Weremovefreshwaterfromlakes,streamsandundergroundaquifersfor

Waterinriversandstreamsrepresentsonlyasmallquantityofallfreshwater,butriversandstreamsareakeypartofthewa-tercycle—responsibleformov-ingwatergreatdistancesacrossthelandandtotheocean.

Groundwaterisfreshwaterstoredundergroundinaqui-fers—rocklayerswherewaterisstoredintheporespacesinsiderocks.Thereismuchmorefreshwaterstoredundergroundthaninallthelakesandstreams.Groundwatercanbefoundalmostanywhereontheplanet,althoughitsquality,quantityanddepthvary.SpringsoccurwheregroundwatermeetstheEarth’ssurface.

Allice(glaciers,icebergs,seaice,etc.)isfreshwater—saltfromtheoceandoesnotfreezeintotheice.

FRESH WATER FOR LIFEAllliferequiresfreshwatertosurvive.Freshwaterhabitatsincludelakes,ponds,streams,riversandwetlands.Animalssuchasbirds,fishandamphib-iansandmanydifferentkindsofplantscallthesehabitatshome.However,freshwaterisvitalinotherhabitats,aswell.Terrestrial,orlandbased,habitatsvaryintheamountofmoisturetheyreceive.Rainforestsareverywethabitatsanddesertsareverydry.Animalsandplantsusewaterdif-ferentlyintheseplaces,butmustfindwatertosurvive.

WEATHER, CLIMATE AND FRESH WATERAlthoughclimateandmajorweatherpatternsaredrivenbytheocean,lakesandotherfreshwaterfeaturescancontributetolocalweatherconditions.

drinkinganduseinourhomesandcommunities.Humansdivertwaterinstreamsflowingintolakesandcausewaterlevelstochange.Humansalsocre-atereservoirsoffreshwaterbybuildingdamstocontrolflood-ing,regulatetheirwatersupplyforagriculturalandurbanneedsandtocreatepower.Freshwateralsoaffectshumans.Floodsanddroughtscanhavedramaticandsometimescatastrophiceffectsonhumansandourcommuni-ties.

ACTIVITIESINVESTIGATE FRESH WATER ACTIVITYPleaseseeInvestigate Fresh Water Activitystudentcopypage.

ANSWER KEYPleaseseeInvestigate Fresh Water Activityanswerkey.

TAKE ACTION!POSTER ITEMS1.Catchandreleasenative

fishwhenfishingandneverdumpleftoverbaitintothewater.

2.Participateinariver,pondorhighwaycleanupprojecttokeeptrashoutofthewater.

3.Cleanupafterpetssowastedoesnotenternearbystreams.

ACTIVITIES

ASSESSMENTSPRETEST/POSTTESTBeforestudentsvisittheInvesti-gate Fresh Water UnitoftheDis-cover Waterwebsite,havethemtakethefollowingquiztoseewhattheyalreadyknowaboutFreshWater.

2 DiscoverWater.org©2011ProjectWETFoundation

Deserts—Adesertisanareathatgetsverylittlerainfallandcanbehotorcold.Becauseofthelackoffreshwater,desertsdon’tsupportmuchvegetation.Plantsareusuallylowtothegroundandadaptedtostorewater.Animalsthatliveindesertsalsohaveadaptationstocopewiththelackoffreshwater.Animalsfoundindesertsincludeinsects,spi-ders,scorpions,reptiles,birdsandsmallmammals.

Kangaroorats(Dipodomys spp.)

• Kangarooratshaveamazingadaptationsthatallowthemtogetalltheirwaterfromthedryseedstheyeat.

• Kangarooratshaveadaptationsthatallowthemtonotlosemuchwateraswasteorbysweatingorpanting.

• Tohelpconservewaterandremaincool,kangarooratsarenocturnal—onlyleavingtheirundergroundburrowsatnight.

BarrelCactus(Ferocactus spp.)

• Barrelcactiliveindryenvironmentsbutstorewaterinsidetheirtis-sues.

• Theyhavethorns(modifiedleaves)thathelpreducemoisturelossandkeepawaybrowsinganimals.

• Barrelcacticanbecutopenandthewaterinsideconsumedinemer-gencysituations.

Wetlands—Wetlandsareareaswherethesoiliswetandspongy.Ex-amplesofwetlandsincludemarshes,swampsandbogs.Wetlandsexistallovertheworld,exceptAntarctica,soaverywidevarietyofplantsandanimalscanbefoundinwetlandareas.

NorthAmericanBeavers(Castor canadensis)

• Beavers’largeteethgrowthroughouttheirlives—theygnawonwoodtohelpkeeptheirteethfromgrowingtoolong.

• Beaversconstructfamilyhomescalledlodgesanddamsusingthewoodtheycutdown.(DiscovertheMissouriRiver)

• Beavershavecleareyelidsthattheyusetoseeunderwater.

• BeaversarethelargestrodentsnativetoNorthAmericaandcanweighupto90pounds.(DiscovertheMissouriRiver)

Venusflytrap(Dionaea muscipula)

• TheVenusflytrapisacarnivorous(meat-eating)plantthatgetsad-ditionalnutrientsbydissolvinganddigestinginsectsinitsmodifiedtrap-likeleaves.

• Eventhoughthey“eat”insects,theyareplantsandthereforealsoperformphotosynthesis.

• VenusflytrapsarerareandarefoundinpeatbogsintheSoutheast-ernUnitedStates.

ONLINE POP-UP TEXT

3 DiscoverWater.org©2011ProjectWETFoundation

4

River—Ariverisanaturalstreamoffreshwaterflowingthroughachanneltowardsthesea.Smallertributarychannelsjoinintoandflowfromthelargerriverstem.Riversflowfromhigherelevationtolowerelevationduetogravity.Riversareimportanttohumansforindustry,recreationandasasourceoffreshwater.Riversalsoprovidehabitattomanydifferentkindsofanimals.

RainbowTrout(Oncorhynchus mykiss)

• RainbowTroutarenamedfortherainbowcoloredpatternsalongthesidesoftheirbodies.

• MostRainbowTroutspendtheirentirelivesinriversorlakes,butsomemigratedownriverstotheocean.Thesefishmustreturntotheplacewheretheywereborntoreproduce.

• AfemaleRainbowTroutcreatesa“nest”usinghertailalongtheriverbottomandcanlayupto8,000eggsatonetime.

CommonCattail(Typha latifolia)

• Cattailsareplantsthatprovidedensecoverformanyaquaticanimalsandnestingbirdsandfoodforothercreatures.Theyalsohelpprotectriverbanksfromerosion.

• Cattailsliketogrowinsoilthatstaysverywetoreveninshallowstandingwaterattheedgesofrivers,lakesandwetlands.

• NativeAmericansworetheleavesandstemsintobaskets.

Spring—Aspringisaplacewherefreshwaterfromundergroundemergesattheearth’ssurface.Groundwatercollectedinundergroundtunnelsandchannelscanbeforcedtothesurfacebythepressureofthewater.Waterfromaspringmaypoolasapondorflowasastream.Somespringwatersarehotandothersareverycold.Somecontainmineralsorcarbonation(thefizzinyourwater).Somespringwatersarebottledfordrinking.

Toads(Buffo spp.)

• Althoughtoadsarefoundinmanyplaces,theyneedshallowpoolstolaytheireggsandarecommonlyfoundinandaroundsprings.

• Toadsaremostactiveatnightwhenmales“croak”toattractfemales.

• Unlikefrogs,toadshaveroughskin,shortlegsforhoppingandnoteeth.Theycanoftenbefoundfurtherfromwaterthanfrogs.

CommonRush(Juncus effusus)

• AlthoughtheCommonRushlookslikeagrass,itisn’t.

• Rushesoftengrowinwetsoilorveryshallowwater.

• Theunderwaterportionsoftheplantprovidehabitatformanysmallinvertebratesandvertebrates.

DiscoverWater.org©2011ProjectWETFoundation

Havestudentstakethesamequizagainasaposttesttomea-surelearning.

PRETEST/POSTTEST ANSWER KEY

1. Alloftheabove

2. False

3. True

4. Alloftheabove

5. True

6. Alloftheabove

7. Alloftheabove

8. True

9. WhereundergroundwatermeetstheEarth’ssurface

10. True

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONSLEVEL 1Whatisonethingweallshare

andcan’tlivewithout?

Although there are a few things this answer could address (air, land, etc.), the point is to discuss water, specifically fresh water. Answers might explain that fresh water is necessary for life to survive and is a resource we all share.

LEVEL 2Itisobviouswhyfreshwaterisimportantinfreshwaterhabitatslikerivers—explainwhyfreshwaterisstillimportantinter-restrial(land)habitatssuchasdeserts.

Answers should include discussion about how animals and plants that live in terrestrial environ-ments still need fresh water to survive.

LEVEL 3Createalistofatleastthreethingsyoucandopersonally

thatwillhelpprotectorconservefreshwaterhabitats.Explainhowyouractionswillaffectfreshwater.

Answers could include actions such as cleaning up after pets (keeping pet waste from contami-nating fresh water), participat-ing in a river, pond or highway cleanup project (keeping trash out of fresh water habitats) and telling parents to fix oil leaks under the car so oil doesn’t wash into fresh water systems.

WHAT DID I LEARN? ONLINE QUIZ ANSWER KEY

Q.HowmuchofEarth’swaterisfreshwater?

A.3%

Q.Desertscanexistinbothhotandcoldclimates.

A.True

5 DiscoverWater.org©2011ProjectWETFoundation

Lake—Lakesarelargebodiesofwatersurroundedbyland.Lakescanbefreshwaterorsaltwater.Lakesareimportanttohumansforindus-try,recreationandasasourceoffreshwater.Lakesalsoprovidehabitatformanydifferentkindsofanimals.

CommonLoon(Gavia immer)

• Loonshavecallsthatsoundlikeyodeling.

• Loonsarenamedfortheirawkwardmovementwhenwalkingonland.

• Loonsneedopenwatertobeabletotakeflight,andsometimesgetstrandedwhentheymistakewetparkinglotsforlakes.

AmericanWhiteWaterlily(Nymphaea odorata)

• Thewhitewaterlilygrowsinstillwateruptofour-feetdeep.

• Itsleavesfloat,providingrestingplacesforfrogs,toadsandinsects.Theleavesalsoshadethewaterandhelpkeepitcool.

• ThisplantisnativetotheEasternU.S.,butintheWestitisconsideredanon-nativeinvaderthatdisruptsaquaticecosystems.

6 DiscoverWater.org©2011ProjectWETFoundation

Q.Anexampleofawetlandis_________.

A.Abog,aswampandamarsh

Q.Riversflowfromhighertolowerelevationduetogravity.

A.True

Q.Alllakescontainfreshwater?

A.False,somelakescontainsaltwater

EXTENSIONSIdeasforwaystosupportandexpandlessonplansaboutthistopicorprovideadditionalac-tivitiesforadvancedlearners.

• ResearchadditionalanimalsandplantsfromeachofthehabitatsintheInvestigateFreshWaterActivity

• Assigneachstudentorgroupofstudentsahabitatandhavethemconstructadioramashowcasingorganismsfromthathabitat

• Challengestudentstoresearchandidentifyadditionalterres-trialandfreshwaterhabitatsanddrawaposterwithfactsshowingwhattheywouldincludeiftheycouldadda“binocular”viewtothathabitat

RESOURCESPROJECT WET RESOURCESProjectWETKIDS(KidsinDiscoverySeries)Booklets

• Celebrate Wetlands

• Discover Bays and Estuaries

• Discover Floods

• Discover Ground Water & Springs

• Discover Ports and Harbors

• Discover Storm Water

• Discover the Colorado River

• Discover the Missouri River

• Discover the Red River

• Discover the Rio Grande

• Discover the Waters of Arizona

• Discover the Waters of Nebraska

• Discover the Waters of Nevada

• Discover the Waters of New Mexico

• Discover the Waters of Tennes-see

• Discover Drought

• Fish & Fishing

• Healthy Water, Healthy People

• Native Waters Sharing the Source

• On the Water Route of Lewis & Clark

• Explore Sagebrush Prairie

• Watershed Protection

ProjectWETCurriculumandActivityGuide2.0Activities

• 8-4-1, One for All

• A-maze-ing Water

• A Drop in the Bucket

• A Grave Mistake

• Common Water

• Discover the Waters of Our Na-tional Parks

• Humpty Dumpty

• Just Passing Through

• Reaching Your Limits

• Springing Into Action

• Storm Water

• Sum of the Parts

• The Life Box

• The Pucker Effect

• There is No Away!

• Water Quality? Ask the Bugs!

• Wetland Soils in Living Color

ADDITIONAL STUDENT RESOURCESBowden,Rob.2003.Water Sup-ply: Our Impact on the Planet.Chicago,IL:HeinemannLibrary.

Dorros,Arthur.1993.Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean.Madi-son,WI:DemcoMedia.

Hollyer,Beatrice.2009.Our World of Water.NewYork,NY:HenryHoltandCompany.

ProjectWET.2008.Water is Life.Bozeman,MT:TheProjectWETInternationalFoundation.

ADDITIONAL EDUCATOR RESOURCESDickerson,DanielL.,JohnE.Penick,KarenR.Dawkins,andMetaVanSickle.2007.“Ground-waterinScienceEducation.”Jour-nal of Science Teacher Education,18(1),45-61.

Gleick,Peter,etal.2009.The World’s Water: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources,2008-2009.Washington:TheIslandPress.

Heinhorst,SabineandGordonCannon.2004.“Nature:Water,Water,Everywhere,norAnyDroptoDrink.”Journal of Chemical Education,81(2),170-171.

McDuffie,Thomas.2007.“Pre-cipitationMatters.”Science and Children,44(9),38-42.

Shoring,Nola.2003.“Investigat-ingFreshWater--SomeIdeasThatHaveBeenUsedSuccessful-lyinPrimarySchoolsintheACT.”Investigating,19(2),28-30.

StudentCopyPage1of3

7

Habitat

HabitatDescription

Animal

FunFacts

Habitat

HabitatDescription

Animal

FunFacts

INVESTIGATE FRESH WATER ACTIVITY (also in My Science Notebook)AsyoucompletetheonlineInvestigate Fresh Water Activity,addinformationabouteachanimalorplantyoudiscover.Youcanalsosketchinfeaturesofeachanimalorplant’shabitat.

DiscoverWater.org©2011ProjectWETFoundation

StudentCopyPage2of3

8

Habitat

HabitatDescription

Animal

FunFacts

Habitat

HabitatDescription

Animal

FunFacts

DiscoverWater.org©2011ProjectWETFoundation

StudentCopyPage3of3

9

Habitat

HabitatDescription

Plant

FunFacts

Habitat

HabitatDescription

Animal

FunFacts

DiscoverWater.org©2011ProjectWETFoundation

10

HabitatWetlands

HabitatDescriptionAreas like marshes, bogs and swamps where the soil is wet and spongy

AnimalNorth American Beaver

FunFactsBeavers have clear eyelids so they can see underwater

INVESTIGATE FRESH WATER (ANSWER KEY)

Answersshouldbesimilartothosebelow:

HabitatDesertHabitatDescriptionA dry area that gets very little rainfall

AnimalKangaroo Rat

FunFactsThese animals lose very little water as waste

DiscoverWater.org©2011ProjectWETFoundation

AnswerKey1of3

HabitatSpring/pond

HabitatDescriptionA spring is a place where water emerges from under-ground, and it may pool into a pond

AnimalToad

FunFactsMale toads croak to attract femaleswater as waste

HabitatLakeHabitatDescriptionA body of water surrounded by land

AnimalCommon Loon

FunFactsLoons have a call that sounds like yodeling

11 DiscoverWater.org©2011ProjectWETFoundation

AnswerKey2of3

HabitatRiverHabitatDescriptionA stream of fresh water flow-ing through a channel

AnimalRainbow Trout

FunFactsA female rainbow trout can lay up to 8,000 eggs at one time

HabitatWetlandsHabitatDescriptionAreas like marshes, bogs and swamps where the soil is wet and spongy

AnimalVenus Flytrap

FunFactsThis plant is carnivorous and dissolves insects for nutrients

12 DiscoverWater.org©2011ProjectWETFoundation

AnswerKey3of3

Investigate Fresh Water Unit Pretest/Posttest1. Freshwatercanbefound_________.

a. Undergroundb. Inlakesandriversc. Inwetlandsd. Alloftheabove

2. Trueorfalse,riversandstreamscontainalargequantityofallthefreshwateronEarth.

3. Trueorfalse,allicecontainsfreshwater.

4. Freshwaterisimportanttoanimalsthatlivein_________.

a. Lakesb. Rainforestsc. Desertsd. Alloftheabove

5. Trueorfalse,lakesandriverscancontributetolocalweather.

6. Signsofdroughtcaninclude_________.

a. Insectinfestationsb. Forestfiresc. Moreweedsd. Alloftheabove

7. Humansbuilddamsandcreatereservoirsto_________.

a. Controlfloodingb. Regulatewatersupplyc. Createpowerd. Alloftheabove

8. Trueorfalse,LakeBaikalinSiberiacontainsmorewaterthanalloftheNorthAmericanGreatLakes combined.

9. Aspringoccurs_________.

a. Wheretheoceanmeetsthelandb. Wherearivermeetsalakec. WhereundergroundwatermeetstheEarth’ssurfaced. Wherewetlandsdryup

10. Trueorfalse,arivercanshapetheland.

Score:___/10

StudentCopyPage

13 DiscoverWater.org©2011ProjectWETFoundation