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Provided by: The Nature Conservancy |Published on: April 18, 2025
Lesson Plans
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Synopsis
In this four-part series of activities, students will learn about water security, green and gray infrastructure, water scarcity, and water funds in cities.
Students will watch videos, read articles, participate in a jigsaw activity, test the permeability of gray and green surfaces, and participate in a Socratic seminar.
The mix of videos, group work, and hands-on activities gives students multiple avenues for accessing the main ideas of this topic.
The activities also highlight aspects of environmental justice and their relationship to water security.
Prerequisites
The link to the Jigsaw Notes in the Materials section is broken. The correct link is available under Part 3 or HERE.
In the jigsaw activity in Part 3, the links for articles 1 and 2 are wrong and unrelated to water. The links to articles 4 and 6 go to different articles that are still about water. The StC resource database has some related articles that can fill the gaps, including Forests Near or Far Can Protect Water for Cities and Water Resources and Water Footprints, which is a slide deck that can be read like an article. Teachers will need to update or omit the guided notes for groups 1, 2, 4, and 6.
Some of the extension and background resources are unavailable.
Additionally, the suggested article for the Socratic seminar is unavailable. Teachers can provide an alternate article and construct different prompts.
The videos in this series each touch on a different topic. Part 1 is about water security, Part 2 is about water management, Part 3 is about water funds, and Part 4 is about how students and others can protect water resources.
Differentiation & Implementation
To demonstrate their understanding of Part 4 of the video series, students can create posters or pamphlets to educate others about what they can do to be water stewards.
Students can use this lab as inspiration for organizing a stream cleanup in their local area. Teachers can support students in getting administration approval, planning the cleanup, and recruiting volunteers.
Language arts teachers can have students practice letter-writing by writing to their local government officials about water quality and watershed protection.
After these lessons, students can connect water security to climate change by discussing how it impacts the water cycle and exacerbates extreme weather like flooding and droughts.
Scientist Notes
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive. The Nature Conservancy has grown to become one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world.
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