Discovering NYC Water Supply

Positives

• The lesson is thorough and includes the objectives, a materials list, the methodology, a vocabulary list, discussion questions, and extension activities.
• The small-group activities in this lesson plan allow students to work together as a team.
• Students are encouraged to consider how the water system and climate change are interconnected so this learning project can smoothly fit with a larger unit about the effects of climate change on our systems.
  

Additional Prerequisites

• Teachers must use a color printer to print the included picture cards.
• Students may need more vocabulary words defined than are provided in the vocabulary list.
• Before discussing how climate change impacts the water system, students should understand how climate change affects the water cycle.
• Although presented as optional, teachers may wish to connect this lesson with a previous lesson titled Navigating NYC's Wastewater System.
  

Differentiation

• Math teachers may wish to have students read the embedded Background Information article and then break into small groups to create word problems based on the article's data.
• Geography and science teachers can work together to have students construct maps of New York City and the surrounding areas, then create the visual depiction from Part 1 of the lesson, displaying the water supply system and labeling the parts on the map.
• English teachers can also provide an extension to the activity by having students write paragraphs about being good stewards of the water supply system.