“Know – Understand – Do” Organizer
Course: Science
Grade(s): 6th
Topic: Water in Earth’s Processes Unit
School/District: RECA/Glynn County
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Which Standards are students learning in this unit?
S6E3. Students will recognize the significant role of water in earth processes.
a. Explain that a large portion of the Earth’s surface is water, consisting of oceans, rivers, lakes,
underground water, and ice.
b. Relate various atmospheric conditions to stages of the water cycle.
c. Describe the location and subsurface topography of the world’s oceans
d. Explain the causes of waves, currents, and tides
S6E6. Students will describe various sources of energy and with their uses and conservation.
a. Explain the role of the sun as the major source of energy and its relationship to wind and water
energy.
By the end of this unit, students will be able to…….
Know
That H2O is a compound that
can exist as a liquid, solid or a
gas.
Understand
The majority of the Earth's
surface is covered with water.
Do
Water Distribution on Earth lab.
In groups, students will perform
the experiment and construct
Most of the water on the Earth
their own data table then
is salt water. Only a small
amount is fresh water, including graphically represent their data
on a data table and a pie chart.
water in rivers, many lakes,
underground water, and in the
Write a summary about the
form of ice.
procedures they did during the
The cycling of water in and out lab and write a conclusion
of the atmosphere plays an
statement.
important role in determining
climatic patterns.
Make a T-chart (pre write) for
various pieces of lab
Water evaporation from the
equipment. Students will take
surface of the earth, rises and
one of the pieces of equipment
cools, condenses into rain or
such as a graduated cylinder,
snow, and falls again to the
and provide an observation
surface.
narrative as well as a detailed
sketch of the object.
H2O cycles through states of
matter in the atmosphere based
on atmospheric conditions.
The water cycle has three
stages: precipitation,
evaporation, and condensation.
The differences between
oceans, rivers, lakes,
underground water and glaciers
(ice).
The difference between salt
water and fresh water.
The earth's oceans are
connected.
Almost 70% of the Earth's
surface is covered by water.
•
The water, which is a solvent,
falling on land collects in rivers
and lakes, soil, and porous
Create a presentation that
includes the location of water
on Earth (oceans, rivers, lakes,
underground water, and ice)
Water is not evenly distributed,
and most of it is unsuitable for
drinking.
layers of rock, and much of it
flows back into the ocean.
Of the total volume water on
the Earth:
• 97.2% is in the oceans as salt
water,
• 2.15% is frozen in ice caps
and glaciers,
• 0.65% is fresh water in lakes
and streams, groundwater, and
water vapor in the atmosphere.
Salts have become concentrated
in the sea (compared with
freshwater) because the sun's
heat causes the evaporation of
water, leaving the salts behind.
We can use less than one
percent of the water on Earth
for drinking and personal
hygiene. We also use this fresh
water for agriculture, fisheries,
transportation, heating and
cooling, manufacturing, and
many other purposes.
Unfortunately, unless we use
our freshwater wisely, rivers,
lakes, and groundwater can
become depleted or polluted,
and unavailable or unsuitable
for life.
Differences in density and/or
temperature cause currents.
The moon's gravitational pull
and the spinning of the earth
cause ocean water to bulge,
producing tides.
Underneath the ocean, the Earth
has plains, mountains, and
valleys, which are often larger
than those on dry land.
Ocean currents can be caused
by factors such as wind,
salinity, temperature, the
Coriolis Effect, and
gravitational pull.
Ocean currents flow in
predictable patterns around the
world.
Much of our municipal and
industrial water comes out of
the ground.
Groundwater is water that
occurs as a liquid resource that
is dispersed through
innumerable holes, pores,
fractures and cavities in bodies
of rock or sediment.
Create a presentation that
includes information about the
water cycle and how
atmospheric conditions relate to
it.
Create a presentation that
includes information about the
composition, location, and
subsurface topography of the
world's oceans.
Create a presentation that
details the causes of waves,
currents, and tides
Complete a water cycle webquest using technology to
retrieve scientific information
about the water cycle, create a
file, and save in an electronic
file (H drive).
Create Frayer maps for
assigned vocabulary words.
Draw a water cycle posters or
labeled water cycle diagram.
Write a 5 paragraph essay about
a water droplet on a journey
through the water cycle.
List ways that water is naturally
stored both underground and
above ground.
Diagram the water cycle on a
gallon Ziploc bag to make a
mock water cycle.
Differentiate heat transfer:
convection, conduction, and
radiation.
Water cycle educationalrap.com
lyric work sheets (word
scrambles and vocabulary
activities).
Create a schematic map of the
water cycle.
Do “tides” simulator and
answer questions.
Create a poem out of tides
acronym.
Tide Jigsaw activity
Discuss neap/spring tides after
writing questions and watching
video clip.
Tides and Water Levels
tutorials webquest.
Currents web quest
Make a thinking map or
foldable for different types of
currents: (Surface Currents,
Gulf Stream, and Deep Ocean
Currents).
Create a tree map for different
types of water movements:
waves, tides, currents.
Do a “Hot, Cold, Fresh, and
Salty Water lab” make
predictions and observations for
temperature differences and
salinity differences in water.
Write and chart results from
lab.
Make a flow chart for the role
of the Sun as the ultimate
energy source.
Describe how humans
participate in the water cycle.
Write an argument on why
water conservation is such an
important issue in our school,
community, state, and nation as
the world’s population
continues to increase.
http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/earthguide/diagrams/watercycle/
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclehi.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/earth/Watercycle.shtml
http://www.drinktap.org/kidsdnn/Portals/5/story_of_water/html/hydrocycle.htm
http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/earthguide/diagrams/watercycle/watercycleq.html
http://www.orgs.ttu.edu/nsta/handouts/ziplockwatercycle.pdf