Earth Spheres: Hydrosphere
Time required for unit:
Three weeks
Title of the Unit:
Hydrosphere
Purpose:
Introduce students to the hydrosphere; including the locations of water on
Earth and how water cycles between reservoirs humans interact with the
hydrosphere.
Big Ideas:
 Where and when did water come from
o Formation of clouds
 Water reservoirs on Earth presently
o Atmosphere
 Importance of precipitation on our water supply
 Global and regional precipitation patterns
 Extreme events: floods and droughts
o Groundwater
o Oceans
o Rivers
o Icecaps
o How water moves as a function of topography/geology
 Water Cycle
o Time of residing water in reservoirs
o Availability of water for human use
 Human activity and the impact on hydrologic systems
o Various ways humans use water
o Regional patterns in water use
o Water use vs. consumption
 Explore the above points in a case study of Tucson, AZ
o CAP Water
o Identifying water related challenges faced by Tucson
o Maintaining a water balance and the importance thereof
o Consequences of excessive ground water pumping
o Importance of water conservation
Connections to the Real World:
Fresh water is a limited resource that is in high demand. Water management
and conservation is critical for continued human development.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
1. Locate and identify major reservoirs of water on Earth.
2. Identify in the inputs, outputs, and movement of water within the
hydrologic system.
3. Use ArcView to explore analyze and manipulate large data sets in order
to make interpretations about water usage and precipitation patterns.
4. Identify reasons why there is a need to conserve and manage our water
resources wisely.
5. Describe how human activity impacts the hydrosphere.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed on the various tasks throughout the unit. There will
be a total of three quizzes on the material covered in the lessons as well as the
individual and group activities. There will be continuing checks for
understanding throughout the unit, this will allow for any misunderstandings,
misconceptions and any unclear topics to be readdressed allowing for clearer
understanding by the student. A unit exam will ultimately be given, in this the
students will be asked to associate the material learned in the unit with their
immediate surroundings, this will test the students’ complete comprehension
of the topics and how it affects them directly. There will also be a research
project where in students will report on a topic of interest they have chosen
and report to the class their findings.
Outline of Unit:
Day
Big Idea
1
Water reservoirs on Earth
presently.
2
3
4
5
Water reservoirs on Earth
presently. Oceans/Ice Caps
Water Cycle, Time of
residing water in reservoirs.
Water reservoirs on Earth
presently; icecaps and
oceans. Human activity and
the impact on hydrologic
systems.
EWR Unit 1;
Where and when did water
come from - Formation of
clouds
Extreme events: floods and
droughts and other water
related disasters
Learning Outcome
1
1&3
2
3&5
Assessment;
2
2
Description/Topic
Identify and describe the water
cycle. GIS activity 1.1 no
ArcView.
GIS activity 1.2 using ArcView.
Read EWR 1.3 and do activity The
Incredible Journey (project WET).
Read and do EWR activity 1.4
using ArcView.
Assessment quiz;
Precipitation Activity
EWR Activity 2.1;
Read EWR Eyewitness Accounts
for homework
6
Atmosphere - Global
precipitation patterns
2&3
7&8
Atmosphere - Regional
precipitation patterns
2
9 & 10
Atmosphere - How water
moves as a function of
topography/geology
EWR Unit 2;
Human activity and the
impact on hydrologic
systems - Various ways
humans use water
Human activity and the
impact on hydrologic
systems - Various ways
humans use water
Water reservoirs on Earth Groundwater
Human activity and the
impact on hydrologic
systems
Human activity and the
impact on hydrologic
systems
Importance of precipitation
on our water supply; How
water moves as a function of
topography/geology
Identifying water related
challenges faced by Tucson
Maintaining a water balance
and the importance thereof
A case study of Tucson, AZ:
CAP Water
Identifying water related
challenges faced by Tucson;
Consequences of excessive
ground water pumping
Importance
of
water
conservation in Tucson, AZ
EWR Unit 4
2
11
12
13
14
15 - 17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Assessment;
4&5
4&5
1
Read and do EWR Activity 2.2
using ArcView; Assign Activity
2.3 for homework
EWR Activity 2.4 using ArcView
Fantasy Island Watershed Activity;
EWR Activity 2.5
Assessment;
EWR Activity 3.1
EWR Activity 3.2 using Arcview
Groundwater Activity
4&5
EWR Activity 3.3
4&5
Irrigation Innovation Project WET
Activity; includes assessment
2
Precipitation Pattern in Arizona
Activity
4&5
EWR Activity 4.1
4&5
EWR Activity 4.2 using ArcView
2,4 & 5
The Central Arizona Project
Activity
EWR Activity 4.3 and 4.4 using
ArcView
4&5
4
Assessment
EWR Activity 4.5
EWR Activity 4.6 as assessment
Materials:
 Exploring Water Resources: GIS Investigations for the Earth Sciences; M.
Hall-Wallace et al. Pub. Brooks/Cole. 2003. (Includes GIS ArcView
Software).
 Access to computers
 Refer to each individual lesson plan for additional materials