1. DE Science Elementary “5-Minute Prep” For Earth’s Features Earth’s Changing Surface Waters of the Earth

2. Waters of the Earth – The Big Ideas Lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, and wetlands are all freshwater. Lakes and ponds form where water lies in low areas. Streams and rivers form where rain or snowfall run off from higher areas to lower areas. Rivers flow into oceans, lakes or estuaries. Estuaries are river basins that have become lower than sea level and have a mix of saltwater and freshwater. Both estuaries and wetlands serve as protective areas where small organisms and young organisms can survive. Wetlands can contain saltwater, freshwater, or brackish water, which is a combination of both. Wetlands form near the edges of larger bodies of water or when a lake, pond, or estuary becomes very shallow. Ocean basins are large low areas of Earth filled with saltwater. The sea floor has mountains, plateaus, and plains.

3. Waters of the Earth – Prior Knowledge Students probably have some good background knowledge about rivers, streams, and oceans. However, they may not know much more about the waters of the Earth, or characteristics of different types of water. It will help students to use the Exploration to match different types of water to a diagram. It will also help if they have: Been to an ocean, lake, river, or stream.

4. Waters of the Earth – Common Misconceptions Groundwater flows in vast underground lakes. –Reality: Groundwater fills billions of tiny spaces between mineral grains or in natural fractures in rock, a lot like pores in a sponge. Groundwater and surface water are separate systems. –Reality: Water from the atmosphere, surface, and ground water are all connected through the water cycle and will get naturally recycled over and over again. All rivers flow North to South. –Reality: Rivers, like all other objects on Earth, flow downhill due to gravity. There are countless examples of rivers that flow northward, including the Nile River.

5. Waters of the Earth – Using DE Science Content When you close this presentation, you can review the following recommended resources for Waters of the Earth. Exploration: Waters of the Earth Video: What Is It Like at the Bottom of the Ocean? E Book: Earth’s Oceans Reading Passage: Earth’s Freshwater Bodies Use the PowerPoint version of this presentation for hyperlinks to these resources or you can get to them through the browser or search feature.

6. Waters of the Earth – Instructional Ideas After learning the definitions of each type of water found on Earth by using the interactive glossary, tape an index card to the back of each student with one of the new words related to Waters of the Earth. The students will then move around the classroom to get clues from their classmates about what card is on their back. Students can use the Exploration to drag and drop labels with pictures to help them understand Waters of the Earth. –As the drop each word into the correct location, they can read more about that feature. –When students have completed the activity, ask them to compare the different types of water they saw.

7. Waters of the Earth – Instructional Ideas Students can simulate and visualize the percent of salt and fresh water by making a model of all Earth’s water. –Place 100 small paper cups placed in a circular shape. –99 cups will be filled with salt water –One cup will be freshwater. This will represent the one percent of freshwater on Earth for people, plants, and animals. Students can investigate what groundwater might look like by making a model of the ground with soil, gravel, and a large clear glass. They will see how the water seeps through cracks as it soaks into the ground.

8. State standards: If you wish to review your state standards regarding Waters of the Earth, click here to get to the curriculum standards search feature of DES. http://discoveryeducation.com/forward/curriculum.cfm You can click on any standard to see what resources are available to teach it. Additional Information: For additional content, check the Extend section within the concept.