Where Did The Water Go? 

Terri Eros 

 

 

 

This three week, 80 minute block-scheduled curriculum unit addresses two core ideas from the 
Next Generation Science Standards: specifically how water impacts Earth’s surface processes 
and how humans impact the availability and the quality of that water. Students move from a 
historical review of the Colorado River, creator of the Grand Canyon, to its current role as the 
life giving force to the people of the upper and lower basins. They link population growth to 
depletion of fresh water at the surface and in underground aquifers. Students then shift from 
California to northern Delaware, to investigate the local water situation. Through hands on 
activities, videos, and readings, students enlarge their understanding of the water cycle to include 
ground water, stream flow, infiltration, and percolation. Students learn ways to minimize their 
own water use and discover how their decisions on land use affect the larger community’s water. 
Both engineering and language arts are utilized as students create a working model of a water 
treatment facility; design a blue print for a community taking into account green space and 
runoff; compare/contrast a water treatment plant with a waste water treatment plant and debate 
the merits of turning wastewater into potable water. 

 

 

This three week, 80 minute block-scheduled curriculum unit addresses two core ideas from the 
Next Generation Science Standards: specifically how water impacts Earth’s surface processes 
and how humans impact the availability and the quality of that water. Students move from a 
historical review of the Colorado River, creator of the Grand Canyon, to its current role as the 
life giving force to the people of the upper and lower basins. They link population growth to 
depletion of fresh water at the surface and in underground aquifers. Students then shift from 
California to northern Delaware, to investigate the local water situation. Through hands on 
activities, videos, and readings, students enlarge their understanding of the water cycle to include 
ground water, stream flow, infiltration, and percolation. Students learn ways to minimize their 
own water use and discover how their decisions on land use affect the larger community’s water. 
Both engineering and language arts are utilized as students create a working model of a water 
treatment facility; design a blue print for a community taking into account green space and 
runoff; compare/contrast a water treatment plant with a waste water treatment plant and debate 
the merits of turning wastewater into potable water.