H2O Conserve Water Lessons:
Why a water curriculum?
Access to clean, reliable water sources has been called the defining crisis of the 21st century, with more than a billion people who currently lack a reliable drinking water supply.
While the United States has some of the world’s best water supplies, water restrictions, water quality problems, and conflicts over water rights is on the rise.
When complete the H2O Conserve Water Lessons Curriculum will have four units designed to introduce students ranging from 4th through 12th grade to the major ways water is used and misused, threats to water quality and availability, and how water can be protected and conserved. The units will cover: Water and Food, Water and Energy, Household Water Use, and Bottled Water.
Each unit is a downloadable PDF and include the Lesson Text, a Multiple Choice Quiz, a Challenge Quiz, and a Topic Debate. Suggestions for essay topics and further research will also be included.
This curriculum will be interdisciplinary in nature and designed to complement Social Studies, Earth Science, English, and Humanities education.
Skills Utilized:
Each unit will engage the skills of reading comprehension, essay writing, statistical analysis, graph and chart interpretation, and critical thinking.
Water Lessons Unit 1 – Water and Food
- Water and Food Text
- Water and Food Multiple Choice Quiz
- Water and Food Challenge Quiz
- Water and Food Debate Section
Elementary School
The following worksheets combine water conservation lessons with basic reading and math. Download complete worksheet package [pdf 441k].
Reading
- Level 1 – Practice writing water words (Grade 1)
Level 1 Worksheet and Teacher’s Guide
- Level 2 – Practice writing sentences with water words (Grade 2)
Level 2 Worksheet and Teacher’s Guide
- Level 3 – Write sentences comparing activities that use more or less water (Grade 3 or 4)
Math
- Level 1 – One and two digit subtraction (Grade 2 or 3)
Level 1 Worksheet and Teacher’s Guide
- Level 2 – Basic multiplication word problems (Grade 3 or 4)
Level 2 Worksheet and Teacher’s Guide
- Level 3 – Multi-step multiplication word problems (Grade 4 or 5)
Chinese language students at Bronx Science High School in New York, NY made posters to promote water conservation and practice their language skills. 
Additional Water Conservation Learning Projects
There are many ways to bring water conservation into your classroom. Here are some ideas:
Poster Contest
This is a great project for art and foreign language classes. Have your students make posters showing water conservation ideas in the language that they are studying. Posters can be graded as an in-class assignment, or can earn students extra-credit.
Research Project
Have your students develop their research skills by looking into water issues in your local area. Students can learn and write about where their public water comes from, how much water their local community uses, and existing or future problems that threaten the security of their local water supply.
Taking Action on Campus
Either in class or as part of extracurricular activity, get your students active in making their school a more water-conscious place. Work to get bottled water out of vending machines, improve water fountains in school buildings, and raise awareness about saving water at school. Math students can do research and calculations to determine how much water is used to run the cafeteria, keep playing fields green, fill the school pool, etc.
Handouts and Tabling Materials
The following are printable handouts for tabling events. Please remember to save paper and print as little as possible.
Water Footprint Handout
Water-Saving Tips Handouts
- Saving Water in the Kitchen
- Saving Water in the Bathroom
- Saving Water Around the House
- Saving Water Outdoors
Info Pages Handouts (Under Construction)
- Water Use in the USA
- Indoor Water Use
- Outdoor Water Use
- The Things We Buy
- The Food We Eat
- The Energy We Use
- Water Pollution
- Bottled Water
- Global Warming
- Water Privatization
- Conservation
Here are some other great websites with water education resources for students, teachers, and communities.
