UH OH! NO H2O?
Lesson Seven
Overview
Advanced Preparation
How would you like to run out of water?
There is an enormous amount of water
on our planet but sometimes water is in
short supply due to weather conditions
that may occur such as drought. And
many times, the supplies of water may
not be readily available to growing
populations such as in cities.
1. Set up chairs in the classroom. The chairs should be set up in two
rows back to back with one less chair than the total number of
participants.
Since water is such a valuable
resource, it is vital that there is enough
for everyone and everything to use.
Sometimes water companies in cities
and towns may have to place water
restrictions on how much water can be
used at certain times of the year so
that there is enough water to go
around.
Setting the Stage
At the conclusion of this section, your
students should be able to understand
that shortages of water sometime exist
and that systems must be developed
for sharing water that is fair for
everybody who needs it.
Objectives
TEKS objectives that will be addressed
in this section include: Science 1.C,
3.A, 7.C, 9.B; Social Studies 6.A,B,C
2. Remind the students that during the H2O Hero Mysterious Chest
story that they learned the importance of turning off the water while
brushing their teeth. This lesson will address the reason why we should
learn to conserve and not waste water.
1. Tell the class that each chair they see represents water that is
available for the people of a city-like San Antonio. Inform them that they
will play the role of the people living in the city, its citizens.
2. The students will play a game of “musical chairs” to help understand
how a limited resource such as water can affect the growth and health
of a city.
Activity
1. Have all the students form a circle around the chairs.
2. Explain to them the rules to the activity and answer any questions
they may have.
3. Turn the music on, and have the students walk around the chairs in a
quick pace.
4. When the music stops the students should sit quickly in the chairs.
The player left standing is taken out of the game.
5. Inform the students that there wasn’t enough water for (name the
student) and that student had to move out of the city.
45 minutes-1 hour
6. The players all stand again and a chair is removed. The music is
started again. This procedure is continued until two people remain with
only one chair.
Materials
7. Let the students know that there is only enough water left for one
person. What could you do to make sure that both people still remaining
in the city would be able to have water?
Completion Time
1. Classroom chairs
2. Music (consider using Water Saver
Songs CD provided)
3. C.O.R.E. Values poster
4. Earthchild (PP1)
1.
UH OH! NO H2O?
Lesson Seven
Follow Up
1. Discuss with the students the idea that when water supplies in a community begin to dry up, that the city also dries
up (with people) or the community must find additional water resources to stay healthy and grow. But another way to
make sure that there is enough water for everyone is to conserve the water we have. Conserving water is another
way of sharing the water with everyone who needs it.
2. Ask the students to give you some examples of ways water can be saved around the home and at school:
Check around the home and school to make sure that there are no leaks at the faucets.
Never use the toilet as a trash can. Every time you flush you use water.
Wait until you have a full load before running the washing machine or dish washer.
Hang up your towel and use it more than once so the family doesn’t have to do so many loads of laundry.
Limit your showers to 2-5 minutes.
Use a pan of water for cleaning and peeling vegetables and fruits rather than letting the tap water run.
When washing the car, turn off the water while soaping up.
Use a broom, not a hose, to sweep the garage, sidewalks, and driveways.
Install any water saving devices around the home like low flow showerheads.
Turn off the water while brushing your teeth and washing your hands.
3. By conserving water, you can become a water saver. And another way to say that you are a water saver is to say
that you are an H2O Hero. H2O is another water to say water. An H2O Hero is any girl or boy who is dedicated to
protecting our water. H2O Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. But they all have one thing in common-H2O Heroes
learn all they can about saving water and share what they learn with others.
4. Let the students know that they are now going to hear a story about a student their age that became an H2O Hero
in their community. Read Earthchild (PP1) to the students as they follow along.
5. In this story, Earthchild shows us how to be an H 2O. H2O Heroes here in San Antonio know how important it is to
conserve water and not pollute the water we have. H2O Heroes are committed to the C.O.R.E. values. Using the
H2O Heroes C.O.R.E. values poster, point out the C.O.R.E. values that H2O Heroes should follow.
Community
H2O Heroes are good citizens and make their community a better place to live.
Ownership
H2O Heroes take ownership by identifying water issues in their community and offering solutions.
Responsibility
H2O Heroes do their part by conserving and protecting water around them.
Education
H2O Heroes learn all they can about saving water and share what they learn with others.
Hero Talk
H2O Heroes share what they learn with other people. What lesson have you learned in
class today that you can teach other people about saving water?
2.