Water The Liquid of Life
Teaching Guide
Introduction:
Water - we all use it every day in many ways, and we seldom stop to think about how it
affects our lives. Almost three-fourths of the world is covered in water, but only 1% of that
is in a place and form that we can use.
For the human body, water is crucial in maintaining our health. Approximately 65% of the
body is water, and we can only survive for a few days without a source of water or fluid for
hydration. Inside the body, water plays many roles. It transports our nutrients and wastes,
lubricates our organs and joints, aids in digesting foods, helps maintain our body temperature,
and plays a role in synthetic reactions.
Each day, our body works to maintain a balance as it takes in and loses water. Too little fluid
intake can lead to dehydration, while too much can cause us to retain fluid or make more
frequent trips to the bathroom. The amount of water each person needs varies and is impacted
by things like age, level of physical activity, overall health, body size and climate.
Our bodies take in water in a variety of means. The beverages we drink are an important
source of fluids for our bodies, but some beverages are better sources of hydration than others.
The foods we eat also provide water for our bodies, especially fresh fruits and vegetables.
To help maintain our health, we must make sure that the water we consume and use in food
preparation is safe for consumption. Everyone needs to be knowledgeable about their
drinking water supply, whether they are on a public water system, use a private water supply
or purchase bottled water.
Our actions can affect the quality of our water resources, and this can impact our drinking
water. Every person has a role to play in preventing water pollution and keeping our water
supplies safe. The impact water has on our daily lives is often taken for granted, as is the
impact we have on our water resources. This lesson will help you learn more about the role
water plays in our overall health, and the role we play in keeping our water healthy.
Lesson Purpose and Objectives:
Purpose:
This lesson is designed to increase knowledge about the role water plays in
human wellness, and the role we play in insuring the safety and quality of our water supplies.
Objectives: This lesson encompasses many topics that could be selected for a specific
focus. Therefore, you are encouraged to select a program based on the type of audience you
are serving and their needs. It is best to select and focus on only two or three of the following
objectives:
Become knowledgeable about the amount of water we have on earth, and how much
of this water is available for our use.
Understand the role water plays in human health and the many functions it performs in
the body.
Learn how our bodies work to maintain a balance between water intake and loss.
Understand the factors that affect the amount of water our bodies need each day.
Explore the role of both foods and beverages in providing water for our bodies.
Become knowledgeable about the sources of water available for our use, including
public water systems, private water systems and bottled water.
Learn what actions we can take to help protect our water resources.
Other (Please list in the space below):
Suggested Resources & Materials:
There are a variety of materials available through the Cooperative Extension Service that
provide additional information about the main topics addressed in this lesson, and support
efforts to achieve the objectives listed. County Extension agents should request these items in
advance.
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Publications (Available through the “order entry” system and / or the Cooperative
Extension Service publications web site – http://www.ca.uky.edu/ces/index.htm.)
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Drinking Water Standards (IP-5)
Testing Private Water Supplies (IP-3)
Understanding the Water System (IP-1)
Understanding the Water System - Summary Sheet (IP-1s)
Suggested Resources & Materials: (cont’d.)
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Fact Sheets
(Camera-ready fact sheets developed through the Environmental and
Natural Resource Issues Task Force and available via their web site at
http://www.ca.uky.edu/enri.)
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Activities
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Water Content of Fruits and Vegetables (ENRI-129)
Bottled Water Basics: Questions and Answers for Consumers (ENRI-217)
All the Water in the World – Guide for a demonstration activity related to the
quantity of water on earth and the amount available for use.
Water by the Numbers - A quiz sheet that could be used as a pre-lesson or
review activity.
Water Content Puzzles – Puzzle pieces to use in an interactive game matching
fruits and vegetables with their approximate water content.
Other: (Please specify below.)
Suggested Teaching Techniques and Activities:
Select only those activities that will help you teach the lesson. Limit selection according to
your program focus, audience, and length of lesson.
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Open the lesson by asking each participant to complete the “Water by the Numbers”
quiz sheet. Refer back to the questions as you present the lesson.
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Use the transparencies to give an overview of the role water plays in human health and
the role we play in protecting the health of our water resources. Encourage discussion
as you present the information.
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Demonstrate the percentage of earth’s water available for our use through the “All the
Water in the World” activity.
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Review the information about the many roles water plays in the human body.
Emphasize the importance of water to our health.
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Invite a local health professional to talk about the role of water in human health.
Suggested Teaching Techniques and Activities: (cont’d.)
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Discuss the factors that affect our body’s need for water. Focus on the fact that the need
varies from person to person, and discuss the reasons why.
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Highlight the various sources of water for our bodies. Emphasize that our bodies gain
water from the beverages we drink and the foods we eat.
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Use the “Water Content Puzzles” to highlight the amount of water we get from fresh
fruits and vegetables.
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Focus on the need for ensuring that our drinking water supplies are safe. Provide basic
facts about public water systems, private water systems, and bottled water. Encourage
the participants to talk about their sources of drinking water.
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Discuss the role we each can play in keeping our water resources healthy. Review the
basic list of tips in the publication, and ask the participants to share their ideas.
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Other: (Please describe below.)
Suggested Evaluation Techniques:
Select the technique(s) best suited to the information you would like to obtain from your
audience. Immediate evaluation will provide reaction to the presenter and program materials.
Delayed evaluation will give a better indication of changed behavior and attitudes.
At the close of the program:
♦
Review the answers to the “Water by the Numbers” quiz. Poll the participants and note
the number who changed one or more of the answers during or following the lesson.
♦
Ask each participant to name one thing they learned from the lesson.
♦
Ask each participant to list something they will go home and do as a result of the lesson.
Have them write the item on a piece of paper or index card with their name and the date
of the lesson. Save the papers and several weeks/months later survey the group to see if
they actually did it.
♦
Hand out a copy of either the Help Us Serve You Better evaluation form or the It’s Your
Turn evaluation sheet. Ask participants to complete the form and leave it in a specific
place as they leave.
Suggested Evaluation Techniques: (cont’d.)
A few weeks / months later:
♦
Return to the group and ask them to fill out the Follow-up Feedback Form and collect
them as they leave. If you cannot return to the group in person, contact a representative
number of the participants by phone and collect the data requested on the Follow-Up
Feedback Form from each.
♦
Give each member an index card or sheet of paper. Ask them to list one thing they
learned from the Water – The Liquid of Life lesson and one action they have taken as a
result of the program.
♦
Other:
(Please specify below.)
Reporting Impacts (Information for County Extension Agents):
Use the following priority indicators and program accomplishment (PAC) codes when reporting
impacts as a result of this program. Information taken from the FY01 PAC and priority indicators
lists.
PAC Code 430 – Indicators:
Ø Number of individuals who experience a change in knowledge, opinions, skill or aspirations
regarding lifestyle changes that improve personal health.
Ø Number of individuals who make lifestyle changes for the purpose of improving their health.
PAC Code 610 - Indicator:
Ø Number of individuals adopting practices that insure safe water.
Teaching guide developed by Kimberly B. Henken, M.S., Extension Associate for Environmental and
Natural Resource Issues.
Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.
August 2001