!
!
Water,!Water,!Everywhere!!
Water, Water, Everywhere!
!
!
A"Basic"Diagram"of"the"Water"Cycle"
Water!is!literally!everywhere.!It!is!in!our!bodies,!and!in!the!bodies!of!all!plants,!animals!and!
insects! (“flora! and! fauna”);! a! large! part! of! water! is! in! the! oceans;! some! of! it! is! under! the!
ground,!and!this!comes!out!in!volcanic!eruptions,!geysers!and!hot!springs.!There!is!fresh!water!
in!the!rivers,!lakes!and!streams,!and!through!the!processes!of!evaporation!and!condensation,!
water!gets!into!the!atmosphere,!forms!clouds,!and!returns!to!the!earth!as!rain,!snow,!dew!or!
hail.!Thus,!water!constantly!cycles!on,!below!and!above!the!earth’s!surface.!!
Water!is!crucial!in!supporting!life.!When!we!study!other!planets!or!their!moons,!we!look!for!
traces! of! water! to! see! if! the! place! could! have! supported! life.! It! is! so! important! that! many!
people!fear!if!it!continues!to!become!scarcer,!wars!may!be!fought!over!water!in!the!future!!
The!study!of!the!movement!and!distribution!of!water!on!earth!is!called!“hydrology.”!
®
© 2013 ReadWorks , Inc. All rights reserved.
!
!
Water,!Water,!Everywhere!!
Water"in"the"Oceans"
Take!a!look!at!the!globe.!You!would!see!that!the!color!blue!covers!most!of!it.!Over!70%!of!the!
total!surface!of!our!planet!is!covered!with!water.!96.5%!of!it!is!found!in!the!oceans.!Although!
there!are!no!clear!boundaries!separating!one!ocean!from!the!other,!we!have!given!five!names!
to!the!earth’s!oceans.!The!Pacific!Ocean!is!the!largest!in!terms!of!surface!area,!followed!by!the!
Atlantic,! Indian,! Antarctic! and! Arctic! Oceans.! These! oceans,! although! connected,! serve! to!
separate! the! seven! major! continents.! The! Pacific! Ocean! separates! Asia,! Australia! and! its!
surrounding! islands! from! the! North! and! South! Americas;! while! the! Atlantic! Ocean! (in! which!
the!Titanic!sank!on!its!first!voyage!between!England!and!America)!separates!the!two!American!
continents! from! Europe! and! Asia.! If! you! have! heard! about! the! Titanic,! or! seen! the! popular!
1997!film,!you!would!know!that!oceans!also!have!large!bodies!of!floating!ice!called!icebergs.!!
The!title!of!this!passage,!“Water,!Water!Everywhere”,!comes!from!Samuel!Taylor!Coleridge’s!
poem:!!
!
"
Water,!water,!everywhere,!
And!all!the!boards!did!shrink.!
Water,!water!everywhere,!
Nor!any!drop!to!drink.!
It! tells! the! story! of! a! ship! stuck! near! Antarctica.! Despite! being! surrounded! by! water! on! all!
sides,!the!sailors!were!dying!of!thirst.!This!is!because!the!ocean’s!water!(or!seawater)!is!saline!
and!unfit!for!drinking!by!humans.!On!an!average,!this!water!contains!3.5!percent!salt.!Drinking!
this! would! result! in! more! water! getting! excreted! from! the! body! to! drain! out! all! the! salt.!
However,!this!water!supports!other!life!forms!such!as!whales,!sea!turtles!and!some!types!of!
fish.!
Fresh"Water""
Where!do!humans!get!their!drinking!water!from!if!96!percent!of!Earth’s!water!is!unfit!for!this!
purpose?!We!get!it!from!one!of!the!many!freshwater!sources!that!have!a!lower!concentration!
®
© 2013 ReadWorks , Inc. All rights reserved.
!
!
Water,!Water,!Everywhere!!
of! salt! and! other! dissolved! solids! than! seawater.! This! water! is! also! called! “sweet! water.”! It!
exists! in! many! forms! on! and! under! the! earth’s! surface:! it! could! be! frozen! as! in! glaciers,!
icebergs,! ice! sheets! and! ice! caps;! running! through! our! streams,! rivers! and! waterfalls;! still! in!
lakes,!ponds,!mires!and!swamps;!or!under!the!ground!in!aquifers!or!rocks.!
Freshwater! comes! to! the! earth’s! surface! through! precipitation.! For! this! reason,! what! comes!
down!often!contains!traces!of!what!is!found!on!the!ground!or!in!the!atmosphere!in!that!area.!
Despite! containing! sulfur! and! nitrogen! oxides! and! other! pollutants! in! industrial! areas,! rain!
water!is!still!considered!the!purest!form!of!water.!!
Most! of! the! earth’s! fresh! water! is! frozen! in! glaciers! and! other! bodies! of! ice! and! snow.! The!
melting! of! glaciers! is! an! urgent! environmental! concern! because! it! would! increase! water! in!
rivers,!resulting!in!flooding!of!large!areas.!Groundwater,!which!is!most!readily!available!to!us!
for!drinking,!washing!and!agriculture,!is!less!than!one_hundredth!of!Earth’s!total!water.!Lakes!
are! another! important! source! of! surface! fresh! water.! Remember! the! mnemonic! HOMES! for!
Huron,! Ontario,! Michigan,! Erie! and! Superior! for! the! North! American! Great! Lakes?! These!
account!for!a!fifth!of!Earth’s!fresh!water.!The!shortage!of!fresh!surface!water!is!an!important!
reason!for!poverty!in!many!African!countries.!
®
© 2013 ReadWorks , Inc. All rights reserved.
!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Questions:!Water,!Water,!Everywhere!!
Name:
Date:
1. What is hydrology?
A
B
C
D
the
the
the
the
study
study
study
study
of
of
of
of
weather patterns
oceans
the movement and distribution of water
the movement of air
2. What does the author describe in the passage?
A
B
C
D
the evolution of aquatic species
the movement and distribution of water on Earth
the history of sea-based exploration
life on Earth during the Ice Age
3. Read the following sentences.
When we study other planets or their moons, we look for traces of water to see if the
place could have supported life. It is so important that many people fear if it continues
to become scarcer, wars may be fought over water in the future!
Based on the above evidence, what conclusion can be made?
A
B
C
D
Water constantly cycles on, below and above the earth’s surface.
Water is crucial in supporting life.
Over 70% of the total surface of our planet is covered with water.
About 96.5% of the world’s water is found in the oceans.
4. What is the water cycle?
A
B
C
D
the
the
the
the
movement
movement
movement
movement
of
of
of
of
water
water
water
water
in rivers and oceans
on, above, and below the surface of the earth
from the earth and into the atmosphere
from the atmosphere and into the earth
5. What is this passage mainly about?
A
B
C
D
the
the
the
the
ongoing conflict over water in developing countries
shortage of clean water in the Great Lakes area
problems pollution now poses for our freshwater systems
different forms of water on Earth
1
®
© 2013 ReadWorks , Inc. All rights reserved.
!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Questions:!Water,!Water,!Everywhere!!
6. Read the following lines from Samuel Coleridge’s poem.
Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink.
Water, water everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.
The author uses this poem in the passage to illustrate what concept?
A
B
C
D
The
The
The
The
salt water in our oceans has the power to shrink boats.
United States has more drinkable water than other countries.
ocean’s water is unfit for drinking by humans.
glaciers of our planet are melting and flooding our rivers.
7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.
Ninety-six percent of Earth’s water is too salty for humans to consume. _________, we
must get it from one of the many freshwater sources that have a lower concentration of
salt and other dissolved solids than seawater.
A
B
C
D
Finally
Consequently
However
On the other hand
8. Where can we find “sweet water”?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2
®
© 2013 ReadWorks , Inc. All rights reserved.
!
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Questions:!Water,!Water,!Everywhere!!
9. Why is the melting of glaciers an urgent environmental concern?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
10. The author writes that water is “so important that many people fear if it continues to
become scarcer, wars may be fought over water in the future!”
Explain why there might by a shortage of water in the future. Use evidence from the
text to support your conclusion.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3
®
© 2013 ReadWorks , Inc. All rights reserved.
Teacher Guide & Answers: Water, Water, Everywhere!!
!
!
Teacher Guide & Answers
Passage Reading Level: Lexile 1010
1. What is hydrology?
A
B
C
D
the study of weather patterns
the study of oceans
the study of the movement and distribution of water
the study of the movement of air
2. What does the author describe in the passage?
A
B
C
D
the evolution of aquatic species
the movement and distribution of water on Earth
the history of sea-based exploration
life on Earth during the Ice Age
3. Read the following sentences.
When we study other planets or their moons, we look for traces of water to see if the place could have
supported life. It is so important that many people fear if it continues to become scarcer, wars may be
fought over water in the future!
Based on the above evidence, what conclusion can be made?
A
B
C
D
Water constantly cycles on, below and above the earth’s surface.
Water is crucial in supporting life.
Over 70% of the total surface of our planet is covered with water.
About 96.5% of the world’s water is found in the oceans.
4. What is the water cycle?
A
B
C
D
the movement of water in rivers and oceans
the movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the earth
the movement of water from the earth and into the atmosphere
the movement of water from the atmosphere and into the earth
5. What is this passage mainly about?
A
B
C
D
the ongoing conflict over water in developing countries
the shortage of clean water in the Great Lakes area
the problems pollution now poses for our freshwater systems
the different forms of water on Earth
®
© 2013 ReadWorks , Inc. All rights reserved.
!
!
!
Teacher Guide & Answers: Water, Water, Everywhere!!
!
!
6. Read the following lines from Samuel Coleridge’s poem.
Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink.
Water, water everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.
The author uses this poem in the passage to illustrate what concept?
A
B
C
D
The salt water in our oceans has the power to shrink boats.
The United States has more drinkable water than other countries.
The ocean’s water is unfit for drinking by humans.
The glaciers of our planet are melting and flooding our rivers.
7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.
Ninety-six percent of Earth’s water is too salty for humans to consume. _________, we must get it from one of
the many freshwater sources that have a lower concentration of salt and other dissolved solids than seawater.
A
B
C
D
Finally
Consequently
However
On the other hand
8. Where can we find “sweet water”?
Suggested answer: It exists in many forms on and under the earth’s surface: it could be frozen in
glaciers, icebergs, ice sheets and ice caps; running through our streams, rivers, and waterfalls; still in
lakes, ponds, mires, and swamps; or under the ground in aquifers or rocks.
9. Why is the melting of glaciers an urgent environmental concern?
Suggested answer: The melting of glaciers is an urgent environmental concern because it would
increase water in rivers, resulting in flooding of large areas.
10. The author writes that water is “so important that many people fear if it continues to become scarcer,
wars may be fought over water in the future!”
Explain why there might by a shortage of water in the future. Use evidence from the text to support your
conclusion.
Suggested answer: Answers may vary and should be supported by the text. Students may explain that
there might be a shortage of water in the future since most of the world’s water is contained in oceans,
and this water is not currently drinkable. Students may also explain that most of the Earth’s freshwater is
frozen in glaciers and other bodies of ice and snow and not accessible to humans.
®
© 2013 ReadWorks , Inc. All rights reserved.
!
!
!