Water Detectives
Overview
In this activity, students begin their discovery of aquatic environments, and start to notice that water is all around them, in their neighborhoods, backyards, oceans, rivers, ponds, and creeks. They act as outdoor “Water Detectives” to explore and map water on a walk near their school.
Focus Question
- Where is the water in our neighborhood?
Enduring Understandings
- Living and nonliving things in Alaska waters come in a great assortment of colors, shapes, and sizes.
- Living things move, grow, and change.
Engagement
15 minutes
This is an awareness activity to focus on the topic of water. Reflect out loud to the class so that they can hear your reflections and wondering process; for example, “I’ve been thinking about our Globe Toss game. It makes me wonder about the water around us.” Or “After thinking about the data from our Globe Toss game, I started asking myself: Where is the water in our neighborhood?”
Exploration
30 minutes
Go on a nature walk to find evidence of water around your school area and beyond. Encourage students to look beyond the school area if mountains, hills, or other features are visible. Look for evidence of water that might not be visible at this time, such as erosion, empty streambeds, or drainage ditches. Carry a clipboard and camera to record what students say and observe, and enlist the help of any additional adults on the field trip to do the same.
Explanation
10 minutes
Back in the classroom, debrief from the field trip, recording information on a chart with the title “Water Detective Discoveries:”
Elaboration
10 minutes
Encourage students to continue to be Water Detectives on their way home. Where do they observe water? Where is the water near their home?
As homework, students can gather data and talk over their initial ideas about water with their family.
Evaluation
Use a checklist or anecdotal notes to gather an understanding of individual understanding.
Teacher Needs
Teacher Prep
About 1 hour to assemble materials, determine location for walk, collect water samples, and set up science notebooks.
Materials List
- Inflatable globe
- Chart paper and markers
- 2-10 glass jars with lids
- Water from a local outdoor source such as a tidepool or pond.
- Soil, dirt, and/or rocks
- Science notebooks
- Pencils
- Book: Water by Frank Asch
- Clipboard
- Camera
- Magnifying glasses
Student Needs
Prior Knowledge
Children will have used their senses of touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing to explore the properties of water.
It is helpful if students have had prior experiences in their science notebooks. If not, students will need an introduction to science notebooks.
Students need to be able to listen to other children as well as to speak and participate in a large group.
Experience using a magnifying lens. They tend to put the lens next to their eye and lean close to the object being observed.
Vocabulary
Words for local water, such as: creek, harbor, lagoon, pond, river, sea, slough
Standards
Science GLEs Addressed
- K-12 Standards A1, A2, B1, C3, G3
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