Annotated Bib - Water

Covering about 80% of the world's surface, water is one of the most important characteristics of our world. Every second of every day, water continues to play a vital role to all known forms of life.

Books

A Drop Around the World by Barbara McKinney. Illus. by Michael S. Maydak. 1998. 32p. Dawn Pubns, (9781883220723). Gr. 3-6.

This book is a great tool when it comes to teaching students about the water cycle. Following one drop of water, students are able to see how water is an important characteristic of our world.

Did A Dinosaur Drink This Water? by Robert E. Wells. Illus. by the author. 2006. 32p. Albert Whitman & Company, (9780807588406). Gr. 2-5.

This fun book also introduces children to the water cycle. Furthermore, this book discusses the use of water, the states of water, and how water moves around the world.

One Well: The Story of Water on Earth by Rochelle Strauss. Illus. by Rosemary Woods. 2007. 32p. Kids Can Press, (9781553379546). Gr. 3-6.

This book takes a look at water in all of its forms around the earth. Including interesting facts, the book is a great way to introduce the topic of water to students. Furthermore, this book also touches on the abuse water is continuously facing due to humans.

The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story by Neil Waldman. Illus. by the author. 2003. 32p. Millbrook Press, (9780761323471). Gr. 2-6.

This book illustrated the water cycle by following the life of a snowflake. The snowflake is followed throughout the year, allowing students to see the different characteristics of a droplet of water.

Water Dance by Thomas Locker. Illus. by the author. 2002. 32p. Sandpiper, (9780152163969). Gr. 2-6.

By using a free verse narrative, this book shows the many different forms of water around the world. This is a perfect book to use cross curriculum between physical science and English due to its poetic nature.

Websites

Make a Water Cycle Wheel

This site first starts out by showing kids an actual water cycle. Next, if students want to make their own water cycle, it walks you through the steps and includes printables for students to create their own water cycle to study.

A Place Mat for Kids

First, this website offers some simple background knowledge on the water cycle for students. Next, this site offers an extremely fun picture of the water cycle in action. Kids are also able to print out this graphic and laminate it for a fun place mat.

The Water Cycle

This website offers an interactive water cycle for kids to both watch and listen to. It is extremely informative, yet easy to understand.

Water Droplet Story

This website contains an interactive story about the life of a water droplet, however, students must first answer questions about the water cycle to continue the story.

Where Does Water Go?

This site offers a matching game about water for students. Once students have correctly matched the water vocabulary to their definition, a fun picture appears.

For Teachers

6.5 The student will investigate and understand the unique properties and characteristics of water and its roles in the natural and human-made environment. Key concepts include

a) water as the universal solvent;

b) the properties of water in all three phases;

c) the action of water in physical and chemical weathering;

d) the ability of large bodies of water to store thermal energy and moderate climate;

e) the importance of water for agriculture, power generation, and public health; and the importance of protecting and maintaining water resources.

The concepts developed in this standard include the following:

· Among water’s unique properties is that one side of each water molecule is slightly negative and the other is slightly positive. Individual water molecules, therefore, attract other water molecules like little magnets as the slightly positive portion of a water molecule is attracted to the slightly negative portion of an adjacent water molecule. In this way, water molecules “stick together.”




· Due to water’s polar nature, a large number of substances will “dissolve” in water. For this reason, water is often called the universal solvent.




· Water is the only compound that commonly exists in all three states (solid, liquid, gas) on Earth. The unique properties of water are a major factor in the ability of our planet to sustain life.




· Additional properties of water are its high surface tension and the large range of temperature (0–100 degrees Celsius) in which it can be found in the liquid state, as well as the fact that, unlike other substances, solid water is less dense than liquid water.




· Water is able to absorb thermal energy without showing relatively large changes in temperature. Large bodies of water act to moderate the climate of surrounding areas by absorbing thermal energy in summer and slowly releasing that energy in the winter. For this reason, the climate near large bodies of water is slightly milder than areas without large bodies of water.



· Water (rain, ice, snow) has shaped our environment by physically and chemically weathering rock and soil and transporting sediments. Freezing water can break rock without any change in the minerals that form the rock (physical weathering). This usually produces small particles and sand. Water with dissolved gases and other chemicals causes the minerals in rocks to be changed, leading to the deterioration of the rock (chemical weathering).



· Most of Earth’s water is salt water in the oceans (97 percent). Nonfrozen, fresh water makes up less than 1 percent of the water on Earth.



· Water is essential for agriculture. Crops watered by reliable irrigation systems are more productive and harvests more dependable.



· Water is an important resource used in power generation. Hydroelectric power plants make use of the kinetic energy of water as it flows through turbines. Water is also heated in power plants and turned to steam. The steam is used to turn turbines, which generate electricity.



· In the past, streams and rivers were often used to dispose of human waste, and open sewers were common. During the mid-1800s, public health officials recognized the connection between disease outbreaks and contamination of public wells and drinking water. Advances in water treatment and sanitary sewers have helped eliminate diseases associated with human waste.



· Due to water’s importance in power generation, agriculture, and human health, it is important to conserve water resources.