The following is a comprehensive listing of the contents of the TAPWater curriculum supplement. Grade levels are listed for the activities but are only a guide as most of them can be adapted to fit all grade levels. TAPWater is recommended for grades 2-7.
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Preface
What is TAPWater (text explaining the mission of TAPWater)
Important Information about TAPWater (acknowledgements and disclaimer)
TAPWater & PA Academic Standards (comprehensive list of the standards addressed in this manual)
The Water of Our World (poem describing the various uses of water)
Working with the Earth (text describing some universal laws regarding water as a life sustaining resource)
Introduction
A Brief History of Drinking Water (text documenting the progression of water treatment and distribution)
Properties and Characteristics of Water (text describing the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of water)
Water Walk Activity (an activity that explores the many way in which people and other living things use water, Grades 2-4)
Is There Water on Zork (an “investigative” activity that challenges students to make the distinction between water and other clear liquids, Grades 4-7)
What’s the Solution (text & activity where students must use their “water wisdom” to solve a mystery, Grades 3-7)
Water Cycle
Recycled (poem describing our water as the same liquid the dinosaurs drank)
The Water Cycle – Part I (text describing the various “paths” water can travel)
The Water Cycle – Part II (text explaining that water is continually moving through our environment by a process known as the water cycle)
The Sounds of Water (an activity that explores the various sounds water can make during its different phases in the water cycle, Grades 2-6)
The Webs of Water (an activity that demonstrates the inter-relatedness of the stages of the water cycle, Grades 2-4)
Around the Water Cycle – A Reader’s Theater (a drama where students act out the various steps in the water cycle, Grades 2-4)
A Model Water Cycle (an activity where students construct a model that shows the various stages of the water cycle, Grades 2-3)
Charting the Water Cycle (an activity and worksheet where students trace the paths of the water cycle, Grades 4-6)
Water Cycle Pirates (an activity and worksheet where students use word association to learn the components of the water cycle, Grades 4-6)
Water’s Changes – Evaporation (an activity that demonstrates that even though water is usually invisible, it is all around us, Grades 2-4)
The Case of the Disappearing Water (text, activity and worksheet designed to help students solve a mystery while learning about evaporation, Grades 4-6)
Water’s Changes – Condensation (activity and worksheets designed to teach students that warm water vapor will always condense when exposed to cold, Grades 3-5)
The Cloud Maker (an activity where students construct a “homemade cloud chamber,” Grades 2-7)
Cloud Formation (an activity and worksheet on how clouds form, Grades 3-6)
The Rain Catchers (an activity where students make simple rain gauges to measure rainfall, Grades 4-6)
A Great Water Catcher (an activity and worksheet where students estimate the amount of water prevented from infiltrating the soil by paved parking lots, Grade 7)
Watersheds
The Little Fish vs. the Big Dam (text designed to generate a classroom discussion or debate)
Watersheds (text explaining the general characteristics of a watershed)
The Chemical & Physical Characteristics of an Aquatic Environment (text and activities designed to show how the chemical and physical properties of water affect a watershed)
The Lay of the Land (an activity designed to show how water reacts to the topography of the land, Grades 4-7)
The Role of Plants in Water Filtration (an activity designed to illustrate that plants have a vital role in filtering water moving through a watershed, Grades 4-7)
Watershed Activity (an activity with worksheets on the general concept of a watershed and the relationship between upstream and downstream areas, Grades 6-7)
What Is Your Watershed Address (an activity to help students learn about the watershed where they live, Grades 5-7)
Wetlands
Ecology (text explaining the study of habitats)
Wetlands: Functions at the Junctions (text offering facts about wetlands)
A Wetland Ecosystem (activity that explores the concept that all parts of an ecosystem are important, Grades 3-6)
Wetland Metaphors (an activity that uses physical metaphors for natural wetland functions, Grades 2-7)
Cryptic Clues: The Wetland Classroom (an activity and worksheet that teaches students how to identify various kinds of organisms that inhabit wetlands, Grades 5-7)
Water Conservation
A Sharing Story (poem that relays how teamwork can improve the environment)
Water Conservation (text that stresses the importance of conserving water)
21 Water Conservation Measures for Everybody (text that provides valuable tips for conserving water)
All the Water in the World (text and worksheet clarifying that only a small percentage of the earth’s water is drinkable, Grades 2-6)
Water Users (an activity and worksheet designed to point out that many household appliances use water, Grades 2-3)
Do’s and Don’ts (an activity and worksheet identifying ways to save water, Grades 2-6)
Wasted Water (an activity and worksheet showing how water is sometimes wasted around the home, Grades 4-6)
The Water Trap (an activity that shows students how to reduce the water usage in their toilet tanks at home, Grades 4-7)
Faulty Faucet (an activity designed to help students realize that a dripping faucet can waste a large amount of water, Grades 4-6)
Showers vs. Baths (an activity and worksheet that helps students compare the amount of water used for showers versus baths, Grades 5-7)
How Wet Is Your Home? A Home Water Use Survey (an activity and worksheet that uses a survey to determine how much water is used in the students’ homes, Grades 2-7)
Comparing Water Use (an activity and worksheet using water meter readings to determine factors that influence water use in students’ homes, Grades 4-6)
The Case of the Mysterious Renters (text and worksheets employing student “detectives” to solve a mystery, Grades 4-6)
Wise Water Usage (an activity with a card game that stresses the importance of conserving water at home, Grades 2-7)
Water Conservation Coloring Book (an activity where students design their own coloring books, Grades 2-5)
Water-Wise Landscaping (an activity and worksheet that explains xeriscaping, a method of landscaping that reduces the need for water, Grades 4-7)
Water Pollution
Water Pollution (text that explains point source and non-point source pollution)
Water and Soils (text designed to show that soil can be a water pollutant)
Water Pollution Prevention (text explaining ways to avoid unnecessary pollution)
Non-point Source Pollution On Stage (a theatrical activity that explores the causes and preventive measures surrounding non-point source pollution, Grades 2-7)
Non-point Source Pollution (activity designed to demonstrate what an average storm drain collects during a rainfall, Grades 4-7)
Pondering pH (an experiment that explains the pH scale, Grades 4-7)
Can Nature Cope? (an experiment that shows the harmful affects of acid rain, Grades 3-7)
Acid Rain, Go Away! (an activity and worksheet that examines “life” in a dying lake, Grades 4-7)
Stop That Sediment (an activity designed to teach soil conservation methods, Grades 4-7)
Predacious Pesticides (a tag game that teaches the importance of controlling the use of pesticides, Grades 3-7)
Cleaning Point Source Pollution (an activity and worksheet designed to help students analyze effective methods of cleaning pollution from water, Grades 6-7)
N, B, & T: Pollutants Three (an activity and worksheet that examines the three types of surface water pollution – nutrient, bacterial, toxic, Grades 4-7)
The Importance of Clean Streams & Rivers (text and a game that teaches students how to gauge the cleanliness of a stream by the macroinvertebrates that live there, Grades 2-7)
Poison Pump (an activity that teaches students how epidemiologists use scientific investigation to locate the source of waterborne diseases, Grades 4-7)
Super Sleuths (an activity that explores the symptoms of waterborne diseases and how to analyze the characteristics of environments that promote their transmission, Grades 4-7)
Water Treatment & Distribution
The Community Water Environment (text explaining how different regions have different methods of collecting and storing water)
Water Quality (text explaining water quality standards in the U.S.)
Water Distribution: A Brief Overview & History (text and activity that explores the history of water distribution)
The Clean Water Girl & the Solar Water Cleaner (text and activity designed to increase global awareness and illustrate how to use the water cycle to cleanse water, Grades 2-7)
At a Snail’s Pace? (activity and worksheet teaches students that many factors affect the movement of groundwater, Grades 4-7)
Deep Subjects – Wells & Groundwater (an activity and maze designed to help students understand the water table and how groundwater is extracted for drinking purposes, Grades 3-6)
Believe It Or Not! (an activity and worksheet whereby students use statistical information to answer groundwater supply questions, Grades 4-7)
Aquifer Adventure (an activity where students build a model aquifer, Grades 4-7)
Edible Aquifer (an activity where students build a tasty edible aquifer, Grades 2-7)
Build Your Own Aquifer (an activity that involves building a model to observe how aquifers can sometimes become polluted, Grades 4-7)
Filtration (an activity that teaches students the importance of filtering water as part of the treatment process, Grades 5-7)
Cleaning Up (activity and worksheets designed to teach students what’s involved in cleaning water that has become contaminated, Grades 3-6)
Where Does Your Water Come From? (a water tasting activity that allows students to recognize the slight differences in taste between well water, tap water, etc., Grades 2-6)
A Water Treatment Plant (an activity that explains how our drinking water is treated; good background for possible field trip, Grades 4-7)
Excuse Me, Is This the Way to the Drainpipe (text and activity that explores where our drinking water comes from and where it goes, Grades 2-6)
Water Facts, Games & Trivia
Who Wants to be a Water-Heir? (Q & A game)
Water Trivia Game (Q & A game)
Water Wisdom Game (Q & A game)
Water Challenge Questions (T or F quiz)
Facts & Falsehoods (T or F quiz)
Saving a Resource in Jeopardy (game similar to TV version)
Water Q & A (facts quiz)
More Water Trivia Facts (Q & A quiz)
RoWd Scramble (unscrambling words)
Geyser Guts Maze (find your way)
Word Search (find hidden words)
Marathon (board game)
Water Coloring (color pictures)
Be Hydro-Logical (facts & appropriate action)
Water Myths & Realities (facts)
Water Facts of Life (facts)
Bloopers (bad water habits)
The Ways of the Watersheds
(award criteria & certificate)
Glossary
TAPWater Resources
Additional Resources