Water

Water is amazing stuff - nothing on Earth can live without it. Did you know the water we use today is the same water that was used by the dinosaurs? Find out more about water’s properties and why it’s so important in our watery webquest, which celebrates World Water Day (22nd March) and is free to all onestopenglish users.

http://www.onestopenglish.com/Pictures/620xany/7/6/2/11762_World-Water-Day-620-banner.jpg

Activity 1: Water facts – take the quiz

Working in pairs, try to answer the questions.

1. The percentage of the human body that is made of water is …

    a. … 40%.     b. … 60%.    c. … 80%.    d. … 90%.

2. Water covers how much of the Earth’s surface?

   a. 50%    b. 60%    c. 70%    d. 80%

3. The chemical name for water is …

   a. …HO2. b. …O2. c. …HO.    d. …H2 O.

4. Water can be changed into different states by changing its temperature. Name the three forms it can exist in.

   1. ________________________     2. ________________________     3. ________________________

5. Water is heavier than … (two are correct)

   a. …stone.    b. …wood.    c. …plastic.    d. …gold.

6. How much water do humans need to drink a day to live?

   a. 0.5 litres    b. 2 litres    c. 3 litres    d. 4 litres

7. We get a lot of water from food. What percentage of an egg is made up of water?

   a. 50%    b. 60%    c. 75%    d. 80%

8. Most fruit is how much water?

   a. 50%    b. 70%    c. 80%    d. 90%

9. People can live without food for two months. How long can they live without water?

   a. 2 days    b. 4 days    c. 7 days    d. 10 days

10. How much water do people in developed countries use each day?

   a. 50 litres    b. 100 litres    c. 250 litres    d. 300 litres

11. How much of the water we use each day is for drinking?

   a. 1%    b. 3%    c. 5%    d. 10%  

 Now, go to www.explainthatstuff.com/water.html and check your answers.

Activity 2: Water for health

We all know we need to drink water to stay alive. If we don’t drink enough water, it can cause health problems.

Go to: www.scottishwater.co.uk/old-education/all-about-water/uses-of-water/water-for-health

Read the statements and decide if they are true (T) or false (F).

1. Not drinking enough water can cause headaches.

2. Drinking water helps you think clearly.

3. Water has few calories.

4. There is no water inside your bones.

5. We need water to help use the food we eat.

6. The blood passes through the kidneys five times a day.

7. The kidneys use water to clean the blood.

8. People die after about 21 days if the kidneys don’t clean the blood.

9. Water stops the body getting too hot.

10. Drinking enough water reduces the amount of salt in our bodies.

Questionnaire

Find out how much water your family and friends use on a normal day. First, write a questionnaire asking them how often they use the dishwasher, bath, shower, kettle and so on, using the ideas and information from activity 4 and the water calculator activity above. Then, ask family and friends your questions, noting down their answers.

Presentation

Present the results of your survey in the form of a poster – you can use bar charts, pie charts, photos, etc. What tips would you give your friends and family on how to reduce the amount of water they use? Include these in your presentation.

Poor, very good or excellent scores

Well organised, no grammatical mistakes and wide range of vocabulary - 5

Use simple structures and common vocabulary, logically organised - 4

Makes some grammatical errors and lack of task response - 3

At the end of the lesson students will be aware of water and various ways of saving it

1. Hand out the worksheet. Direct students to the questions and ask them to discuss them in pairs. They should try to guess the answers.

2.Put students in small groups. In their groups, students should think of some ideas on how to save water and put them in the ‘your ideas’ sections of the table. Then, they should follow the links below, read the tips and add some more ideas to the ‘more ideas’ sections of the table.

3. Questionnaire; Students write a questionnaire to find out how much water their family and friends use on a normal day. They can use the ideas and information from activity 4 and the water calculator activity above. Then, they ask their family and friends the questions, noting down their answers. Presentation; Students should now present the results of their survey in the form of a poster – they can use bar charts, pie charts, photos, etc. They should include tips on how to reduce water use.