The learners review the water cycle and come to an understanding about the need to sustain the quality of the world's water for the common good.
The learners will:
- define environmental stewardship as the careful and responsible management of our environment.
- identify the stages of the water cycle.
- determine the need to sustain the quality of the world's water.
Anticipatory Set
Share the local systems for water treatment, including treatment of sewage, clean drinking water systems, local septic and well requirements, and other local water safety requirements.
Look up and review basic principles of natural water filtration, including the water cycle.
Compare that to the systems for managing wastewater and clean drinking water in communities. How do they filter and ensure safety?
Are there toxins or items that community filter systems will not clean up? How is that information shared, and what role do individuals have to follow those rules? For example, it may be easy to dump chemicals in a drain without anyone knowing about it, but if they care about the common good, they will follow rules and protocols.
Remind the learners that the Earth is a closed system—no water is ever added to the system over time, and we share the water with everyone in the world. For that reason, we need to be responsible for the water we use.
Polluted water affects us all now and in the future because water is a common resource we share with all people and animals. What we do locally ends up in the global water system. Water is never created; it is recycled and shared repeatedly. Water is a common resource and its quality must be sustained for the common good.
Discuss and define environmental stewardship as the careful and responsible management of our environment.
- What processes does the city or community use to purify the water?
- Is safe drinking water a a want or a need? Why?