Overview

As a high school or introductory undergraduate Chemistry, Geography or Earth Sciences teacher, you can use this set of tools to teach about the water cycle- its components, the distribution of natural water resources on Earth and the impact of climate change on it.

This lesson plan allows students to learn about the different stages of the water cycle and the factors that influence it. It includes resources that teach students about the different components of the water cycle in detail and how they can be affected by climate change. This lesson plan also enables students to learn about the distribution of water resources under a natural water cycle, how it could be altered due to anthropogenic practices, and what measures could be adopted for a sustainable future. The use of this lesson plan allows you to integrate the teaching of a climate science topic with a core topic in Chemistry, Geography or Earth Sciences.

Grade Level: High School, Undergraduate
Discipline: Chemistry, Geography, Earth Sciences
Topics: Environmental Chemistry, Water Cycle, Biogeochemical Cycles, Hydrologic Cycle, Condensation, Evaporation, Evapotranspiration, Groundwater, Precipitation, Sublimation
Climate Topic: Climate and the Hydrosphere, Climate and the Atmosphere
Location: Global
Languages: English, one resource available in several languages
Access: Online, some resources are available offline
Duration: 60-90 min

Learning Outcomes

The tools in this lesson plan will enable students to:

• learn about the fundamentals of Earth’s natural water cycle
• understand the importance of every component of the natural water cycle
• describe the distribution of the natural water resources on Earth
• discuss the possible impact of climate change on the natural water cycle and distribution of water resources
• explain how anthropogenic activities could affect the natural water cycle