Lesson 1
A Toast to Water

Grades any. Skills: prediction, pronunciation, inference. Duration: one class period. Vocabulary: water cycle, recycle. Illinois State Goals in Science: Goals 2-B, F; 4-A, C, F.

Objective: Students will be able to describe the water cycle.

Method:
Students imagine where everyday drinking water may have originated and drink a toast to water and the water cycle.

Materials:
A bottle of tap water with label affixed (see background materials for label information) and one clear glass or cup per student.

Background:
Approximately 57 % of the average human body is water. It is a natural reservoir of water and a part of the water cycle. Water is essential to life. Without food a human can survive for days, even weeks, but without water a human may live only about four days. All life depends upon having a source of healthy, clean water.

The water that humans use has been around since ancient times-recycled again and again through the water cycle. The water used to brush your teeth this morning could have been part of a cloud floating over a city a few weeks ago, or a cloud floating over the dinosaurs hundreds of thousands of years ago! The drink of water taken after recess might have been inside ( and passed through! ) a dinosaur once. The water used to wash the car could have been part of the ocean that Christopher Columbus sailed on to the New World. Water is all around us! It's temporarily used by living things, then, changing its form again, proceeds through the rest of the water cycle where it is naturally cleansed and purified.

Procedure:

1. Prepare a clear bottle ( try to get a fancy bottle or decanter for this activity ) and prepare a label to affix to the bottle. The label should read like a high quality wine label, extolling the virtues of water, the greatest drink in the world. Example: "Water-a clear, pure, crisp drink for any time of day or night. Choicest combination of hydrogen and oxygen atoms, aged billions of years and recycled through natural processes. From the coldest glaciers to the depths of the oceans, water has been the elixir of life since life began. Enjoy heated or chilled, alone or with meals. Absolutely essential to your health. First choice of discriminating plants, animals, and other living things."
2. Before class, fill the bottle with tap water and refrigerate. Give each student a small cup or glass. Announce that we are going to drink a toast to water. Read the label on the bottle to the students. Pour a small amount of water into each glass, pouring elegantly, as you would a fine wine. Ask students not to drink until all are ready for the toast. When al students have their water, ask them to think of where this water came from. The faucet? Where did that come from? The city water supply? Where does the city get its water? Continue until students are led through various parts of the water cycle, and appreciate that the water they are about to drink could have been-at any time in history or anywhere on earth. For every suggestion, have all students raise their glasses in tribute and take a small sip. For example:
   "This water was once part of a dinosaur." "To the dinosaurs!" (all drink)
   "This water was once part of a city's sewage." "To sewage!" (all drink)
   "This water was once drunk by an Egyptian who is now a mummy in the Field Museum."
   "To the ancient Egyptians!" (all drink)
   "This water was once part of a mile-high glacier covering our area."
   "To the glacier!" (all drink)
   "This water was passed through an earthworm living underground."
   "To the earthworm!" (all drink)
   After concluding the toasts, reinforce with students the natural purification processes in the water cycle.

Evaluation:
Have students imagine where the water they are drinking today will be in the future. Have them write a "future history" of the water they used to brush their teeth this morning. Where will it be in a month (year, hundred years, or other) and how did it get there? Are there needs and uses for water in the future?

Extensions:
Make poster illustrating different parts of the water cycle and how water affects all aspects of our lives. Think of short catchy slogans that explain the scenes. Examples; "Water We Eating," with drawings of food, showing water content in food; " Water's the Matter," with scenes of oceans, glaciers, rivers, lakes, etc., to stress how much of the earth is covered with water, "Water You Going to Do," showing water skiing, swimming and other recreation involving water. Choose different times and personalities in history to depict where our water has been. Post in school halls to raise water cycle awareness
Have students make up their own bottle label.

Lesson 2
Nature's Water Cycle

Grades: any. Skills: analysis, description, discussion, inference, observation. Duration: 20 to 50 minutes and several 5 to 10 minute periods over a few days to check water levels. Vocabulary: condensation, evaporation, groundwater, hydrologic cycle, infiltration, precipitation, transpiration. Illinois State Goals in Sciences: Goals 1-C, F, I, J, L; 2-B; 3-C; 4-A, D, E, P, G, J, L

Objective:
Students will be able to understand the hydrologic cycle and the role evaporation plays in it.

Method:
Students conduct a simple experiment with water to observe evaporation and condensation.

Materials:
Demonstration: A hot plate, a pan to heat water, a flat pan cold with ice cubes, a set of four clear plastic glasses, a marking pen, a metric ruler, and a "Nature's Water Wheel activity sheet for each student.

Experiment Per Group: A large zip lock bag, tape, a round top to a deli container, a clear plastic container, an "It's in the Bag" activity sheet, and food coloring (optional).

Background:
Hydrology is the study of the movement and distribution of the water of the earth. In nature water circulates through a system called the water cycle or the hydrologic cycle. Heat from the sun causes ocean water to evaporate ad become water vapor. The atmosphere holds the water vapor in the form of an invisible gas. When the temperature of the air cools, the water vapor condenses to form droplets that are visible as clouds, steam or fog. When there is enough cooling, the droplets become large enough to fall back to earth as rain, hail, sleet or snow. Rain that falls directly on the oceans completes the cycle and returns to its source, but rains that falls on the land may soak through the soil and become part of the groundwater.

The two most available sources of fresh water to humans are surface water and groundwater. The other main source of fresh water is the ice in the polar regions.

Surface water includes all the lakes, rivers, and streams that flow over the land. Streams flow into rivers, which join large rivers that eventually return surface water to the oceans from which it may have originally evaporated.

Groundwater is beneath the surface of the earth and fill the cracks, crevices and tiny pores between soil or rock particles. This water flows into wells drilled into the ground, or flows out of the ground in springs. About one-half of all the people in the United States obtain their drinking water from groundwater. In Illinois, almost all of the people ( 98 %) who live in rural areas draw their drinking water from wells. The wells are drilled into the soil and rock to collect groundwater.

Note: Review with students that the sun is the natural source of heat. The following experiments help to demonstrate the part of the water cycle that uses heat from the sun to evaporate water.

Procedure:
Demonstration:

1. Prepare the materials for demonstration. Put water on a hot plate to boil. While waiting for the water to boil, prepare the flat pan by filling with ice.
2. Have students gather around the boiling water. Observe the steam coming off the water.
3. Explain that boiling water causes the evaporation process to speed up. Steam can be see here, but water that evaporates from lakes, streams and oceans cannot.
4. Ask students to observe how steam seems to disappear farther away from the hot water.
5. Now bring the cold pan over the steam source. Observe what forms on the bottom of the pan. When the steam (water vapor) hits the cold pan it condenses to form water drops. The cold pan is equivalent to the cold air in the atmosphere. When enough water cools on the pan, it drips. When enough water cools and accumulates in the sky as clouds, it rains. What is being observed is a model of the water cycle or hydrologic cycle.
6. Give the students a copy of the "Nature's Water Wheel" activity sheet to complete. Repeat the demonstration if necessary to clarify water cycle.

Experiment:

1. Distribute materials and discuss the activity sheet.
2. Review the water cycle. Stress evaporation, condensation, precipitation and surface water.
3. Tell the students that they will be creating a miniature water cycle in a bag. Their model will have all the characteristics of the real water cycle, that is, it will be a closed environment fueled with energy from the sun.
4. To set up the experimental water cycle: Fill container 3/4 full with water, set it on deli lid to stabilize and place inside plastic bag. Fill the bag completely with air and close it off. Note: Food coloring may be added to water for easier observation. Use tape to secure one corner of bag upright.
5. The bag must be placed in a warm, sunny place, because the sun starts and moves the process.

If this experiment is started on Monday, it should be able to be taken down and discussed on Friday (four days are enough for the cycle to be completed.) Compare and relate the results of the bag experiment to the water cycle as seen in the Nature's Water Wheel" activity sheet.

Note: The diagrams show twist tie baggies. The use of large zip lock bags is recommended instead.

Extensions:
Use saltwater
Observe the process for a longer term.
Nature's Waterwheel-Student Activity Sheet Hydrologic Cycle
Condensation- The changing of water vapor to liquid.
Evaporation- The changing of water into water vapor.
Groundwater- Water found below the surface of the earth.
Hydrologic Cycle- Process involving the circulation and distribution of water on earth.
Infiltration- The process by which water seeps into the soil.
Precipitation- forms of condensed water vapor that are heavy enough to fall to the earth's surface such as rain, snow, hail and fog.
Runoff- Water that drains or flows off the surface of the land.
Transpiration- The process in which water vapor is released into the atmosphere through plants.
Nature's Waterwheel- Answer Sheet Hydrologic cycle
Think about the water on the ground. The water on the ground evaporates when the ground gets warm. Think about the warm air rising. The air and water vapor expand and rise high. The air is cooled when it rises. When the air is cooled, the water vapor condenses. The water vapor condenses to make clouds. cloud and fog drops come together to make bigger water drops. The bigger drops are rain, snow or hail which fall on the ground. The water evaporates again. The whole cycle starts again. Water vapor condenses. Rain falls to the ground. This is the water cycle or hydrologic cycle.

Student Activity Sheet
It's In The Bag Group name Student's names Setting Up:
Collect the materials for this experiment: a zip lock plastic bag, 3/4 cup of water, and a deli lid.
Place the cup of water inside the bag, fill bag completely with air, close it tightly, and place in a sunny spot.

Procedure:
Describe the environmental conditions of the bag's location that may affect water evaporation.
Make the following predictions:
We predict that water condensation will appear in ___ days.
We think that it will take this long because; ____
Observe your miniature water cycle and mark the pictures to show what happens to the water in your cup. Describe what is happening.

Beginning of experiment, describe what is happening:
Day 2 of experiment, describe what is happening:
Day 3 of experiment, describe what is happening:
Day 4 of experiment, describe what is happening:
Day 5 of experiment, describe what is happening:

Results:
Describe what the bag looked like when you first observed condensation occurring. Were your predictions about when it would happen correct or incorrect? why? What conditions caused your prediction to be correct or incorrect?

Lesson 3
Porosity and Permeability

Grades 6-12. Skills: analysis, computation, experimentation, inference, measurement. duration: 50 minutes. Vocabulary: clay, gravel, organic matter, permeability, porosity, unconsolidated Materials. Illinois State goals in Science: Goals 1-I; 2-B, 3-B1, B3, B4; 4-A, ,E G, J, M.

Objective:
Students will be able to describe the characteristics of clay, sand, and gravel related to groundwater.

Method:
Students conduct simple experiments to measure porosity and permeability of three types of soil and compare results.

Materials Per Group:
Dry* gravel; dry sand; dry clay; a funnel **; filter paper, a glass marking crayon; graduated cylinder, clear cups; a stopwatch; and a "Porosity and Permeability" activity sheet. Optional: a ring stand or test tube rack to hold the funnel.
* To dry soils, spread on a cookie sheet and dry in an oven at 250 F- 275 F for approximately 10-20 minutes. Break up clay so no clumps remain.
**The funnel may be made from the top of a 1- or 2- liter pop bottle.

Background:
Soil is made up of particles of rock and the spaces between these particles. The porosity of earth materials, or soil, indicates how much of its volume is open space, or air, and can be estimated by measuring the amount of water it can hold.

The permeability of a soil is its ability to transmit water or other liquids, or is the ease with which water can move through it. Permeability of a soil can be estimated by timing how quickly water can flow through it.

Physical characteristics of soil particles, such as size and shape, influence the porosity and permeability of soils and rocks. Example: Soil high in coarse- grained material, such as sand or gravel, tends to have large pore spaces that can fill with water, which allows the water to travel through faster than a fine material, such as clay. Fine materials may hold a lot of water yet transmit very little because water cannot move easily through the tiny pore spaces ( less than .01 millimeters).

both porosity and permeability are important in relation to groundwater because they determine how quickly and how much water moves through and into an aquifer.

Adapted from Earth Science Activities. to accompany Earth Science. by Samuel N. Namowitz, D.C. Heath and Company, 1981, pp 25-28

Procedure:

1. Distribute materials and discuss " Porosity and Permeability" activity sheet.
2. To measure porosity:
3. Place a mark halfway up the side of a small bottle, beaker, or test tube using a soft crayon or marker
4. Fill the bottle to the mark with water, then measure the volume of water in a graduated cylinder. This is the volume of that part of the bottle. Record in the " Total Volume" column of the data table.
5. Dry the bottle, beaker, or test tube. then fill the bottle to the mark with gravel.
6. Measure 100 ml of water into a graduated cylinder. Slowly and carefully pour all the water into the gravel until it reaches the line (the top of the gravel).
7. Record the amount of water needed to saturate (fill the pores of) the gravel on the data table under "Pore Space." (Pore Space = 100 ml - the amount of water left in the cylinder.)
8. Measure the "porosity" of the gravel and record this value on the data table. (Porosity = Pore Space divided by Total Volume x 100)
9. Repeat procedure with sand.
10. Repeat procedure with clay. Note: Let water soak in completely.
11. To measure permeability:
    1. Place mark halfway up the side of a small bottle, beaker, or test tube using soft crayon or marker
    2. Fold a wet circular filter paper into quarters, open into a cone and insert into a filter. Place the stem of the funnel inside the marked bottle.
    3. Fill the cone with gravel to about 1 inch from the top.
    4. Pour water from a beaker into the filter. Time how long it takes to fill the test tube to the line.
    5. Record the results on the data table under "Permeability."
12. Compare and discuss group results.

Evaluation:

1. The "Porosity and Permeability" student activity sheet is designed for "evaluative purposes. Results will indicate if students comprehended the nature of the activity.
2. Describe what effects particle size has on groundwater. which would you recommend as the best unconsolidated material to protect groundwater against contamination?

Extensions:
Add humus (organic matter) to the unconsolidated material and repeat the experiment.
Mix sand, gravel and clay together in equal proportions and repeat the experiment.

Student Activity Sheet:
POROSITY AND PERMEABILITY

Group name: Student's names:

Setting up:

1. Collect materials needed for these experiments: gravel, sand, clay, funnel, filter paper, crayon, graduated cylinder, cups and watch.
2. Make a crayon mark half way up the bottle. Procedure:
   
   1. To measure porosity:
      
      1. Fill the bottle to the mark with water. Measure the volume of water in a graduated cylinder and record in the "Total Volume" column of the data table.
      2. Fill the bottle to the mark with gravel.
      3. Measure 100 ml of water into a graduated cylinder and pour enough water into the gravel until it reaches the line (the top of the gravel).
      4. Record the amount of water used to saturate the gravel on the data table under "Pore Space."
      5. Measure the porosity of gravel and record this value on the data table.
   2. Repeat procedure with sand.
   3. Repeat procedure with clay.
3. To measure permeability
   1. Insert wet filter paper into funnel and place the stem of the funnel inside the marked bottle.
   2. Fill the filter with gravel to about 2.5 cm (1 inch) from top.
   3. Pour water from a beaker into the filter. Time how many seconds it takes to fil the test tube to the line.
   4. Record the results on the data table under "Permeability."
4. Repeat procedure with sand.
5. Repeat procedure with clay.

Results:
Make bar graphs of your results. Mark vertical axes "amount of water held (milliliters)" on the Porosity graph and "time for water to pass through (seconds)" on the Permeability graph.

Rank the soil materials from least permeable (#1) to the most permeable (#3).
1.
2.
3.
Rank the soil materials from least (#1) porous to the most porous (#3).
1.
2.
3.
What is the relationship between porosity and permeability?

lesson 4
Capillary Action in Soil

Grades 6-12. Skills: observation, inference, prediction, communication, measurement, variable identification, variable control, computation, analysis, and experimentation. Duration: 45-60 minutes. Vocabulary: aquifer, capillary action, permeability, porosity, retention rate. Illinois State Goals in Science: Goals 1-I; 2-F; 3-B1; 4-A through J, L, M.

Objective:
Students will be able to measure the rate at which water rises in a column of soil due to capillary action.

Method:
Students conduct simple experiments to measure the rate at which water rises in a column of soil due to capillary action. Students compare at least three different types of soil for capillary rate.

Materials Per Group:
Dry clay, dry sand, dry gravel, three open-ended clear plastic cylinders *, a nylon stocking, three pop bottles bases or one rectangular pan, a metric ruler, a clock, and a "Capillary Action" activity sheet. *Note: An acetate overhead transparency rolled into a cylinder and secured with a rubber band or 1- or2- liter pop bottles with the ends cut off may be used in place of cylinders; the size may be reduced by cutting the bottle lengthwise and collapsing it.

Background:
Capillarity is related to the interaction of water and other materials. One of the physical properties of water is its ability to adhere to other materials (adhesion). Capillary water may be defined as water moving up through the soil due to several factors related to the physical properties and changes in water, including adhesion, cohesion, and evaporation at the surface of the soil. Other kinds of soil water, or groundwater, near the ground surface include drainage water, or water moving down through the soil, and combined water, or water chemically and or physically united with soil materials. The soil particle size and the types of material making up the soil and the unconsolidated materials below the soil are important in relation to groundwater. The nature of the material above an aquifer and the distance of the water table from the surface determine the rate of capillarity. Additional variables important in the capillary process are porosity and permeability.

Procedure:
( Note: Cylinders may be marked in centimeter intervals ahead of time for comparing the rate of capillarity.)

1. Use a rubber band to secure a piece of nylon stocking material to one end of each of the three cylinders.
2. Label each of the three cylinders A, B, and C.
3. Fill each cylinder with an equal volume of unpacked dry soil material: A-clay, B-sand, C-gravel.
4. Stand each cylinder in a rectangular pan (aquarium gravel may be added to the bottom of the pan to support the three cylinders), stocking end down.
5. When ready to begin, pour enough water into the rectangular pan to cover the bottom of the cylinder.
6. Observe the characteristics of each of the three types of materials and complete the "Capillary Action" activity sheet.
7. Discuss capillarity and predict the rate of capillary action for each of the materials. Will the water rise all the way to the top in all three cylinders?
8. Compare and discuss group results. Is there a consistent pattern?
9. What variables exist in this experiment? (particle size, density, mineral type, compaction, water temperature, etc.)
   Does a relationship exist between particle size and the rate of capillary action?
   Does a relationship exist between particle type and the rate of capillary action?
   What relationships exist between capillary action and groundwater?

Extensions:

1. Try other materials, including humus and mixed soils.
2. Try a longer column of soil. Will the water eventually reach the top of the cylinder?
3. Try damp soil with a measured amount of water in the rectangular pan. Compare the rate of capillary action in damp soil to the results using dry soil.
4. Observe lateral movement of water. How do materials compare for lateral groundwater movement?
5. Set up experiments with compacted soil materials and compare to loosely packed materials.
6. Does the temperature of the water influence the rate of capillary action?

Student Activity Sheet
Capillary Action
Group name: Students' names
Setting up
Collect the materials needed for this experiment: clay, sand, gravel, three cylinders, a nylon stocking, a rubber band, a pan, a metric ruler, and a watch. Secure a piece of nylon over one end of each of the cylinders, label them A, B, and C, then fill each one with an equal volume of unpacked soil material.

Procedure
Predict: In which soil material does the water rise the highest after 60 minutes?
Predict: In which soil material does the water rise the fastest?
When ready to begin, pour enough water into the rectangular pan to cover the bottom.
Record the height of water in the cylinder at 10-minute intervals in the Capillary Table.

Data
Capillary Table

Results
Draw a line graph of the capillary of each soil material. Label the vertical axis "Height of water in centimeters" and the horizontal axis "Time in minutes."

Draw a bar graph of the overall height of the water after one hour. Label the vertical axis "Overall height after one hour (cm)" and the horizontal axis "Soil"

What relationship exists between soil particle size and the rate of capillary action?

Lesson 5
Retention of Water in Soil

Grades 6-12. Skills: observation, inference, prediction, communication, measurement, variable identification, variable control, computation, analysis, and experimentation. Duration: 45-60 minutes. Illinois State Goals in Science: Goals 1-I; 2-F; 3-B1 through B6; 4-A through J, L, M.

Objective:
Students will be able to measure the amounts of water retained in a column of soil. Students will compare at least three different types of earth materials (clay, sand, and gravel).

Materials Per Group:
Dry clay, dry sand, dry gravel, three open ended clear plastic cylinders* , a nylon stocking, a rubber band, a graduated beaker, a stand with a clamp to support each cylinder, and a "Retention of Water" activity sheet.
*Note: An acetate overhead transparency rolled into a cylinder and secured with a rubber band or 1- or 2- liter pop bottles with the ends cut off may be used in place of cylinders; the diameter may be reduced by cutting lengthwise and collapsing the size.

Background:
As water moves either down through the ground due to gravity or up through the soil due to capillarity, it chemically combines with or adheres to soil particles. Water adhering to soil particles fills the spaces between the materials. The dynamics of moving groundwater cause some of the water to remain trapped in the materials making up the soil. some materials will retain water better than others. This activity gives students an opportunity to compare the relative retention rate of different soil types.

Procedure:

1. Place the nylon stocking material over the bottom end of the cylinder. Secure the stocking to the cylinder with a rubber band.
2. Fill the transparent cylinder with a measured amount of soil (ex.: 100 ml); suspend the cylinder over the graduated beaker.
3. Slowly and carefully pour 100 ml of water into the cylinder.
4. Complete the "Retention of Water" activity sheet.
5. Compare group results and discuss: Is there a consistent pattern? What variables exist in this experiment ( particle size, density, mineral type, compaction, water temperature, etc)? What relationships exist between particle size and the rate of retention? What relationships exist between retention rate and groundwater?

Evaluation:
Each student activity sheet is designed to be used for evaluative purposes. Completion of the activity sheet is expected and accurate interpretation of the results indicate if the group comprehended the nature of the activity.

Extensions:

1. Try other materials, including humus and mixed soils.
2. Try a longer column of soil. Is there a relationship between the volume of soil and the amount of water retained?
3. Try damp soil with a measured amount of water. Compare the rate of retention in dry soil to damp soil.
4. Use results to calculate ratio of retained water to the volume of soil. Is there a relationship to soil mass? Or density?
5. Set up experiments with compacted soil materials and compare to loosely packed materials.
6. Experiment to discover if the temperature of the water influences the rate of retention.

Student Activity Sheet
Retention of Water
Group name: Students' names:
Setting Up
Collect the materials needed for this experiment: clay, sand, gravel, three cylinders, a nylon stocking, a rubber band, a graduated beaker, and a cylinder support. Secure a piece of nylon over one end of each cylinder, label them A, B, and C, then fill each with an equal volume of unpacked soil material.

Procedure
Predict how many milliliters of water each soil material will retain if 100 ml is poured and record your prediction in the Retention Table. Slowly and carefully pour 100 ml of water into the cylinder. Measure and record how many milliliters of water was retained by each soil. (Subtract the amount of water found in the beaker from the 100 ml poured.) Example: 100 ml of water poured -80 ml of water found in the beaker 20 ml of water retained in the soil Calculate and record the percentage of water retained, or the retention rate, by each soil material. (Divide the amount of water retained by the 100 ml originally poured.) Example: 20 ml of water retained x 100 = 20% retention rate 100 ml

Data
Retention Table

% Retention Rate = amount of water retained x 100 100 ml originally poured

Results
Draw a bar graph of the retention rate of each soil material. Label the vertical axis "% of water retained."

What do you conclude about the correlation between soil particle size and water retention rate?