Subject:
Geography/Social Studies
Grade Level:
Can be used throughout high school, whenever learning about sustainable water resources.
Objective:
To raise student awareness of the amount of water they use on a daily basis.
Time needed:
10-20 minutes to explain the project to the class. One week for data collection by students (at home). One to four lessons for applying results, depending on how much you wish to use the results.
Materials:
Data collection chart (see below): photocopy for each student
Water Consumption table (see below)
Graph paper for results charts
Instructions:
Ask students to estimate how much water they use each day. Have them create a list of the different ways in which they use water. Distribute the "Data Collection" charts. Ask students to complete the "Number of Times Used" section of the chart for the next seven days, and to bring the completed chart in to class. Have the students collect data for only themselves, or for their entire household. The entire household is more effective, especially since that includes most of the high water-use appliances like the dishwasher, washing machine, etc.
Reporting on the project:
Once students bring in their completed tables, put the figures from the "Water Consumption Table" below up on the board for the entire class to see. Ask students to calculate their total water-use for each activity, and overall, for the entire week. Once they have these figures, a number of activities can be performed.
