Introduction 

Help!  Ponchatoula is growing so fast that we are using more water than we can store.  Just recently, we had to install another water tower.  How can we stop that from happening again?  We need your help in teaching the citizens of Ponchatoula to take care of this important resource.  Do you feel up to the job?  I sure hope so.  Our town is depending on you!
 
 

Every day the citizens of Ponchatoula are using our precious resource, water, in unwise ways simply because they don't know any better. It is our mission to teach them ways to conserve water and to tell them what an important role water plays in their lives.  Hopefully, they will learn this so that the small amount of drinking water we have left will be around for a very long time.

But first, we have a lot of work to do.  We will have to become "water experts" ourselves before we can be an influence on others.  Your task is to discover as much about water as you can by taking a trip on the Internet.  Don't forget, to take along your travel journal to record all of the wonderful things you learn about H2O on your trip.  What!  You don't know what H2O is?  Well, you're soon to find out!  Oh, and don't forget to pack your umbrella, galoshes, and raincoat!  It's sure to be a wet trip!

During your trip, you will complete the following tasks:

1.  Discover how important water is to living things.

2.  Research different stages in the water cycle including :   precipitation,evaporation, and condensation.

3.  Make a chart showing how water gets to the homes and buildings in our town.

4.   Discover what percent of the earth's water is available to us for our daily water supply needs.

5.  Record your findings in your travel journal.

6.  Write and illustrate a story about yourself as a water drop and tell about the incredible journey you have been on.

7.  Inform members of our community about the need for water conservation through our grocery bag illustrations and slogans.

8. Write and illustrate one water fact to add to a class book about water.

Your journey in this WebQuest will take three steps.  They are: Research, Community Involvement, and Creating a Class "Water Book".  Please read through all of the instructions very carefully and ask your teacher if you have any questions.

Step 1:  Research

1.  First of all, see how much you know about water by taking a quiz at this site.  How did you do?  What is water?  What purpose does water have on this earth?  To answer these questions, visit the What is Water website and learn about water at this  place.  In your travel journal, draw a picture of a water molecule and label its parts.  Write and illustrate a story that illustrates how important water is to living things.

2.  Now that you know what water is, you need to figure out how water got started on this incredible journey.  To begin, travel to this website to watch a movie about the water cycle.  Visit here to find a really cool experiment that you and your teacher can do that shows how the water cycle works. Print out the activity at this site to test your knowledge about the water cycle.  In your travel journal, write a creative story about yourself as a water drop.  Write about the places that you have been and the places that you are going to.  Make sure you include the words evaporation, condensation, and precipitation in your story.

3. Now that you know how the water cycle works, you need to find out how water gets to your home. First, meet a very special water drop named Willy Wetsworth at the "Excuse Me, Is this the Way to the Drainpipe?" site.  Write an entry in your travel journal about what you have learned.  Create a chart showing the steps involved in getting the water to your house.

4.  Okay, you are on your way to becoming an expert!  But now you need to learn just how much water on the earth is fit to drink.  Click here to find an experiment that you can do in class that will show you.  Write down in your journal what you have learned.

5.  You're almost through!  Now that you know just how much fresh water is left on the earth, can you find a way that will help you to conserve water in your home?  Visit hereand write down in your journal some of the ways you are going to try to conserve water at home.

Step 2:  Community Involvement

 Now that you are a water conservationist, how about trying to inform the members of your community about ways that they ,too, can conserve that precious water. Many adults do not know the knowledge that you now know.  Click here to find out about a special project that we can do in our own hometown to let them know.

Step 3:  Create a Class "Water Book"

 Last stop!  Are you throughly drenched with all of this knowledge about water?  Visit the Water Center Trivia website and pick one fact to copy, print and illustrate about for a class book about water.
 

Evaluation 

This project will be graded as follows:

Student has kept a detailed travel journal.  All definitions, explanations, and diagrams requested in Step 1 - Research are present in the journal.  30 Points

Student has used proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation throughout the travel journal.  20 Points

Student participated in the water cycle experiment.  Student was enthusiastic and helpful during all parts of the experiment.  20 Points

Student's grocery bag is illustrated and displays at least one sentence sharing how we can conserve water.  10 Points

Student's creative story demonstrates knowledge of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.  Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are correct. 20 Points
 
 

Congratulations!  You have taken the journey and learned all about the power of water.  You now know about the water cycle, and what the words evaporation, condensation, and precipitation mean.  You have learned how water gets to your home and ways you can conserve water in your home.  You have even illustrated a grocery bag that will be used in your local grocery store to educate the members of your community about water conservation and you have helped to create a class book that will be used to educate visitors to our classroom about the importance of water. 

I am proud of you!  I now declare you an official "Water Expert"!  Because of your efforts, Ponchatoula may never have to build another water tower.  You can learn more about water by visiting the web sites I have listed in the Credits & References section of this page.  You can also visit your local and school library for books about water.  It is my hope that your "thirst" for knowledge will never "evaporate"!

Images supplied by the websites listed below.

Outline/Format supplied by:
http://www.manteno.k12.il.us/webquest/elementary/elementary.htm

Links for Water Unit:
http://www.nyu.edu/pages/mathmol/textbook/whatiswater.html
http://www.brainpop.com/
http://www.brainpop.com/science/ecology/watercycle/index.asp
http://www.epa.gov/region01/students/pdfs/ww_drain.pdf
http://www.epa.gov/region01/students/pdfs/ww_intro.pdf
http://www.earthdaybags.org/index.htm
http://ianrwww.unl.edu/ianr/waterctr/wctriv.html
http://www.urich.edu/~ed344/webunits/water/home.htm
http://www.richmond.edu/~ed344/powerpoint/water.ppt
file:///C:/WINDOWS/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.IE5/QRAK34NO/wcycle%5B1%5D.ppt#256,1,The Water Cycle