Introduction

In the previous lesson, you learned how water is distributed to all parts of the environment, where water is located, and how much water is available for human consumption. The same water that was on Earth in the beginning is the same water that is on Earth today. The water is just recycled and redistributed throughout the environment. It is recommended that humans drink about eight eight-ounce glasses of water a day, which is roughly half a gallon. However, the water that we drink cannot be any type of water; it has to be freshwater.

Freshwater sources provide humans and other organisms with the water needed to maintain life functions. Surface water, such as lakes, rives, streams, and ponds, and groundwater water found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand, and rock are the two main sources of freshwater that humans use in everyday life.

Humans depend on these sources for

  • drinking,
  • household cleaning,
  • watering lawns,
  • filling swmming pools, and
  • cooking, just to name a few.

Lesson Objectives

Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to...

  • Identify sources of drinking water.
  • Identify major contaminants to water supplies.
  • Identify and distinguish between point sources and non-point sources of water pollution.

Enduring Understanding:

  • Due to the limited amount of freshwater on Earth, humans must protect this valuable commodity by keeping the sources clean and available.

The above objectives correspond with the Alabama Course of Study: Environmental Science Objectives: 7, 10, and 15

This lesson incorporates the following Literacy Standards: R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R10, W1, W2, W3, W4, W7, W8, W9, and W10

 

 

    Next Page