Use a KWL graphic organizer and a visual PowerPoint presentation (see below) with photos of sources of water to teach your students the basics of the hydrosphere.

Printable: KWL Chart (pdf)

 

Students will be able to tell where water is found on Earth as well as in what amounts; tell what form of water is most abundant.

1. Begin by asking your students where and what forms you can find water on Earth and in it’s atmosphere. Give them a visual reference by recording their answers using a KWL charting format. They may not get all of the water forms, but you’re going to add them each as you cover them, so try not to give them away. You’ll then ask them what they want to know about water on earth.

2. Explain that the hydrosphere is all the water on, under, or near the Earth (meaning in the atmosphere). It can be found in all states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Use a PowerPoint presentation to show images of lakes, rivers, oceans, glaciers, ice caps, and even moisture in the air (see the resources below for sources of good images). Once the students make a connection with a picture and name it, add the water forms to the KWL chart.

3. Extend your explanation to include that over 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. A visual of the Earth like the one below will give students a better idea of what 70% is.

 

4. At this point, you can begin to break it down even further: 97% of the Earth’s surface is covered with sea water and just 3% is fresh water. It is important to point out that a little less than 2% of our fresh water supply is solid and contained in ice caps and glaciers. Include also that 0.5% is ground water and only 0.2% is found above ground in lakes, rivers, and streams! With each explanation, provide a visual. For example, the photo below is perfect for showing fresh water contained in ice.

CC License Source

5. Continue to update your KWL chart throughout the lesson by adding to the L column (what they learned). Start with what they knew before you began. Continue on to what they wanted to know, and follow up with what the have learned. Once their KWL chart is completed, leave it on the wall for your students to use as a reference for further work.

Introducing the Hydrosphere View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: teachers classroom)

• Take a quiz: Geography4Kids has section on the hydrosphere and a quiz that your students can take after they have looked at the site.
• Learn more about water on earth: The USGS has a pretty comprehensive site for schools.
• Learn about the water cycle - The water cycle is the journey water takes as it travels from land and water to the sky and back again. ZoomSchool has several resources for learning about the water cycle.
• Find out how much water you use each day: Also from the USGS, this questionnaire asks several questions about your water use habits and then gives you an estimate of how many gallons you use per day.
• Check out some amazing water facts: Ever wonder what the longest river in the world is? Or the highest waterfall? How about the area of the Pacific Ocean? You can learn these amazing facts and more at Windows to the Universe.

Photos like the ones above can be found at:

• NASA Images - Type Blue Marble in the search box to get pictures of the Earth from space. All images are copyright free.
• Flickr - Do a Creative Commons search for glacier, river, lake, or any other form of water and you'll find hundreds of copyright free images to use.