Primary - City of Gold CoastActivity sheet 15 School water audit-water bills Activity sheet 16 Determining ﬂ ow rates Activity sheet 17 ... CUT CUT Make your water mark! – Activity

PrimaryActivity sheets

Working for our future – today

PrimaryActivity sheets

Activity sheet 1

The water cycle

Activity sheet 2

Weather chart symbols

Activity sheet 3

Water bingo

Activity sheet 4

Water use icons

Activity sheet 5

Water samples

Activity sheet 6

School watersaver stickers

Activity sheet 7

How much water do you use?

Activity sheet 8

Simple ways to reduce water use at school

Activity sheet 9

Making a rain gauge

Activity sheet 10

Reading a water meter

Activity sheet 11

What is a catchment

Activity sheet 12

Making a model catchment

Activity sheet 13

Water usage chart at home

Activity sheet 14

Water meter data sheet

Activity sheet 15

School water audit-water bills

Activity sheet 16

Determining fl ow rates

Activity sheet 17

Developing a school water conservation plan

Student self evaluation sheet 1

Student self evaluation sheet 2

Make your water mark! – Activity sheets

Information for teachers

Primary school kit

Activity sheet 1The water cycle

The components of this activity sheet can be used to show the water cycle. Either enlarge and cut out the pieces to show the water cycle, or copy the sheet and ask students to cut out, colour and arrange. Make or draw arrows.

The pieces represent the major components of the water cycle:



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Activity sheet 2Weather chart symbols

Task:

Copy and colour these symbols and use them to plot weather conditions throughout the day (morning and afternoon) over a set period.



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Task:

Photocopy the images on this sheet and cut out to make student bingo cards with a minimum of three pictures.

Activity sheet 3Water bingo



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Task:

Photocopy the icons and use to record the number of times students use water for various tasks.

Activity sheet 4Water use icons



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Task:

Components: Prepare the following water samples

1.Mix six teaspoons of salt with two litres of water

2.Mix six teaspoons of sugar with two litres of water

3.Two litres of carbonated water (mineral or soda)

4.Two litres of rainwater – if available (boil and cool before sampling)

5.Two litres of tap water

6.Two litres of warm tap water

7.Ice cubes

Predict which sample wil taste best: Ask the students to taste each sample and describe the taste in one or two words.

Activity sheet 5Water samples

Preperation

● You may wish to prepare the samples prior to the lesson. Alternatively engage the students in the preparation of the samples asking them to measure ingredients and volumes of water.

● Adding ingredients to water samples incrementally will also allow students to predict changes in water taste and enable more detailed descriptions of their observations.

Note:



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Salt water:

Carbonated water:

Rainwater:

Tap water:

Warm tap water:

Ice cubes:

Discuss with the students what water is best to drink and why:

Water samples


Primary - Information for teachers

Task: Use these stickers to discuss with students how they can save water. Display in an appropriate location.

Activity sheet 6School watersaver stickers

goldcoastcity.com.au

Use the half flush for number one’s

Use the half flush for number one’s


Drink lots of water


Turn off the tap


Water with a watering

can



Primary school kit

Primary activity sheets

Activity sheet 7How much water do you use?

Tick a box whenever someone in your house uses water. Add up each row and then calculate how much water was used.

ActivityAverage amount

usedMe Total

Shower9 litres per

minute

Bath 120 litres

Toile

t Half 4.5 litres

Full 9 litres

Hand wash dishes

9 litres

Dishwasher 20 litres

Washing machine

125 litres

Cleaning teeth 3 litres

Bucket for garden

9 litres

Grand total

How many litres did your family use?

How could you use less water?



Primary school kit

Activity sheet 8Simple ways to reduce water use at school

There are many ways that you can save water at school, some are very simple and can be implemented straight away others require assistance from other people in the school.

This sheet lists actions under three categories which together are called TAP: Tell; Act and Plan

Mulching

Mulching is a proven way to reduce the amount of water needed to grow plants. Mulch acts like a big sun hat, keeping the garden bed cool and reducing evaporation. Mulch also helps to provide food and habitat for worms and benefi cial microorganisms.

Mulch steps

1. Break up the soil and water the area well; this is also a great time to add compost or fertiliser.

2. Spread the mulch 50 – 100mm thick; keep a space around the trunks and stems of plants.

3. Reapply mulch at least once per year.

What type of mulch?

Lucerne/pea straw: decomposes quickly and provides excellent nutrients for plants.

Newspaper: shredded newspaper is a cheap mulch alternative; works best when covered with a fi nal layer of straw or chip.

Woodchip; pine bark: long lasting and less likely to be blown off the bed; always fertilise before application as it can deplete nitrogen levels in the soil.

This sheet lists actions under 3 categories which together are called TAP: Tell; Act and Plan

Tell:

making sure everyone in the school knows how to save water is very important.

● Make some signs with water conservation messages to place in toilets and near bubblers. Consider the key message and make sure it is clearly shown either in words or pictures.

● Announcing your water conservation plan at a school assembly is a great way to get everyone thinking about saving water – why not act out some water saving actions.

● Form a water saver group that keeps everyone informed about new ways to save water.

Act:

simple actions to save water

● Mulching garden beds (see below).

● Bringing a refi llable water bottle to school – carefully fi lling it from the bubblers or tap.

● Report and leaking taps or dripping bubblers to a teacher.

● Cleaning paintbrushes by wiping excess paint onto newspaper and then rinsing brushes in a bucket of water. Pour the water on the garden, not down the drain.

● Get a plug for your classroom sink and use it.

● Ask the grounds person to only use sprinklers or water plants in the morning – not in the middle of the day.

Plan:

these water conservation actions may require some planning, expert assistance or money

● Rainwater tanks - can the school use rainwater tanks for watering plants or cleaning?

● Aerators - ask about installing aerators on taps – they can reduce water use by up to a half.

● Reduce lawn areas at school; or replant with water saving grasses.

● Investigate planting local natives, or other species that can grow with less water.

TAP actions:



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Activity sheet 9Making a rain gauge

Rainfall can be measured by height in centimetres using a rain gauge. You can make your own rain gauge from a two litre plastic soft drink bottle by following the following steps:

1. Remove the lid from an empty two litre plastic soft drink bottle.

2. Cut the top off the bottle at the point where the straight sides of the bottle start to curve.

3. Turn the top part of the bottle upside down and lower into the bottom part of the bottle.

4. Attach this cut off piece to the top of the bottom half of the bottle with sticky tape or electrical tape.

5. With a permanent pen and a ruler, mark a scale in centimetres from the point where the bottom of the bottle straightens (i.e. start from 0cm at this point).

6. Fill the bottle up to the 0cm mark with sand and saturate it with water. Your rain gauge can now be placed outside in an open area. It is a good idea to attach it fi rmly to a fence or post.

CUTCUT



Primary school kit

Primary activity sheets

Activity sheet 10Reading a water meter

Reading a water meter is important if you want to save water at your school. At fi rst glance the numbers displayed on a water meter can appear confusing. However, they are generally easy to read.

Important safety note: Reading water meters

Please exercise caution when removing water meter covers. They are homes for spiders and sometimes snakes. Ensure gloves are used by anyone involved in meter reading. Adult supervision is advised.

Record your readings on Activity sheet 14 – Water meter data sheet.

This is your school's daily water usage.

How to read your water meter

Numbers only meter

Day one, record all numbers that you see here. Note the time of day.

Day two, repeat step 1. Conduct this reading at the same time as you did reading on day one.

Subtract the numbers recorded on day one from day two. This is your household’s daily water usage.

Please note, if there are four red digits on the water meter, the last digit (on the far right) is a tenth of a litre. In these instances, do not record the last red digit.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ L

orDay one, record all numbers that you see here. Secondly, record numbers found here. Record the first three red dial numbers in a clockwise direction, that is, right to left. Note the time of day.Both steps should provide you with a number similar to the diagram example 00030509.

1

Day two, repeat step one. Conduct this reading at the same time as you did reading on day one.

2

3 Subtract the numbers recorded on day one from day two. This is your household’s daily water usage.Numbers and clock meter

0 123

45678

9

0 123

45678

90 1

23

45678

9

0 123

45678

9

1

2

3

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ L __ __ __ __ __ __ __ L

Day two: At the same time as day one, record numbers from your water meter as per instructions above.

Subtract the number found on day one from the number found in day two.

Day one: Record numbers from your water meter as per instructions above.

Your water meter is normally located at the front of your property.

Black numbers represent kilolitres and are used for billing.

The red numbers on your water meter represent litres. To calculateyour daily water use, please follow the instructions below.



Primary school kit

Activity sheet 11What is a catchment



Primary school kit

The water on Planet Earth is recycled over and over again. This process is called the water cycle. As water travels through the cycle, it goes through a number of processes, changing from a gas (water vapour) to clouds, and fi nally, to rain, hail or snow. As we need water to survive, we must trap some of this water and deliver it to our houses. Design your catchment so you can trap water and pipe it to the houses.

Build a model of a catchment. You can use the diagram provided overleaf to help you.

You will need to include:

● A dam to collect water and pipes to transport water.

● Different types of land use (forests, farms etc).

● Houses or a city.

● Rivers and the ocean.

The elements of your catchment could be represented as follows:

Activity sheet 12Making a model catchment

Dam Cling wrap

Pipes Straws

Forests Small branches

Rivers and oceans Blue cloth

Farms Green cloth

Houses Building blocks

Catchment Feature Material



Primary school kit

How did you choose the spot to put your dam in?

When it rains (use a spray bottle of water) where does the water fl ow to? Why?

Spray water from the spray bottle onto a sandy slope of your catchment. What happens?

Now place some grass clippings on the sandy slope and spray water on them. What happens?

Why is it important to grow trees alongside dams and rivers to keep livestock away?

How does water from the ocean get into your dam?

Activity sheet 12 - Making a model catchment



Activity sheet 13Water usage chart at home

Record each time someone in your house uses water.Add up each row and calculate the volume of water used.

ActivityAverage

amount usedDay one Day two Total

Shower8 to 20 litres per minute

Bath 120 litres

Toile

t Half 4.5 litres

Full 9 litres

Wash hands/face

4 litres

Hand wash dishes

9 litres

Dishwasher 20 litres per cycle

Was

hin

gm

ach

ine Top

loader155 litres

Front loader

100 litres

Cooking 10 litres

Cleaning teeth 1 to 5 litres

Bucket for garden

9 litres

Car wash 200 litres

Other ___litres

Grand total



Primary school kit

How many litres did your family use on day one?

How many litres did your family use on day two?

How many litres did your family use over the two days?

How could your family use less water?

Activity sheet 13 - Water usage chart at home



Activity sheet 14Water meter data sheet

This sheet allows you to record daily water use in your school for a period of one week and to calculate the average daily water use for each person in the school.

DateTime (am)

Meter reading

(kilolitres)Time (pm)

Meter reading

(kilolitres)

Total daily use (kilolitres)

No. of students No. of staff TotalAverage daily use per person

Important safety note: Reading water meters

Please exercise caution when removing water meter covers.They are homes for spiders and sometimes snakes. Ensure gloves are used by anyone involved in meter reading. Adult supervision is advised.



Primary school kit

Activity sheet 15 School water audit-water bills

Note: This activity will require the use of previous water bills.

Year Billing dateNumber of kilolitres

Number of daysAverage water usage per day

Year one

Year two

Year three

Total



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Weekdays:

Wee

k

Dat

e

Tim

e (a

m) Meter

reading (litres) Ti

me

(pm

) Meter reading (litres)

Total daily use

(litres)

Total weekly

use (litres)

On

eTw

o

Total weekday water

usage (litres)

Activity sheet 15 - School water audit-water bills



WeekFriday afternoon

meter reading (litres)

Monday morning meter reading

(litres)

Total weekend water usage

(litres)

One

Two

Total weekend water

usage (kilolitres)

Weekends:

Total weekday use Total weekend use Total week use

Average daily use:

No. students No. staff Total persons

Number of people:

Litres

Average daily use per capita

Average daily use per capita:




Area Water outlet No. outlets

Volume of water

collected in 10 seconds

(litres)

Flow rate (litres/

minute)

No. outlets with leaks

School water audit – Outside water use




Area Water outlet No. outlets

Volume of water

collected in 10 seconds

(litres)

Flow rate (litres/

minute)

No. outlets with leaks

School water audit – Inside water use




Activity sheet 16Determining fl ow rates

Flow rates vary from tap to tap. Knowing the fl ow rates of taps, sprinklers and bubblers will allow you to more accurately determine water usage.

Determining the fl ow rate is simple. Place a container(a large measuring jug is perfect) under a tap or wateroutlet and turn on the tap for ten seconds. Measure theamount of water and multiply by six to convert to litresper minute.

When you have fi nished, don’t waste the water – pour it on a garden or lawn

Water outletVolume collected

in ten seconds Flow rate per minute

Tap in boys’ toilets 0.5 litres 3 litres



Primary school kit

Activity sheet 17Developing a school water conservation plan

Each school’s water conservation action plan will be different due to a range of factors including the size and age of the school, number of students and available budget.

Regardless of these differences each school will need to follow a similar process if it is to improve water conservation. This activity sheet provides a fl ow diagram to help you identify the various stages. It also provides ideas for potential water conservation strategies.

Baseline data Check the water bills and read the meters for four weeks. Talk to the groundsperson. Monitor the bubblers. Are we using water sensibly?

Setting a target Be realistic. Select an area of the school where conservation is possible. If your audit revealed that each member of the school uses 60 litres of water per day, try reducing that to 50 litres.

Action plan How do we meet our target? Do we have the money to install water saving technology? How can we change people’s behaviours and attitudes? Who are our target audiences? Can the Watersaver program help us?

Implementation Who does what? Select people to undertake the audit, survey staff and students, design posters, develop logos and other information. Liaise with the principal and other members of the school community.

Evaluation How can we tell if our plan is working? What can we do better? Perform follow up audits. Undertake an observational survey.

Evaluation Baseline data Setting a target

Action planImplementation



Primary school kit

Self evaluationsheet 1

Name

Class Date

1. Write one sentence about freshwater.

2. Write one sentence about where freshwater comes from.

3. Write one sentence about rainwater tanks.

4. Write two ways you can help save water.

5. Colour in the number of faces to show how well you worked on this activity.

6. Write two reasons why you coloured that number of faces.

Check your answers on this sheet to ensure you have completed every question. When complete, hand this sheet to your teacher.

a)

a)

b)

b)



Primary school kit

Self evaluationsheet 2

1. What did I do well in this activity?

2. What could I do better next time?

3. What part of the activity did I fi nd interesting?

4. What did I fi nd was the most diffi cult part of the activity?

5. Self assess my work on this scale. Tick my mark out of 10.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6. Write three reasons why I gave myself that mark.

7. In my future learning I think I should try harder to: (please tick)

• Listen more carefully

• Communicate more clearly

• Participate in all tasks

• Contribute to class and group discussions

• Concentrate for longer periods

• Be polite to other students and my teacher

• Develop my abilities as a learner

Source: Marsh, C.J. (2005). Teaching Studies of Society and Environment. French's Forest, Pearson Education

Name

Class Date

a)

b)

c)



Primary school kit

Documents

Primary - City of Gold CoastActivity sheet 15 School water audit-water bills Activity sheet 16 Determining ﬂ ow rates Activity sheet 17 ... CUT CUT Make your water mark! – Activity