Grade 8 3.3:
Saving Water: What A Difference It Makes!
Timing:
20-30 minutes
Activity
type: Game
Description:
This
fun game is designed to increase student awareness of the
impact of water conservation, even on a small scale, by comparing
efficient and wasteful water-use habits.
Label 2 buckets with "Colossal Water
Consumers" and the 2 others "Smart Water Spenders".
Out of each pair, designate one bucket as "Clean Water Supply"
and the other as "Water Spent".
Fill one of each pair of buckets with 6 L
of water and place them at one end of the classroom on a table
or on the floor. Place a container of tickets
at an equal distance between the two pairs (equally accessible
by both teams).
Divide the class into two teams, and give
each team a measuring cup; indicate to them that they will be
participating in a relay race that will show both efficient and
non-efficient uses of water.
Instructions: One team member from each team
must move up to the ticket basket, take a ticket, and follow the
instructions. They will go to either the Colossal Water Consumers,
or the Smart Water Spenders buckets and with their measuring cup,
withdraw the amount of water indicated on their ticket from the
Clean Water Supply bucket, and pour it into the Water Spent bucket.
They must return to tag the next member in their team, pass on
the measuring cup and have a seat for the game to continue. The
team to go through all their water uses (tickets) wins.
Compare the amount of water spent and conserved
in the Water Conservers and the Water Wasters buckets by having
students either measure water height (using the metre sticks)
or water volume. Students can create a chart or graph to visually
compare the various types of water use between the Colossal Consumers
and the Smart Spenders (using the information on the water tickets).
Discuss the differences, and the types of
water conservation tips and techniques that were indicated during
the game (plus any others that the students may think of).
Extension:
Students can revisit their water log chart. Ask
them to analyze their own water use for wasteful water spending,
and to write up ways in which they may be able to use water more
efficiently in their own lives.
Assessment/Evaluation:
Observation checklists for participation, team
work and communication skills.
