Here is the LAST resources post for my series of resources for the Grade 8 Science curriculum. With school starting right around the corner, I hope you can find these resources useful! If you missed my posts for the first three units of study, visit the following posts:
I really enjoyed planning out this unit for two reasons: I have a Geography minor and our province has experienced drastic flooding over the past few years. I love teaching about subjects that have direct ties to our community and have planned a few neat field trips for this unit.
Intro to Water Systems
Enduring Understanding: The global water system is essential for all life on Earth; from plant and animal life to geography and human relations.
8-4-01 Use appropriate vocabulary related to their investigations of water
systems.
Include: heat capacity, fresh water, salt water, convection, Coriolis effect,
global water cycle, drainage system, watershed, continental divide,
erosion, deposition, flow rate, tides, terms related to water treatment.
8-4-02 Demonstrate that water, as compared to other substances, has a high heat
capacity and is able to dissolve a wide variety of solutes.
8-4-03 Compare and contrast characteristics and properties of fresh water and salt
water.
8-4-04 Identify factors that work individuals or in combination to affect ocean
currents.
Include: convection, Coriolis effect, prevailing winds, position of
continents.
8-4-05 Describe how the heat capacity of large bodies of water and the movement
of ocean currents influence regional climates.
8-4-06 Describe the components of the global water cycle and explain how it
works.
Drainage Systems, Erosion & Deposition
Enduring Understanding: The movement of water across the face of the Earth affects the respective geography.
8-4-07 Describe features of the North American drainage system.
Include: local and regional watersheds, direction of water flow,
continental divide.
8-4-08 Describe how erosion and deposition are influenced by the flow rate of a
stream or river, and contrast the related characteristics of young and
mature streams.
8-4-09 Describe how wave action and ice movement in large bodies of water
cause erosion and deposition.
8-4-10 Explain how tides are caused and describe their effects on shorelines.
8-4-11 Describe examples of human interventions to prevent riverbank or coastal
erosion.
8-4-12 Identify factors that can cause flooding either individually or in
combination.
8-4-13 Provide examples of the way in which technology is used to contain or
prevent damage due to flooding, and discuss related positive and negative
impacts.
Water Treatment
Enduring Understanding: Knowledge and understanding of the global water system has improved water treatment, lessened pollution, and affected human standard of life.
8-4-14 Identify sources of drinking water and describe methods for obtaining
water in areas where supply is limited.
8-4-15 Explain how and why water may need to be treated for use by humans.
Include: filtration, settling, chlorination, fluoridation.
8-4-16 Compare the waste-water disposal system within their communities to one
used elsewhere.
Include: process involved, environmental impact, cost.
8-4-17 Identify substances that may pollute water, related environmental and
societal impacts of pollution, and ways to reduce or eliminate effects of
pollution.
8-4-18 Identify environmental, social, and economic factors that should be
considered in the management of water resources.
8-4-19 Use the design process to develop a system to solve a water-related
problem.
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In addition to hard-copy resources I have available in the school and from colleagues, I also started to organize some online resources to supplement our classroom activities. Here are the resources I found, organized by the themes I stated above. For each one I've included the title, a very brief point about what it includes, and the link.
Intro to Water Systems
Water Cycle Song
- Musical Review Option
- Sang to Give Me Everything Tonight: Pitbull
Imagine All The Water
- Good interactive showing how much water is used in different everyday items
Tides Song
- Musical Review Option
- Sang to The Other Side: Jason Derulo
Tides & Sea Levels
- Interactive, wave levels, water changes, etc
Ocean Currents Song
- Musical Review Option
- Sang to Kiss You: One Direction
Groundwater Interactive
- Good for large group SMART Board activity
- Compares groundwater in wet and dry periods
- Good before moving into Floods discussion
Water Cycle Interactive
- Good questions and images
- Good for large group SMART Board activity
- Don’t like the voice over
Drainage Systems, Erosion & Deposition
Floods Song
- Musical Review Option
- Sang to So Good: B.o.B
Physical Geography - Running Water: How it Erodes & Deposits
- Documentary piece, discusses different types of flow
- 3 mins
Rain and Weathering Interactive
- Good for a large-group SMART Board activity
Manitoba Flooding CBC News Video
- Breaching the Portage la Prairie dike
- 5 mins
Brandon Flooding Video
- Good video and commentary
- Some inappropriate language, use discretion
- 9 mins
Flooding Interactive
- Good for a large-group SMART Board activity
Sheppard Software Canadian Games
- Games about Canada’s rivers, lakes, and oceans
- Good for if students are done early
Manitoba Flood Facts
- Fact sheet and bar graph of average vs. flood levels
Water Treatment
Water Changes Everything
- Video on the effects clean water has on communities and standard of living
- 3 mins
Drinking From The Sea: Desalination
- 2 min video explain desalination
World Water Day Image Gallery
- Images from around the world
- Good to get students thinking or to add into PowerPoint presentations
Downloadable Information Sheets
- Features information on various countries in need of clean water resources
- Features information on various water related issues like sanitation, poverty, advocacy
Simple Solution for Clean Water
- Water Treatment technology from University of Alberta
- 3 mins
Safe Drinking Water Atlas
- See water issues around the world
- Flash interactive
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I hope you find these resources as awesome as I do!
If there is something you think I should add to my list let me know, I'd love to hear about the awesome things you are using with your class :)
Labels: ed resources, grade 8 science