Wanted: A Well

SCIENCE TIME!!! Our science unit this month is about natural disasters. I introduced the unit using a Mystery Science lesson about where we find our drinking water. We discussed lakes, ponds, and aquifers, because the majority of Earth's water comes from the oceans - which are saltwater. Here are a few photos and quotes from our very own class!

After graphing all of Earth's water using a grid of the globe, we broke into groups to have discussions about the best type of place to build a well based on location, soil type, plant type, and elevation.

You can ask your child which lettered area would be best to dig a well based on the soil (if you can read the photo), and they should be able to tell you whether it is safe to drink water from that soil or if it would be better to dig elsewhere!

I've asked some students to summarize the big takeaways from this lesson, and here's what they said:

"Most of the Earth's water is actually salt water." -Fatima

"We can't really drink salt water, well we can but it won't be fresh and good for us. So we get our water from underground or from lakes, because those are fresh water." -Adrian

"Water underground is called an aquifer. This is how we dig wells. You dig a big hole and put metal around it." -Alexander

"To dig a well you have to dig deeper and deeper until you find the water." -Fernando

GREAT JOB, CLASS!