Lesson 3: Water in North Carolina

Author Name: Carissa

Grade Level: 2-4
Subject Area(s): social studies
Key Concepts: water, environment, human interaction, technology, location

Guiding Questions:
What is surface water and groundwater? Which does North Carolina mostly use?
What factors can make water unsafe to consume?
What are the effects of water pollution on humans, other animals and ecosystems?
How does the environment react to pollution?
How does a natural crisis determine the impact of human and environmental reactions?

Academic Standards:
2nd Grade
2.G.1- Use geographic representations, terms, and technology to process
information from a spatial perspective
2.G.2- Understand the effects of humans interacting with their environment
3rd Grade
3.G.1- Understand the Earths patterns by using the 5 themes of geography
(location, place, human environment interaction, movement, and regions)
4th Grade
4.G.1- Understand how human, environmental, and technological factors affect
the growth and development of North Carolina

Lesson Summary:
In this lesson, the teacher will show images of polluted water in North Carolina and engage the
students in the visible thinking routine Think, Puzzle, Explore. The teacher then generates
conversation on the students thoughts and questions; responses are recorded. Then, the students
talk about what they want to explore on this topic. Next, the teacher discusses the history of the
North Carolina water system, and whether they receive water from the surface, private and
public companies, or groundwater. Students will then be shown two videos from Chapel Hill to
demonstrate how close a water crisis can occur to them. The teacher will discuss the videos and
give examples of other cases that have been causing our water in North Carolina to become
unsafe (hog farming, coal ash). Following the discussion, the teacher will model the Headlines
thinking routine with the class based on what they viewed. Students will then come up with titles
that sum up the topic and write 3-5 sentences for the into of their article. The students will share
what they have created and the activity will be collected.
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
Identify water issues in order to understand that a water crisis can occur in the state of
North Carolina.
Visualize the effects on the environment in order to understand that modern day
technological systems can malfunction.
Identify the relationship between humans, the environment and technology in order to
understand that the interactions may either positively or negatively affect the growth and
development of a society.
Identify a natural crisis that has occurred in order to determine the impact of human and
and environmental reactions.

Assessment:
Headlines- review with students what headlines are and what they represent. Explain that
they state the main idea, or core, of the topic being discussed. Students will work
independently or in pairs to develop a headline they think best summarizes the topic.
Develop headline about a topic discussed
Write 3-5 sentences underneath to describe the headline
Whole-group class discussion and turn in work

Prerequisite Knowledge:
Water crisis (Lesson 1)
Water sources (sink, food, shower, hoses)
Pollution
Water systems
Headlines (newspaper, magazines)

Materials and Resources:

Water pollution images (Appendix A, B) --shown on screen
Video Chapel Hill declare state of emergency over water shortage? by CBS North
Carolina
Video Chapel Hill, Carrboro declare state of emergency over water shortage by CBS
North Carolina
Projector/ Smartboard
Paper --Think, Puzzle, Explore and Headlines
Markers/Pencils

Prior Preparation
 Have pictures of water pollution on screen
Have videos loaded for projection
Hand out sheets of paper labeled with Think, Puzzle, Explore (Appendix D)
Have Headlines sheet ready to hand out at the end (Appendix E)

Hook/Before:
1. Hand out papers that model Think, Puzzle, Explore. Show students pictures of polluted,
unsanitary water in North Carolina. (Appendix A)
2. Explain: There are many disasters that can occur for water to become unsafe to drink and
use. In some areas, this incidents occur frequently. Using the information we have
already learned about the global water crisis, answer the following questions:
a. What do you think you know about this topic?
b. What questions or puzzles do you have?
c. How can you explore this topic?
3. Have students work in small groups to answer the first two questions. After a 5-10
minute debrief, gather students thoughts and the teacher records on the board.
4. Have students work in the same small groups to answer the third question. Debrief and
record on the board.

Model/Guided Practice:
1. Ask students to explain where they obtain water (rivers, lakes, out of faucets). In detail
mention North Carolinas water facts
a. First public water system was in 1788 in Salem
b. Currently 6,151 systems throughout the state
i. Image on Appendix C
c. More than 50% of drinking water comes from groundwater
i. Water that is held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock
ii. North Carolina uses both groundwater and surface water
d. City limits get water from Cape Fear Public Utility Authority and outside uses
groundwater or private companies
2. Students will learn about one particular North Carolina water crisis case by watching a
news clip on Chapel Hills Water Shortage. (shows water main break & evacuation from
school)
3. Students will also watch another video on the Chapel Hill community going to stores in
need of water. (Supply is running low & will be out of water from OWASA for 2 days)
4. First, show students a water bottle of clean water and one of dirty water that represents
what will come out of their faucets if their towns water became contaminated. Also, state
that water can appear to be clean but contain unsafe contaminants, that they should not
drink water from unknown sources.
 a. Before playing the video, ask students to imagine themselves in a state emergency
i. Have them think about the questions
1. What do you see?
2. How do you feel?
3. Where is the first place you would go?
4. What would you do?
5. Play Chapel Hills Water Shortage.
6. Discuss as a class what surprised them in the video.
a. Explain: Natural crisis around the world can determine the impact of human and
environmental reactions
i. Water that comes in contact with too many chemicals or other
contaminants can cause humans and the environment to suffer. For
instance, humans would no longer be able to consume such water because
they would run the risk of getting sick or even dying. For example, they
can develop asthmatic symptoms. The environment is harmed in these
conditions as well, for instance groundwater depletion.
7. Play Chapel Hill, Carrboro declare state of emergency over water shortage and relate
back to being in a state of emergency. Discuss as a class what they could do to help.
8. Present the images of North Carolinas polluted water:
a. Point out images from the video clip and briefly state other incidents that have
occurred in North Carolina (Appendix B)
i. Pollution
ii. Coal Ash - occurs from burning coal, we burn coal for energy, ashes get
into the waterways causing it to become contaminated with 15 toxic
carcinogens (heavy metals)
iii. Hog Farming - pork production increases, lagoons (lakes) that stores hog
waste for later use (fertilizers), threatens water supply, N.C. ranks 2nd
largest hog-farming state
9. Explain that this unit will help them to understand that North Carolina faces global crises
just like the other countries we hear or see on the news, even though they may not seem
so severe or affect them personally just yet. Using the thinking routine Headlines,
students will design a title that captures the core of the lesson.
a. First review what headlines are (show examples of newspapers, magazines, etc.)
b. Writes down key facts from the lesson
i. Using videos, hog farming, coal ash, pollution
c. Students will work independently or in pairs to develop a headline they think best
summarizes the topic
d. Students will write the first 3-5 sentences about the headline they chose
Closure/Evaluation/After:
1. Debrief students responses and generalizations as a class.
a. Record responses on the board
b. Collect students headlines activity
2. Prompt students for next lesson (lesson 4) by discussing how the water crisis is a
worldwide issue and people of other countries experience it to this degree and much
worse.
a. Explain that we will learn about another country, Africa, (Zambia and Burkina
Faso) and how the global water crisis affects them day to day.

Accommodations:
For differently abled learners, allow them to draw pictures or explain answers orally to
the teacher rather than writing sentences.
Appendix A
Appendix B

coal ash

hog farming
 Appendix C: Water System

1925

Surface Water Model Groundwater Model

 Appendix D
Think
What do you think you know about the global water crisis? What do you know about
North Carolinas water crisis?
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Puzzle
What questions or puzzles do you have on this topic?
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Explore
What do you what to explore or know more of on this topic?
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 Appendix E: Headlines

Title:_________________________________________________________________________

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Draw an image to relate to your title.

Summary:_____________________________________________________________________

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