The Water Hole
Lesson Plan Extensions
The following are some good lesson plans to implement while reading The Water Hole:
Concepts: animals (countries and their wildlife, animal extinctions), rain and rainfall, hydrologic cycle, water, counting
- As a class, take turns trying to find all of the animals from the book’s top and bottom margins for each page in each drawing. For each page, discuss as a class how much water you think each type of animal needs on a daily basis (classify them into small amount, medium amount, large amount). Some animals like birds and camels need relatively small amounts of water or can go for longer periods of time without water. Discuss how animals are adapted to their environment and their place in that environment.
- Explore a globe and/or world map and use the last page of the book to identify the different continents and where they are on the map. Go back and show the class the pictures from the book of the animals for that area of the world.
- On the page where there is no water left and all the animals went away, try to find all of the extinct animals in the picture. As a class, look up and discuss what “extinct” means.
- Using the globe/map again, discuss as a class the following: Where are most of the desserts? Where are most of the wetlands? Where are most of the people? Where were most of the extinct animals from? Are there any patterns for types and sizes of animals, are there any patterns for where there were extinct animals and where there are lots of people?
- Discuss what else can be harmful to wildlife (e.g., litter is harmful to wildlife, Styrofoam can harm birds, how small animals can get trapped in bottles, jars and cans, and how six pack rings can choke turtles, etc.). Ask a Park Ranger from a nearby local park to come and speak to the class about wildlife in your area.
- All animals need food, water, shelter and space. Discuss what other factors may effect the water that we and animals drink (specifically water pollution).
- Discuss that not all animals live on land and how water (fresh and salt) quantity and quality can have an affect on aquatic animals as well.
- Discuss what can be done to help conserve and protect water resources. Use the Earth 911 Water Conservation section below for assistance.
- Where does water come from and go? Discuss the water cycle, aquifer, water in desserts. Use the link below for the USGS for free posters that help show these concepts.
- As a class, collect and measure rainfall amounts from the school yard over the course of a month or the entire school year. Graph/chart these. If data is collected over an entire school year, discuss seasonal differences observed. Try to do this for multiple years and compare this data as well.
- Have a speaker from the local water treatment plant or utility company come speak to the class about the local water supply (e.g., where it comes from, what happens to water from your home when it goes does the drain or is flushed down the toilet, stormwater runoff, etc).
- If you are able to, take a field trip to your local water treatment facility.
Related Links on Earth 911:
- Beach Water Quality Section
- Water Conservation Section
- Stormwater Pollution Prevention Section
- General Recycling Information Section
- Household Hazardous Waste Section
Related Links:
- USGS Water Info
- USGS Water Posters ($5 handling fee per order may apply)
