Discovering NYC Water Supply
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Provided by: New York DEP|Published on: February 5, 2024
Lesson PlansScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This lesson plan includes three small-group activities designed to help students understand the features of the New York City water supply system, from upstate watersheds to the pipes in dwellings.
- Students will create visual representations of the various elements of the system, model how these elements connect as a system, consider urban planning challenges along the way, evaluate how human activity influences the system. and discuss how climate change impacts the water supply.
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Geography, Engineering
Authors: New York DEP
Region: North America, USA - Northeast, United States, New York, New York City, Hudson Valley & Eastern NY, Central & Western NY
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The lesson is thorough and includes the objectives, a materials list, the methodology, a vocabulary list, discussion questions, and extension activities.
- The small-group activities in this lesson plan allow students to work together as a team.
- Students are encouraged to consider how the water system and climate change are interconnected so this learning project can smoothly fit with a larger unit about the effects of climate change on our systems.
Additional Prerequisites
- Teachers must use a color printer to print the included picture cards.
- Students may need more vocabulary words defined than are provided in the vocabulary list.
- Before discussing how climate change impacts the water system, students should understand how climate change affects the water cycle.
- Although presented as optional, teachers may wish to connect this lesson with a previous lesson titled Navigating NYC's Wastewater System.
Differentiation
- Math teachers may wish to have students read the embedded Background Information article and then break into small groups to create word problems based on the article's data.
- Geography and science teachers can work together to have students construct maps of New York City and the surrounding areas, then create the visual depiction from Part 1 of the lesson, displaying the water supply system and labeling the parts on the map.
- English teachers can also provide an extension to the activity by having students write paragraphs about being good stewards of the water supply system.
In this lesson, students learn about the water supply system. The activity also encourages students to think about how humans interact with these systems and brainstorm how these systems will be affected by climate change. Students need to have a basic understanding of climate change before engaging in this activity, as part III assumes they already have some knowledge about climate change impacts. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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