Gray, Green, Blue: Water Security and YOU!
Provided by: The Nature Conservancy|Published on: April 18, 2025|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
Authors: Nature Lab by The Nature Conservancy
Location: Earth
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 →
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
- In this four-part series of activities, students will learn about water security, green and gray infrastructure, water scarcity, and water funds in cities.
- Students will watch videos, read articles, participate in a jigsaw activity, test the permeability of gray and green surfaces, and participate in a Socratic seminar.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The mix of videos, group work, and hands-on activities gives students multiple avenues for accessing the main ideas of this topic.
- The activities also highlight aspects of environmental justice and their relationship to water security.
Prerequisites
- The link to the Jigsaw Notes in the Materials section is broken. The correct link is available under Part 3 or HERE.
- In the jigsaw activity in Part 3, the links for articles 1 and 2 are wrong and unrelated to water. The links to articles 4 and 6 go to different articles that are still about water. The StC resource database has some related articles that can fill the gaps, including Forests Near or Far Can Protect Water for Cities and Water Resources and Water Footprints, which is a slide deck that can be read like an article. Teachers will need to update or omit the guided notes for groups 1, 2, 4, and 6.
- Some of the extension and background resources are unavailable.
- Additionally, the suggested article for the Socratic seminar is unavailable. Teachers can provide an alternate article and construct different prompts.
- The videos in this series each touch on a different topic. Part 1 is about water security, Part 2 is about water management, Part 3 is about water funds, and Part 4 is about how students and others can protect water resources.
Differentiation & Implementation
- To demonstrate their understanding of Part 4 of the video series, students can create posters or pamphlets to educate others about what they can do to be water stewards.
- Students can use this lab as inspiration for organizing a stream cleanup in their local area. Teachers can support students in getting administration approval, planning the cleanup, and recruiting volunteers.
- Language arts teachers can have students practice letter-writing by writing to their local government officials about water quality and watershed protection.
- After these lessons, students can connect water security to climate change by discussing how it impacts the water cycle and exacerbates extreme weather like flooding and droughts.
This four-part lab introduces water security and presents water funds and other green solutions. The text, videos, and linked resources are all clear and show the links between climate change, sustainability, environmental justice, and water security. Throughout, the video emphasizes how water security is often much larger than a local issue. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
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Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
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