Unit Plan 20 (Grade 5 Science): Earth’s Water Sources

Focus: Use data, fractions, and graphs to describe how Earth’s water is distributed across saltwater and fresh water reservoirs (oceans, glaciers/ice, groundwater, lakes, rivers, atmosphere).

Grade Level: 5

Subject Area: Science (Earth & Space Science — Earth’s Systems)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this unit, students explore where Earth’s water is and how much of it is saltwater vs. fresh water. Using simple data tables, pictographs, and bar graphs, they learn that most water is in the oceans, that only a small portion is fresh water, and that much of that fresh water is locked in ice or underground. Students practice describing amounts and percentages in student-friendly language (e.g., “almost all,” “a tiny slice,” “about one hundred out of one thousand”) and create graphs and visual models to show the distribution of Earth’s water.

Essential Questions

• Where is most of Earth’s water found, and how much of it is saltwater vs. fresh water?
• How is fresh water divided among ice/glaciers, groundwater, lakes, rivers, and the atmosphere?
• How can graphs and visual models help us understand amounts and percentages of water in different reservoirs?
• Why is it important to know that only a small fraction of Earth’s water is readily available fresh water for people and other living things?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Name major Earth water reservoirs (oceans, glaciers/ice, groundwater, lakes, rivers, atmosphere) and classify them as saltwater or fresh water.
2. Interpret data tables showing amounts or percentages of water in each reservoir and explain which category holds the most vs. least water.
3. Create and interpret graphs (bar graphs, circle charts, or pictographs) that show the distribution of Earth’s water, especially the small fraction that is fresh water.
4. Use fractions, comparisons, and simple percentages (e.g., “almost all,” “very little,” “about three out of one hundred”) to describe Earth’s water distribution in their own words.
5. Produce an Earth’s Water Sources Data & Graph Project that includes a graph/visual and a written explanation describing how Earth’s water is distributed and why fresh water is limited.

Standards Alignment — 5th Grade (NGSS-Aligned)

• 5-ESS2-2 — Describe and graph the amounts and percentages of water and fresh water in various reservoirs to provide evidence about the distribution of water on Earth.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can name places where Earth’s water is stored (oceans, ice, groundwater, lakes, rivers, air).
• I can say which reservoirs have the most water and which have the least.
• I can read a table and build a graph that shows how Earth’s water is distributed.
• I can use words like “most,” “almost all,” “a small amount,” and simple fractions/percentages to describe Earth’s water sources.
• I can create a clear graph and explanation so someone else can understand how much water is saltwater vs. fresh water.