Enjoying Water

Getting to Know Your Freshwater Resources

1. Find a local map and identify the rivers and lakes in the area. If you do not have a map, you can find one online. You may know of ponds in the area, too. Make your own map that shows the freshwater resources in the area. Try to include ponds and streams as well as lakes and rivers.
   
   
2. Choose one of these resources and visit it. Take your notebook with you, and make a list of observations you have. How big is it? Is it deep? Is it clear or murky? Are there plants and animals in or near the water? Why is it considered a lake, pond, river, or stream? Describe the area with enough detail that your teacher and classmates can see the area as if they were there.
   
   
3. Take digital pictures of interesting features of the area.
   
   
4. Do Internet research or, if possible, contact the city or state organization that maintains the area. Find out the history of the area and how it is used. Is it a popular spot for human recreation? Is it a source for tap water? What sorts of wildlife visit the area?
   
   
5. Organize your results into a newspaper-style article. Come up with a newsworthy topic, such as how the feature has been used over time, or how it has changed over time. Or perhaps you could write about the geology that created the resource, important events that have happened there over the years, or wildlife that migrate to visit the water source. Maybe you will discover that the water resource has inspired people to write poems or stories, or shoot a movie in the past. Whatever your topic, include with your article a map that indicates where the water source is located and one or more photographs that show features that relate to your article.
   
   Before you begin, click the Rubric button below to open the rubric for this activity, and make sure you understand how to create an excellent article.