Water From the Well

Objective

Students will learn how water use today varies greatly from the way water was used 150 years ago, and how water-use habits are directly related to modern conveniences that allow us plentiful access to water.

Subjects

Social Studies

Math

Critical Thinking

Overview

Students will re-enact the “pioneer days” when modern plumbing did not exist and spend a day with only two gallons of water for their personal use. . They will experience the weight of water, the value of water when it is scarce and needs to be transported, and how to conserve water by using only what is needed.

Materials

Each student will need:

§ 2 one gallon plastic water jugs from the market.

§ One 8 oz. plastic or tin cup with handle, or empty yogurt container.

§ Water from the Well handout

§ Notebook and pencil

Presentation

1. Ask students to discuss how they think water use is different today than it was 150 years ago for pioneers living on the prairie. Some questions to ask are:

§ Where did pioneers get their water 150 years ago? (wells, rivers, streams, capturing rainfall in cisterns)

§ Where do we get our water today? (reservoirs, aquifers, wells, rivers)

§ How did the pioneers get their water home? (They used buckets and other containers filled at the water source and carried home)

§ How do we get water in our home today? (Modern plumbing and pipes bring water to our faucets and directly into our homes.)

§ How much water did one person use each day150 years ago for their water needs? (about 2 gallons per person)

§ How much water does the average American use daily at home? (approx. 135 gallons)

· What activities do we do daily that use water that pioneers didn’t do daily, if at all?

(take showers and baths, flush toilets [they used outhouses], water lawns and gardens, housecleaning, boil a lot of water for foods

like pasta, wash cars, fill swimming pools, water golf courses, etc.)

2 Tell students that they are going to pretend they are pioneers for a day. Pick a day of the week that students will go back in time to the pioneer days. Saturday or Sunday is preferable since this will give them a full day at home. Explain to your students that they will experience the value of water by eliminating modern conveniences like indoor plumbing that we now rely upon. (It may be a good idea to send a note home to parents explaining this lesson plan in advance so they are prepared and supportive.)

3 Hold up the 2 one gallon jugs of water. Explain that each jug holds 1 gallon of water and that the two jugs will be their daily allotment of water. Distribute the handout and go over it with them explaining that they will “gather water from the well” by pretending to fill up the jugs in the front yard and then carrying these jugs around the block, pretending they are pioneers bringing water home from the local well. If the water is too heavy for them (1 gallon weighs 8 pounds), then have them carry only one jug for their walk around the block. If the one jug is still too heavy, have them walk a shorter distance. The goal isn’t to create difficulty, it’s to simulate reality.

4 Once the pioneers bring their water home from the well, they will use this ration of water for all their personal use including drinking, eating, and washing. They should use the 8 oz. plastic cup to measure out water from the jug. This lets them track how much water they are using each time. To the best of their ability, students must use only their water in the jugs and record on the handout each time they use water and for what purpose. They must also record the amounts used and tally them up at the end of the day.

5 Spend ten minutes discussing as a group what students think their priority of needs will be and why. Ask if they can predict certain lifestyle habits that might be put on hold for the day and if there are any alternatives they can think of (like using a washcloth for bathing instead of taking a bath, or reusing a cup or spoon instead of washing it.)

6 Explain the Laws of the Land

§ Students must use their water to wash any plates, cups and forks they use.

§ Disposable items like paper towels, paper plates, etc. are not allowed since the goal here is to simulate life 150 years ago when these things did not exist.

§ Students are allowed to eat food that their parents have prepared for them but wherever possible, they are to add some of their water to the pot to best represent their portion of water used for meals.

§ Flushing the toilet is the one exception where they are allowed to use modern plumbing though they might want to consider if flushing each time is necessary since sometimes, it isn’t.

Follow Up

1 When students return from their day on the prairie, put them into groups of five to discuss what their experiences were like. Spend 15 minutes doing this giving each student about three minutes apiece to share with the group.

2 As a classroom ask students to share some of their more surprising findings. Ask the following questions:

§ What were their water-use priorities?

§ What water-use activities, if any, did they eliminate from their day?

§ What did they do or use to save water? (i.e. re-using cups or using washcloths)

§ Did they have water left over at the end of the day? If so, what did they use it for? Did they save it?

§ Did they learn anything new about their daily use of water that they never realized before?

§ What, if any, techniques for saving water as a pioneer could they employ at home on a regular basis? Will they?

§ How would it feel to use water like a pioneer for two days, one week, one month, one year?

3. Bring the students back to modern day and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of modern plumbing. Ask the following questions?

§ What are the benefits of modern plumbing? (easy access, plentiful supply, sanitary standards)

§ What are the drawbacks of modern plumbing?(Plentiful and ready supply gives impression that there’s an endless supply of water and that conservation isn’t necessary.)

§ Does modern plumbing create the idea that there’s “plenty of water”? Why? Why not?

§ How does modern plumbing increase our daily water use? (Faucets increase our likelihood of running the water when we do the dishes or brush out teeth. Modern plumbing also allows us to use water for things we wouldn’t have 150 years ago like car washing, swimming pools, watering golf courses, making ice skating rinks, etc.)

§ Is all of this water use necessary or is water used just because it is readily available?

Extensions

§ Ask students to research pioneer life before doing this activity. Read the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

§ Have students take their daily amounts used and ask them to figure out how much water they would use as a pioneer during one week, one month, and one year.

§ Ask students to write about their experiences as a pioneer.