Water – A Precious Resource

Objectives (उद्देश्य):
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

  1. Identify major sources of water and explain why water is a precious resource.
  2. Describe the water cycle (जल चक्र) and its stages: evaporation (वाष्पीकरण), condensation (संघनन), precipitation (वर्षण).
  3. Understand the importance of water conservation (जल संरक्षण) and simple ways to save water.
  4. Participate in hands-on experiments and creative activities to reinforce learning.
  5. Draw and label the water cycle diagram accurately.

Materials Required (आवश्यक सामग्री):

  • Whiteboard/markers or blackboard/chalk
  • Chart paper, sketch pens, crayons, glitter (for poster-making)
  • For experiment: Dirty water (muddy water), plastic bottle (cut as funnel), cotton/cloth, sand, gravel/pebbles, activated charcoal (optional), clean glass
  • Printed water cycle diagrams (blank for assessment)
  • Flashcards with pictures: river, lake, rain, sun, clouds, etc.
  • Projector or chart for water cycle animation/video (optional – YouTube links provided)
  • Drinking water samples or pictures of different sources

Step 1: Introduction (परिचय) – 10 minutes

Purpose: Engage students and highlight the importance of water.

  • Warm-Up Activity (Warm-up Question): Ask students:
    • "How many times have you drunk water today?" (आज आपने कितनी बार पानी पिया है?)
    • "Can you live without food for 3 days? What about water?" (क्या आप 3 दिन बिना खाना खाए रह सकते हैं? पानी के बिना?) → Lead to the fact: Humans can survive only 3-4 days without water, but weeks without food. Water is life! (जल जीवन है!)
  • Theme Introduction: "Today we will learn why water is a precious resource, where it comes from, how the water cycle works, and how we can conserve it." (आज हम सीखेंगे कि जल एक अनमोल संसाधन क्यों है, यह कहाँ से आता है, जल चक्र कैसे काम करता है, और हम इसे कैसे बचाएँ।)
  • Quick Fact Sharing (Bilingual):
    • Only 2.5% of Earth's water is fresh water and most of it is trapped in ice/glaciers. (पृथ्वी पर केवल 2.5% पानी ही मीठा पानी है और उसमें से अधिकांश हिमनदों/बर्फ में फंसा है।)
    • In India, many areas (including parts of Bihar) face water scarcity (जल संकट) every summer.

Step 2: Main Concepts (मुख्य अवधारणाएँ) – 25 minutes

Concept 1: Sources of Water and Its Importance (जल के स्रोत और महत्व)

  • Sources of Water (जल के स्रोत):
    • Surface water (भू-जल): Rivers (नदियाँ), lakes (झीलें), ponds (तालाब), reservoirs (जलाशय)
    • Groundwater (भूजल): Wells (कुएँ), tube wells (ट्यूबवेल), hand pumps
    • Rainwater (वर्षा जल)
    • Other: Oceans (समुद्र – salty, not drinkable without treatment)
  • Why is Water Precious? (जल क्यों अनमोल है?)
    • Essential for drinking (पानी पीने के लिए)
    • Cooking, cleaning, bathing (खाना पकाने, सफाई, नहाने के लिए)
    • Agriculture (70-80% of water used in farming – कृषि के लिए)
    • Industries and power generation (उद्योग और बिजली उत्पादन के लिए)
    • Supports all life on Earth (पृथ्वी पर सभी जीवों के लिए आवश्यक)

Concept 2: The Water Cycle (जल चक्र)
Explain the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the Earth’s surface.

Stages (चरण) – Bilingual Explanation:

 
 
Stage (English) Hindi Translation Explanation (English) Explanation (Hindi)
Evaporation वाष्पीकरण Water from rivers, lakes, oceans turns into vapour due to heat from the sun. सूर्य की गर्मी से नदियों, झीलों, समुद्रों का पानी भाप बनकर ऊपर उठता है।
Condensation संघनन Water vapour cools and forms tiny droplets → clouds. भाप ठंडी होकर छोटी बूँदों में बदल जाती है → बादल बनते हैं।
Precipitation वर्षण Clouds become heavy → water falls as rain, snow, hail. बादल भारी होकर बारिश, बर्फ या ओले के रूप में पानी गिराते हैं।
Collection संग्रहण Water collects in oceans, rivers, lakes, and groundwater. पानी समुद्रों, नदियों, झीलों और भूजल में इकट्ठा होता है।
 

Visual Aid: Show a simple water cycle diagram on the board or projector.
(Recommended video link for Hindi explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al-do-HGuIk – “जल चक्र” by NCERT or similar)

Concept 3: Conservation of Water (जल संरक्षण)

  • Why conserve? → Growing population, pollution, overuse → water scarcity (जल संकट)
  • Simple ways to save water:
    • Fix leaking taps (टपकते नल ठीक करवाएँ)
    • Use bucket instead of shower for bathing (नहाने में बाल्टी का उपयोग करें)
    • Turn off tap while brushing teeth (दाँत साफ करते समय नल बंद रखें)
    • Rainwater harvesting (वर्षा जल संचयन)
    • Reuse water (e.g., water used for washing vegetables can be used for plants)
    • Plant more trees (वृक्षारोपण – helps in groundwater recharge)

Step 3: Activities (गतिविधियाँ) – 40 minutes

Activity 1: Water Filtration Experiment (जल शोधन प्रयोग) – 15 minutes
Objective: Show how we can purify dirty water (simple filtration).

Materials:

  • Dirty (muddy) water
  • Plastic bottle (cut bottom, inverted as funnel)
  • Layers: Cotton/cloth → Sand → Gravel/pebbles → (optional: activated charcoal)
  • Clean glass at the bottom

Steps:

  1. Pour dirty water through the layers.
  2. Observe: Water becomes clearer after each layer.
  3. Discuss: This is similar to how groundwater gets naturally filtered through soil layers.

Discussion Question:

  • "Is this water safe to drink? Why or why not?" (Answer: No – still needs boiling/UV/chlorine treatment.)

Activity 2: Poster-Making on Water Conservation (जल संरक्षण पर पोस्टर बनाना) – 15 minutes
Objective: Creative expression + reinforcement of conservation methods.

Instructions:

  • In groups of 4-5, create a colourful poster on “Save Water – Save Life” (जल बचाओ – जीवन बचाओ).
  • Must include:
    • At least 3 ways to save water
    • A slogan (e.g., “Small drops make a big ocean – हर बूँद महत्वपूर्ण है!”)
    • A drawing of the water cycle or a dry tap vs. leaking tap

Activity 3: Discussion on Water Scarcity and Solutions (जल संकट और समाधान पर चर्चा) – 10 minutes

  • Show pictures/news clippings of water scarcity in Bihar (e.g., Patna summer shortages).
  • Group discussion:
    • What problems do people face due to less water?
    • What can we do at home/school?
    • Government schemes: Jal Jeevan Mission, rainwater harvesting, etc.

Step 4: Assessment (मूल्यांकन) – 15 minutes

Assessment Type: Water Cycle Diagram Test (जल चक्र आरेख परीक्षण)

Instructions for Students:
Draw and label the water cycle diagram neatly in your notebook/copy. Include and label:

  • Evaporation (वाष्पीकरण)
  • Condensation (संघनन)
  • Precipitation (वर्षण)
  • Collection (संग्रहण)
  • Arrows showing the direction of water movement
  • At least one example for each stage (e.g., sun for evaporation, clouds for condensation, rain for precipitation)

Rubric (20 marks):

  • Correct drawing of all 4 main stages – 8 marks
  • Correct labelling (English + Hindi) – 6 marks
  • Arrows showing correct direction – 3 marks
  • Neatness, creativity, and at least one example per stage – 3 marks

Bonus Question (2 marks):
Name two ways you can save water at home.
(घर पर जल बचाने के दो तरीके बताइए।)

Sample Answer Key Diagram Description:
(You can draw this on the board for reference before the test.)

Step 5: Conclusion and Homework (समापन और गृहकार्य) – 10 minutes

Summary (सारांश):

  • Water is a precious and limited resource.
  • The water cycle keeps renewing fresh water.
  • We all must conserve water every day.

Homework (गृहकार्य):

  1. Make a daily water usage chart for one week: Note how many buckets/glasses of water your family uses daily.
  2. Write a short paragraph (6-8 sentences) on “Why we should save water” in both English and Hindi.
  3. Observe and note down any water wastage at home/school and suggest one solution.