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E&S 5. describe the cycling of matter, including that of carbon and water, associating it with biological and atmospheric phenomena.
E&S 6. research different energy sources; formulate and communicate an informed view of ways that current and future energy needs on Earth can be met.
E&S 7. illustrate how earth processes and human factors influence Earth’s climate, evaluate effects of climate change and initiatives that attempt to address those effects

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PW 1. select and use appropriate measuring instruments
PW 2. identify and measure/calculate length, mass, time, temperature, area, volume, density, speed, acceleration, force, potential difference, current, resistance, electrical power

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BW 10. Evaluate how humans can successfully conserve ecological biodiversity and contribute to global food production; appreciate the benefits that people obtain from ecosystems.

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CW 10. evaluate how humans contribute to sustainability through the extraction, use, disposal, and recycling of materials

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BW 3. outline evolution by natural selection and how it explains the diversity of living things
BW 5. conduct a habitat study; research and investigate the adaptation, competition and interdependence of organisms within specific habitats and communities
BW 8. explain how matter and energy flow through ecosystems

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E&S: 5,6,7
PW: 1,2
CW: 10
BW: 3,5,8
NoS: 6,7,10

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This website gives facts about food sustainability, the number of people on Earth and the amount of food wasted every year.

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Creating a Sustainable Food Future

WRI works to advance solutions to ensure the world can can feed 10 billion people by 2050 while reducing emissions, curbing deforestation and alleviating poverty.

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Creating a Sustainable Food Future WRI works to advance solutions to ensure the world can can feed 10 billion people by 2050 while reducing emissions, curbing deforestation and alleviating poverty.

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Managing information and thinking

Working with others

Communicating

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NoS 6. conduct research relevant to a scientific issue, evaluate different sources of information including secondary data, understanding that a source may lack detail or show bias
NoS 7. organise and communicate their research and investigative findings in a variety of ways fit for purpose and audience, using relevant scientific terminology and representations
NoS 10. appreciate the role of science in society; and its personal, social and global importance; and how society influences scientific research.

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This website has information about the water cycle: who uses water, what water is used for and how much water is wasted

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Earth is called the blue planet due to the abundance of water. About 70% of the surface of the Earth is covered by water, and it is the only natural substance that can be found on Earth in all three states - liquid, solid and gas. Due to this unique property, water can be found just about everywhere.

Liquid, solid and gas

Rivers, groundwater, lakes, the world's five oceans and rain represent the liquid phase of water.

In its gaseous state, water vapour is evaporated by the Sun's solar radiation from the surface of water bodies like oceans or lakes, and from the surface of plants and the land. Water vapour can also evaporate directly from its frozen state.

Snow and ice represent the solid form of water and can be found in the Earth's polar icecaps and on top of high mountains. Some of the snow and ice melts and turns into liquid water. In the polar regions, ice can stay frozen for thousands of years.

Only a small amount of the total amount of water (about 0.3%) is directly useable for human consumption.

Water's journey

If you leave some water on a saucer by a window, it will eventually evaporate. This happens only if there is enough thermal (heat) energy available for the water molecule to vibrate so vigorously that the molecules 'break' out of their liquid structure and turn into a gas.

But why do the oceans not dry up? In fact, most of the evaporation occurs from ocean water. Much of the evaporated water rains back into the oceans again. Some falls on the land surface and might spend some time on there as ice, snow, groundwater or in streams, or it may be stored in lakes before it returns back to sea.

This journey is called the hydrological cycle. It describes the exchange of water in every form between the Earth's systems and is part of what makes the Earth so unique.

Meet the scientists

David Hamilton, Louis Schipper, Dave Campbell and Keith Hunter are New Zealand scientists who each study one aspect of the hydrological cycle. In their studies, they need to consider the Earth as a whole, dynamic and interacting system.

Take up the challenge

The Hub has a number of activities that model aspects of the water cycle.

Other teaching resources include:

Question bank

The H₂O on the go, the water cycle - question bank provides an initial list of questions the water cycle and places where their answers can be found. The questions support an inquiry approach.

Key terms

For explanations of key concepts, see H₂O on the go - key terms.

Timeline

Explore the timeline to look at events in our water cycle from millions of years ago to the present.

Related content

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H₂O on the go, the water cycle - introduction

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Earth is called the blue planet due to the abundance of water. About 70% of the surface of the Earth is covered by water, and it is the only natural substance that can be found on Earth in all three states - liquid, solid and gas.

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This is a YouTube video that explains about sustainability and its importance.

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This website provides information on what humans can do to conserve ecological biodiversity

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We can participate in biodiversity conservation by increasing our knowledge of environmental issues, increasing our awareness of the impacts of biodiversity loss, and increasing support for government policies and actions that conserve our valuable ecosystems. We can become educators and role models as stewards of the environment by aiding in the recovery of species at risk and preventing other species from becoming at risk. Habitat stewardship consists of activities that range from enhancing the quality of soil, water, air and other natural resources to monitoring and conserving wildlife species and their habitat by donating the property to a land trust.

Participating in Biodiversity Conservation

Identify locations of critical wildlife habitat for species at risk and the threats to these areas. Where possible, eliminate threats and maintain natural areas. Leave critical wildlife habitat undisturbed, especially nesting and denning sites. Promote wildlife use by setting up bird and bat houses.

Eradicate and control introduced weeds on your property. Keep vehicles on main roads to reduce the spread of weeds and disturbance to wildlife.

Monitor and assess your pets' impact on biodiversity. Some domestic animals, especially cats, are predators of wild animals and can devastate local population of native species. Cats have been estimated to kill tens of millions of birds each year in North America.

Leave native plants undisturbed, and landscape using native trees and vegetation. Native plants are well adapted to local conditions and provide a low maintenance, drought resistant garden and can prevent local flooding. Attract "good" insects by planting pollen and nectar plants.

Maintain wetlands by conserving water and reducing irrigation. Avoid draining water bodies on your property.

Construct fences to protect riparian areas and other sensitive habitats from trampling and other disturbances.

Manage livestock grazing to maintain good quality range conditions. Leave some areas ungrazed to determine range characteristics to manage for.

Maintain old standing dead trees and mature forest stands. Large dead trees provide nest cavities for many species and the mature forest will be replaced by old growth over time.

Consider donating property to land trusts, or placing a conservation covenant on your property. This process allows you to protect your land and benefit from potential tax breaks. Under Environment and Climate Change Canada's Ecological Gifts program, a gift of land provides the greatest tax benefit of any charitable gift.

Use natural products and methods for pest control such as BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) for caterpillar infestation; use pesticides that have minimal residual effects such as pyrethrins, insecticidal soaps, and dormant oil sprays; use a high-pressure water stream from a hose to control aphids; use barriers and collars around plants to keep pests away.

Learn as much as you can about nature and share your knowledge with others. Visit ecological interpretation centres, natural history museums, and native fish hatcheries to study local ecosystems. Volunteer at an organization that focuses on conservation or restoration of habitat.

Encourage and support local government initiatives that protect habitat and decrease threats to biodiversity.

Use environmentally friendly products. Dispose of hazardous material safely. Chemicals that enter the sewer system can contaminate freshwater and ocean ecosystems.

Recycle, reuse and reduce. Recycling decreases pollution by decreasing energy, electricity, and water consumption and the need for landfills.

Drive less, walk, ride or carpool more. Learn about low emission vehicle research and availability.

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Biodiversity - What Can We Do? | The Nature Trust of British Columbia

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We can participate in biodiversity conservation by increasing our knowledge of environmental issues, increasing our awareness of the impacts of biodiversity loss, and increasing support for government policies and actions that conserve our valuable ecosystems. We can become educators and role models as stewards of the environment by aiding in the recovery of species at risk and preventing other species from becoming at risk.

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This website gives information on native Irish birds and the conservation work been done by Bird Watch Ireland to protect these species

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Our Work

Ireland is a mosaic of habitats; from our Internationally important blanket bogs to our complex wetland systems, rivers and estuaries, from our endangered native woodland to the marine which defines our island. One-hundred and seventeen habitat types have been officially classified in Ireland, nearly half of which correspond with Annex I of the EU Habitats Directive. Each habitat plays an important role in supporting Irish birds and biodiversity and thanks to your support, it is our task to protect them! In this section you will find information about the capitol works and consultation which we employ on the front line of conservation to protect some of our most endangered breeding birds, including countryside and wetland birds such as the Curlew and Corncrake and seabirds such as Roseate and Little Terns.

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Species & Habitat Conservation - BirdWatch Ireland

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Ireland is a mosaic of habitats; from our Internationally important blanket bogs to our complex wetland systems, rivers and estuaries, from our endangered native woodland to the marine which defines our island. One-hundred and seventeen habitat types have been officially classified in Ireland, nearly half of which correspond with Annex I of the EU Habitats Directive.

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This piece shows the massive positive impacts that ecosystems are having on our lives and environment and it describes the work being done to protect our ecosystems

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The world health organization describes all the various benefits that we get from our ecosystems.

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The bottom line of the MA findings is that human actions are depleting Earth's natural capital, putting such strain on the environment that the ability of the planet's ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted.

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This website provides with the facts and figures relating to global sustainable food production.

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Sustainable food production: Facts and figures

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Farming must feed more people more sustainably. Zareen Bharucha looks at scientific approaches past and present.

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This powerpoint informs us on the number of people in the world, how food can be produced in a sustainable way and the problems with food production these days

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This websites tells us about 10 native Irish endangered species and why they are going extinct

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Over 31,000 species have been documented for Ireland. Species diversity in Ireland is maintained because of the variety of habitats and environmental conditions available for plants and animals to live and reproduce. This diversity of species is threatened because of persistent management and other human induced changes leading to the reduction of habitat quality and general environmental degradation. For the taxonomic groups for which formal conservation assessments have been completed we know that, on average, just over 20% of species are threatened with extinction in Ireland. Here is a selection of just 10 of Ireland's most threatened species.

Curlew

The breeding population of Curlew in Ireland has suffered a dramatic decline from about 5,000 breeding pairs in the late 1980s to currently as few as 130 breeding pairs. This is a decline of about 97% over 20 years. They nest in damp, rushy pastures and bogland. The decline has come about because of the loss of these damp rushy pastures as a result of land 'improvement', land abandonment and afforestation, and to nest destruction by predation. Good numbers of Curlew are still seen during the winter months, as birds that have bred in Scotland and Scandinavia arrive to our shores to spend the winter months (Photograph: Ken Billington).

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10 species at risk of losing - Biodiversity Ireland

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Over 31,000 species have been documented for Ireland. Species diversity in Ireland is maintained because of the variety of habitats and environmental conditions available for plants and animals to live and reproduce. This diversity of species is threatened because of ... Continued

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Pages 10,11,12,23,24,33-40
This is the national biodiversity action plan in place to conserve biodiversity.

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A YouTube video that explains the causes of animal extinctions and what we can do to protect animal and plant species

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We need IMMEDIATE action to stop extinction crisis, David Attenborough - BBC

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Global food production and hunger

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Can Global Food Production Keep Up With Population Growth?

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A YouTube video on the importance and benefits of ecosystems

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Linking Livelihoods and Conservation: A Conceptual Framework and Scale for Assessing the Integration of Human Needs and Biodiversity

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-750X(00)00031-0

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Inquiry teaching, constructivist instruction and effective pedagogy

https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2011.571515