2. The Blue Planet: Water on Earth

• You will need access to a sink
• Prepare cups of water.

*See Materials & Preparation in the Educator Guide linked above for full info.

Why Does NASA Want to Explore Jupiter’s Ocean Moon?

21st Century Skills

• Critical Thinking

Science Practices

• Asking Questions and Defining Problems

Learners Will Do

• Explore the different reservoirs of water on Earth.

Learners Will Know

• Water is a limited natural resource that can be found in different forms.

Connecting Across Activities

• Activity 1: Sharing Experiences: Last time, learners shared experiences with, and stories about, water.
• Activity 2: Water on Earth: Today, learners explore the different reservoirs of water on Earth.
• Activity 3: Water Habitability: Next time, learners will explore how different living things need liquid water to survive.

NASA Eyes on the Solar System app

Use the online interactive Eyes on the Solar System.

As needed, consider ways of demonstrating the scale of the Solar System in other modalities, such as the tactile NISE’s Exploring the Solar System: Pocket Solar System and auditory Solar System in Sound.

Are There Oceans on Other Worlds? We Asked a NASA Expert (0:00 to 1:00)

Why Does NASA Want to Explore Jupiter’s Ocean Moon? (0:00 to 1:07)

If you cannot show the videos, tell learners that NASA is sending a spacecraft to Europa, one of the moons of Jupiter. Europa is a bit smaller than Earth’s Moon, but its surface is covered in ice instead of rock. Scientists think there is a giant ocean underneath the ice. There may be vents that warm up parts of this ocean and create the conditions for life. NASA wants to figure out if places like Europa could support life. Find out more here: Meet Europa Clipper.

To help learners understand what they will be doing during this activity, play the translatable video Water Where We Are From Instructional Read Aloud.

Level Up! (Optional)

In the Educator Guide, you will see “Level Up!” Sections. These include great tips and activities that build and extend STEM and 21st Century skills, and create stronger connections between educators, youth, and families. They typically take a little extra time, so please plan accordingly.

• You can explore lab equipment for blind and low-vision learners at Independence Science Educational Laboratory Kits.
• Have each group estimate how many cups of water like the one they received they would need to have in order to have all the water on Earth. Say: The total amount of water on Earth is 10²² (ten to the twenty-second) times larger than the amount of water in one of those cups. Help learners understand just how big this number is by writing it out or otherwise expressing it in a way they can grasp. (Written out, it looks like 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000; the USGS estimates there are 1,386,000,000 cubic kilometers of water on Earth.) (5 min.)
• Take pictures of learners’ cup and index card setups, print them out, and attach them to the Our Ideas poster. (20 min.)
• Ask this story prompt question: Can you tell a story about a time you needed to find or get to water? (Possible responses include while traveling or digging a well.) Have learners share with a partner (note that the sharing can take forms other than speaking aloud). (20 min.)
• Tell learners, if anyone asks them what they did today, they can tell them “We explored how much water there is on Earth and where it is.” (5 min.)
• To observe the effects of salt on living things, give each group two potato slices and a cup of fresh water. Have them put one slice in their salty ocean cup and one in the freshwater cup. Save the cups and have learners observe them next time, considering the effects of the different kinds of water on the two potato slices. (You can also run variations of this activity with halved grapes or gummy bears, and you can compare additional solutions such as water with sugar, vinegar, or baking soda.) (5+ min.)