Water in Extreme Environments

Grade 6-8

Water in Extreme Environments

Discover where water is located in our solar system, and engineer a process to reuse this precious resource in an extreme environment!

Science

Learn about water on Earth and across the solar system, then propose one extraterrestrial water reservoir for exploration.

3 Activities • 55–65 minutes class time per Activity

Engineering

Explore water quality and filtration methods, then design a water filtration system for use in an extreme environment on Earth or in space.

8 Activities • 50–60 minutes class time per Activity

Home

Play a game about water on objects in the solar system, and engineer a way to filter water at home!

2 Activities • 30 minutes per Activity

Team up to discover where water can be found in our solar system and engineer water filtration systems!

science

Testing the Waters: Water in the Solar System

In these Activities, youth answer the guiding question, Where, and how accessible, usable, and habitable, is water in the solar system?

science

Testing the Waters: Water in the Solar System

In these Activities, youth answer the guiding question, Where, and how accessible, usable, and habitable, is water in the solar system?

Unit Activities

Water - Science - All Files All Files	zip 13.96 MB
FM_Water_in_Extreme_Environments_Science_Front_Matter Science Educator Introduction	pdf 3.67 MB
Water-in-Extreme-Environments-Science-Educator-Guide Science Educator Guide	pdf 4.41 MB
Water-in-Extreme-Environments-Science-Notebook Science Notebook	pdf 123.23 KB
Water-in-Extreme-Environments-Planetary-Science-Cards Planetary Science Cards	pdf 6.34 MB
Water-in-the-Solar-System-Poster-web Poster for Web	jpeg 569.81 KB
PLANETS_Testing-Waters_Gr6-8_Science-Series_Alignments-to-NGSS Standards Alignment	pdf 120.87 KB

Youth will learn where water is found on Earth and elsewhere in the solar system.
Youth will learn about different reservoirs of water on planetary bodies and the factors that affect whether water is usable by humans or habitable for other life.
Youth will explore evidence for water in different forms on different planetary bodies.
Youth will consider accessibility, usability, and habitability in arguing which planetary body they want to explore.

engineering

Testing the Waters: Engineering a Water Reuse Process

In these Adventures, youth answer the guiding question, How can we design a water filtration system to support people in an extreme environment?

engineering

Testing the Waters: Engineering a Water Reuse Process

In these Adventures, youth answer the guiding question, How can we design a water filtration system to support people in an extreme environment?

Unit Activities

FM_Water_in_Extreme_Environments_Engineering_Front_Matter Engineering Educator Introduction	pdf 3.57 MB
testing_the_waters_educator_guide Engineering Educator Guide	pdf 10.85 MB
Water-In-Extreme-Environments-Engineering-Journal Engineering Notebook	pdf 7.76 MB
Water-In-Extreme-Environments-Engineering-Journal-in-Spanish Engineering Notebook in Spanish	pdf 11.13 MB
Water-In-Extreme-Environments-Engineering-Materials-List Materials List	pdf 141.29 KB
Engineering-Design-Process_Poster Engineering Design Process Poster	pdf 5.12 MB
PLANETS_Testing-Waters_Gr68_Engineering-Series_Alignments-to-ITEEA-STEL-NGSS Standards Alignment	pdf 248.47 KB

Youth will learn that engineers and scientists measure water quality to find out how safe the water is to use for certain tasks.
Youth will explore how different filter materials remove different types of contaminants from water.
Youth will learn that water quality determines the order water can be reused for specific locations.

How to Teach These Units

Explore all Water in Extreme Environments offerings including background videos, downloads, learning pathways, and more!

Educator Resources

Water in Extreme Environments

home

Water in Extreme Environments Game

In this Activity, youth explore which environments around the solar system might support life, and they work with family members to design water filters.

home

Water in Extreme Environments Game

In this Activity, youth explore which environments around the solar system might support life, and they work with family members to design water filters.

Unit Activities

Water Home - All All Files	zip 7.97 MB
Water_in_Extreme_Environments_Game_Cards Game Cards	pdf 6.3 MB

Youth will learn that bodies around the solar system have different properties, including gravity, density, size, water, and distance from the Sun.
Families will learn that they can filter water in order to reuse it at home.

WATER EDUCATOR RESOURCES

Improve Teamwork, Support Understanding, and Build 21st Century Skills

Learning Resources

Find overviews, learning progressions, and tips to support your teaching.

Download Resources

NASA Resources

Explore resources from NASA to learn more about water in the solar system.

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Live Events

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