Lesson 13: Too Much…or Not Enough?

In Florida, it is not unusual to have low rainfall for several months followed by heavy rainfall for several months. It seems that just when people have learned to conserve water, it rains every afternoon! Florida, the Sunshine State, has a rainy season from about June through September. The hurricane season is March through October. Tropical storms and hurricanes can drop a large amount of water in one area in a short amount of time. For more information, read Chapter 2 of Florida Waters at http://www.sjrwmd.com/floridawaters/.

For more information about hurricanes, contact your county’s emergency management office, the National Hurricane Center in Miami or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Towns and cities located along water bodies that may flood usually have special evacuation plans that could be discussed with your class. The South Florida Water Management District has produced an historical hurricane tracking map that shows the path of hurricanes hitting Florida.

1. Ask students if anyone has ever lived in an area where flooding occurs.

2. Have students read parts 1 and 2 to find out what causes flooding.

3. Ask discussion questions:

(part 1)

• When does a flood occur?
• What are some causes of flooding?

(part 2)

• What are some places that are likely to flood?
• What harm can be caused by floods?
• How does population contribute to flooding?

4. Have students look at the illustration in part 1 and discuss how flooding causes problems for people.

5. Have students look at the illustration in part 2 and discuss how flooding causes problems for wildlife.

6. Have students read parts 3 and 4 to find out about droughts. Ask discussion questions:

(part 3)

• What is a drought?
• What causes a drought to occur?

(part 4)

• What are some things that can happen as a result of a drought?
• What are some things you can do to help prevent a water shortage?

7. Have a student read aloud the “Imagine that!” in part 3 and discuss with the class. Have students look at “Imagine that!” in Lesson 1 Part 2. Using the statistic that Florida receives about 54 inches of rainfall in one year, have students compare this to the amount of rain that fell in one day in Yankeetown.

8. Have students look at the illustration in part 3 and discuss what would happen to wells as the water table level changes in times of drought.

9. Have students look at the illustration in part 4 and discuss how changing water levels affect wildlife.

10. Have a student read aloud the “Imagine that!” in part 4 and discuss. Allow time for students to share their experiences with finding artifacts.

Special note: Artifacts found at the edge of a river or lake during times of drought may need special protection to maintain quality. Wooden or bone objects that have been submerged for long periods of time may react negatively to being out of water. Some artifacts will deteriorate when left untreated and exposed to air. If you find wooden or bone artifacts, please contact the Department of Anthropology at the University of Florida (http://web.anthro.ufl.edu/).

It is illegal to remove many artifacts and fossils without permission, especially on publicly owned property. Contact the Florida Department of State in Tallahassee (http://www.dos.state.fl.us/) for further information.

FCAT-style questions based on the content of Lesson 13 have been prepared to assist students in preparing for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

• Lesson 13 FCAT-Style Questions
• FCAT Reading Rubric
• Sample Responses

1. Have students list conditions (other than weather, which is beyond our control) which contribute to water shortages and to floods. Have students choose two of these examples and suggest a solution to the problem. (Accept any reasonable answer.) Have volunteers share some of their ideas with the class. For more information on water supply in the St. Johns River Water Management District, go to http://www.sjrwmd.com/waterandyou.html.

2. FCAT-Style Questions, Lesson 13 Online Quiz or Lesson 13 Quiz worksheets may be used.*

Special note: This activity is about the effect population has on our drinking water supply. In 2002, about 900 people moved to Florida each day. But residents aren’t the only users of our water supply. According to statistics from Enterprise Florida, Inc., 75 million people visited Florida in 2003. This special group, important to Florida’s economy, uses potable water daily.

1. Have students navigate to the Lesson 13 Experiment, “Is there enough?”

2. Divide class into cooperative groups and have them read “What you will learn,” “What you will need” and “Here is what you do.”

3. Have each student begin a Make A Prediction lab report worksheet.

4. Have students do the experiment “Is there enough?” and answer the questions in “What do you think?”

5. Have students complete the Make A Prediction lab report worksheet and discuss.

6. Have students read and discuss “Make a difference!”

7. Have students read and discuss “What happens when you turn on the faucet and nothing comes out?” Allow time for students to answer the questions in class, or assign as homework.

Have students determine if these people really are, or were, environmentalists. What actions did they take?

Some of today’s active environmentalists belong to organizations that may have educational materials. Contact the following groups for information on ways to “make a difference”:

Answers for the FCAT-style questions and the online and offline quizzes can be downloaded at answers.html. The quiz answer keys are password-protected. You can obtain the password by registering via a short form.