Lesson 4: Aquifers

Florida’s main drinking water source is rainwater that soaks through the ground and is trapped as groundwater. Most of northeast Florida receives its groundwater from the Floridan aquifer. South Florida receives its drinking water from the Biscayne aquifer.

Ancient shallow seas once covered Florida. Thousands of feet of limestone were deposited beneath these waters. After millions of years, the sea lowered to its present level, leaving layers of limestone for water storage.

Displaying an actual limestone sample would help students better understand how water can be stored in “rocks.” A sample might be borrowed from a local high school earth science instructor.

1. If you have a limestone sample, pass it around the class and let students examine the holes in the rock.

2. Have students read parts 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Ask discussion questions for part 1:

• How is an aquifer like a sponge?
• How is it different from a sponge?
• What is an aquifer?
• Why is it easy for water to move through limestone?

3. Ask students to look at the cross section on part 1 and locate the limestone layer. Have students locate areas that water could fill.

4. Ask discussion questions for part 2:

• About how much water is used from the Floridan aquifer each day?
• What is a recharge area?
• Why is it important to keep high-recharge areas in their natural state?
• What would happen to the Floridan aquifer if major recharge areas were covered with impermeable surfaces?

5. Have students review and discuss the illustration in part 2, pointing out areas of high and low recharge. Have students pretend it is raining on this area. Starting at left, ask students:

• What happens to the rain that falls on the area with all the trees?
• What happens to the rain that falls on the lake?
• What happens to the rain that falls on the city?

6. Ask discussion questions for part 3:

• How do scientists collect information about underground water?
• How does clay sometimes help protect the Floridan aquifer?

7. Have students read and discuss “Aquifer Facts” in part 4. Have students locate their city and county on the map and determine if the drinking water for this area comes from the Floridan aquifer.

FCAT-style questions based on the content of Lesson 4 have been prepared to assist students in preparing for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

• Lesson 4 FCAT-Style Questions
• FCAT Reading Rubric
• Sample Responses

1. Ask students to turn off their monitors. Pass out drawing paper and have students draw a cross section showing areas with high and low recharge.

2. Have students draw and label sand, gravel, limestone and confining layers. Have students identify areas where water would and would not reach the aquifer.

3. FCAT-Style Questions, Lesson 4 Online Quiz or Lesson 4 Quiz worksheets may be used.*

1. Have students navigate to the Lesson 4 Experiment, “Aquifer in a bowl.”

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 the Make A Prediction lab report worksheet.

4. Have students do the experiment “Aquifer in a bowl.” The emphasis here is to have students see firsthand how water travels through soil...up and down! The clear bowl makes the cross section easy to view.

5. Have students answer “What do you think?” and complete the Make A Prediction lab report worksheets for discussion.

6. Have students read and discuss “Make a difference!” You may need to explain that a “planner” is someone who helps make plans so the city/county will have everything it needs for the future.

7. Do the extra activity “How do you plan wisely for recharge?” as homework or as a cooperative group activity. After the “city plans” are made, have students explain orally why they located specific buildings where they did. Let others in the class decide who planned wisely.

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.