Teacher's Resources for Water Education
The USGS Water Science School offers many resources to help teach students all about water.
• Water Science School HOME • Water Education •
The Water Science School likes to make life easier for teachers. Here we offer teacher guides with lesson plans and students worksheets complete with answers that can aid teachers in helping their students learn about water.
Lesson Plans
Water in Our World [Lesson Plan]
Building the Water Cycle Diagram [Lesson Plan]
Classroom Teaching Guides
For more information about the Our Water, Our Lives series, visit Our Water, Our Lives: A Series of Water Units for Intermediate Elementary. More teacher guides coming soon!
Our Water, Our Lives: California
Our Water, Our Lives: The Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Our Water, Our Lives: Floods
Groundwater Activity for Grades 6-8
Water Cycle Diagrams
We have several diagrams of the water cycle to choose from including our newest diagram, released in 2022, depicting the global water cycle, as well as how human water use affects where water is stored, how it moves, and how clean it is. Also offered are our long-standing Natural Water Cycle and Water Cycle for Kids diagrams along with an interactive format for various skill levels.
English | Español || All available products
English | Español || All available products
English | Español || All available products
Interactive water cycle diagram (beginner)
Interactive water cycle diagram (intermediate)
Interactive water cycle diagram (advanced)
Facts and Quizzes
Learn about what makes water unique and vital to life on Earth by visiting our page of water facts and participating in our water properties and groundwater quizzes!
Water Education Posters
Our Water Education Posters present nine different water-related topics drawn in a unique and creative cartoon format. These downloadable posters include additional information and activities appropriate for students in elementary and middle school.
Hazardous Waste
Navigation
Wastewater
Water Quality
Watersheds
Water Use
Wetlands
Ocean and Coastal Hazards
Groundwater
Viewing Water from Space Poster + Game
NASA, USGS, and AmericaView collaborate each year on the creation of the Earth Science week poster. The 2021 poster features five beautiful natural-color Landsat 8 images of US rivers meandering their way through the country’s varied landscape.
On the reverse side, you will find a new game called “Rivers: Our National Water Resource.” Try your hand at cleaning our nation’s waterways, winning points for finding ways to use natural vegetation to keep water clean, learning how water is used in different places and industries, and trying to avoid disaster!
+ Game Board (PDF)
+ Game Instructions (PDF)
Spanish version:
+ Game Board (PDF)
+ Game Instructions (PDF)
The Story of Dryville!
In this story YOU are the main character, going into the desert to start a new town where water plays a part every step of the way. We also provide a script for a class play.
The Story of Dryville
Class Play: The Story of Dryville
Opinion Surveys
These surveys show cumulative responses after you take the survey. Responses are shown by State and areas of the world. The results can be used to get class discussions going.
What will be the world's biggest water problem in the future?
Vote for your favorite body of water
How serious are these environmental problems?
Water Shortage! How would you fix it, Mayor?
Challenge Questions
Test your knowledge or simply learn something new with our various water volume calculators.
How much water falls during a storm?
How much water does a dripping faucet waste?
How much water does it take to grow a...
How much water do you use at home?
Other useful resources...
Find a comprehensive selection of water terms and definitions in our Water Science Glossary. In addition, you can bring home our resources with Water Science School bookmarks! Simply email us to request FREE bookmarks for your classroom.