Questions+for+Learning

**Water: Essential Questions for Study and Discussion**
What is the value of water? Why is water valuable to us? (fresh water? salt water?) How does water influence the way we live?

What would we do without water? (Consider New Orleans, Galveston) How might we live with less water?

How does where we live in the world affect our day-to-day existence? How does access to clean water influence children's lives?

How is water distributed on the planet? How does water shape the planet and regulate its climate? How does water help define an ecosystem or habitat?

What are the physical and cultural elements of our watershed? How has the presence of people changed our watershed?

How might we use ocean resources without adversely affecting the ocean?

How is using water sustainably different from freely using water?

How do natural resources, especially water, affect health and nutrition?

Do all cultures look at natural resources, especially water, in the same way?

How does water play a part in celebrations around the world? Why is water significant in celebrations in some cultures and not others?

How do people affect and change their environment?

What beliefs and actions would make us better stewards of our watershed/environment?

What physical, historical and cultural factors influence the availability of clean water in Forsyth County and in Kayafungo, Kenya?

[|World Wise Schools: Water in Africa] [|American Museum of Natural History - H2O=Life Educator’s Guide] 
 * Questions adapted from:**

**More Water Discussion Questions**
1. How is water used by a city, people, fish, birds, and animals? 2. How do plants and animals, including insects, use it? 3. Are there signs of water doing harm or being beneficial? 4. In what ways is water important to living organisms, including us? 5. If every living thing needs so much water, how come water isn’t used up? 6. Where does the water go when a puddle dries up? 7. Why don’t oceans and lakes dry up like puddles do? 8. Where does the rain come from? 9. Do you think water always follow the same path as shown in the water cycle? 10. What is the water cycle and what is its relationship to the weather? 11. How do we get the water we use in our daily lives? 12. Why is water essential to all life? 13. How is water different from other liquids? 14. How does water shape the planet and regulate its climate? 15. How is water distributed across the planet? 16. Are humans able to affect or change the water cycle? 17. How have societies adapted to the presence or absence of water? 18. How can we be better stewards of our water planet? 19. What are some effective and practical ways to conserve water? 20. How can political and legal battles over water use and water rights be equitably settled? 21. What can we predict about future generations’ use of water and the availability of water based on what we know now? 22. How is the importance and attraction of water to humans reflected in art and literature? 23. Is it possible to find remedies for most of the causes of water quality degradation around the world? 24. How can the material needs and wants of countries be balanced by the need for sustainable quantities of good, clean water?