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A World of Water at the Park Pond

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A World of Water at the Park Pond

Build and evaluate a display about Earth's water.

Plan the Pond Display

Read the passage and Water Table A. Use the data to make a graph and answer the questions.

A Water Trail for the City Park

At a city park, a walking trail curves around a freshwater pond. Visitors watch ducks, cross a footbridge, and stop beside a small information board. The park staff wants to add a display called “Where Is Earth's Water?” A fifth-grade class has been invited to design the display. Their job is to help visitors think beyond the pond they can see.

The class gathers estimates about water across the whole planet. Salt water contains much more dissolved salt than fresh water. Oceans hold nearly all of Earth's salt water. Fresh water occurs in several places, including glaciers, underground spaces, lakes, and rivers. Fresh water does not always mean water that is safe to drink. Water quality is a different question from where water is stored.

Water Table A uses 100 equal water units to represent all the water on Earth. A unit is one equal share of the total, not a bucket or a pond. Each unit in this model stands for 1 percent of Earth's water. The numbers are rounded estimates. A model helps visitors compare amounts that would be impossible to gather in one place.

Water Table B takes a closer look at fresh water. For this table, imagine setting the salt water aside and dividing only the fresh water into 100 equal units. These units are not the same size as the units in Table A. Table B groups freshwater storage into three broad categories. Its last category includes lakes, rivers, and other small freshwater stores.

The class must decide how to turn the data into a clear display. Visitors should be able to tell what each graph represents and compare amounts fairly. Before the display is printed, student reviewers will check the labels, the units, and the claims. The park staff also asks them to explain how a picture of one pond differs from a model of the whole planet.

Water Table A: All Water on Earth
Rounded estimates out of 100 equal units of Earth's water:
Salt water — 97 units
Fresh water — 3 units
1.
Make a bar graph of Water Table A. Add a title and label both kinds of water. Label the amount axis “Units out of 100.” Start it at 0 and mark equal steps of 10 through 100. Draw the bars as closely as you can to the correct heights. Write the exact amount above each bar.
2.
Which comparison should a visitor see in a correct graph of Table A?
Question 2 options
3.

How many more units represent salt water than fresh water in Table A? units

4.
A draft uses Table A's numbers but has the title “Water in Our Park Pond.” Which change fixes the title?
Question 4 options
5.
Select all the choices that make the bar heights in a graph of Table A fair to compare.

Take a Closer Look

Use Water Table B and the passage. Remember that the two tables divide different totals into 100 units.

Water Table B: Only Earth's Fresh Water
Rounded estimates out of 100 equal units of Earth's fresh water:
Ice caps and glaciers — 69 units
Underground fresh water — 30 units
Lakes, rivers, and other fresh water — 1 unit
6.

Together, how many of Table B's 100 freshwater units are stored in ice caps, glaciers, and underground? units

7.
Which statement best summarizes Table B?
Question 7 options
8.
Each statement uses one table's units. Sort it by the total that was divided into 100 equal units.
9.
A reviewer says, “Ice caps and glaciers hold 69 out of every 100 units of ALL Earth's water.” What is the error?
Question 9 options

Review the Final Display

Use the data to check new models and claims. For the last question, explain your claim with numbers.

10.
The class enlarges the whole-Earth model from 100 equal counters to 1,000 equal counters. Which set keeps Table A's water shares the same?
Question 10 options
11.
Select the two claims supported by the passage and tables.

12.
Another source gives a slightly different rounded estimate: 97.5% salt water and 2.5% fresh water. Which main conclusion stays the same with either estimate?
Question 12 options
13.
Write a short message for the park display. Explain how much of Earth's water is fresh compared with salty, and where most fresh water is stored. Support your message with numbers from BOTH tables. Make clear what each set of numbers describes.