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| WATER SCIENCE FOR SCHOOLS |
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 The U.S. Geological Survey's Water Science for Schools website is devoted to explaining the many complexities and facts about water in terms that everyone can understand. The site is available for students aged 9 to 90 and for anyone who wants to find out more about the many aspects of water, from what it is to how we use it.
The web address for Water Science for Schools is http://water.usgs.gov/droplet. The site offers information on the many aspects of water, along with pictures, data, maps, charts, and an interactive center. The website is used worldwide: people from over 120 countries are among the routine users. In fact, about 10 percent of all users are from outside of the United States. In a cooperative effort with EPA, the site is currently being translated into Spanish (to be available by summer 2004). Also, a diagram of the water cycle (the most popular topic on the site), is available in over 30 languages.
On Water Science for Schools you can find out how much water it takes to grow a head of lettuce or to "grow a hamburger." Answers to all types of questions about water are available. A picture gallery offers dozens of pictures along with explanatory text. Maps, charts, diagrams, and data tables explain how and for what purposes water is used in the United States.
One of the most popular areas is the "Activity Center", which is comprised of (1) water questionnaires, (2) opinion surveys, and (3) challenge questions. Users fill in forms with their opinions and answers and are shown a real-time data table of how all users have responded to the same survey. Tables are shown by state and country. Using this method, people can see if others in different states and countries view the subject matter/have different opinions than they have. Teachers can use the results as a basis for discussions on why people in different parts of the U.S. and the world might think differently about water than they do. |
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