Using a fictional trade picture book as the focus for a elementary science lesson plan can help primary students understand the content of the lesson better. As part of an Earth Day theme unit, use a version of the Australian Aboriginal folk tale Tiddalik the Thirsty Frog along with Graeme Base's The Water Hole [Harry N. Abrams, 2001] to teach about conserving water and why animals, plants, and communities need a sufficient supply of water.
Tiddalik the Frog and Water Conservation
Primary teachers can read reviews of various Tiddalik the Frog retellings and pick the version of the tale best suited for their classrooms. After sharing this Australian folk tale with the class, teachers can begin a science elementary lesson plan by leading the class in a discussion about Tiddalik, his community, and the community's water supply, using questions such as:
- Where does Tiddalik find the water he drinks? (Depending on the folktale version used, children may answer lakes, rivers, billabongs, streams, puddles, oceans, and even rain clouds.)
- What happens to Australia after Tiddalik drinks all the water? (The ground dries up, all the plans wilt and wither, and all the animals are thirsty.)
- What happens after Tiddalik laughs and lets all the water spill back out? (The plants begin to grow again and the animals have plenty of water to drink.)
Discuss how Tiddalik used up all the water by drinking it and not leaving any for the plants and other animals. Talk about the reasons why plants and animals need water (to live and to grow) and how it can affect a community if all the water is used up or wasted.
Younger primary students may enjoy watching the Tiddalick the Frog episode of the preschool television show Super WHY! and trying out some Super WHY! activities related to water conservation.
The Water Hole, Water Conservation, and the Water Cycle
As the elementary teacher reads The Water Hole to students, the teacher should stop from time to time to have children share their observations about the number of animals drinking from this source of water on each page and the effect this is having on the size of the water hole.
When the page where all the water is gone is reached, have students predict what the animals will do and why (go away to live somewhere else where there is water because they need water to live). After all the animals have gone away, have students predict where more water might come from (rain). After it rains and rains, have students predict what will happen next (the animals will come back because now they have the water they need to live again).
Discuss how this book is similar to and different from the Australian folktale Tiddalik the Frog. For example, in both stories the ground, animals, and plants of a place are affected by a lack of water. And in both stories, the plants begin to grow again and the animals have enough to drink once water returns to a place. However, the stories are different because in Tiddalik, the water comes back out of the frog, while in The Water Hole, the water comes from where water can come in the real life water cycle – rain from the sky.
Assessment for Water Conservation Lesson Plan
For assessment for this elementary science lesson plan, have students create or complete illustrated cause-and-effect statements about the importance of water conservation and the effects on a community when there is not enough water for everyone. As necessary, provide students with either the cause or the effect.
Example cause-and-effect statements about water resources to adapt:
- If one person uses up all the water, there will not be enough for everyone else.
- If there is not enough water, plants will dry up.
- If there is not enough water, animals will be thirsty.
- If it rains, there will be more water on the ground.
- If it rains, plants will grow.
Use an elementary water conservation lesson plan as part of an Earth Day theme unit or during any time when primary students are studying the Earth's resources and how people use them.
Renee Carver - Renée Carver has an Elementary Education degree and over ten years of experience writing and editing children's educational products.
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