Water – The Essence of Life

Chapter 1

A Note to Teachers about this Teacher Resource Document

Please find the Teacher Resource Document (TRD) provided as an additional resource alongside the Textbook for Chapter 1 – ‘Water – The Essence of Life’. These suggested resources, such as Digital Assets, Learning and Teaching Materials (LTMs), and Visual Organisers, are designed to support teachers in managing classroom time effectively to create an engaging, inclusive, and learner-friendly environment for all students.

Learning Objective

1. Learn the various forms and different sources of water. 
2. Understand the importance of water in different activities in society.
3. Understand the water cycle. 
4. Explore how water shapes the land and supports life in freshwater habitats.
5. Recognise the need to conserve water.

Concepts and Sub-concepts Covered

• Concept – Resource, biodiversity
• Sub concepts – Habitat, adaptation, conservation

Prerequisites

Students must be able to…

• understand basic uses of water in daily life.
• compare different forms of waterbodies.
• understand that plants and animals need water to live.
• name plants and animals that live in water.
• have a basic understanding of landforms such as mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas.
• demonstrate observation skills, such as noticing changes in the surroundings.
• take part in classroom activities.
• wait for their turn to speak.
• listen while others are speaking.
• follow instructions.

Prerequisites Reinforcement

• Categorise pictures of lakes, rivers, wells, oceans and discuss differences.
• Include any one reading activity every day for 5 to 10 minutes:
  • Paired reading – students read in pairs
  • Repeated reading – students read the passage several times to develop fluency
  • Choral reading – the students read together along with the teacher
  • Echo reading – The teacher models reading, and students read
• For comprehension, ask factual (who? what?) and inferential (why? how?) questions.
• Give short and clear instructions.

Pre-teach Vocabulary

water, freshwater, saltwater, groundwater, source, recharge, habitat, aquatic, steam, evaporation, condensation

Learning Cards: Pre-teach Vocabulary Card

Pre-teach Critical Concepts

The teacher asks students thinking questions to understand their background knowledge:

1. Why is freshwater important for life?
2. Why can’t we drink seawater?
3. What happens to rainwater after it falls on the ground? 
4. What may happen if all ponds and lakes dry up? 
5. What animals and plants live in water?
6. Why can’t humans live in water?

Note to the teacher: 
Adaptations, variations in rules and pace are suggested below to develop the above prerequisites.

Suggested Variation in Rules and Pace (if required): Use visual schedules for doing a task and step-by-step instructions. Provide movement breaks during longer activities. Allow extra time for reading, writing, and completing activities.  Teach the river journey in stages. Spend more time on maps and diagrams. Provide multiple opportunities to revisit concepts.

Suggested Scaffolds for Assistance (if required):  Pre-teach important vocabulary using pictures, symbols, and real objects. Highlight key words using colours or symbols. Reinforce vocabulary through repetition, songs, and actions. Use real-life examples from the students’ own neighbourhood. Use visual aids such as videos, pictures, flashcards, charts, models, and photographs. Use multisensory teaching methods like visual, auditory, movement, and tactile activities. Provide worksheets with matching, colouring, circling, and sorting activities. Provide sentence starters, such as “Water is important because…,” “I use water for…” Allow oral responses instead of written answers. Use role-play: ‘A day without water’.

Goals

Note to the teacher: 

The entire chapter has been divided into smaller sections to help achieve the learning objectives effectively. The key concepts covered in the chapter are presented below in micro-portions, using relevant visual cards and related media resources. These resources are designed to support teachers in delivering the lesson effectively in an inclusive classroom.

Visual Cards: Water – The Essence of Life

Video: Diksha Content

Click to view and download

Audio: Diksha Content

Click to view and download

Note to the teacher: 

• The teacher is provided with additional materials beyond those included in the textbook. 
• These resources will keep the students engaged, reinforce key concepts, and may be used when time permits.

Save Every Drop of Water

Aim: To demonstrate that water management is a shared community effort through a musical chair game. 

Materials required:

• chairs
• music player
• paper labels to stick onto the back of the chairs (lake, river, well)

Preparation:

• Place the chairs close together, facing outward.
• Every chair represents a ‘Water Reservoir’ that is labelled.
• Every student represents a ‘Community’ that needs water to survive.
• The game is played in two rounds:
  1. Round A (Girls Play): The girls play the game in the centre. The boys stand around the outside acting as water inspectors. The boys count how many girls successfully squeeze onto one chair. 
  2. Round B (Boys Play): The boys and girls switch their roles. 

Procedure:

The teacher briefs the students about a special game called ‘Save Every Drop of Water’. Every single chair is a water reservoir – like a fresh lake, a clean river, or a deep underground well. And students are different human communities who depend on these water sources to survive.

In this special musical chair, if there are fewer chairs in a round, the participants must share, squeeze together, or let classmates sit on their laps. Everyone gets his/her share of the water resources. 

Both rounds of the game (boys and girls separately) are played in 3 cycles: 

Cycle 1: Water Abundance 

• The activity begins with the same number of chairs as students. (e.g., 15 girls, 15 chairs)  
• Students walk in a circle around the chairs while the teacher plays the music.
• When the music stops, every student easily finds a seat.

Note: The teacher explains that when water is abundant, everyone is comfortable. 

Cycle 2: Water Scarcity 

The teacher gives an example of two common scenarios when we waste water:

• In one community, people leave their taps running while brushing their teeth.
• In the second community, three buildings had leaking pipes that were left unrepaired. 

After explaining the scenarios, the teacher removes 2 to 3 chairs.

• The teacher plays the music again. The same set of students (girls) walk around the remaining chairs.
• When the music stops, three students are left standing without a ‘water resource’.
• The students sitting on chairs share, allowing the three students to sit on others’ laps or sit near them.

Note: The teacher explains that to survive water scarcity, communities must share resources and reduce their consumption.

Cycle 3: The Drought 

The teacher explains what a drought is. Then, he/she removes 4 more chairs and says, “A severe summer drought has dried up the local river.”

• The teacher plays the music. The students (girls) walk around the remaining chairs. The music stops.
• Now, many students are standing. The class must squeeze together, sharing chairs to ensure nobody is left standing.

Note: If any student cannot find a way to share a chair and is left behind, that community ‘runs out of water’, and faces an emergency.

Post activity discussion:

• How did it feel when the chairs (water resource) started disappearing?
• What actions do you have to take to make sure your classmates don’t fall?
• In real life, what everyday habits can we change to stop the water resources from being wasted or depleted?

Key knowledge the students will acquire:

• Students experience the shift from resource abundance to resource scarcity. 
• Students learn that water is a very important resource in our daily lives and that it requires collective responsibility to protect it. 

A Park That Floats on Water  

The teacher begins the lesson by showing a video with a voiceover:

“Water is much more than what flows from our taps—it is the source of life for entire ecosystems and extraordinary natural wonders.

Look closely at Loktak Lake. Its clean waters support a remarkable floating national park and provide a home for the rare dancing deer. Without this precious resource, these unique habitats and the wildlife that depend on them could be lost forever.

Every drop of water we conserve helps protect incredible places like this and ensures they continue to thrive for future generations.

Now, let’s embark on a journey to explore this fascinating world and discover why water matters so much.”

• In India, there is a magical place called Keibul Lamjao National Park in Manipur. 
• This amazing park floats on top of a massive lake called Loktak Lake. 
• It is the only floating National Park on Earth. 
• The floating park is huge, covering nearly 40 square kilometres. 
• Instead of hard ground, the plants and animals live on thick, floating mats made of roots, grass, and soil. 
• These mats are called Phumdis.
• People also live on these floating islands and use boats to move around. 
• A very rare animal lives here, called the Sangai deer. When this beautiful deer walks on the bouncy, floating ground, it looks like it is dancing.
• Along with the dancing deer, wild boars, otters, and beautiful birds live here. 

The teacher can have a question-answer session after viewing the video: 

1. Name the animal that looks like it is dancing on the bouncy ground. 
   Ans. Sangai deer.
2. What is unique or special about Keibul Lamjao National Park?
   Ans: It is an amazing park that floats on top of a massive lake called Loktak Lake.
3. What will happen to the dancing deer if Loktak Lake dries up?
   Ans: The dancing deer will disappear forever. (Loktak Lake and its amazing dancing deer  depend on clean water to survive)
4. Why is the Sangai deer called the ‘dancing deer’?
   Ans: It hops gracefully so that it doesn’t sink into the floating islands.

The teacher can conclude the session with the following points:

• We all have the power to protect hidden wonders just like this by saving water.
• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth. This small habit can save up to 30 glasses of water each day.
• Keep your showers short—around 5 minutes. Shorter showers use much less water than long baths.
• Report dripping taps to an adult so they can be fixed. Even tiny leaks can waste a surprising amount of water over time.

Key knowledge students will acquire: Students understand that every drop saved helps protect our planet’s precious water resources.

Video: A Park that Floats on Water

ISL Video: A Park that Floats on Water

Assessments

Worksheet: Practice Worksheet 1

Worksheet: Practice Worksheet 1 (Enlarged)

Audio Worksheet: Practice Worksheet 1

Worksheet: Practice Worksheet 2

Worksheet: Practice Worksheet 2 (Enlarged)

Audio Worksheet: Practice Worksheet 2

Worksheet: Practice Worksheet 3

Worksheet: Practice Worksheet 3 (Enlarged)

Audio Worksheet: Practice Worksheet 3

Worksheet: Assessment Worksheet 1

Worksheet: Assessment Worksheet 1 (Enlarged)

Audio Worksheet: Assessment Worksheet 1

Worksheet: Assessment Worksheet 2

Worksheet: Assessment Worksheet 2 (Enlarged)

Audio Worksheet: Assessment Worksheet 2

Worksheet: Assessment Worksheet 3

Worksheet: Assessment Worksheet 3 (Enlarged)

Audio Worksheet: Assessment Worksheet 3

For inclusive classroom support, the teacher can refer to the ‘Adaptations and Strategies for Worksheets’ in the Adaptations and Strategies section.

Adaptations and Strategies: Suggested Scaffolds for Worksheets

Home Activity

Below are activities designed to help children understand the importance of water conservation and encourage them to practise water-saving habits in their daily lives. 

A. My Water Footprint

Track your daily usage of water- put a tick mark for water-saving action. 

• Brushing teeth with the tap running 
• Brushing teeth with the tap closed
• Taking a bath from a bucket
• Taking a shower bath
• Washing hands for 20 seconds
• Drinking water from the water bottle fully

Think and write – Two ways in which you saved water:
1. 2.

B. Water Wisdom

Interview an older family or community member, such as a parent, grandparent, or neighbour. Ask them the following questions and record their responses:

1. When you were around 10 years old, how did your family store drinking water?
2. Did you ever experience a water shortage as a child? If so, how did your family manage during that time?

Teacher Resource Document