Earth's water activity: a 5th grade 100-bean model

1. Spin the globe and ask: "Is Earth mostly land or water?" Then ask: "How much of that water can we drink?" Collect guesses.
2. Pairs count out 100 beans. Explain that each bean is 1 percent of all Earth's water.
3. Share the U.S. Geological Survey numbers: about 97 percent of Earth's water is salty, mostly in the oceans. Students move 97 beans into the salt water cup.
4. The 3 beans left are fresh water. About two of them are frozen in glaciers and ice caps, and about one is groundwater. Students place them.
5. Ask: "Where are lakes and rivers?" Show a few sugar grains: lakes and rivers hold only a tiny part of a percent.
6. Discuss: "If fresh surface water is so small, why do we still have enough?" Bring in the water cycle: water keeps moving and refilling.
7. Students write one sentence about why it matters to keep fresh water clean.

Safety: dry beans are not for eating and can be a choking risk for younger siblings, so collect them at the end. Counters work too.

Differentiation: students who need support use 10 counters where each stands for 10 percent, and only split salt and fresh. Students who are ready turn the numbers into a circle graph. English learners can use "Most of Earth's water is ___."

Quick check: ask: "Out of 100 beans, how many stand for fresh water, and where is most of it?"

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