Is Earth Running Out of Water?

PBS Learning Media

This video is an episode of Above the Noise from PBS Digital Studios that engages students in thinking about drought and water shortages worldwide. Supporting materials include background reading on water shortages, a transcript of the video, a handout for viewing Above the Noise episodes (not specific to water shortages), teaching tips, activities, and discussion questions. The video is an engaging introduction to the topic and is best used as part of a larger lesson plan.

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Notes from our reviewers

The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials.

A list of teaching tips is included in the support materials with this lesson, which include a link to a handout, [link https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https://static.pbslearningmedia.org/media/media_files/129a2623-3bf7-46de-8b51-eef8b4a2c8f0/742dcf19-90c8-4d82-8fa5-5d67422299f3.docx 'Typical Water Use at Home']. This handout can be a resource for students to create a personal plan for water conservation. For high school students, see a complementary lesson [link https://vermont.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/kend19-sci-ess-droughtimpact/drought-identifying-impacts-and-evaluating-solutions-lesson-plan/ 'Drought: Identifying Impacts and Evaluating Solutions by PBS Learning Media']. Teachers should be aware that the material in this video may become dated over time but still provides a relevant introduction to the topic of drought.
Passed initial science review - expert science review pending. This video explores the science behind drought and how drought can result in water shortages around the world. The video discusses fresh water storage and how water cycles through the climate. The video also describes the impacts of water scarcity. Comments from expert scientist: Good, engaging introduction to the global problem of water supplies. Minor fact error: 95.6% of water in oceans should be 96.5%. The resource refers to current events and projections that were valid when the video was made, in 2018. The video won't make much sense unless viewers are aware of the historical context.
The video is an engaging introduction to the drought and water shortages and is best used as part of a larger lesson on drought. The suggested activity to accompany the video is an online discussion board to interact with other students on the topic. From a career and college readiness perspective, the scientist featured in this video is a person of color and could be seen as a role model to underserved populations.