Water resources: demand and supply
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain reasons for the increasing demand for water and factors that affect water supply.
Key learning points
- Globally, water consumption is rising.
- Water consumption is increasing due to economic development.
- Water consumption is increasing due to population increase.
- There are physical factors that affect water availability, such as climate and geology.
- Human factors affecting water availability include pollution, over-abstraction, limited infrastructure and poverty.
Keywords
Abstraction - the extraction of water from a water source, such as a river or aquifer
Over-abstraction - occurs when the extraction exceeds recharge by precipitation
Poverty - more than lack of income, it includes hunger and malnutrition, limited access to education and other basic services
Common misconception
In LICs and NEEs there is a general lack of safe drinking water.
There is unequal access to safe drinking water in LICs and some NEEs, rather than a general lack. Investment in infrastructure often lags behind population growth. Wealthier people buy bottled water or expensive home purification technology.
Teacher tip
When considering factors that affect availability of water, there are opportunities to drill down to a local scale and consider contrasts within countries. This return to a more concrete, experienced scale may be welcomed by students after the 'global-scale' questions of the first learning cycle.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What best explains why some countries lack clean water?
Q2.Which of the following is not a renewable resource?
Q3.Which continent uses the most energy overall?
Q4.Fossil fuels are being replaced by more energy.
Q5.Which is not a cause of food insecurity?
Q6.What is meant by “energy mix”?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to their correct definitions:
Extraction of water from a source such as a river
When water extraction exceeds natural replenishment
A condition including hunger, poor access to services and education
Q2.What is one major cause of rising water demand globally?
Q3.What is the main impact of poverty on water supply?
Q4.Which statement best corrects a common misunderstanding?
To help you plan your 11 geography lesson on: Water resources: demand and supply, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 geography lesson on: Water resources: demand and supply, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 geography lessons from the Global pattern of water resources unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.