Salt Water and Freshwater Distribution on Earth

• These illustrations show how much of the Earth's water is freshwater, how much of that freshwater is from lakes and rivers, and all the different types of freshwater on Earth.
• Students learn that most water on Earth is saltwater, only a sliver of the Earth's freshwater is from lakes and rivers, and freshwater comes in various forms such as groundwater, glaciers, and water vapor.

Positives

• The illustrations are easy to understand and visually engaging.
• The illustrations can be downloaded as a PNG file.
  

Additional Prerequisites

• In order to download the illustrations, you need to sign up for a free PBS LearningMedia account.
• It may be helpful if students already know the difference between saltwater and freshwater.
  

Differentiation

• Teachers can use these illustrations as a conceptual introduction to ice caps, glaciers, the importance of these freshwater sources, and what's happening to these sources in recent years.
• These illustrations can supplement a classroom activity where students investigate different types of marine life.
• These illustrations can enhance a classroom discussion about the scarcity of freshwater and the importance of having clean water in our communities.
• These illustrations can augment a lesson on man-made lakes and other ways that humans try to control water sources.
• Consider using the illustrations to introduce the lesson Importance of Conserving Water.

This resource is from the CLEAN collection. “The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness.”

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.