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Worksheet Grade 5 Social Studies & Civics

From Lake Verner to Kestwick's Taps: A Water Map Worksheet

A grade 5 map-skills worksheet tracing fictional Kestwick's drinking water from Lake Verner through the river, plant, tank, and pipes, with questions on each stop.

Objectives

  1. Students will trace the path of drinking water from a lake to home taps in the correct order.
  2. Students will use compass directions to describe locations on a county water map.
  3. Students will explain why a water plant and a storage tank sit where they do.

Vocabulary

Key words: map key, compass rose, storage tank, treatment plant

Teacher overview

This worksheet asks students to read a described map of the fictional Verner County and follow a drop of water from a lake in the hills all the way to a kitchen tap in the town of Kestwick. Along the way, students practice compass directions, map-key symbols, and the geographic habit of asking why each piece of the water system was built where it was. No calculations are required; the work is careful map reading and short written reasoning.

From Lake Verner to Kestwick's Taps: A Water Map Worksheet — Grade 5 Social Studies & Civics
Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________

Student Worksheet

Read this description of the Verner County map, then answer the questions. Verner County is a fictional county.

  • Lake Verner sits among the Pine Hills in the northwest corner of the map.
  • The Verner River leaves the lake and flows southeast across the county.
  • The town of Kestwick sits in the southeast corner of the map.
  • The Kestwick Water Plant sits on the river at the west edge of town.
  • A round storage tank stands on Signal Hill, the highest ground in town.
  • Dashed lines show pipes running from the plant up to the tank, and from the tank under the streets to homes, the school, and the firehouse.
  • The map key shows a star for the plant, a circle for the tank, and dashed lines for pipes.
  • A label states that the Verner County Water Department takes care of the plant, the tank, and the pipes.
  1. Where does Kestwick's drinking water begin? Name the place and the corner of the map where it sits.
  2. In which direction does the Verner River flow to reach the town of Kestwick?
  3. Why do you think the water plant was built on the river at the edge of town instead of far from the river?
  4. What is the plant's job before the water reaches any home?
  5. Why does the storage tank stand on Signal Hill, the highest ground in town, instead of on low ground?
  6. List the path of one drop of water in order, from Lake Verner to a kitchen tap in Kestwick. Include every stop.
  7. Look at the map key. What does the star stand for, and why do maps use symbols instead of writing full names everywhere?
  8. Builders want to add new houses on the north side of Kestwick. What would the water department need to add before families could move in, and why?
  9. The Verner County Water Department takes care of the plant, the tank, and the pipes. Explain in one or two sentences why this department's work matters to every home in Kestwick, even homes far from the plant.

From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.

Answer Key
  1. Answer: Lake Verner, in the northwest corner of the map. The description states the lake sits among the Pine Hills in the northwest.
  2. Answer: Southeast. The river leaves the lake in the northwest and flows southeast toward Kestwick.
  3. Answer: The plant cleans river water, so building it beside the river means the water it needs is right there, and the pipes carrying water into town can be short. Accept any answer that connects the plant's location to its water source.
  4. Answer: The plant cleans and treats the water so it is safe to drink before it travels to homes.
  5. Answer: Water stored high on a hill flows downhill through the pipes with a steady push, so taps all over town work even when many people use water at once. Accept "high ground helps water flow down to the whole town."
  6. Answer: Lake Verner, then the Verner River, then the Kestwick Water Plant, then the storage tank on Signal Hill, then the pipes under the streets, then the tap. All six stops in this order.
  7. Answer: The star stands for the Kestwick Water Plant. Maps use symbols so the map stays clear and easy to read, with the key explaining what each symbol means.
  8. Answer: New pipes running to the north side, because homes only get water if pipes connect them to the tank and plant. Accept answers that mention connecting the new houses to the existing system.
  9. Answer: Every home's water travels through the plant, the tank, and the pipes the department maintains, so if that work stopped, taps across the whole town would be affected. Accept any answer that links the department's upkeep to reliable water for all.

Differentiation

Support

Have students sketch the map from the description before answering, placing the lake, river, town, plant, tank, and pipes, and let them answer items 1, 2, and 6 by pointing to their sketch while a partner writes. Complete item 6 as a class first if map paths are new.

Extension

Ask students to add a second fictional town downstream on the Verner River and write three new map facts for it, then explain whether it could share Kestwick's plant or would need its own.

ELL supports

Pre-teach the four compass directions with a labeled compass rose on the board, and review map key, tank, and plant with quick sketches beside each word. Allow items 3, 5, and 9 to be answered with a labeled drawing plus a short phrase.

Extensions

Invite students to find their own town's water source with a family member, using the town website or a water bill, and compare its path to the Verner County map: a source, a plant, storage, and pipes.