Today the 4th graders were asked, "How well do you know the Great Lakes?" They could name the lakes, knew they were sometimes called "inland seas", and also knew that they contained 20% of all the fresh water on the planet. What they didn't know was what volume of water they contained, how long the shorelines were in miles, where most of the human population lived, and how many pounds of fish are harvested commercially. So, they were given a few resources, and asked to create a model showing all these factors. Being 4th graders, they were ready for the task. They created a model showing all the Great Lakes in relation to each other, filled them with water (using blue paper squares), located where most of the people live (using red and white squares), and showed where the majority of the fish come from (yellow squares). The students did a fantastic job, and I believe they can answer the question posed to them very well. This activity helps the students understand the value of these lakes, and also prepares them to better understand the models of the Great Lakes they will see when they visit Discovery World next week.