Mini lesson -

Ai and its water usage

Overview

Estimated Time: 15–20 minutes

Learning Objective (SMART Goal):

By the end of this lesson, students will understand that AI uses large amounts of water and energy to function. They will identify when using AI is helpful vs. unnecessary, and apply critical thinking to decide when to rely on AI and when to use their own problem-solving skills.

Materials Needed:

✔ Presentation

✔ Optional: Poster template – “Smart Minds Save Water!” for group wrap-up

Slide lesson: Ai and its water usage

This lesson introduces students to the environmental impact of AI by exploring how much water is used to cool down the powerful computers that run AI tools. Students learn that overusing AI—especially for unimportant or silly tasks—can waste resources like water and energy.

IT IS ONLY A BRIEF INTRODUCTION INTO THE SUSTAINABILITY ASPECT OF AI TO GIVE THEM SOME THOUGHT IMPULSES NOT A WHOLE TOPIC!

The presentation is teacher-led, with Artie the AI guiding students through fun facts, movement games, and reflection questions. Students participate in active games to guess water use, compare AI to everyday things, and decide when it's smart to use AI or when to rely on their own thinking.

Presentation slides & Explanation

It is better to view the presentation through the Canva link, as links, animations, and videos do not work in the PDF.

Presentation PDF

Presentation Edit Link

Use this slide to introduce the idea that AI affects the real world, not just the digital one. Artie grabs attention with his dramatic “I’m sooo thirsty!” line. Ask students: “Wait… can a computer really be thirsty?” This sets the tone for a surprising and curiosity-filled lesson.

Go over the lesson and let students predict what they think “AI is thirsty” really means.

Ask the class to guess how many bottles of water each one uses per day. Let them stand in corners, jump, or use finger votes.
Encourage reasoning: “Why do you think the elephant uses more than a tree? What about AI?” Remind them this is about daily use.

Reveal the actual water bottle numbers and be dramatic about AI. Let's find out more!

Let them hold up fingers or write on whiteboards for how many bottles of water they think AI uses for each activity.

Point out how that adds up fast. Say:
“That’s a lot of water! And we know wasting water is bad for the environment. Let’s see what Artie thinks about that…”

Explain: “You might think computers just need electricity… but keeping those big machines cool takes a LOT of water.”
Make it clear that water is used to cool the energy that powers AI.

Read this in Artie’s voice. It’s a big message.
Say: “Let’s read what Artie says together.”
Afterward, remind students: water is a natural resource — once it’s gone, we can’t just make more.

Say: “Artie has something important to say again.”
Read it out loud or have a student read it. Then explain: “We’re going to look at situations and decide when it’s OK to use AI — and when we don’t need to.”

Introduce the game to them.

Read this message with the class: “Think before you ask! Learning and using our brains actually helps the environment!”
Finish with a clap or class cheer: “Smart minds save water!”

Teacher Tip: If teachers want to add more slides, activities, or worksheets, Artie can be copied into Canva presentations and materials to keep the AI theme consistent and engaging. This allows for easy customization while maintaining a structured learning experience.

Final Word

Mini Lesson 7:

In this lesson, students discovered that AI doesn't just use energy; it also uses a surprising amount of water. Through active games, guessing challenges, and reflections with Artie the AI, they explored how our digital choices can affect the environment. By learning when to use AI and when to trust their own thinking, students practiced making smart, sustainable decisions.

This lesson is not meant to stop students from using AI. It is meant to give them a starting impulse to think critically and use it with care. If you have taught the full unit along with the two extra lessons and still want to do more, explore our further activities and additional resources to continue the journey.

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