Simulators / APES Unit 5 / Topic 5.5
Irrigation Showdown
Predict which irrigation method wastes the least water, test flood, furrow, spray and drip in the lab, then run a 20-year farm that shares an aquifer with its neighbors. Watch the water table fall and salt build in the soil. About 40 minutes. Free, with no login.
Open the simulation in its own tab (best on phones)
Take it to class
Irrigation Showdown, free on TpT
Download the simulation file to upload to your own Canvas or Google Classroom, plus the teacher guide with the answer key, sample written responses, and a way to verify each student's completion code.
Method Lab
Students predict, then compare flood, furrow, spray, and drip for water pumped, water lost, cost, and salt added (Topic 5.5).
20-year farm
Choose crop, method, and water amount each year while neighbors pump the same aquifer. A tragedy of the commons in miniature (Topics 5.1 and 5.4).
Evidence-based report
Four auto-checked questions and two written responses that use the student's own data, ending in a completion code.
Irrigation loss rates (flood 20%, furrow 33%, spray 25% or less, drip 5%) follow the AP Environmental Science Course and Exam Description. Costs, yields, and salt values are rounded model numbers for teaching, not field data.