|
|
Where Does all the Water Go?
What is useable water.
How does location affect water options?
How do people impact water options in
A WebQuest for 11th Grade (Chemistry I) Designed by Melissa Usher
Introduction | Learners | Standards | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Student Page
This lesson was designed as part of the
This lesson is designed for Chemistry I students to study some of the causes and effects of our environment, our pollutants, and our weather cycle on the available in our desert. Students will begin by studying extreme whether situations in our surrounding area (drought, flooding, etc.) as described by the local news media and the USGS. Next students will choose a specific problem, determine some of the causes of the extreme weather situations, and the human role, if any, in that situation. Students will then move into the laboratory with some water samples taken from around the school area (standing water, tap water, any nearby drainage ditches, streams, ponds, etc.). Students will use qualitative analytical chemistry techniques to determine the composition of the water and then based on their findings, design and build a water filtration system that will clean their similar, but unknown, sample and re-test the filtered sample water for contaminants. This lesson is designed for Chemistry I students in a strongly science classroom setting. Based on which tests are required of the student in the lab (or by eliminating the lab altogether), the lesson could be used for physical science (9th grade science) students or middle school students. Also, quality of filtered water could be determined by color, clarity, etc.
Students must have a grasp of lab safety, observation, following lab procedures, and measuring techniques, as well as an understanding of basic molecular interactions, and how to read graphs and graphic organizers. On a content level, students need to have a basic understanding of how the water cycle works, weather, temperature and pressure relations, and solutions.
NV Science HS Standards: Students will understand: 1.) a variety of communication methods to share scientific methods, 2.) the impacts of science and technology in terms of costs and benefits to society, 3.) heat and energy transfers of the atmosphere and influence weather and climate, 4.) atomic structure explain the properties and behavior of matter, 5.) there are interactions between matter and energy, 6.) the evidence for processes that take place on a geologic time scale, and 7.) ecosystems display patterns of organization, change and stability as a result of interactions and interdependencies among earth’s biotic and abiotic features.
CCSD Chem. I Standards: Students will: 1.) use math skills (metric units, evaluate graphs, use scientific notation and significant figures), 2.) use basic lab safety procedures (including knowledge and proper use of safety equipment, safe handling and disposal of chemicals, glassware, and Bunsen burners), 3.) be able to follow lab procedures to obtain data and base their conclusions upon observable or measurable evidence, 8.) use correct chemical nomenclature, 9.) use correct and balanced chemical equations, 10.) use stoichiometry to connect chemical relationships and changes, and 21.) discuss various issues relating chemistry to our environment.
The thinking and communications skills encouraged by this lesson include inference-making, critical thinking, creative problem-solving, observation and categorization, comparison, and teamwork. The chemistry students will start out the first day with a weather related article to read and a few basic questions to answer individually and then discuss and research in groups, which will later be presented to the class. The next day involves a lab compositional analysis of water from their area and designing a filtration system to remove these impurities. The third day, the students will test their filtered water and assess its drink-ability. Finally, on the fourth day students will present to the class their research, water analysis results, filtration success or failure (based on their data), sources of error, conclusions about local water quality, and their answer(s) to the big question.
Students will pick their own groups and the groups will be graded equally. Students will be warned to pick wisely.
This lesson is easy enough for a novice teacher. The teacher may want to add impurities to the water so that students will know what positive readings look like. Variations The research could be done independently and at home, and the filters could be built at home. Students would need:
Teachers would need:
As long as the students are familiar with lab safety and proper procedures, only one teacher should be required.
This lesson was successful if the students completed their class presentation and came up with answers to the big question as well as built a filter based on their evidence of what was in their water. This lesson is important so that students begin making scientific references to the environment and connecting what they know with what they see.
Picture: http://az.water.usgs.gov/ (photo gallery)
Last updated on
|
