As a past Science teacher and now in the position of Media Center Assistant, I have been able to use my past Seminar experiences to help students with their various Science Fair projects. This year, students have come to me for help with several Science Fair Projects on water. This unit focuses on the type of questions asked to me by students. Because there were a wide variety of questions, I am trying to provide information for diverse water activities. The student can then decide which water activity is of interest to them and do their investigation.
We all know students tend to become more interested when activities are available. I have included web sites, tried activities from SEPUP kits and the Regional Water Authority. By making the teacher and student aware of activities that can be used for a Science Fair Project, a major hurdle will be out of the way.
Collaboration is a focus in teaching students. This makes learning more meaningful and interesting by providing carry-over between classes. This unit will be one method collaboration between staff members can be realized and also satisfy curriculum standards. Different aspects of the project may fulfill the needs of different departments and programs.
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Subject
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Activity
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Performance Standard
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Science
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Experiment
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P.S. 1 Science Inquiry
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Social Studies
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Laws & Regulations
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P.S. 4.0 Economics
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Language Arts
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Research Paper
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P.S. 2.1
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Math
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Data/Statistics
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P.S. 7.1
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Students may also have the opportunity to work independently or with a partner on this project.
Background
We will begin the unit by having the student focus on water issues. If you have computer access, you can go online and have students take a quiz on their knowledge of water issues. If you want immediate follow-up to the quiz in the form of a short movie, use BrainPop which can be found at http://www.brainpop.com. If you prefer not to have a movie follow-up, a true/false quiz from Water Science for Schools is available at http://www.ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/sc3.html.
Universal Solvent
To lead into water being called the “universal solvent” ask why it is not a good idea to have electrical appliances near your bath water. After a brief discussion, do a water conductivity exercise with “pure” water and several different water mixtures. The student will realize that “pure” water is a non-conductor. You can then explain that like the bath water, water is rarely in a “pure” state. Because water dissolves more substances than any other substance, it is called the “universal solvent.” This does not mean it will dissolve all substances but it can impact our drinking water system if certain materials are allowed in its path.
Water Cycle
Reinforce the fact that most of the water on earth is in the oceans and seas (97%.) Of the remaining 3% only 1% is available for drinking. It is therefore important for us to understand the responsibilities of not abusing this vital resource. Some sources say we use about 100 gallons of water each day to perform daily activities. If something should happen to our drinking water, we could only live for about 5 to 7 days without water for drinking. This chart shows how the water keeps being recycled.
(image available in print form)
We should now be in a position to allow students to pursue a topic of interest to from the following:
Regional Water Supplies
Wells
Bottled Water
Water Conservation
