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Lesson plan

Level

5th-8th grade

Goal

To reduce storm water pollution in the City of Milwaukee by educating 5th through 8th grade students about the sources and consequences of storm water pollution as well as actions they and their families can take to prevent the pollution of Milwaukee’s rivers and Lake Michigan.

Learning Objectives

To have students answer the question: “How do pollutants flow into storm drains and then into water bodies?”

To have students list pollutants that contaminate our waterways

To have students explain the consequences of storm water pollution

To have students take action to prevent storm water pollution

Wisconsin State Standards:

Science Standard F: Life and Environmental Science (Grade 8)

REGULATION AND BEHAVIOR

F.8.6 Understand that an organism is regulated both internally and externally

F.8.7 Understand that an organism's behavior evolves through adaptation to its environment

POPULATIONS AND ECOSYSTEMS

F.8.8 Show through investigations how organisms both depend on and contribute to the balance or imbalance of populations and/or ecosystems, which in turn contribute to the total system of life on the planet

DIVERSITY AND ADAPTATIONS OF ORGANISMS

F.8.9 Explain how some of the changes on the earth are contributing to changes in the balance of life and affecting the survival or population growth of certain species

F.8.10 Project how current trends in human resource use and population growth will influence the natural environment, and show how current policies affect those trends.

Science, Standard H: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives (Grade 8)

H.8.2 Present a scientific solution to a problem involving the earth and space, life and environmental, or physical sciences and participate in a consensus-building discussion to arrive at a group decision

H.8.3 Understand the consequences of decisions affecting personal health and safety

Materials:

2 large, clear containers, one containing clean river water (perhaps from a river) and one containing dirty river water (perhaps from a dirty river or simulate using mud, oil, trash); include rocks and some sediment (put more sediment, including trash, in the dirty water bottle); fill the dirty one less than the clear one

Pollutants:

Large zip-lock bags filled with the following (one substance per bag):

Pieces of trash-natural and human made

Kitty litter and plastic dog and cat

Grass clippings and leaves

Salt for snow removal

Toy car, sponge, and bucket to represent car wash, container of liquid soap

Picture of a construction site at a home with dirt and gravel

Chemical or natural fertilizer

Motor oil

Anti-freeze

House paint

Pesticide

Herbicide

Different colored beads and bottles of colored water to represent the solid and liquid pollutants for use on the model

Pictures of a rain garden and rain barrel

Run-off Models:

2 large, 2” deep wooden containers which can be set on a table and can withstand water (the boxes will have to be painted with outdoor paint and caulked in the seams)

Neighborhood Model-Place Astro-turf, trees and plants on sponges, houses (one under construction and one completed), a car in a driveway and painted sidewalk, street and storm drain to represent a residential area;

Run-off Model-divide the box into two sections-one painted grey for cement, one with Astro- turf and trees and plants with sponges under them to represent a natural area

Bucket and a big strainer for clean up (to filter beads for reuse from run-off water and to pour water down drain)

Bucket for clean water

Watering can to simulate rain

Fake seaweed and Work Sheet or puzzle for simulation

Measuring cups

Copies of Take Home Sheet, Pollutant/Solution Cards, Pledge Sheet

Procedure

1- Introduction: Show the class the two containers of water from Lake Michigan or the Milwaukee, Kinnickinic or Menomonee rivers. Have one volunteer come up and ask which one they would like to swim in and which one other aquatic creatures would prefer and why. Ask the class which one they would prefer to swim in or drink. Probably the cleaner one will be preferred. Ask where aquatic life would live (in the rocks) and which of the bottles shows a better home. The one with less sediment does.

2- Small Group Brainstorming: Ask the students how the lake and river water got so polluted. Tell the students they are going to be Aquatic Sleuths. Divide the class into groups of two or three students and give each group one of the pollutants. Tell them the items all come from their home or school and pollute river and lake water. Ask each group to circle their pollutant on the Take Home Sheet and draw their hypotheses for how the item might find its way from a home or school into rivers or lakes and into the water they drink. The hypotheses may include that the items are dumped down drains in the home or street, that items are left in the yard or street and are washed into water bodies directly or via drains, or that the items are dumped directly into the water bodies. Guide the students to thinking about how rain plays a part in taking the items down storm drains. Ask if any one knows what a storm drain is and show pictures of them.

3- Using the Models: Test how each item pollutes using the Neighborhood Model. Ask the groups to present their item and their hypotheses to the class. Have the students place the pollutants on the model. Use the watering can to simulate rain. Check the results with the hypotheses. On the Take Home Sheet, have the students modify their drawings based on their observations and write a conclusion about how pollutants get into lakes and rivers. Pollutants left in driveways, yards, and streets travel down storm drains and riverbanks directly into rivers and lakes.

4- Small Group Conclusions: Look at the original containers and the run-off from the experiments and check on the Take Home Sheet the reasons why pollution is a problem. Demonstrate by having a volunteer in the front row stay at his or her desk and work on a Work Sheet or puzzle. While the student is working, put the pollutants on the student’s desk. Pretend to dump the motor oil and antifreeze on the student. End by putting the seaweed all around the student. Then ask the student if it is easy to work, how it smells, if it is easy to move and breathe. The pollutants make it difficult to do all of these things.

5- Prevention Ideas: - Have the groups draw some conclusions about what we can do to prevent the items from polluting the water. Discuss the solutions. Discuss the different surfaces on the Neighborhood Model. Use the Run-off Model to demonstrate how the surfaces absorb by raining on the model. Pour a measured amount of water on each side of the model and measure the amount of water that runs off. Talk about how plants and trees that have roots absorb water whereas pavement prevents water from being absorbed. What would happen if the yard of the house had a rain garden? Show a picture of a rain garden and rain barrel and ask the class how they think these two things could help prevent pollution. Have students match the pollutant to the solution using the Pollutant/Solution Cards. Each card has a source of water pollution or a way to prevent a type of pollution on it. Students have to match the pollutant to the solution.

6- Action Pledge: -Have the students write on the Pledge Sheets an action from the solution list that they think they could take with their family or school in the next month.

Student Product/Assessment:

By the end of the presentation, the students will have a Take Home Sheet explaining how pollutants get into Milwaukee’s waters, why pollution is a problem and actions that prevent storm water pollution. They will sign a pledge to take one of the actions. The teacher can follow up at the end of the month and the students could pledge to take another action. The class could commit to taking an action together at their school, such as building a rain garden, installing rain barrels, or marking storm drains.

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