PDF Green Learning Sixth Grade Teacher's Guide

Green Learning Sixth Grade Teacher's Guide

Green Learning is an educational guide designed to help you meet SOL requirements while teaching important concepts about care of the environment to sixth grade students. As you read through the guide, you will see that it incorporates maps, articles, puzzles, and interactive class activities to teach concepts such as watershed education, pollution prevention, stormwater management, water conservation, resource management, and prevention of sanitary sewer overflows.

This teacher's guide includes suggested resources and additional educational activities, and identifies the SOLs met by each section of Green Learning.

Green Learning is provided for use by sixth grade students throughout Hampton Roads. It was created by , a public education and outreach program that encourages environmental stewardship among all residents here in southeastern Virginia. It is funded by the 16 cities and counties of Hampton Roads and administered through the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC). Members of include the cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg; the counties of Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, Southampton, Surry, and York; and the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD).

Green Learning and this teacher's guide are available online at GreenLearning.

PAGE 2 ? WHAT IS A WATERSHED?

SOLs: Science 6.7

Resources:

- Virginia Hydrologic Unit Explorer, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation: dswcapps.dcr.htdocs/maps/HUExplorer.htm - The Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Chesapeake Bay Program: discover/baywatershed

Activity:

Investigating Watersheds Using Fieldscope This activity is from the Chesapeake Bay Program, NetCommunity/Document.Doc?id=2708. The interactive map from National Geographic was designed to allow users to discover traits and features within their local Chesapeake Bay watershed. For schools not located within the

Chesapeake Bay watershed, it will be beneficial for the students to select an address within the watershed so that they may navigate around the map.

If your school is not within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, please visit the Virginia Hydrologic Unit Explorer, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, dswcapps.dcr.htdocs/maps/HUExplorer.htm. This map allows users to enter their address and identify their local watershed along with the rivers, streams, and lakes in the watershed.

Discussion:

Discuss the definition of a watershed: A watershed is an area of land that drains to a particular river, lake, bay, or other body of water. Watersheds are sometimes called "basins" or "drainage basins."

Discuss with students that the United States Geological Survey created a system called the hydrologic unit code (HUC) to divide and categorize watersheds into smaller units. "Maps of these smaller regions within the watershed are helpful for scientists and land planners who need to study local environmental issues. ... Every school, house, and shopping mall in the watershed is part of a sub-region, sub-basin, and local watershed (National Geographic, Chesapeake Bay Field Scope)." The codes range from one digit (the largest level) to 12 digits (the finest subwatershed level).

Discuss the factors that affect water quality in a watershed and how those factors can affect an ecosystem (factors are described on pages 3, 5, 7, 11-12, 16).

PAGE 3 ? THE 411 ON TMDL

SOLs: Science 6.7

Resources:

- Total Maximum Daily Load, : total-maximum-daily-load/

- Learn the Issues, Chesapeake Bay Program: issues

- The Chesapeake Bay, The Washington Post: wpsrv/special/lifestyle/kidspost/chesapeake/index.html

Activity:

Bay in a Beaker: Mini-Bay Simulation

This activity demonstrates the affect fertilizer has on water quality.

Question for students: How does the amount of fertilizer and light affect the growth of algae in water?

Ask students to develop a hypothesis: If I increase the amount of fertilizer in water and decrease the amount of light, then the growth of algae will increase.

1. Fill four beakers or jars with 750 ml. of stream or pond water.

2. Weigh and then add 10 mg. of fertilizer to one beaker.

3. Weigh and add 25 mg. of fertilizer to the second beaker. 4. Add 10 mg. of fertilizer to a third beaker and completely cover it with aluminum foil (this is the control for the light). 5. Don't add anything to the fourth beaker (this is the control for the fertilizer). 6. Label and date each beaker. 7. Place all four beakers together on a sunny windowsill. 9. Record results. Conclusion: Ask students to relate the water in the beakers to the water in our ponds, streams, and Chesapeake Bay. How could the abundance of algae affect submerged aquatic vegetation? How could it affect crabs, oysters, and fish? How do nutrients get into the Chesapeake Bay? Where do they come from? How can we reduce our inputs of nutrients to the Chesapeake Bay?

Discussion: Discuss the vast land area the Chesapeake Bay Watershed covers and the diverse landscapes, animals, plants, and people in the watershed.

PAGE 4 ? WATERSHED PUZZLER

SOLs: Science 6.7, English 6.4

Resources: - Rivers and Streams, Chesapeake Bay Program: issues/issue/rivers_and_streams

Activity:

Wetland in a Pan

This activity is from the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences: ecosystems.psu.edu/youth/sftrc/lesson-plans/water/6-8/wetland.

This activity covers three concepts:

? Wetlands act as a buffer zone between dry land and bodies of water. ? Destroying wetlands can cause serious flooding. ? Wetlands help trap excessive amounts of pollutants and silt.

Discussion:

Ask students to argue for and against commercially developing a parcel of land containing a large wetland area. Have students design and defend a land-use model that minimizes negative impacts.

PAGE 5 ? STORMWATER POLLUTION

SOLs: Science 6.4, 6.5, 6.7, English 6.4

Resources: - A Clean, Healthy Bay Starts at Home, : a-clean-healthy-baystarts-at-home/

- Learn the Issues, Chesapeake Bay Program: issues

Activity:

Schoolyard Cleanup

Hold a school yard cleanup with students. Engage staff and parents to build pride in the school. Visit recycling-contacts/ to find contact information for your Clean Community Program Mangers. Managers will be able to provide tips for organizing a cleanup.

Grade Your Schoolyard

With this activity students will walk around the schoolyard to evaluate and make recommendations about water conservation and protection. If you would like to contact your local stormwater department, please visit stormwater-contactinformation/.

1. Make a copy of Grade Your Schoolyard, (located at the end of this guide) for each student.

2. Review the questions with the students to make sure they understand what they are looking for.

3. Send students out in small groups to evaluate the schoolyard.

4. Gather students back in the classroom and ask a representative from each group to discuss their findings and recommendations. Encourage students to look at page 6 in the Green Learning guide for ideas.

How's My Waterway

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched a new app called "How's My Waterway" to help people find information on the condition of thousands of lakes, rivers, and streams across the United States. The website uses GPS technology or a user-entered zip code or city name to provide information about the quality of local water bodies. The release of the app and website helps mark the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, which Congress enacted on Oct. 18, 1972, giving citizens a special role in caring for the nation's water resources. Forty years later, EPA is providing citizens with a technology-based tool to expand that stewardship.

This project can be extended to include use of the Fieldscope mapping tool (See page 2.) Visit NetCommunity/Document.Doc?id=2708.

1. As a class or in pairs, have students visit watersgeo.mywaterway/

2. Click on the "Choose a Location" icon.

3. Enter the zip code or city/state for the school's location.

4. Ask students to list the name of the waterway closest to the address they listed.

5. Students can click on the "Show Map" button to locate the waterway.

6. Ask students to list the pollution categories for that waterway. Students can click on the category to learn more about where the pollution comes from, what people can do to prevent pollution, and the effects of pollution.

7. Ask students if the waterway has a TMDL Cleanup Plan. Discussion: Talk with students about their responsibilities for keeping our local waterways clean. Discuss actions they can take at school and at home to keep pollution out of waterways.

PAGE 6 ? SLOW THE FLOW SOLs: Science 6.5, 6.7

Resources: - Rain Barrel Basics, : - How to Make a Rain Barrel, :

Activity: Role of Plants in Water Filtration, EPA Objective: To understand the role of plants in filtering the water moving through a watershed. Discussion:

1. In what ways can plants and soil benefit drinking water quality? 2. We saw plants and soil remove some types of impurities from water. How might the

plants remove larger quantities? 3. Can plants and soil remove any type of impurity from water? 4. What other organisms in the soil-plant system might aid the uptake of water pollutants? 5. What is the role of rainwater moving through contaminated soil?

PAGE 7 ? POINTING TO THE SOURCE OF POLLUTION SOLs: Science 6.7 Resources: - Understanding Point vs. Nonpoint Source Water Pollution, National FFA (Future Farmers of America) Organization, Activity: Non-Point Solution, EPA Objective: This activity is designed to demonstrate to students what an average storm drain collects during a rainfall event and how the water from storm drains can impact the water quality and aquatic environments of local streams, rivers, and bays. Discussion: 1. What types of pollution are natural? 2. What types of pollution are added by people living in the local communities? 3. How can we remove the pollution from the water? 4. What could be done to stop pollutants from entering storm drains?

PAGE 8-9 ? ALL ABOUT WATER SOLs: Science 6.5, 6.7, English 6.4 Resources:

- WaterSense Fix a Leak Week Activity Sheets, EPA:

- Water Treatment Process, EPA:

Activity 1:

The Water Treatment Process Do you know what it takes to make the water you drink and use everyday clean?

Raw or untreated water is treated differently in different communities depending on the source and quality of the water which enters the plant. Groundwater is water located underground and typically requires less treatment than water from lakes, rivers, and streams.

View the diagram below (available online at the link above) and read about the water treatment process to solve the following word scramble activity.

Coagulation & Flocculation - Coagulation and flocculation are the processes that remove dirt and other particles suspended in water. Alum and other chemicals are added to water to form tiny sticky particles called "floc" which attract the dirt particles.

Solids Removal - The particles of floc and dirt eventually accumulate and become masses of sludge that are removed through sedimentation (where heavy particles settle to the bottom) or clarification.

Filtration - The water passes through filters, made of layers of materials such as sand and coal that help remove even smaller particles.

Disinfection - A small amount of chlorine or some other disinfectant is added to kill or inactivate harmful microorganisms that may remain in the water.

Storage - The water is sent to elevated or ground level storage tanks. From there is the water is delivered on demand, into the water distribution system, consisting of many miles of pipes of various sizes that bring the water to your house or business.

Water Treatment Word Scramble

1. Some sources of drinking water include ____________ _____________ and _____________.

lelws

rversi

kelsa

2. __________ help attract dirt particles, then sink to the bottom during _________________.

olcf

onseitatinmde

3. ___________ consists of the water passing through filters, to remove even smaller particles. tnfirlitao

4. This process includes adding a chemical or some other disinfectant method to further clean the water. _______________ cfitndinseio

5. After water is cleaned and stored, it is then delivered on demand, through the _____________

______________ system.

trwae

sdrbtinouiit

Activity 2:

Water Filtration Experiment (from )

Materials Needed

2-liter soda bottle cut in half (by an adult) napkins or paper towels gravel, sand and cotton balls for your filter dirty water, you can make it by adding cooking oil, food coloring, pieces of paper, and tiny pieces of Styrofoam to water

Instructions

1. Put the top half of the soda bottle upside-down (like a funnel) inside the bottom half. The top half will be where you build your filter; the bottom half will hold the filtered water.

2. Layer the filter materials inside the top half of the bottle. Think about what each material might remove from the dirty water and in what order you should layer the materials. For an added challenge, use only two of materials to build your filter.

3. Pour the dirty water through the filter. What does the filtered water look like?

4. Take the filter apart and look at the different layers. Can you tell what each material removed from the water?

5. Wipe the bottle clean and try again. Try putting materials in different layers or using different amounts of materials.

Activity 3:

Be a Leak Detective

Detect leaky toilets. Students can test their homes for leaky toilets and faucets. Use food coloring or dye tablets to test toilets for leaks. (Place a few drops of food coloring in the toilet tank. Wait 15 minutes without flushing. If

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