DELTASTUDIESCURRICULUM

WaterintheDelta

5-ESS2Earth’sSystems:Developamodelusing

anexampletodescribewaysthegeosphere,biosphere,hydrosphere,and/oratmosphereinteract.

SanJoaquinCountyOfficeofEducationSTEMPrograms

Fundingprovidedby

CaliforniaBay-DeltaAuthority

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5-ESS2WaterintheDeltaAcknowledgementsProjectDirectorJudiWilson,SanJoaquinCountyOfficeofEducationProjectCoordinatorsHeatherFogg,SanJoaquinCountyOfficeofEducationJulieSchardt,SanJoaquinCountyOfficeofEducationProjectFacilitatorOlgaClymire,LakeCountyOfficeofEducationCurriculumWritersRuthByrd,StocktonDioceseLaurieCoates,StocktonUnifiedSchoolDistrictReneeHill,SanJoaquinCountyDepartmentofPublicWorks,SolidWasteDivisionFieldTestersRuthByrd,StocktonDioceseKimberlyCarrico,CeresUnifiedSchoolDistrictAlaineCatanio,MantecaUnifiedSchoolDistrictRodneyHuff,StocktonUnifiedSchoolDistrictJoannTavaziva,SanJoaquinCountyOfficeofEducation,CountyOperatedSchoolsReviewersforTechnicalAccuracyJayBell,LodiUnifiedSchoolDistrictOlgaClymire,LakeCountyOfficeofEducationSuzanneDeleon,CaliforniaDepartmentofFishandWildlifeJohnFulton,SanLuisNationalWildlifeRefugeDonnaSnell,CeresUnifiedSchoolDistrictJamesStarr,CaliforniaDepartmentofFishandWildlifeSteveStocking,SanJoaquinDeltaCollegeIllustratorCarolDellinger,DellingerDesign

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LayoutArtistJo-AnneRosen,WordrunnerTechnicalAssistantMelanieNewsome,SanJoaquinCountyOfficeofEducationCommunityPartnersSuzanneDeleon,CaliforniaDepartmentofFishandWildlifeJohnFulton,SanLuisNationalWildlifeRefugeLynnHansen,ModestoJuniorCollegeReneeHill,SanJoaquinCountyDepartmentofPublicWorks,SolidWasteDivisionDonnaHummel,U.S.DepartmentofFishandWildlifeDaleSanders,EnvironmentalEducatorJamesStarr,CaliforniaDepartmentofFishandWildlifeSteveStocking,SanJoaquinDeltaCollegeOtherAcknowledgementsDr.FredrickWentworth,Superintendent,SanJoaquinCountyOfficeofEducationDr.GaryDeiRossi,AssistantSuperintendent,SanJoaquinCountyOfficeofEducationCaliforniaBay-DeltaAuthority

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WATER IN THE DELTA

CONTENTS

NextGenerationScienceStandards 7

Overview 8

StoryLine 9

InstructionalMaterialsRequired 10

Investigation1–HowHastheEarth’sFreshWaterBeenRecycled? 11

Investigation2–HowDoWeWasteandConserveWater? 17

Investigation3–HowCanWeCleanOurWater? 23

Assessments 29

California’sEnvironmentalPrinciplesandConcepts 33

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WATER IN THE DELTA NextGenerationScienceStandardsWorkingtowardsPerformanceExpectation5-ESS2Earth’sSystems:5-ESS2-1.Developamodelusinganexampletodescribewaysthegeosphere,biosphere,hydrosphere,and/oratmosphereinteract.5-ESS2-2.DescribeandgraphtheamountsandpercentagesofwaterandfreshwaterinvariousreservoirstoprovideevidenceaboutthedistributionofwateronEarth.ScienceandEngineeringPractices:DevelopingandUsingModels:Modelingin3–5buildsonK–2experiencesandprogressestobuildingandrevisingsimplemodelsandusingmodelstorepresenteventsanddesignsolutions.Developamodelusinganexampletodescribeascientificprinciple.(5-ESS2-1)ConstructingExplanationsandDesigningSolutions:Constructingexplanationsanddesigningsolutionsin3-5buildsonK-2experiencesandprogressestoincludeinvestigationsthatcontrolvariablesandprovideevidencetosupportexplanationsordesignsolutions.Generateandcomparemultiplesolutionstoaproblembasedonhowwelltheymeetthecriteriaandconstraintsofthedesignproblem.(3-5-ETS1-2)Inthisunit,studentsdesignafiltertoeliminatepollutionfromwater.DisciplinaryCoreIdeas:ESS2.A:EarthMaterialsandSystemsEarth’smajorsystemsarethegeosphere(solidandmoltenrock,soil,andsediments),thehydrosphere(waterandice),theatmosphere(air),andthebiosphere(livingthings,includinghumans).ThesesystemsinteractinmultiplewaystoaffectEarth’ssurfacematerialsandprocesses.Theoceansupportsavarietyofecosystemsandorganisms,shapeslandforms,andinfluencesclimate.Windsandcloudsintheatmosphereinteractwiththelandformstodeterminepatternsofweather.(5-ESS2-1)ESS2.C:TheRolesofWaterinEarth’sSurfaceProcessesNearlyallofEarth’savailablewaterisintheocean.Mostfreshwaterisinglaciersorunderground;onlyatinyfractionisinstreams,lakes,wetlands,andtheatmosphere.CrosscuttingConcepts:Scale,Proportion,andQuantityStandardunitsareusedtomeasureanddescribephysicalquantitiessuchasweightandvolume.(5-ESS2-2)SystemsandSystemModelsAsystemcanbedescribedintermsofitscomponentsandtheirinteractions.(5-ESS2-1)

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Common Core State Standards Connections: ELA/Literacy–RI.5.7Drawoninformationfrommultipleprintordigitalsources,demonstratingtheabilitytolocateananswertoaquestionquicklyortosolveaproblemefficiently.(5-ESS2-1),(5-ESS2-2)W.5.8Recallrelevantinformationfromexperiencesorgatherrelevantinformationfromprintanddigitalsources;summarizeorparaphraseinformationinnotesandfinishedwork,andprovidealistofsources.(5-ESS2-2)SL.5.5Includemultimediacomponents(e.g.,graphics,sound)andvisualdisplaysinpresentationswhenappropriatetoenhancethedevelopmentofmainideasorthemes.(5-ESS2-1),(5-ESS2-2)Mathematics–MP.2Reasonabstractlyandquantitatively.(5-ESS2-1),(5-ESS2-2)MP.4Modelwithmathematics.(5-ESS2-1),(5-ESS2-2)5.G.A.2Representrealworldandmathematicalproblemsbygraphingpointsinthefirstquadrantofthecoordinateplane,andinterpretcoordinatevaluesofpointsinthecontextofthesituation.(5-ESS2-1)

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WATER IN THE DELTA OVERVIEW UNDERSTANDINGS•WaterintheSacramento-SanJoaquinDeltamustbeconservedtoprovideforallwhoneedit.•Theamountofcleanfreshwaterislimited.•TheDeltaistheoriginofwaterusedbyourlocalcommunitiesandsomeofthiswateriscontaminatedbyavarietyofpollutants.ESSENTIALQUESTIONS•Whatdoesitmeantosaythatwateris“limited”?•Whatisfreshwaterandhowdoesitbecomenolonger“fresh”?•Whatcanwedotoconserveourwatersupply?KNOWLEDGEANDSKILLSStudentswillknow:•Thequantityoffreshwaterislimited.•Waterisnecessaryforpeopleandotherlivingthings.•Waterisnaturallyrecycledbythewatercyclewhichgoesthroughtheseprocesses:evaporation,condensation,precipitation,andaccumulation•Waterisoftenwastedbypeople.•Howtoconservewater.Studentswillbeableto:

• Conductasimplemodelthatdemonstratesthewatercycle.• Selectappropriatetoolsforcleaningwater.• Designbrochuresorpostersfromdatacollectedanddrawconclusions.• Engineerandcreateafiltertocleandirtywater.

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WATER IN THE DELTA STORYLINE ThefollowinglessonshavebeenwrittentotellthestoryofthefiniteamountoffreshwaterontheEarth,ofthewatercycle,andofthelimitedwatersupplyoftheSacramento-SanJoaquinDelta.Thelessonspresentthetopicsthatincludewaterpurification,waterwaste,watermaintenance,andwaterconservation.Lesson1,“HowHastheEarth’sFreshWaterSupplyBeenRecycledOverMillionsofYears?”followsthewatercyclefromevaporation,condensation,precipitation,toaccumulation.Inthislessonstudentswillknowthatfreshwaterisalimitedresourceandisonlynaturallyrenewablethroughthewatercyclewhichincludesthefollowingprocesses:evaporation,condensation,precipitation,andaccumulation.TheywillalsolearnthattheirsourceoffreshwatermostlikelycomesfromtheSacramento-SanJoaquinDeltaarea.InLesson2,“HowDoWeWasteandHowCanWeConserveWater?”studentswillfindouthowwatercanbewastedandunderstandtheneedtoconservewater.Theywillsharetheirideasforwaterconservationbydesigningbrochures,whichcanbesharedwithotherclasses.Lesson3,“HowCanWeCleanOurWater?”focusesontheconceptthatinordertoprovideacontinuedsourceofpurewater,peoplecanconserveitbyreusingitandthiscanbedonebyfilteringandpurifyingthewateronceitisused.Studentswilllearnhowcommunitiespurifywaterbeforeitispumpedtohomesandbusinessesandwillalsounderstandhowasewagetreatmentplantworks.Theywillconstructawaterfiltertounderstandtheprocessofpurifyingwater.Lesson3,“HowIsWaterBeingWasted?”addressestheissuethatwaterisoftenwastedandconservationeffortsarenecessarytomaintainourlimitedsupplyoffreshwater.

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WATER IN THE DELTA Instructional Materials Required Lesson1

• IceCubes(onetray)• Anavailablesourceofheattoheatwater,suchasasmallburnerorgotplate(or

usethemicrowaveovenintheteacher’slounge)• MapoftheDelta • Copiesof“WaterCycleBoogie”• Video:“AllAbouttheWaterCycle”or“TheWaterCycle”fromCalifornia

DepartmentofWaterResources• Poster:“TheWaterCycle”freefromtheDepartmentofWaterResources

Lesson2

• Oneemptyhalf-gallonmilkcarton• Astopwatch,phoneorwatchthatshowsseconds• Video:Water–“WhoNeedsit?”(FromCaliforniaDeptofWaterResources)• Avarietyofsimplebrochuresonanytopic(butpreferableaboutwater)• Optional:ameasuringcupandacalculator

Lesson3

• Book:TheMagicSchoolBusattheWaterworksbyJoannaCole• Forthewaterfilter(pergroupoffourstudents)

o Atwoliterplasticbottleo Funnel(oratwoliterbottlecutinhalfandusethetophalfasafunnel)o Sand(aboutonecupo Gravel(aboutonecup)o Awatersamplewithdirtandleavesinit(tosimulateDeltawater)

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Investigation 1 How Has the Earth’s Fresh Water Supply Been Recycled Over Millions of Years? CONCEPTFreshwaterislimitedandisonlynaturallyrenewablethroughthewatercycle.OBJECTIVEStudentswillunderstandthatthereislimitedamountoffreshwater.Studentswilllearnthatwaterisnaturallyrecycledthroughthewatercycleandwillbeabletodescribethewatercycleprocess:evaporation,condensation,precipitation,andaccumulation.TheywillknowthattheirsourceoffreshwatermostlikelycomesfromtheSacramento-SanJoaquinDeltaarea.BACKGROUNDHeatfromthesuncauseswaterfromtheoceanstoevaporate.Thewatervaporfromtheoceanandothersurfacewatersrisesintotheatmosphere.Asthewatercools,itformsdropletsincloudsthatproducerainand/orsnow.Rainandsnowreturntothegroundandwatercollectsinstreams,rivers,reservoirs,andlakes.Italsocollectsbelowthegroundinporousrocks.Eventually,thewaterreachestheoceanagainbywayofstreamsandrivers.Inthisway,waterhasbeenrecyclingformillionsofyears.About70%oftheEarthiswater;however,onlyonepercentofthisfreshwater.Lessthan1/3ofthatonepercentisreadilyavailableforhumansandotherlivingthings.TheconsumptionofwaterisincreasingeventhoughtheamountofwateronEarthhasremainedapproximatelythesameformillionsofyears.MostofthewatertotheSacramento-SanJoaquinDeltacomesfromtheSierraNevadaMountains.Thenorthernrivers(Sacramento,Feather,andAmerican)flowdownfromtheSierraNevadaMountainsanddrainintotheSacramentoRiver.ThesouthernSierraNevadarivers(Cosumnes,Mokelumne,Calaveras,Tuolumne,andMerced)drainintotheSanJoaquinRiver.TheSacramentoandSanJoaquinriversjoinattheSacramento-SanJoaquinDeltatoflowintotheSanFranciscoBayandthentothePacificOcean.

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PREPARATION • Bringicecubestoclass• Haveanavailablesourceofheattoheatwater,suchasasmallburnerorhotplate

(orusethemicrowaveovenintheteacher’slounge)MATERIALS• “TheDeltaMap”(providedinkit) • Video:AllAbouttheWaterCycleorTheWaterCycle(providedinkit)• Posterof“TheWaterCycle”fromtheCaliforniaDepartmentofWaterResources

(providedinkit)• Chalk(ifstudentswilldrawthewatercycleontheschoolgrounds)orbutcherpaper

(ifstudentswilldrawthewatercycleonpapertopostintheclassroom)ToestimatethefractionofwateronEarthNote:Ifyouwishtohavegroupsofstudentsdothisdemonstrationthenprovidethefollowingfouritemstoeachgroup.• Twomeasuringcups• Onemedicinedropper• Onegallonofwater• OneglobeoftheworldForRaininaBottle• Canningjar(thatcancontainhotwaterwithoutbreaking)• Plasticwrapandrubberband• Ice• Water• Smallpan(intowhichhotwaterwillbepouredoutofthejar)• Tongsorovenmitt• Heatsourceforheatingwater(e.g.,hotplateormicrowaveinteacher’slounge)• NotebooksforjournalwritingTIMEPreparation:30minutesLesson:60-120minutes,whichcanbespreadoverthreeorfourdays

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ENGAGEMENT/PHENOMENON• ReadthefollowingquotationtothestudentsfromTheRimeoftheAncientMariner

bySamuelTaylorColeridge: Water,water,everywhere, Andalltheboardsdidshrink; Water,water,everywhere, Noranydroptodrink.• Askthestudentstoexplainwhatthepoemmeanstothem.Explainthatallwateron

EarthisnotfreshandthattheMarinerwasasailorinashipontheocean.• Askstudentswherethefreshwatertheydrinkcomesfrom.Afterdiscussion,tell

themthattheirfreshwatercomesfromtheSacramento-SanJoaquinDelta,eitherfromareservoir,fromariver,orfromundergroundwells.

• ShowstudentsamapoftheSacramento-SanJoaquin.Inaclassdiscussion,askthe

studentswherethewaterintheDeltacomesfrom.(Seethe“Background”section.)EXPLORATION1. AskthestudentstoestimatebyusingfractionshowmuchoftheEarth’ssurfaceis

coveredbywater(bothfreshandsaltwater).Haveeachgrouparriveatoneanswer.Writetheseanswersonthechalkboard.

2. HavestudentsmorecloselyestimatethefractionofwateronEarth.Todothis: a.Showandpassaroundaglobeoftheworld.

b. Askstudentstolocatealloftheareaswithwater.c. AskstudentstoonceagainestimatehowmuchoftheEarthiscoveredbywater

usingtheirskillswithfractions.d. Writethestudent’sanswersonthechalkboard.

3. NowaskstudentstousefractionstoestimatehowmuchwateronEarthisfresh

water.Writethegroupanswersonthechalkboard.a. Showagallonofwatertostudents.Askstudentshowmanycupsthereareinone

gallon.(16).InformthestudentsthatallofthewateronEarthwillberepresentedbyonegallon.Askthestudentstoestimatehowmuchofthisgallonwillbefreshwater.Onceagain,havethestudentsestimatebyusingfractions.

b. Writethestudent’sanswersonthechalkboard.

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4. TodemonstratetheamountoffreshwateronEarth,dothefollowingtasks:

a. Useaone-gallonjugofwaterandtakeout1/2cupofwater.ThisrepresentsthefreshwaterontheEarth’ssurface.

b. Fromthis1/2cup,remove1/3cuptorepresentthefreshwaterthatislocatedinglaciers,icecaps,andicebergsandisnotavailableforuseasthistime.

c. Fromtheremaining1/6cup,takeawayonedrop.Thecupthathashadtheonedropremovedrepresentswaterthatisnotreadilyavailable(e.g.,deepinthesoil,intheatmosphere)ortoopollutedtodrink.

d. ThedropinthedropperrepresentstheEarth’savailablesupplyoffreshwaterforpeopleandotherlivingthingstouse.Thisisthewaterinstreams,rivers,lakes,andreservoirsandwaterthatiseasilyaccessibleundertheground(thoughwells).

5. TellthestudentsthattheywilldiscovertheprocessbywhichtheEarth’swater

supplyhasbeenrecycledovermillionsofyears.Todotheactivity“RaininaBottle”:a. Fillthejarwithhotwater.b. Pouroutallbutoneinchofthewaterinthejar.c. Coverthejarwithplasticwrap.d. Placeiceontheplasticwrap.e. Studentsshouldobserveforseveralminutes.(Theinsideofthejarwillcloudup.)

6. Askthestudentstodescribewhathappenedaftertheicewasputontopofthejar.

• Fromwheredidthewaterontheinnersidesandinsideoftheplasticwrapcomefrom?

• Howiswhathappenedinthejarsimilartothewaycloudsform?7. Havestudentsfilloutaninvestigationsheetthatincludesthefollowingitemsthe

“RaininaBottle”:• Nameofstudent• Nameofinvestigation• Whatwedid• Whatwesaw

8. Showtheposterof“TheWaterCycle”fromtheCaliforniaDepartmentofWater

Resourcesandaskstudentstopointoutthesimilaritiesbetweenthedemonstrationwiththejarandtheposter.

9. ShowthevideoAllAbouttheWaterCycle.Tellthestudentstorememberthefour

stagesofthewatercycle:evaporation,condensation,precipitation,and

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accumulation(studentscouldlabel“accumulation”areasontheposterofthewatercycle).Writethesewordsonthechalkboard.

10. Afteradiscussionofthevideo,havethestudentswriteandillustratethejourneyof

adropofwaterintheirjournals.11. Completethelessonbyhavingtheclassillustratethewatercycleontheschool

groundusingchalkasamediumoronalargesheetofbutcherpapertobepostedintheclassroom(thiscouldalsobedoneingroupswitheachgroupcontributingtoonepartofthewatercycleorcompletingtheentirewatercycle).

EVALUATION• Checktheinvestigationsheetson“RaininaBottle”.• Observechalk/butcherpaperillustrationsmakingcertainthatthestudentshave

identifiedthefourstagesofthewatercycle(evaporation,condensation,precipitation,andaccumulation).

• AskstudentstodescribethewatercycleasitappliestotheDelta.(Forexample,waterevaporatesfromtheland,rivers,andothersurfacewatersincludingtheoceanandistransportedtootherareasbycloudsthataremovedbythewind.TherainandsnowfallacrossCaliforniaasthecloudsapproachtheSierraNevadaMountains.WaterflowsfromtheSierraNevadaMountainsintotherivers.TheriversflowintotheDelta.)

EXTENSIONS• Obtaincopiesofthe“WaterCycleBoogie”thatissungtothetuneof“SkiptoMy

Lou”andsingitwithyourstudents.Thesongcanbeusedwithasetofcoloredbeads,eachcolorrepresentingadifferentpartofthewatercycle,andstudentsstringthesebeadstomakeawatercyclenecklace.

• Havestudentswritetheirownsongsaboutthewatercycleusingafamiliartune.• Teachstudentsthesong:“TheWaterCycleBoogie”bytheBananaStringBand(this

isadifferentsongfromthesongbythesametitledescribedabove.• Obtainandhavestudentsplaythe“DiscoverCalifornia’sWater”boardgame(see

resources).CREDITPartsofthislessonwereadaptedfromLesson3fromUnit4:CaringforAquaticSystemsbyOlgaClymire(AChild’sPlaceintheEnvironmentseries)Sacramento:CaliforniaDepartmentofEducation,1997.

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RESOURCESBooks• FollowTheWaterFromBrookToOceanbyArthurDorros• Water,WaterEverywhere:ABookAbouttheWaterCyclebyMelvinBerger,etal• TheMagicSchoolBusWetAllOver:ABookAbouttheWaterCyclebyPatriciaRelf• WaterbyChristinDitchfield(TrueBooks)• TheWaterCyclebyHelenFrost• RisingUp,FallingDownbyCraigHammersmith(SpyglassBooks)Videos• EarthScienceforChildren:AllAbouttheWaterCycle.SchlessingerMedia:

Wynnewood,PA.,2000.• TheWaterCyclefromtheCaliforniaDepartmentofWaterResources;016653-4893.Websiteshttp://publish.uwrl.usu.edu/h20cycle.html/Allaboutthehydrologicalcycle.Http://wwwdwr.water.ca.govTheCaliforniaDepartmentofWaterResourceswebsitethatcontainsinformationaboutwaterinCalifornia.AudiocassetteSlugsatSea.ProducedbytheBananaSlugStringBandincooperationwiththeOceanicSociety,1991.Thisrecordingincludesasongcalled“TheWaterCycleBoogie.”OtherResources• “WaterCycleBoogie”wordstothesongandbeads.ObtainfromSantaClaraValley

WaterDistrict;408-265-2600.• “DiscoverCalifornia’sWater”boardgame.Thisisavailablefreetoteachersin

CaliforniafromtheCaliforniaDepartmentofWaterResources.Toordercall916-653-1067orvisitthewebsitehttp://wwwdwr.water.ca.gov/

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Investigation 2 How Do We Waste and How Can We Conserve Water? CONCEPTWaterintheSacramento-SanJoaquinDeltamustbeconservedtoprovideforallwhoneedit.OBJECTIVEStudentswillfindouthowwatercanbewastedandunderstandtheneedtoconservewater.Theywillsharetheirideasforwaterconservationbydesigningbrochures,whichcanbesharedwithotherclasses.BACKGROUNDPeopleneedwatertolive.Weuseittodrink,bathe,andtocleanthings.Infact,peopleusewaterinmanydifferentways.Peopleuseittogrowcropsandotherplantsandforlivestock.Peopleusewatertomanufacturemostproducts,suchaspaper,andjustabouteverythingelseweuseinoureverydaylives.Therearemanyplacesintheworldwherethereisnotenoughfreshwaterforpeopletodrink.ThismayhappeninCaliforniasomeday.Inthepasttenyears,Californiahasexperienceda25percentrateofpopulationgrowth.Thisistwotimesthenationalaverage.Itisestimatedthatthecurrentpopulationof32millionpeopleinCaliforniawillreachnearly48millionby2020.Thisisanincreaseof53percent.Thisposescriticalquestions.Willtherebeenoughwaterforeveryone?Wherewilladditionalfreshwatercomefrom?HowcanweprovidewatertohomesandmaintainanadequatewatersupplyforlocalagricultureintheCentralValleythatisconsideredtobethe“breadbasketofthenation”?Willtherebeenoughwaterforwildlife,suchasSalmon?OnepossiblesolutionisforallCalifornianstoparticipateinwaterconservationsothatthesameamountofwatercanbeusedbymorepeoplefordifferentpurposesandbywildlife.Peoplecanconservewatersimplybynotwastingit.Theycanalsofilterandreusewater(thiswillbeaddressedinLesson3).

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Wecanhelpconserveourwatersupplybynotwastingwater.Someofthewayswecanconservewateraretoturnoffthewaterwhilewearebrushingourteeth.Whenwewashdishes,wecanfillupthesinkortubandrinsedishesinitinsteadoflettingthewaterrun;ormakecertainthatthedishwasherincompletelyfullbeforestartingit.Wecantakeshowersinsteadofbath(shortshowerstakelesswater).Ifwemusttakebaths,wecanuseasmalleramountofwaterandremembertoplugthetubbeforeweletthewaterrun.Whenwetakeashower,wecangetwet,shuttheshoweroff,latherup,andrinseoffinsteadoflettingthewaterrunforthelengthofourshower.Storingwaterintherefrigeratorinsteadoflettingthewaterrununtilitiscoolwillalsosavewater.Accordingtothebook,50SimpleThingsKidsCanDotoSavetheEarth,apersoncansaveupto20,000gallonsofwaterayearbynotlettingthewaterrunwhenwearenotusingitdirectly.Thisisenoughwatertofillaswimmingpool.Alsosomehouseholdshaveleakyfaucetsthatcouldbefixedtoavoidwastingwater.PREPARATIONANDMATERIALSMaterials• Oneemptyhalf-gallonmilkcarton• Astopwatchorwatchthatshowsseconds• Optional:ameasuringcupandacalculator• Water—WhoNeedsIt?fromtheCaliforniaDepartmentofWaterResources(inkit)• Butcherpaperorchartpaperonwhichtowritestudents’responses• Paperforbrochures(8.5"x11"whitepaper)• Pencils• Assortedmarkersorcoloredpencils• Avarietyofsimplebrochuresonanytopic(butpreferablyaboutwater)TIMEPreparation:30minutesLesson:60-120minutes,whichcanbespreadoverthreeorfourdaysENGAGEMENT• Discusswaysthatwehavewastedwater.• Demonstratehowmuchwatercanbewasted.Askstudentshowlongitmighttaketo

fillamilkcartonwithwater.Openanemptymilkcartonandholditunderthefaucet.Turnthefaucetonandtimeit.Useaclockorastopwatchtodeterminehowlongittakestofillthecarton.ExplainthatalloverCaliforniapeoplearelettingwaterrunlikethat.(Toavoidwastingwater,havetheclasswateraplantwiththewatercollected.)Asimilaractivitycanbeallowingafaucettodripandhavingastudentcollectthewaterinamilkcartonforoneminute.Thenuseameasuringcupto

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determinehowmuchwaterwaswasted.Calculatehowmuchwateraleakyfaucetcanwasteoveraperiodoftime(i.e.,oneday,oneweek,onemonth,oneyear).

PROCEDURE1. ExplaintostudentsaboutthepopulationgrowthofCalifornia,andthatifwedonot

conservewaternow,theremightnotbeenoughfortheirchildrenandgrandchildren.Explaintostudentsthatinthepast,peopleintheUnitedStatesusedabucketandlaterahandpumptogetwaterfromawelljusttobrushtheirteeth.Now,allwedoisturnthewateronanditflowslikemagicfromafaucet.Unfortunately,watercomesoutofafaucetfasterthanwethink.Atschool,weturnthewaterfountainonandletitruntogetthewatercoldenoughtodrink.Duringthistimeperiod,youcouldfillupseveralhalf-gallonmilkcartons.

Note:Seethe“Variation”sectionattheendofthislessontodeterminehowtoproceedwiththislesson.2. Havestudentsmakepostersonwayspeoplewastewater.Posttheseinthe

classroomanddiscusswhatcanbedonenottowastewater.3. Brainstormwithstudentshowpeoplecanconservewater.Writetheirresponseson

largesheetofpaperhungintheroom.4. Showthevideo,Water—WhoNeedsIt?Havestudentsaddtotheirbrainstormedlist

someadditionalwayspeoplecanconservewater.5. Tellthestudentsthattheywilldesignillustratedbrochuresonwaterconservationto

sharewithyoungerstudents.Buttheyshouldfirstlookatexamplesofbrochurestogetideas.Distributeavarietyofbrochurestoeachgroupofstudentstolookat.Askthestudentswhattheylikeabouteachbrochure(e.g.,itissimple,easytoread,lotsofillustrations)andwritedowntheirideasonchartpaper.Ifyouwish,makearubricwithyourclasstoassessthebrochuresthatwillbecompletedbystudents.

6. Helpgroupsselectabrochurestylethattheywouldliketouse.Providepaperand

pencils.7. Askstudentstomakearoughsketchofhowtheirbrochureswilllook,what

illustrationstheywouldhave,andwhattextwouldbeincluded.8. Havestudentsdotheworkinpencil,untilyouapprovetheirdesigns.Thentheycan

completethebrochuresusingcoloredmarkersorcoloredpencils.

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9. Arrangeforstudentstosharethesebrochureswithstudentsinotherclasses.VARIATIONInsteadofmakingbrochures,havestudentsdesignposters.Halftheclassshouldfocusonwayspeoplewastewaterandtheotherhalfonwayspeopleconservewater.Posttheseintheclassroomanddoa“gallery”walkwithyourstudents.Thestudentartistcouldmentiononethingabouthisorherposterthatheorshewantedtheviewerstosee.ASSESSMENT• Reviewbrochuresmadebystudents.• Havestudentsmakeupashortsongtoafamiliartuneabouthowtheycanconserve

wateroruseitmorewisely.EXTENSIONS• Takethestudentsoutforawalkaroundtheschooltoseeiftheycanfindwater

leaks.Letyouradministratorknowabouttheleakageproblemsoitcouldgetfixedassoonaspossible.

• Dothefollowingactivity(youwillneedasmallbottleofbluefoodcoloringandplasticgloves):- Obtainpermissionfromyouradministratortotakestudentsintoabathroomat

schooltoplacefoodcoloringinthetoilettanktocheckforleaks.- Takeyourstudentsintoabathroomatschool.Ifneededforsupervision,invite

anotherteachertoaccompanyyou.Wearingplasticgloves,takethetopoffthetoilettank.Put12dropsofbluefoodcoloringinthetank.Putasignonthedoortothetoiletpreventingpeoplefromusingthetoiletfor15minuteswhileyouarewaitingforresults.

- Gobacktoyourclassroomforabout15minutes.Explaintothestudentsthattheyaregoingtobewaterdetectives.Explaintothemthatithasbeenestimatedthatupto20percentofallthetoiletsinAmericanhomesleak.Inoneyear,aleakytoiletcanwasteover22,000gallonsofwater.Encouragestudentstobeginthisdiscussioningroups.

- After15minutes,takeyourstudentsbacktothebathroom.Observethetoiletwater.Ifthebluewaterappearsinthebowl,youhavefoundaleak.

- Letyouradministratorknowabouttheleakageproblemtogetitfixedassoonaspossible.

- Studentsmightwanttotrythisdemonstrationathomewithadultsupervision.

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RESOURCESBooks• Water,WaterEverywherebyMarkJ.RauzonandCynthiaOverbeckBix• TheEarthWorksGroup.50SimpleThingsKidsCanDoToSaveTheEarth.ScholasticVideos• Water—WhoNeedsIt?FromtheCaliforniaDepartmentofWaterResources• WaterforFarming.Sacramento:CaliforniaDepartmentofWaterResources,1982

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Investigation 3 How Can We Clean Our Water? CONCEPTToprovideacontinuedsourceofpurewater,peoplecanconserveitbyreusingit.Thiscanbedonebyfilteringandpurifyingthewateronceitisused.OBJECTIVEStudentswilllearnhowcommunitiespurifywaterbeforeitispumpedtohomesandbusinesses.Theywillalsounderstandhowasewagetreatmentplantworks.Theywillconstructawaterfiltertounderstandtheprocessofpurifyingwater.BACKGROUNDLivingthingsrequireenoughfreshwatertosurvive.Ahumanneedsabouttwoquartsofwateradaytoremainhealthy.Ourfreshwatersupply,theSacramento-SanJoaquinDelta,isaffectedbypollutants,suchasoil,garbage,pesticides,andfertilizers.Waterispurifiedbythewatercycle.Waterisalsocleanednaturallywhenastreamflowsthroughrocksandgravelandwhenthewaterpicksupoxygenasitmoves.Bacteriaandotherorganismscleanthewaterbyconsumingorganicmaterial.Meltingsnowfromthemountainsalsoflushesoutthestreamsandriversastheyflowtotheocean.However,thefreshwaterisbeingpollutedfasterthanthenaturalprocessescancleanitup,anddroughtyearsreducetheamountoffreshwaterthatisavailable.Therefore,peopleshouldkeepthewaterfromgettingpollutedandfilterpollutedwaterwheneverpossible.Mostcitiesthatusegroundwaterasasourceoffreshwaterchlorinatethewatertokillbacteriathatmaybeharmfultopeople.Surfacewaterispurifiedinawaterpurificationplant.Attheplant,screensareusedtoremovelargeobjects.Thenalummightbeaddedtohelpcleanthewater.Whenthealumisaddedtowater,particlesinthewaterclingtothealumandsticktogetherforminglargerparticlescalledfloc.Theflocsettlestothebottomofasettlingbasinandisremovedfromthewater.Thewatermightalsoflowthroughfiltersofsandandgraveltotrapanyremainingparticles.Thenchlorineorotherdisinfectantsareaddedtokillharmfulbacteria.Fluorideisalsoaddedbecauseitcanhelppreventtoothdecay.The

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waterisstoredinaclosedtankorreservoir.Thewateristhenreadytoflowintothedistributionsystemforuseinhomesandbusinesses.Mosturbanareashavesewagetreatmentplantsthatcleanthewaterthatcomesfromthedrainsinhomesandbusinesses.First,sewagethatenterstheseplantspassesthroughscreensthatfilterandremovelargeobjects.Thewaterthenpassestoasettlingtank.Lightmaterialsfloattothetop,wheretheyareskimmedoff.Heaviermaterialssinkandareremoved.Next,thewatergoesthroughanaerationsystemthataddsoxygentoassistbacteriaindigestingandthereforeremovingorganicmaterials.Thewatermaythenbepumpedthroughafilterandthentoasecondsettlingtank.Itistreatedwithchlorineandisthenreturnedtolakes,streams,rivers,orocean.Peoplesometimesusethistreatedwaterforirrigation.Somecommunitieshavesewagetreatmentplantsthatfurthercleanthewaterwithcarbonandwithchemicalsthatcanremovenitrogenandphosphorous(whichareplantfertilizersthatcouldcreatealgaebloomsinareaswherethewaterisreleased).Thesesewagetreatmentfacilitiesaremuchmoreexpensivetobuildandmaintain,butaremoreeffectiveinpurifyingthewaterbeforeitisreleasedintosurfacewatersorusedagainbypeople.PREPARATIONANDMATERIALSPreparation• Makeatransparencyof“HowWaterGetstoOurHomes.”• Makeatransparencyof“AnExampleofaSewageTreatmentPlant.”Materials• BigbookofTheMagicSchoolBusattheWaterworksbyJoannaCole(inkit)• Forthewaterfilter(pergroupoffourstudents)

- Atwo-literplasticbottle- Funnel(oratwo-literbottlecutinhalfandusethetophalfasafunnel)- Sand- Gravel- Awatersamplewithdirtandleavesinit(tosimulateDeltawater)

TIMEPreparation:30minutesLesson:60-120minutes,whichcanbespreadoverthreeorfourdaysENGAGEMENT• ShowpartsofTheMagicSchoolBusattheWaterworksbyJoannaColetoyour

students.Thisbookisaboutaclassthattakesamagicalfieldtripthroughthewater

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cycleandawaterpurificationplant.Focusonwhathappensatthewaterpurificationplant.

EXPLORATION10. Askstudentsfromwheredoesthewatercometotheirhome.(FromtheDeltaarea:

eitherfromsurfacewaterslikeariverandreservoirorfromthegroundviaawell.)11. Showthetransparency“HowWaterGetstoOurHomes.”Tellstudentsthatiftheir

watercomesfromsurfacewater,likeariverorreservoir,thenitisusuallypurifiedatawaterpurificationplantbeforeitispumpedtohomesandbusinesses.Goovereachstepintheprocessofpurifyingthewater.Notethatwaterpurificationplantsmaydiffer,sotheonedescribedinTheMagicSchoolBusattheWaterworksmayhavesomedifferencesfromtheoneshowninthetransparency.

12. Askstudentswhathappenstothewaterwhentheyaredoneusingit,likeinthe

kitchenorbathroom.Tellthestudentsthatsewagepollutesthewatercausingittohaveanunpleasantodor,andcancontainharmfulbacteriaandvirusesthatcanmakesussick.Itcancausethedeathofsomeorganismsandovergrowthofothers(suchasalgae).

13. Showthetransparency“AnExampleofaSewageTreatmentPlant.”Tellstudents

thattheusedwaterfromtheirhomesgoestoasewagetreatmentplant.Afteritiscleanedatthesewagetreatmentplant,itusuallygoestoanearbyriver,lake,orocean.Dependingonthetypeoftreatmentthewatergets(usuallybasedonwhatthecommunitycanafford),thewatermaybesomewhatclean,butcouldstillcontainsomepollutants;orbealmostascleanasitwasbeforeitwasused.Also,ifthewaterthatwasbeingtreatedisespeciallypollutedwithtoxicchemicals,thetreatmentplantmaynotbeabletotakeoutallpollutants.Forexample,ifpeopleillegallydumpedtoxicchemicalsdownthedrain,thesewagetreatmentplantmaynotbeabletoremovealltracesofthesechemicals.Thereforeitisimportanttoavoidpouringhazardouschemicalsdownthedrain.(PropertreatmentofhouseholdhazardouswasteswillbeaddressedinLesson4.)

14. Informstudentsthatoneofthewaysthatwecanconservewateristouseitover

andoveragain.Agoodwaytodothisistofilteritandthenuseitagain.Tellstudentsthattheywillconstructasimplefiltertocleansome“polluted”waterfromtheDelta.Thiswaterisactuallytapwaterwithsomesoilandleavesadded,soitissafetouseinthisactivity.

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15. Showstudentsthefiltermaterialsthattheywillworkwithandhavethemdrawthefilterandtheplacementofthevariousmaterialswithinthefilter.

16. Oncestudentshavecompletedtheirdrawings,allowthemtomakeandtesttheir

filters.Hereisonewaytosetupthefilter:• Setthefunnelinsidethebottleopening.• Fillthefunnelwithgravelandsandinlayersstartingwiththegravelandthenthe

sand.• PourtheDeltawatersampleintothefunnel.• Observethewaterasitflowsintothebottle.• Determineifthewaterlookscleanerthanitdidbeforeitwasfiltered.

17. Havestudentsfilloutaninvestigationsheetthatincludesthefollowingitems:

(a) Nameofstudent(b) Nameofinvestigation(c) Whatwedid(d) Whatwesaw

18. Askstudents:

• Whatdidyoudotocleanupthedirtywater?• Doyouthinkthatyoutookoutallofthepollutantsfromthewaterwiththefilter

youmade?Explainyouranswer.(Studentsshouldbeawarethatthetypeoffiltertheymadewouldnotremovebacteriaormanyhazardouschemicals.)

• Doyouthinkthatpurifyingwaterisexpensive?Explainyouranswer.• Howmightthisactivitybesimilartothewaypeoplecleanwateratasewage

treatmentplant?Howmightitbedifferent?ASSESSMENT• Checkinvestigationsheets.• Havestudentsillustrateonwhiteboardsorchartpaperhowawaterfilterworks.• Havestudentsdescribeinwritinghowthefilteringactivityissimilartotheway

peoplecleanwateratasewagetreatmentplantandhowitisdifferent.Theycanalsousedrawingstoillustratethesimilaritiesanddifferences.

FURTHERSTUDYHaveyourclassvisityourcommunity’swaterpurificationplantand/orsewagetreatmentplant.CREDITMoore,JoEllen.Water.Evan-Moor:Monterey,CA.,1998.

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RESOURCESBooks• TheMagicSchoolBusattheWaterworksbyJoannaCole• ChattanoogaSludgebyMollyBang• TheDropInMyDrinkbyMeredithHooper.Video• OurWateryWorld.TheOutsideStorySeries.ProducedbySlimGoodbody

Corporation,1991(15minutes)Reviewsthewatercycle,explainsfreshwater,explainswaterpollution.

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WaterintheDeltaPre-Test/PostTest

1. Listandillustratethefourprocessesofthewatercycle.2. TheamountoffreshwateronEarthislimitedorunlimited?Explainyour

answer.3.Describewaysourcommunityrecycleswater.

4.Whataresomewaysthatourcommunityuseslesswater?5.Whataresomewaysthatourcommunitywasteswater?6.Howdoyouconservewaterinyourhome?7.IsthewaterintheDeltaimportantandwhy?

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WaterintheDeltaPre-Test/PostTest

AnswerKey

1. Precipitation,accumulation,evaporation,condensation(inanyorder)

2. Limitedbecausethewatercycleisaclosedsystem.

3. Watertreatmentplant

4. Bathing,washingcars,wateringlawns,agriculture,drinking,etc,

5. Drippingfaucets,floodirrigation,wateringthecement,over-watering,letting

thehoserun,pollutingwater,etc

6. Fixleaks,don’tover-water,don’tletwaterrunwhenitisnotbeingused,do

fullloadsoflaundry,modelconservativeuseds,educateafriend,etc.

7. Itisoneofthemainpartsofthewatercycle,directlyrelatedtowateruse.

WegetourwaterfromtheDelta.ManypeopleandwildlifependontheDelta

forwaterandhabitat.

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California’sEnvironmental Principles & Concepts

Principle I: The continuation and health of individual human lives and of human communities and societies depend on the health of the natural systems that provide essential goods and ecosystem services.

Principle II: The long-term functioning and health of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems are influenced by their relationships with human societies.

Principle III: Natural systems proceed through cycles that humans depend upon, benefit from, and can alter.

Principle IV: The exchange of matter between natural systems and human societies affects the long-term functioning of both.

Principle V: Decisions affecting resources and natural systems are based on a wide range of considerations and decision-making processes.