Assessment
This project has associated assessment items, one of which will be presented to students when they first enter the project and again when they finish the project. You can view or print out these items with the links below:
Teacher/Developer View
Student Worksheet
Learning Context/ Introduction
Students learn about water quality by trying to answer the following question about beach water: Would you drink or swim? During this learning experience, students read a story about two children who get ill from swimming in water, learn about water contaminants, and have a class discussion (both online and in the classroom) about water uses. The main objective is for students to learn that water can be safe or unsafe, depending on how water is used and who is using it.
To fully utilize these and other free curricular materials available from WISE - the Web-based Inquiry Science Environment, visit their homepage and register for free to become a WISE member!
Would You Swim Here?
Water plays an important role in our lives. We use it for bathing, swimming, drinking, farming, and for many other purposes. But how do we know if the water that we're using is safe? Are there any accurate and reliable ways to test water quality? If we did some tests, what would we test for?
This project will help students answer some of these questions and more. Students will learn about indicators and how they help us measure the quality of water. At the end of the project, students will be given the opportunity to analyze a creek to see if it meets safety standards for water quality.
Essential Question
How serious is water pollution? Are we at risk of getting sick from contaminated water?
Duration
This project was designed for a middle-school level. Drink or Swim? is anticipated to take three 45 minute periods. The actual time requirement will depend upon your particular implementation choices. You can use discussions and in-class activities to tailor the project in a way that is appropriate for your students.
Student WISE activities during the Drink or Swim? project include:
What's the Problem? (Day 1)
Water Quality Indicators. (Day 2)
Data Analysis. (Day 3)
Activity Sections
Please visit each section to view Learning Goals, Classroom Practice, and Curriculum Notes.
