Last updated: March 17, 2024
Lesson Plan
Water Quality and Buffalo River
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- Grade Level:
- Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
- Subject:
- Science
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- State Standards:
- K-ESS3-3, G.8.K.2, G.9.K.1, G.9.1.1, 2-ESS2-2, G.9.2.1, G.9.3.1, G.9.4.1,5-ESS3-1, EVS1-ETS1-1, EVS-ESS2-5, 6-ESS3-3
- Thinking Skills:
- Remembering: Recalling or recognizing information ideas, and principles. Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Applying: Apply an abstract idea in a concrete situation to solve a problem or relate it to a prior experience.
Essential Question
How can our actions affect our environment?
How does the quality of water affect an environment?
Objective
Students will learn about water quality and how human activities can positively or negatively affect it.
Background
It’s important to learn about water quality to see if any actions need to be taken to improve it. Water quality experts inspect and measure water in different river accesses and streams along the Buffalo River. They look at the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the water.
Preparation
Ensure the following materials are gathered before delivering this lesson. Teachers will have the option to perform one of three activities in the lesson plan. Note that each activity may require different supplies.
Materials needed:
- 4 bottles of water (one with tea, one with tap water, one with water and dirt, one with rubbing alcohol)
- Water Quality Kit (can be provided by Arkansas Game & Fish Commission)
- 3-5 water samples from various areas in Arkansas
- Survey sheet from water quality kit
- Pencils
- Survey sheet from water quality kit
- Pencils
- Macroinvertebrate roll (mat with invertebrates in different waters)
- Survey sheet from water quality kit
- Pencils
Lesson Hook/Preview
Begin by showing students 4 types of bottled water. One will have tea, one will have tap water, one with water and dirt, and one with rubbing alcohol.
Present the following questions:
- Which, out of the 4 bottles you see, do you think is the safest to drink?
- Create a tally/bar graph with their results.
- Inform the students what is in each bottle. What is seen doesn't always tell what is in the bottle.
- Why is it important to know what's in our water?
Procedure
Step 1: Define water quality and its importance to life in an ecosystem.
Step 2: Determine what is measured in water quality: physical, chemical, and biological characteristics.
Step 3: Define the physical characteristics of water and what qualifies it to be considered good. Repeat the process with chemical and biological characteristics.
Step 4: Determine what can be done to improve water quality in an area.
Step 5: From the lesson plan, select 1 of 3 activities to perform with students.
Vocabulary
watershed, physical characteristics, chemical characteristics, biological characteristics, macroinvertebrates, point source solution, non-point source pollution