Introduction

Student Activities

For the Teacher

California Science Content Standards

National Science Standards

Resources

Water Pollution

Scavenger Hunt

California Content Standards Met by This Activity

 

Work with a partner. Each person should record their answers in their Water Pollution Journal. Click on the EMPACT link. 1. Find out where your drinking water comes from. How did you find this information. Record the URL (location or address) of website in your journal next to the information. 2. Find the watershed may of the United States. Look at the map key. Use this map to discover how polluted the water is where you live. Find your region to get a larger map of the area in which you live. Remember to write down your region number because you will need this information again. What does this level of pollution mean? 3. Go to the Enviromapper for Watersheds. Use this map to find out about the following things where you live: Discharges to water Superfund sites Hazardous waste handler Toxic releases Air releases Other pollutants In your journal describe each of the above pollution problems. You can get the information by clicking on the pollutants name on the Enviromapper for Watersheds web page. 4.Go to "Candidate Indicators,National Maps, Factsheets, and Data." Nitrogen is an important watershed nutrient. Find out why it is important by clicking on the The Nutrient Export "Why was this Indicator chosen?" link. Record what you learn in your journal. Remember to record the url of the page you found this information. Find the map for your region. (Remember: in question number 2 you were asked to write down the number of your region.). How many pound of nitrogen per acre (and kilograms of nitrogen per square kilometer) are exported from your watershed? Why is this information important? 5. Go to the Soil Permeability "Why was this Indicator chosen?" link. Record what you learn in your journal. Remember to record the url of the page you found this information. What is the permeability of the soil in your watershed area of your region. Why is this information important? 6. Go to the Risk of Ground Water Nitrate Contamination "Why was this Indicator chosen?" link. Record what you learn in your journal. Remember to record the url of the page you found this information. How high is the risk of nitrate contamination where your live? Why is this important? Record the information in your journal. Share what you have learned: Choose one project from this list: Create a poster board display to show the risk of nitrate contamination where you live. Make sure your poster includes the key points why this information is important to your community. Visual Arts Rubric Create a poster board display of the kinds of pollution found in your community. Make sure your poster includes the key points why this information is important to your community. Visual Arts Rubric Write a newspaper article informing your community about the kinds of pollution where you live. Send this article to the editor of your local newspaper and ask him/ her to publish it. Report of Information Rubric Give a five minute speech for your class about the kinds of pollution found in your community. Tell about the kinds of pollution in your area, the causes of this pollution, and how you would propose to end this pollution. Have a friend video tape your speech. Oral Presentation Rubric Join with another set of partners, and lead a panel discussion about pollution where you live. Tell about the kinds of pollution in your area, the causes of this pollution, and how you would propose to end this pollution. Oral Presentation Rubric Return to Activity Four Where To Next? The Task Show Your Stuff Activities How'd You Do? Resources  For the Teacher