K5 Science Endorsement GPS Lesson Plan

Title
Teacher(s)
E-mail
School
Lesson
Title
Grade
Level

Adopt A Stream
Amy Soto
Amy.Soto@cobbk12.org
Ford Elementary School
Residency Lessons
4th grade
Target
students

Concept RBQ- How do humans affect

our usable water supply?
s(s)
Targeted
Lesson Essential Questions:

EQ- What is the difference between Point and NON-Point Pollution?

E.Q.- How will the building of a new subdivision affect our water
supply?
E.Q.- How has nature affected our usable water supply?
E.Q.-What are some ways that our usable water supply being
affected by humans?
E.Q.- What do we learn from analyzing our collected data?

Gifted Standards

Safety Considerations Cyber safety- be sure to review the rules of

internet rules and BYOD expectations. Be sure to wear correct equipment

when testing water. (boots, gloves, etc.) Other Important safety rules: Safety
googles will be necessary when testing water.
The Learning Plan: During this unit of study, students will learn all
about how humans affect our usable water supply. We will be training ahead
of time with a water specialist at Cobb Water Systems, Mike Kahil. He will be
giving us our certification for water testing and we will report findings back to
the Cobb Water System each month.
Title of the Lesson Day 1: What is the difference between Point and
Non-Point Pollution?
Lesson Logistics/Materials: After giving the pretest, students will
work in groups to create a graphic organizer listing ways that water
affect lives. Set the timer for 10 minutes to complete. Materials
needed: chart paper, markers, crayons, colored pencils, etc.
Opening/Hook/Initial Focus: Engage students by allowing them to share
what they know about water, pollution, and the importance of water in our
lives.
Work Session:
Engage: Students will be given 10 minutes to display their ideas

about how water impacts humans.

Explore: After presenting their ideas, students will take notes in
their interactive STEM Journal about the importance of water and
how we cannot live without it.
Explore: Students will research different ways that humans affect
our usable water supply. They will also find ways that NATURE
affects our water supply. Each student will choose a topic and verify
with the teacher to be sure no other student has chosen the same
topic. They will research and become the expert on their area of
interest, presenting to the group at the end of the semester.
Closing:
Reflection- students will reflect on their learning for the day.
Answer the essential question and post this reflection on Edmodo.
Later the reflection will be printed and inserted into the interactive
STEM journal along with other important paperwork with this unit.
Title of the Lesson Day 2: How will the building of a new subdivision
affect our water supply?
Lesson Logistics/Materials: water testing kit, Mr. Kahils lesson on
important steps for water testing, Brain Journal
Opening:
Engage/Explore: Students will each record a hypothesis about how
local construction might change the stream that runs through Ford
Elementarys property.
Work Period:
Extend: Our invited guest will discuss and display how to effectively take
water samples at our source. Students will be collecting samples, testing
and recording data. Data will be displayed in our classroom with the final
result of analyzing collected data.
Explore/Explain: Define and illustrate the process of collecting information
from our stream; from air and water temperature to oxygen levels in the
water, stream conditions, and PH balance.
Closing: After learning the process of collecting data, students will
further explain their hypothesis, which will later be analyzed.
Explain: Students will reflect on what they have learned in their
STEM Journals.
Title of the Lesson Day 3: What are ways in which nature affects our
usable water supply?
Lesson Logistics/Materials: Poster boards, crayons, markers,
devices, rulers, sharpies
Opening/Hook/Initial Focus:
Students will work in small groups to
create a poster, sharing the different ways that nature affects our water
supply.
Work Session:
Explore/Explain: Students use devices to explore the different types of
natural occurrences that affect usable water. Research will be completed
using MackinVia sources.
Extend: Students take a trip to the media center to see if they can find a
book on different types of natural occurrences that might disrupt our usable
water supply.

Closing:
Evaluate: Group creates and presents their findings on this topic, explaining
each natural occurrence and how it affects our usable water supply.
Students are asked to be creative in displaying and presenting information.
Title of the Lesson Day 4: E.Q.-What are some ways that our usable
water supply being affected by humans?
Lesson Logistics/Materials: devices, books, brain journals, magazine
articles
Opening/Hook/Initial Focus: Students are charged with the task of
learning all they can about the many ways that humans affect our
usable water supply. They will then create a presentation explaining
how we can educate others about the ways humans affect our
usable water supply and how we can minimize these effects.
Work Session: Explain- Students will play a game reminding them how
important it is to clean up after our pets. Run off from animal waste left in
our yards and neighborhoods has been found to impact our water supply.
Using the kit that we borrowed from Cobb County Water System, students
will play a game (relay style) picking up one plastic poo at a time. When all if
cleaned up, the team that has the MOST in their poo bags WINS! This game
has a HUGE impact on reminding students that even though it is just ONE
little bag of poo, it REALLY adds up. They never forget this activity.
Closing:
Evaluate: Student reflect on this activity in their Brain Journal. They will pair
and share their responses with a partner then turn in their reflection to allow
the teacher to review what they have learned, giving commentary on their
response.
Title of the Lesson Day 5: E.Q.- What do we learn from analyzing our
collected data?
Lesson Logistics/Materials: water testing kit, gloves, boots,
reporting paperwork, devices
Opening/Hook/Initial Focus: Engage: Throughout our time collecting water
samples and reporting back to Cobb County Water Systems, students have
also been analyzing results and discussing why the results have changed.
This has given them the chance to learn more about PH, Dissolved oxygen,
temperature, and other physical features of our stream. After our final
collection, students will import information into our graphing program and we
will print out results. Students have time to discuss, research and find out
what these results mean to our stream.
Work Session:
Extend: Students can see by the trends found in our results what the impact
construction has had on our stream. We can then take these results to the
construction manager to let them know our findings. Students will have a
deeper understanding of how we can take care of our stream through AdoptA-Steam and Rivers Alive. Both have given us the opportunity to be Citizen
Scientists as well as conservationists for our stream and our very limited
usable water supply.
Closing:

Explain: Students will complete a unit presentation explaining what they

have learned about their chosen subject of human pollution. Top voted
presentations will present to our Green Your School Competition. See
PowerPoint and Video Presentation- Our school WON the Green Your School
Competition through our top students combining their findings in one
presentation! It was rewarding to allow our students to present to a group of
conservationists and other leaders in our community. They will always
remember the importance of being good stewards to our resources since
they are limited and necessary to life on Earth!

Documentation of Resources;
Mike Kahil has provided us with training, materials, and
lessons that we used in this unit. He delivered a trunk
with many resources that we used throughout this unit of
study.
The Cobb County Water System Management trained us on
how to test water and gave all materials needed to test
our stream and report back to them online through AdoptA-Stream.
Rivers Alive Program gave us materials, t-shirts, and
information about keeping our stream clean.