http://investigationstation.org/teacherworkroom/middleschool/waterquality/index.html
Water Unit: What is the Water Like in Our River?
was developed by hi-ce (Highly Interactive Computing in Education) at
the University of Michigan. This unit was developed for 7th
grade students to help foster an understanding of earth science and
ecological concepts by investigating the quality of water in a local
river. These concepts include watersheds, erosion and deposition, and
biological indicators of water quality. During the project, students
investigate the quality of their watershed by asking probing questions,
conducting experiments, and drawing a conclusion. Students are facilitated
in their investigation by using technologies such as data collection
probes and Model-it, a dynamic modeling tool. This tool helps students
construct a model of their aquatic ecosystem. Students continually plan,
build, test, and evaluate their model based on the inquiry-based activities
within this project.
The Water Unit is divided into four units or learning
sets. Each unit provides information about the topic and contains detailed
instructions for each activity. Also, each unit is structured around
a driving question. For example, "What is the water like in our river?"
Students engage in a meaningful inquiry-based investigation and develop
the knowledge and the skills necessary to answer this question. Because
students are investigating a river situated in their community, they
are naturally led to question what action they can take as an individual
to improve the water quality. The first learning set takes approximately
five days and will answer questions such as "What is water quality?"
"What can we find in our river?" and "What do we want to know about
our river?" The second learning set takes approximately eighteen days
and will answer the question "Where is my river located?" by building
computer models, investigating stream tables, and adding information
to the computer model. The third learning set takes approximately twelve
days. It will answer the question "What impacts water quality?" The
fourth learning set is optional and takes approximately five days to
complete. It involves the collection and identification of aquatic organisms
as an indicator of water quality
