Transcript The Sixth Grade Water Project

Developed for
Long Cane Middle School
by Jean K. Martin
Goals :
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Students engaged in learning about a critical
natural resource for human life and local water
sources (Phase One) and sources of water in
selected countries across the world (Phase Two on)
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Students working individually and in small
heterogeneous groups of 5 on learning objectives
Objectives:
Students will demonstrate understanding of targeted
6th Grade Georgia Performance Standards in:
◦ Science (Phase One)
◦ Social Studies (Phases Two, Three, Four, Five)
◦ Reading Across the Curriculum– Science and
Social Studies – reading informational texts
Students will use scientific and academic vocabulary
accurately
Students will improve their performance on the CRCT
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Decrease Does Not Meet in Reading/ELA in all
subgroups (non-fiction a substantial portion of
the reading passages)
Increase Meets and Exceeds on Science and
Social Studies CRCTs (soon to be secondary
AYP indicators)
Long Cane Middle School has met AYP goals in recent years, but understands that the performance requirements
are starting to rise steeply . It will be a challenge for this student body to meet the required targets of the
future. 62% of Long Cane Middle School’s population of 1,000 is Economically Disadvantaged as defined
through the participation in the free and reduced lunch program. As seen in the charts below, significant
numbers of students in the large black and economically disadvantaged subgroups are not meeting the CRCT
cutoffs in Math and Reading.
With such a high at-risk population, students will benefit from opportunities to increase their levels of
engagement in their own learning and to use new knowledge across the curriculum and beyond school. A
multi-curricular project presents such an educational opportunity. By developing a project that is based in 6th
grade performance standards and ties to their local community, students will develop enduring understandings
about the world they live in. Through the essential topic of water, students will also learn about the issues
surrounding drinking water across the world. They will then be equipped to make personal choices on water
usage and the resources that impact the quality of our water today and in the future.
School-wide CRCT Results in 2009
Does not Meet in Math
24% of all students
19% of White Subgroup
34% of Black Subgroup
32% of Economically Disadvantaged Subgroup
Does Not Meet in Reading/ ELA
11% of all students
9% of White Subgroup
13% of Black Subgroup
16% of Economically Disadvantaged Subgroup
Skills Required
Conduct primary and secondary research via Internet
Analyze artifacts
Analyze graphs and diagrams
Determine adequacy and/or relevancy of information
Check for consistency of information
Willingness to learn Comic Life Software and conduct research via the Internet
Prior knowledge required - Completed unit on weather and its effect on the atmosphere and the water cycle
Potential benefits to participants
Use information and skills across the academic disciplines to learn about a relevant real-world issue
Communicate findings and conclusions to audiences in the school and community
Use technology to research and present
Increase proficiency using science (Phase One) and social studies (Phase Two) vocabulary
Entire Project: Participation of 6th Grade Science and Social Studies in various phases of planning
and executing the project, including providing in-class time for students to work individually
and in groups on their project.
Phase One Only – 6th Grade Science Teachers
Phase One: The Water Cycle and Local Sources of Drinking Water in Troup County
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Technology –
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Computer and Internet Access for Class
Comic Life Software for Individual Projects for Class
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Buses for 1 day field trip to LaGrange Wastewater Treatment Plant and West Point Lake to take water samples
Guest Speaker(s) – UGA Extension Service – Well Water Testing
Science Lab with Projection Microscope to view water samples – before and after treatment
Speakers and Field Trips
Phase Two: Water in Canada, Europe, South America and Australia
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Internet Access for web quest research project
Phase Four: Develop Group Contrast & Compare Project Storyboard – Microsoft Word
Phase Five: Group Presentations (after the CRCT) – Using MovieMaker
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Essential Questions
How is clean water made available in Troup County, Georgia?
How does water continually move through the water cycle?
How does the location of water on Earth’s surface and the condition
of the atmosphere affect its path through stages of the water cycle?
Enduring Understandings
Clean fresh water is essential for human life.
Human actions can impact water quality both positively and
negatively.
There is a finite amount of water on Earth that is moving through
the water cycle.
Phase One: The Water Cycle and
Local Water Sources in Troup
County
Product for Phase One: A
presentation using Comic Life
Software that
1) demonstrates an understanding
of the source of your drinking
water at home
2) demonstrates an understanding
of the water cycle on drinking
water
3) includes the major threats to
local drinking water
4) suggests water conservation
strategies for your family
5) demonstrates proper use and
understanding of required
academic vocabulary
Day 1 – Access Prior Knowledge – KWL Chart
United Streaming Video Clip on Water Cycle
Note taking activity
*Example Pre-Assessment - Knowledge Rating Activity on Key Unit
Vocabulary
Day 2 – Pre-teach key water vocabulary, include Water Cycle vocabulary
*Example Formative Assessment - Word Sort Activity
Day 3 – Local Water Research – incorporated LaGrange vs. unincorporated
LaGrange via pre-selected resources on Internet and school server
Note taking on graphic organizer
Day 4 – Field trip to LaGrange Wastewater Treatment Plant and West Point Lake
Day 5 – Reflection activity on information learned using graphic organizer and
required vocabulary
Day 6 – Speakers from UGA Extension Service – Testing Well Water – note taking
on graphic organizer – class located in a lab that can project water samples
from wells and those taken from lake
Day 7 – Research home water supply, vocabulary activity
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Day 8 – Complete compiling information needed to begin Comic Life Project,
Read “Excuse Me, is this the Way to the Drainpipe?”, make sure vocabulary
activities are complete and accurate
Day 9, 10,11
Develop the story of a local water drop from the faucet all the way to
returning to the faucet using Comic Life Software.
*Homework may be given during the project, but all research and creation
requiring software, computers, and the Internet will be completed during
school hours
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aquifer
groundwater
permeable
impermeable
water table
saturation zone
wastewater
evaporation
condensation
transpiration
precipitation
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conservation strategies
acid rain (or acid
precipitation
agricultural sewage
Army Corps of Engineers
downstream
drought
humidity
infiltration
pollution
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iceberg
glacier
desalination
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U.S. Geological Survey 'Water Cycle Website:
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html EPA's Water
Information Website for Kids:
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/ Georgia Water
Conservation Website:
http://www.conservewatergeorgia.net/Documents/tools_teac
hers.html Georgia Public Broadcasting Digital Library:
http://www.gpb.org/digitallibrary NASA's Earth Observatory
Website
http://Earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library
Is This the Way to the Drain Pipe?
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Pre-Assessment
Formative
Assessment
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Summative Assessment
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Summative Assessment Rubric
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What is the role of the Army Corps of Engineers in
the United States? What is their role in managing
West Point Lake?
What is the background and status of the current
3-State water dispute?
How does metro-Atlanta’s water usage policies and
practices affect Troup County’s water supply?
What are the issues in Troup County surrounding
development and water?