What’s in that H20? (Quality)
The What’s in that H2O? (Quality) station addresses water quality and its importance for a healthy watershed. Students predict the outcome and then test the creek’s chemical properties to verify their conjectures.
NGSS: HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-7, HS-LS4-6, HS-LS4-5, HS-ESS2-5, HS-ESS3-1
WA SCIENCE Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs): 1.1, 1.2, 1.3,2.1, 2. 3.1
Measuring water quality of samples
Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Describe the hydrologic cycle
- List the effects of turbidity, pH, temperature, stream dynamics and dissolved oxygen (DO) on the aquatic ecosystem
- Test the health of the local stream
- Identify human activities and natural phenomena that impact water quality
Concepts
- The connection of water chemistry to stream health
- Human actions that influence clean water
- Point and non-point source pollution
- Ecology
Classroom Materials
Classroom Pre-work Activities:
- Let That Water Breathe and Chill (PDF)– Students identify properties of dissolved oxygen (DO) and temperature, understand the factors that can change a waterway’s DO and temperature, and apply their knowledge by testing the DO and temperature of a local stream to determine its health.
- The pH7 Scale: Life’s Good Note (PDF)– Students understand the pH scale by testing the pH of common products, and find connections between pH and wildlife.
- It’s a Dirty Water Thing (PDF)– Students identify potential sources of increased turbidity and predict results of an experiment on sediment levels of a nearby creek.
Field Day Materials
- What’s in that H2O? Water Quality Student Worksheet (PDF)
- KITC Water Quality Worksheet_2018
- 2018 Water Quality – Fish Health Student Worksheet
“Rivers and rocks and trees have always been talking to us, but we’ve forgotten how to listen.”- Michael Roads