WATER POLLUTION
Water Pollution in the
INTRODUCTION
The social
problem of water pollution had its roots in the nineteenth century
You are a student working on testing
the pH of water samples in your neighborhood for a science lab. While testing
the water you notice the water contains contaminants. When you realize what you
have just discovered, you are shocked and think this is a bad dream. Your
chemistry teacher just covered nuclear energy and water pollution in class and
you learned that during the 1950’s nuclear energy was all the rage. You learned
how many nuclear wastes were improperly disposed of during that time right up
to the present day. You also know that the nuclear power plant Indian Point is
located just two miles from your High School. Why has no one
has discovered this potential disaster before? In the past month you were
handpicked by the Mayor of NYC to head a program called “Operation Cleanup.”
You wonder: How can I use my new position as head of Operation Cleanup to bring
more awareness of this problem to the people of
The
Task:
You and the other members of Operation
Cleanup are to explore the extent of water pollution in the NYC area within a
50-mile radius of Indian Point. Working to develop a public policy to deal with
this social problem, each of you will have a part to play in this project. One
or a group of students must do the fieldwork and bring back water samples for
testing pollutants (contaminants). The others will split the responsibility and
research the possible legal ramifications concerning acceptable levels of
pollutants found in the water. You will use the TIPS Public Policy
Analyst to assist in the development of your policy suggestions.
Upon
completion of readings and highlighting important facts pertaining to specific
pollutants, you must write a three-page
report using Microsoft word, addressing the source of the pollution, acceptable
levels of pollutants, and any guidelines for disposing the wastes into potable
water sites. You must include a written plan of action for the purification of
the water. Included in the report, you must have a cover page followed by three
written pages and finally a bibliography including no less than three sites as
stated in the rubric above. All papers must be typed and double-spaced.
You
will also be asked to create a Power
Point presentation, which should last between five to ten minutes. This
presentation should cover the problem of water pollution and possible
solutions.
Some
things to consider (Guidelines):
1)
Points will be
deducted for incorrect use of grammar and spelling errors.
2)
Remember:
neatness counts!
3)
You must then be
ready to present your report to the class. (Approximately a ten-minute oral
presentation).
4)
Power Point
presentations are mandatory. (A laptop and overhead projector are available).
5)
A five-minute
question and answer period should be provided for your classmates at the end of
your presentation.
6)
In order to
complete the task (project) you must use the Public Policy Analyst report.
* Be sure to read the requirements on the Rubric
included in this outline.
THE
PROCESS:
All
students involved in the project will familiarize themselves with the aspects
of how to investigate water pollution by the use of the scientific method,
journals, fact finding, surfing the web sites and finally reporting their
results in a methodical fashion. Students have an option to work in pairs or in
groups of more than two people. You will focus your research around the TIPS
PPA Public Polciy Analyst. You will complete the work
sheet using the Internet resources given below. Each part of the process should
be guided by the Public Policy Analyst program. The Public Policy steps are as follows:
The worksheets and information gathered about the social problem of water
pollution, its causes and existing public policy will become part of your power
point and paper.
2)
Gather evidence.
3)
Identify causes.
Please
keep in mind the above are guidelines , from which you
will make critical judgments. These problem solving decisions will be accomplished
both individually and on a group basis. New websites should be considered
during your investigation using general search engines such as Google, Yahoo
and Altavista, etc.
Once
you understand the causes of water pollution and the existing public policy
meant to address the problem, you will be ready to make new public policy that
will improve the environment and the living conditions for all of earth’s inhabitants.
The
final report of findings should include:
1) At
least two locations (websites) of new and old articles on water pollutants,
nuclear and other wise.
2) Research
must also include two additional sources such as books, which describe
radioactive or chemical contaminants. Articles from periodicals are acceptable.
A reputable textbook may also be included in the search but no newspaper
articles or “Fliers” of any sort.
Meeting
the New York
State
When students are working on
this project they will demonstrate and show evidence of the following
scientific connections and applications:
1) S4a-Big ideas and unifying concepts, such as order and
organization; models, form and function; change and constancy; and cause and
effect.
2) S4d-Impact of technology, such as constraints and
trade-offs; feedback benefit and risks; and problems and solutions.
3) S4e-Impact of science, such as historical and
contemporary contribution and interactions between science and society.
This project provides
students with an opportunity to demonstrate their skills in scientific inquiry,
problem solving, critical thinking, and knowledge of science and basic common
sense when solving scientific problems within a group setting.
This activity allows
students to:
1) S5a-Frame
questions to distinguish cause and effect; and identify or control variables in
experimental and non-experimental research settings.
2) S5c-Use
evidence from reliable sources to develop descriptions, explanations and
models; and make appropriate adjustments and improvements based on additional
data or logical arguments.
3) S5d-Prospose,
recognize, analyze, consider, and critique alternative
explanations and distinguish between fact and opinion.
4) S5e-Identify
problems; propose and implement solutions; and evaluate the accuracy, design,
and outcomes of investigations.
5) S5f-Work
individually and in teams to collect and share information and ideas.
Scientific
Communication:
When gathering data,
water samples and comparing them to the normal standards for potable water, the
student learns about communicating scientific information within a group setting. The reporting back of this information allows
the student to have a deeper understanding in that the student:
S7B-argues
from evidence, such as data produced through his or her experimentation or data
produced by others.
S7c-Critiques
published materials, such as popular magazines and academic journals.
S7d-Explain
a scientific concept or procedure to other students.
Scientific
Investigation:
The students complete
the project by taking information from all levels of the scientific community.
Students learn to put all this information together in a step-by-step orderly
fashion. Each year it should be mandatory for students to complete another
investigation (project) by using standards one to seven and they need to
represent all four types of investigation.
S8d-Secondary research
RESOURCES
The
following Web sites can assist your research:
·
http://www.aolsvc.worldbook.aol.com/wbol/wbAuth/jsp/wbArticle.jsp
An article dealing with water pollution.
·
www.ukrivers.net/pollution.html
A
whole site dedicated towards water pollution.
·
www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/waterpollution.htm
Contains causes and types of water pollution, also
nice pictures and references.
·
www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/water.htm
A nice site dedicated to water; has a
section on water pollution.
·
www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/default.asp
An online book that discusses water including water
pollution.
·
www.ec.gc.ca/envpriorities/cleanwater_e.htm
Site water pollution and how to renovate bodies of
water.
·
http://www.brighton73.freeserve.co.uk/tomsplace/
scientific/msc-thesis/mst-revi.htm
A review of the use of enzyme induction in aquatic
organisms to detect
water pollution.
A site devoted to educating people on
water pollution.
·
www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/hhudson.asp
Discussion on plans to remove PCB from the
·
www.geocities.com/RainForest/5161/
Introduction to water pollution,
wastewater treatment, and water analysis.
·
www.soton.ac.uk/~engenvir/index/enviro_index.html
Basic information about pollution.
An extensive source
of information on pollution prevention technologies and implementation.
·
www.ukrivers.net/pollution.html
A large index of books
and other resources on pollution
General Search Engines
·
www.google.com
·
www.yahoo.com
EVALUATION
Oral Presentation Evaluation Form: Use
the evaluation form below to rate the presentation by your classmate. The
rubric below describes the rating for each category. This will be used as your
rubric for the written report as well.
Name: Date: Class:
_____________
|
|
Exceptional |
Admirable |
Acceptable |
Poor |
|
1 Content
|
An
abundance of material clearly related to thesis;
points are clearly made and all evidence supports thesis; various
use of materials. |
Sufficient
Information that relates to thesis; many good points made but there is an uneven balance and little
variation. |
There
is a great deal of information that is not clearly connected to the thesis |
Thesis
not clear information included that does not support
thesis in any
way |
|
2
Coherence and Organization |
Thesis
is clearly stated and developed; specific
examples are appropriate and clearly develop thesis;
conclusion is clear; shows control; flows together well; good
transitions succinct but not choppy;
well organized |
Most
information presented in logical sequence; generally very well organized but better transitions from idea to idea and
medium and medium needed |
Concept
and ideas are loosely connected; lacks clear transitions; flow and organization
are choppy |
Presentation
is choppy and disjointed; does not flow; development of thesis is vague; no apparent logical order of presentation |
|
3
Creativity |
Very
original presentation of material; uses the
unexpected to full advantage; captures audiences’s attention |
Some
originally apparent; good variety and blending of materials/media |
Little
or no variation; material presented with little originality or interpretation |
Repetitive
with little or no variety; insufficient
use of multimedia |
|
4 Material |
Balanced
use of multimedia materials; properly used to
develop
thesis; use of media is varied and
appropriate |
Use
of multimedia not as varied and not as well connected to thesis |
Choppy
use of multimedia materials; lacks smooth transition from one medium to another; multimedia not clearly connected
to thesis |
Little
or no multimedia used or ineffective use of multimedia; imbalance in use of materials—too much of one, not enough
of another |
|
5 Speaking
Skills |
Poised,
cleared, articulation; proper volume; steady rate good
posture and eye contact; enthusiasm; confidence |
Clear
articulation but not
as polished |
Some
mumbling; little eye contact; uneven
rate; little or no expression |
Inaudible
or too loud; no eye contact; rate too slow/fast; speaker seemed uninterested and used
monotone |
|
6 Audience
Response |
Involved
the audience in the presentation; points made in creative way; held the
audience’s attention throughout |
Presented
facts with some interesting “twists”; held the audience’s attention most
of the time |
Some
related facts but went off topic and lost the audience; mostly presented
facts with little or no imagination |
Incoherent; audience lost interest
and could not determine the point of the presentation |
|
7 Length of
Presentation |
Within two minutes of
allotted Time +/- |
Within four minutes of
Allotted time +/- |
Within six minutes of
allotted time +/- |
Too long or too Short;
ten or more Minutes above or Below the allotted time |
Conclusion
In conclusion,
you should have learned that water pollution is a serious
social problem. In your investigation you have seen what causes water pollution
and know what the Public Policy is and what new Public Policies could be
introduced because of your findings. This project also taught the students to
understand the scientific procedure and how to investigate cause and effect. By
the use of the Public Policy rules students should have concluded when laws
need to be changed.
Our next Web Quest
could be to investigate air pollution. We will concentrate on the social
problem caused by air pollution next term.
