How do we eliminate water waste within our community?
5-109
Ms. Radinovic
INTRODUCTION
What is something you
use on a daily basis? You drink it to survive, you use it to stay clean, you
can use it to have fun. If you guessed WATER, you are correct. Water is
something that is always available to you. You are able to go home, turn on
your sink and use as much water as you want. Have you ever wondered what it
would be like with a lack of water or no water at all? How would your daily
life change?
Water covers 70% of our planet, and it is easy to think that it will always be plentiful. However, freshwater—the stuff we drink, bathe in, irrigate our farm fields with—is incredibly rare. Only 3% of the world’s water is freshwater, and two-thirds of that is tucked away in frozen glaciers or otherwise unavailable for our use. Now, that is not a lot of water. This is a problem faced all over the world. However, this is an issue faced even by some within our country and even our community.
TASK
During this unit we will learn to focus our attention on the world around us and the social problem of water scarcity. You will be divided into your eight regular classroom groups. Each group will have the job of researching water scarcity around the world. Your group will also be responsible for putting together a presentation where you will create a plan on how students from P.S. 84 Steinway in Astoria, New York can help our community and the world by reducing unnecessary water usage.
PROCESS/RESOURCES
Think back to our lesson on bullying in P.S. 84. As a team we worked on using the six step PPA Process to create a policy that would help us deal with the bullying issues our students may face. Over the next few days, you will be using the PPA Process to create a presentation on how we here at P.S. 84 can work together to help fight the social problem of water scarcity.
* Here's a quick reminder of the Six steps of the PPA Process:
1. Define the Problem
2. Gather Evidence
3. Identify the Cause
4. Evaluate the Existing Policy
5. Develop a Solution
6. Select the Best Solution
Day One (Define the Problem & Gather
Evidence): 
Water Scarcity is a problem that we face all around the world. Your job is to find how water scarcity is a problem in the United States and the world we live in. In your group of four use your chrome books to search how water scarcity is a problem within the United States.
Here a few links to get you started:
https://thewaterproject.org/water-scarcity/water_scarcity_in_us
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/partner-content-americas-looming-water-crisis
Day Two (Identify the Causes & Evaluate
the Existing Policies): 
After researching and learning about water scarcity around the world and the country we call home. Now is the time to identify the cause of water scarcity, especially here in the United States.
In your groups again, begin researching the already existing policies to help prevent water scarcity in the United States.
Here are a few links to help you:
https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-safe-drinking-water-act
https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:fae7e3ff-31e9-37e0-9092-1ba67d1e8d5a
Day Three (Develop a Solution): 
Having researched previous and current policies on water scarcity and water conservation it's your turn. With your group developing several policies we as a school could put into place to try to help with preserving water.
Day Four (Select the Best Solution):
Now that you
and your group have created several policies that the school can use to help
conserve water, work together to select the best solution. Together you are
going to create a PowerPoint presentation listing all of the steps that you
took to find your final solution.
Day Five (Presentation Time)
It’s time to present your research and solution to the class.
EVALUATION
|
Task |
Great Job (4) |
Good (3) |
Almost there (2) |
Not Quite (1) |
|
Group Work |
Worked well with all group members and contributed ideas and work. |
Worked well with all some members and contributed some ideas and work. |
Worked well with some group members and contributed some ideas and work. |
Hardly worked with group members and did not contribute ideas or work. |
|
Knowledge of Content and Research |
Used multiple sources to research water scarcity and conservation. |
Used two sources to research water scarcity and conservation. |
Used one source to research water scarcity and conservation. |
Did not conduct any research on water scarcity and conservation. |
|
Presentation of Content- PowerPoint |
Presentation included all six steps of the PPA process. Included several solutions and highlighted the best solution for P.S. 84. |
Presentation included some steps of the PPA process. Included several solutions and highlighted the best solution for P.S. 84. |
Presentation included one step of the PPA process. Did not Include several solutions and did not highlight the best solution for P.S. 84. |
Presentation did not include the six steps of the PPA process. Only one or no solutions were highlighted for P.S. 84. |
CONCLUSION
Together you have worked to understand the impact water scarcity has on the world and country we live in. You have chosen the solution you feel is best for our school to use. Together we now have 7 new solutions to making small steps to conserving water and helping to eliminate water scarcity at our school.
STANDARDS
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.1: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.9: Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
NGSS Practices
● Practice 1: Asking Questions and Defining Problems
● Practice 6: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
● Practice 8: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information