ACTIVITY 1 - LITERACYActivity Unit Outcome Procedure Resources

Identifying different types of Pollution

Working towards: Utilising an authentic text to enhance engagement, comprehension and knowledge of different pollution types.

1. Have all students sitting on the carpet. This is an introductory activity, therefore it is necessary to engage students by introducing the topic with a personal story. “I was really upset on the weekend when I went to the beach. I saw a family have a beautiful picnic, however when they got up to leave, they left the scraps of their food and rubbish behind to be blown into the ocean. Then on my way home I saw a lady throw a cigarette butt out of her car window. I was disgusted!

2. Have students verbally share personal experiences about pollution. 3. Explain that the focus of the lesson today is to find out what happens

to our environment when people pollute. 4. Read to students ‘Where does pollution come from,’ out aloud as a

whole class.5. After engagement with the story, students now have a brief

knowledge of the different types of pollution for example; Air Pollution, Solid Waste Pollution, Water Pollution, Ground Pollution, Noise Pollution, Radioactive Pollution, Thermal Pollution etc.

6. Encourage substantive conversation, discussing water pollution and its effects.

7. Explain exciting cut and paste collage activity. Selectively put students in groups of 2 or 3 to work collaboratively as a team.

8. Explain to students that they are to search through magazines to find pictures of different types of pollution. Explain they will all be given an A3 piece of paper, and must divide this into four equal parts to represent the four main types of pollution (water, air, ground and noise). Within each quarter of the page, students will create an original collage of related images.

9. Distribute resources and explain associated safety and behavioural requirement.

10.While groups are working, encourage children to: think about why people litter or pollute? and monitor students are categorizing pollutants correctly11. Pin completed charts to wall for easy viewing. (Groups who finish

ahead of the others can consider other types of pollution such as radioactive and thermal.)

12. Have children collaborate as a whole group and read through their group charts explaining the images they have specifically selected.

Allow for questions about the response’s of other groups and substantive conversation that arises?

▪ Example Template for format of A3 Poster (Appendix A)

▪ Story Book - ‘Where Does Pollution Come From.’ (Appendix B)

▪ Poster Equipment (Magazines, A3 Paper, Spare scissors and glue etc.)Activity Outcome

Working towards:Students will identify different types of pollution. Categorise pictures of pollutants and describe various types of pollution that affect them in their current environment.

Literacy Roles▪ Text User (Understanding the purpose of the book) ▪ Meaning Maker (Investigating real life issues)

Focus Questions▪ Have you ever seen someone throw rubbish where is doesn’t belong?▪ What does Pollution mean?▪ Where do we pollute? ▪ What do we often pollute?▪ How do we pollute?▪ Who do you think people pollute?▪ How is pollution affecting out water ways? (Examples; Lakes, rivers, oceans and streams)▪ Do you think it may affect is we should or shouldn’t go swimming?▪ What other things can be harmed apart from ourselves in association to polluted water?

ACTIVITY 2 – VALUES (Economic and Ecological Sustainability) Activity Unit Outcome Procedure Resources

The Effects of Water Pollution

Working towards: Students become empowered to act in an ecologically sustainable way identifying how their actions can contribute to water pollution.

1. Explain to students that we will be discussing and identifying the effects pollution has on society (general population) and the environment (ecological system).

2. Commence a discussion on how pollutants affect our health? As substantive conversation evolves write the students answers on the board in a brainstorming web (Including animals, plants, people, buildings etc.)

3. Reinforce that Pollution affects both living and non-living things of different severities and explain the specific affects on each more in depth to extend students knowledge (Knowledge attained from a variety of reliable resources)

4. Reinforce all new learning’s by playing a ‘Matching game.’

5. The whole class receives a playing card (one type of card will contain the message ‘I am…’ and the other will contain the ‘answer.’) The aim of the activity is for a student with the ‘I am…’ card to read out their description to the rest of the class. The student who then thinks they have the appropriate corresponding ‘answer,’ card will say ‘I’m your match!’ and read out their card. Students have to justify why they believe they are the correct pollutant type. If a student believes it is the wrong type then they can challenge the answer. The game will continue until all, ‘I am…’ cards are matched up. This activity challenging students understanding and comprehension of societies impact on pollution in an engaging and exciting way.

▪ Concept Map Template (Appendix C)

▪ Activity Cards (Appendix D)

Activity Outcome

Working towards:Students will discuss the effects pollution is having on society and our environment, synthesizing this learning through application in knowledge challenging games.

Literacy Roles▪ Text User (Playing ‘I’m your match.’ Game) ▪ Text Analysis (Substantive conversation)

Focus Questions▪ How does Pollution affect out health?▪ In what ways does this happen?▪ How does Pollution affect our environment? ▪ How does Pollution affect out plants and terrain?▪ How does Pollution affect our aimals?▪ How does pollution affect building and structures?▪ What are some everyday items we utilise that impacts pollution dramatically?

ACTIVITY 3 – DATA COLLECTION Activity Unit Outcome Procedure Resources

Experiencing Pollution First Hand

Working towards: Students participate in a field study excursion to ‘The Lakes,’ to collect evidence of pollution and it’s affects on the local waterways.

1. Brief explanation of safety procedures and equipment necessary for excursion.

2. Recap students prior learning to prompt students comprehension.

3. Before leaving allocate students to their assigned groups and let students know which supervisor will assist their group. (Teacher, teacher aid, parent etc.) Hand students their maps necessary and ensure everyone has the appropriate data collecting devices (zip top bags and questionnaire). There are 4 groups of approximately 6 students that will all investigate different areas)

4. Explain to students that it is essential to collect as many sources as pollution as possible in our short time (air, water, noise and land.) This can be done through sketches, note taking or photography.

5. Encourage students to think about different roles within their group. Example one student may complete the questionnaire, one way draw a sketch of the area, one may take photos, one may fill out location information on the map and another may collect examples of pollution in zip top bags.

6. Explain to students that all pollution may not be visible to the eye, and encourage students to also write lists of things they think may be in the water (e.g. chemical waste, lack or aeration etc.)

7. Set students off in their groups to document and collect data. Encourage the group to collaborate information quickly before leaving their site at the end of the 30 minutes to ensure they haven’t missed anything.

8. Students safely travel back to school with any pollution gathered for further analysis. Encourage students to discuss their findings and present their data to the whole group. Substantive conversation is encouraged with similarities and dissimilarities compared.

9. In conclusion students cooperatively predict why certain pollution was evident in that specific area.

▪ Permission Slip (Appendix E)

▪ Itinerary for Excursion (Appendix F)

▪ Questionnaire (Appendix G)

▪ Photographic Evidence Examples (Appendix H)

▪ Maps (Appendix I )

▪ Gloves and zip lock bags

▪ Sketching paper

▪ School cameras

▪ Student Resources (Pencil, Eraser, etc.)

Activity Outcome

Working towards:Students will assess and analyse pollutants that are at ‘The Lakes.’ They will collect various data by labeling maps, completing a questionnaire and documenting evidence through photography.

Focus Questions▪ What are the four main types of pollution?▪ What are some examples of pollution you may see at ‘The Lakes?’▪ Do you think you will only see rubbish? ▪ Will there be affect on the plants and terrain?▪ Where was you pollution situated? Why do you think it was there..?

Literacy Roles▪ Code Breaker (utilising maps, sketches and images) ▪ Meaning Maker (Investigating a real life problem in an authentic situation)

ACTIVITY 4 – ANALYSIS OF DATA Activity Unit Outcome Procedure Resources

Analysing and Evaluating Land Use and its Affect on Water Pollution

Working towards: Students cooperatively analyse and chart data.

1. Question students prior knowledge and ask students to list as many different types of pollution as possible.

2. Encourage substantive conversation and explain that when land is used for different purposes, different types of water pollution may take place. (E.g. agricultural land, construction land and urban storm runoff land etc.)

3. Show students a short and exciting PowerPoint that will broaden knowledge (necessary for activity) and provides visual stimuli to engage and interest students. (Knowledge about watersheds and different types of lands will be covered)

4. Explain Students are very important scientists that will evaluate the quality of a “water sample” (a bag of skittles), graph their results, and form a hypothesis about the land use near the location their “water sample” was collected.

5. Candy will be pre organized into separate zip lock bags. (I will manipulate the bags so that the assortment of candy represents a particular land use area by adding more of a certain type of pollutant, rather than relying on a random mix). Each student will receive a bag with approximately 30 pieces of candy per bag. Each bag represents a water sample from a watershed.

6. Ask the class to define the word pollutant. Tell them that each color of skittles represents a different kind of pollutant. (Visual aids provided to hang up in the classroom. For e.g. PURPLE = Sediment, RED = Pesticides etc.) Discuss each of these pollutants with the students. Ask them where they come from, what they are used for, how they can be beneficial, and how they may be harmful. Discuss what land-use means, and what kind of land use may cause the different kinds of pollution.

7. Distribute graph paper to each student. Tell the students that they will be drawing a bar graph to show the number of pollutants found in their “water sample”. Show them the sample graph provided. Have the students label the x-axis with the pollutant types and the y-axis with the amount of pollutants.

▪ Power Point (Appendix J)

▪ Skittles and zip lock bags

▪ Water Pollution Graphing Activity Example (Appendix K)

▪ Blank Water Pollution Graph for students (Appendix L)

▪ Visual Aid Titles of Pollutants (Appendix M)

▪ Student Resources (Pencil, Eraser, Colouring pencils etc.)

Activity Outcome

Working towards:Students broaden learning and discuss different land use and how this may affect water pollution and water quality in different areas. (Science outcomes also evident in activity)

Focus Questions▪ Do Water samples commonly only contain one type of pollutant?▪ How would you determine how what your land was used for according to the type of pollution?▪ How can we prevent or reduce this pollution? ▪ Do you think as a class if every student made a small contribution we could improve water pollution?

Literacy Roles▪ Text User (Power Point) ▪ Text Analysis (Students critically discuss, question and compare)

8. Give each student a “water sample”. Tell the students to separate and count the number of each pollutant and graph them on the paper. (Remind the students that they cannot eat the skittles until they are finished with their graph!) 9. Ask students to try and determine what land use activities are occurring in their watershed according to the “water sample.” For example, a water sample from an area with a lot of agriculture use may more sediment, fertilizer and pesticides.

10. Discuss how each water sample is different, and while some samples might contain an abundance of one type of pollution, almost all types of pollutants can be found (even if they are small amounts). Discuss strategies to reduce pollution. How can the students do this on a large scale (in their community ‘The Lakes’) or small scale (at their own home)?

11. Be sure the students understand that the factors (materials) we consider nonpoint source pollutants only become a problem when they are used incorrectly. For example, oil and gas become a problem when they are leaking onto the ground and washing into a water body. Fertilizers and pesticides become a problem when too many are applied and they run off into a water body.

ACTIVITY 5 – CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

Activity develops cognitive skills, including focus on reading, writing, science, analysis, evaluation and comprehension

Activity Unit Outcome Procedure Resources

Investigating Solutions to Water Pollution

Working towards: Students evaluate how community members have made changes to the pollution in the local environment and what impact they can make.

1. Have all students sitting on the carpet. Explain to students that the focus of this activity is to discuss prevention and create powerful posters to inform the public about their impact on water pollution. (Give students a constructed example as a handout and read aloud (‘Clean Water – Life depends on it,’)).

2. Students discuss ways people can avoid polluting our waterways. Pretension strategies are brainstormed, with all students participating.

3. Ask students what they believe makes a good poster? (Why do you look at some posters and not at others?) Scaffold appropriate vocabulary etc.

4. Show some visual examples earlier prepared that explicitly demonstrate appropriate formatting required. Explain to students that this activity involves students completing an A3 poster that can be posted around the school. The students creation should include images that catch audience’s attention and have catchy slogans.

5. Inform students that the posters need to be of a high standard so they can be displayed (Encourage students to take time and not to rush, there is no prize for coming first.)

6. Observe students to ensure they are illustrating appropriate water pollution prevention strategies.

▪ Examples of Pollution Posters (Appendix N)

▪ Handout -‘Clean Water – Life depends on it,’ (Appendix O)

▪ A3 Paper

▪ Student Resources (Pencil, Eraser, Colouring pencils etc.)Activity Outcome

Working towards:Students identifying and developing prevention strategies and create posters to increase awareness

Literacy Roles▪ Text User (Utilising information from example posters) ▪ Meaning Maker (Designing posters for authentic situations)

Focus Questions▪ What are some things you or your family do to prevent pollution?▪ What effects to laundry detergent and soaps have on our local waterways?▪ What effects does rush have in our creeks and rivers? ▪ What effects does animal waste or surface mining have on our waterways?▪ How can we prevent pollution in our water ways?▪ What are some easy strategies you, your friends and your family can do at home to prevent water pollution?