Curated OER
Measuring Water Quality
Students are introduced to the various methods of measuring water quality. In groups, they test various water samples using the different methods, writing them down for pH, oxygen, salinity, and nitrate levels. They use their data to...
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What's in the Water?
Students make a water sampler and use proper techniques to collect water.They write a essay explaining the inter-relationship of factors such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, and phosphates in a lake that might cause a...
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Nitrogen Cycle-Stream Side Science
A thorough background and nitrate sampling lab sheet are provided to share with your young scientists. After discussing the nitrogen cycle with the class, you will break them into small groups and show them how to use their inquiry...
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Take a Dip: The Water in our Lives
Students collect water samples from local freshwater sources and test for pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, macroinvertebrates, phosphates, and coliform bacteria in order to determine water quality for each source.
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# 12 Using Bottled Water as a Problem Solving Exercise in Chemical Identification
Students work in groups of two or three, groups are given four unidentified bottled waters in unmarked containers and the chemical characteristics taken from the label on the bottled waters. They devise and carry out a plan to match the...
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Water Quality Survey: Monitoring the Sustainability of Pigeon Creek
Students research the History of Pigeon Creek (or any watershed in your area). In this environmental science lesson plan, students conduct field tests such as pH and nitrates. They collect data and compare what they collected with other...
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The Effects of Water Quality on the Growth Rate of Freshwater Mussels
Students participate in a field and laboratory study to determine if local freshwater mussels are environmentally stressed.
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The Surprise of the Blue Water
Students become aware of factors that effect drinking water quality and how this could effect the health of their school environment. Students compose a business letter reporting their school water quality results to an appropriate...
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Great Lakes Ecology
Students are able to use a secchi disk to measure the turbidity of water by determining the depth at which the sechi disk is no longer visible and using the data in a formula to quantify the results. They are able to use Vernier probes...
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Controlling Nonpoint Source Pollution
Students examine factors affecting water quality. They test water in a local body of water to determine its quality. They collect data and continue monitoring the water monthly. They assess water quality in the home and on the farm.
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Scientific Data: It's Not as Pretty as It Looks!
The difference between accuracy and precision is fundamental for high school science learners. Using test kits for nitrate concentration in water, they compare readings with each other. They consider the accuracy, precision, and bias of...
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Water Quality
In this water worksheet, students determine the factors that effect the solubility of gases, calculate the percent concentration of solutions, and give the balanced chemical equation for photosynthesis. This worksheet has 18 short answer...
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Devising a Set of Experiments to Test Water for Dissolved Substances
Students work together to test water samples for pollutants. They design data tables to collect and record their observations. They complete discussion questions to end the lesson.
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Technology as a Tool of Science
Students monitor streams, take stream surveys, collect chemical and macro-invertebrate and stream discharge data. Using a digital camera, students observe the percentage of various types of vegetation on the flood plan, riparian area and...
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Go Jump In The Lake!
Middle schoolers experiment with local lake water to determine the health of the lake waters. They explore the human impact on the lake water, hypothesize and share inferences in a scientific report.
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Nutrients In Chesapeake Bay
Students perform pH and turbidity test to determine water quality. In this environmental science lesson, students analyze NASA database on chlorophyll-a in the bay. They explain how a small river area affects Chesapeake Bay.
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Marine & Aquatic Habitats -- Journey of a Drop of Water Through a Watershed
Learners discuss pollution and the steps in the hydrologic cycle. They follow a drop of water through a watershed simulation. They discover the components of a water cleaning system as well.
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Outdoor Survivors
Fifth graders complete a survey to decide what are most popular plants among the class. They test the water quality in a nearby pond. Studnts test the quality of soil samples taken from their homes. Different plants are moistened with...
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Acid Rain Research
Students collect samples of rainfall, cloud condensation, and water that trickles through the soil. These samples are tested for pH, conductivity, and the presence of sulfates, nitrates, calcium, and magnesium.
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Ranking Salinity
Students explain the uses of titration in chemistry and in industry. In this chemistry lesson plan, students determine the concentration of an unknown solution using titration. They calculate the percent of salt in saline solutions.
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It's not as pretty as it looks!
Tenth graders investigate that measurement is often an inact science. They explore ways utilize available information to form hypotheses. Students investigate how to test hypotheses using the HACH test kits.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating the Water Quality of the Root River in Lanesboro, Mn
This field investigation will be in collaboration with Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center in Lanesboro, MN link to Eagle Bluff. It will include chemical, biological, and physical tests. The chemical tests will include kits where...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Nitrate Levels in the Rock Creek Park Watershed: Variability
Learning module focuses on measures of variability such as range, variance, and standard deviation which are used to examine nitrate levels and water quality.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Nitrate Levels in the Rock Creek Park Watershed: Meas of Central Tendency
Activity uses water-quality data from Rock Creek Park to illustrate elementary statistical measures of exploratory data analysis. The focus of the lesson is the nutrient limitation in a stream and the three measures of central tendency.