Who+Dirtied+the+Water?

 **  Goal:  ** 1.) For students to understand how water quality has changed over time with humans settling and population growth over time.  2.) For students to recognize how easy it is for water to become polluted and how hard it is to clean (prevention is key) 3.) For students to brainstorm moral ethics of whose job it is to clean the water and who dirtied it. 
 * WHO DIRTIED THE WATER? **

 **Background ** Background: by Carmen Hood During a unit studying water, my biology students participate in an activity called "Who Dirtied The water?" / "Clean Water: Is It Drinkable?". These activities can be used independently of one another or in sequence. The activities are interdisciplinary in nature and involve the use of critical thinking and analysis to solve a problem. As students enter the classroom they are handed a labeled plastic film canister. Each container holds a material that will be representative of a pollutant (ie. pencil shavings = a beaver's wood chips; plastic string = fisherman's line, etc. ).

The teacher (or a student) stands at the front of the classroom next to a large beaker of clear water and begins to read a story about the history of an imaginary site. As the story comes to the name indicated on a canister, the appropriate student comes forward, opens the canister, and tells the "audience" what is inside. The contents are then dumped into the beaker of water and the water is stirred. As more and more materials are added, the story periodically asks whether the audience would boat in, swim in, or drink the water.    **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Procedure **<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> As students enter the room, hand them a film canister that contains materials that will be added to the dirty water bell jar. The canisters will be labeled with only contents of the canister. ** __ROLE Material__ ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> As the teacher or another student reads the story, each student assigned a role with a canister will come forward, tell the class who or what they represent, describe what they think is in the canister, and add it to the water in the bell jar. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Students are to record on their data table the role in the story and the actual substance that has been added to the bell jar/beaker. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Beaver: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> wood chips <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** River: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> sand <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Runoff: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> charcoal <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Wetlands: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> dry grass <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Shellfish: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> crushed shells <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Hoodites: ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> shells <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Settlers: ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> organic garbage <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Carpenters: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> nails <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Farmers: ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> potting soil <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Fisherman: ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> nylon line <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Houses: ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> toilet paper <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Sunbathers 1: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> colored paper <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Sunbathers 2: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> newspaper <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Sunbathers 3: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> plastic pieces <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Boaters: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> Styrofoam <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Laundromats: ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> dish detergent <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Merry Maids: ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> baking soda <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Ships: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> oil <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Factories 1: ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> molasses <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** Factories 2: ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"> vinegar <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  ||

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> ** The Story: ** Once upon a time there was a beautiful piece of land. It was almost an island, connected to the mainland by a narrow land bridge, and surrounded on three sides by a lake. The lake was filled with clear water and was dotted with a few small green islands. (Point to the jar). Fish and other aquatic life thrived in the water. The land was covered with trees and the land and the lake teemed with wildlife. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">

** Chorus: ** Would you want to swim in this lake? Would you eat fish caught in this water? Would you like to go boating in this lake? <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">

Animal life flourished along a nearby river and the BEAVER were plentiful. A RIVER ran along one side of the land, carrying sediment with it as it flowed into the lake. WETLANDS grew along the edges of the lake. Grasses from the wetlands sometimes washed into the lake and became food for the fish. In the shallow water, clams and other SHELLFISH thrived. A small group of people lived on this land, which they called Hoodland. The people were called the HOODITES. The Hoodite people fished for food and shellfish in the lake. They dumped some of their garbage near the lake. We still find the piles of the shells they left. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">

** Chorus: ** Would you want to swim in this lake? Would you eat fish caught in this water? Would you like to go boating in this lake? <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">

After many years SETTLERS from Europe came to live in the area. The settlers built a town much larger than the Hoodite villages. Some of the townÍs garbage was dumped into the lake. CARPENTERS built houses, farms, and stores that filled the Hoodland valley. As the town grew, the settlers filled the wetlands to provide more land on which to build. FARMERS cut down trees to clear their fields. Without trees and wetlands to hold the soil, rain carried soil into the lake. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">

** Chorus: ** Would you want to swim in this lake? Would you eat fish caught in this water? Would you like to go boating in this lake? <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">

More and more HOUSES and shops were built, and the town of Hoodville grew into a city. Sewer pipes were constructed to remove the waste from houses and bathrooms. The sewage flowed through the pipes into the bay. Since the wetlands had been filled in, RUNOFF water washed pollution from the streets directly into the lake. FISHERMAN found that nets made of plastic were stronger than those made of rope. Sometimes these nets got lost in the water. Fisherman and other BOATERS sometimes threw their rubbish overboard. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">

** Chorus: ** Would you want to swim in this lake? Would you eat fish caught in this water? Would you like to go boating in this lake? <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">

The city built LAUNDROMATS where people could wash their clothes. The detergents went down the pipes with the sewage into the lake. People hired MERRY MAIDS to clean their houses. They used poisonous tile and drain cleaners, which flowed into the sewage system. Even swimmers and SUN BATHERS going to enjoy the lake sometimes left garbage on its beaches. As the city grew, SHIPS came to unload their supplies. Sometimes these ships spilled oil into the lake. FACTORIES built along the water’s edge often dumped their toxic wastes and chemicals into the water. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">

** Chorus: ** Would you want to swim in his lake? Would you eat fish caught in this water? Would you like to go boating in this lake? <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> ** Discussion/extension ** 1.) Who dirtied the water?    2.) Who is responsible for cleaning it up? After all materials are added, observations of the water changes should be addressed. Then discuss who is responsible for dirtying the water and who is responsible for cleaning it up. To continue the activity, each group of students is asked to design a water filtration system given only a limited number of materials (beakers, funnel, cheesecloth, charcoal, sand, ring stand, etc.). They are asked to both sketch and write down step by step procedures.

After teacher approval of their plans, they begin to filter a sample of the dirty water that had been "made" during the story. Modifications to the original design are allowed but must be indicated in their procedures and sketches. Each group's filtered water can be compared at the end of the period to serve as a spring board to a discussion of what worked and what didn't work. Also, ask for discussion if prevention or cleaning up the water is more effective = =
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;">**__ WHO DIRTIED THE WATER DATA TABLE __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;"> ||
 * <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** WHO IS ADDING? (Role) **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">  || <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt; text-align: center;"> ** WHAT IS ADDED? **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt;">   ||