SEED Lesson Plan
Session # 13
Objective:
Students will be able to__Explain how pollutants get into water
Assessment
Ideal “What did you learn” Sentence
Pollutants get into water by runoff-chemicals we
put on lawns or leave on streets get washed into
lakes and rivers, and by leaching-chemicals in our
garbage get absorbed by water underground.
2-3 End of Semester Quiz Questions
1. Explain how our water gets polluted by runoff.
2. Explain how our water gets polluted by
leaching.
Lesson Cycle
As You Enter Question
(Include time to discuss responses if teachers should do that)
What happens to chemicals that we use? Pesticides on our lawns, plastic we
throw away, etc?
Introduction to Lesson
(Teacher presentation-limit to 5-10 min. Indicate what is large and smallgroup instruction)
Discuss with students that most things we throw away or leave around end up
in the water supply. Define the terms leaching (chemicals are absorbed by
water from solid waste, usually in landfills) and runoff (chemicals such as
pesticides get washed into water supply when it rains).
Student Practice/Engagement
(Activity, reading, small group discussion, etc. - probably bulk of lesson.
Include guiding ideas/questions for individual teachers to connect activity to
objective)
1. Students build a model of a neighborhood scale watershed. It should
include a landfill with garbage (cotton balls) soaked in 1 color of food
coloring (chemical A) splattered on it. Use Tupperware as a clear container
and fill it with dirt. There should be a lake/reservoir at one end. Hold its shape
by using metal mesh to constrain the dirt. “Rain” on the neighborhood until
the color reaches the reservoir. Have students recall definition of leaching and
explain how this model demonstrates leaching. Then, make pavement out of
aluminum foil and put a second color on it (Chemical B) “rain” again and
watch the color run off into the reservoir. Have students recall definition of
runoff and explain how this model demonstrates runoff.
Discussion questions as you are working:
-What kinds of chemicals get into our water by leaching (plastics, metals, old
medicines, Styrofoam, anything we throw away)?
Estimated Time at
End of Section
-What kinds of chemicals get into our water by runoff (pesticides, auto
fluids)?
-Why is it bad to have these chemicals in our drinking water?
-What can you do to prevent these chemicals from getting into drinking
water?
-students shoud fill out a worksheet defining runoff and leaching and
identifying materials that are sources of pollutants for both of these processes.
2. Show students a watershed map of the East Bay and talk about it. Find the
school, their homes, UC Berkeley, etc. Discuss how we know which areas
form a watershed and how there are small watersheds and larger ones that
contain the smaller ones. Any pollutants that we leave on the ground or in
landfills within a watershed end up in the water supply for that watershed.
3. (advanced) Give students a topographical map and have them determine
and color different watersheds.
Conclusion/Wrap Up
(Bring students back to lesson objective. Ask to write “what did you learn”
sentence. Could be done in small or large group.)
Write sentences.
(Final time should be
about 40-60 min)
Worksheets/Readings Teacher Needs to Print/Copy and Number Needed of Each
(1 per student for whole class, group of 3, group of 4, half of class, etc.)
o Leaching/Runoff worksheet
o Watershed map of East Bay
o Small scale topo map
Other Materials Teacher Needs to Bring to Lesson
(Lab or demo materials, presentation materials, etc)
o Dirt (enough to fill Tupperware)
o Tupperware-1 per group
o Aluminum foil
o Cotton balls
o Metal mesh
o Food coloring
o Scissors
Classroom Resources Needed
(Individual computers, overhead projector, television / DVD player, etc.)
o