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
Estimated Time at
End of Section
As You Enter Question
(Include time to discuss responses if teachers should do that)
What is pollution and what is a pollutant?
What happens to chemicals that we use? Pesticides on our lawns, plastic we
throw away, etc?
5 min
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 using
Tupperware as a clear container and filling it with dirt. It should include a
landfill with garbage (cotton balls) soaked in 1 color of food coloring
(pollutant A) splattered on it. *Make sure students know what landfill is!
There should be a lake/reservoir at one end. Hold its shape by using metal
mesh to constrain the dirt, and pennies to hold the mesh down. Have students
recall definition of leaching and make a prediction about where the “pollutant
A” will end up when the neighborhood is rained on. Discuss how it gets from
the landfill to its final destination and the consequences of this. Then, make
pavement out of aluminum foil and put a second color on it (Chemical B)
Have students recall definition of runoff and explain how this model
13 min
demonstrates runoff. Make a prediction about where the pollutant will go
when it rains, how it happens, and what the consequences are.
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)?
-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?
-Will chemicals spilled on pavement, or on grass, reach the lake faster? Why?
How does that apply in our neighborhoods?
45 min
2. “Rain” on the model by pouring/spraying water on it. You will only get
ONE CHANCE to rain, so make sure every student understands the
vocabulary and the predictions about what will happen before you do it.
52 min
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
Write sentences.
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 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.)
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