Yakima WATERS Mini Lesson
Modeling Watershed Pollution
Targets and Assessment
WA Science Standards Addressed:
 6-8 SYSC
 6-8 SYSF
Assessments:
 Students will turn in letter written to the
polluting company – letters should contain two
pieces of information; see Procedure #7
Lesson Parameters
Content Area: Geography: physical and human
Overview: Visualize the flow of pollution within a watershed
Grade Level: 6-8
Suggested Time: 45 minutes
Special Materials:
 Colored markers (water soluble)
Learning Outcomes:
Knowledge: Students will describe how pollution moves through a watershed and discuss its impacts on the
main body of water
Skill: Students will be able to create a simple watershed model and will experience professional letter writing
Science Concept Background: This lesson will display the system of inputs and outputs that is a watershed.
The assessment of this lesson will demonstrate the importance of public participation in scientific
management decisions
Materials:
White piece of paper with “pollution squares”
Colored markers
Spray bottle with water
Procedure:
1. Hand out white sheets of paper with “pollution squares” on them
**Before the lesson, print out paper with 1x1” squares randomly placed over the paper, with different
pollution sources (dairy farm, paper mill, gas station, etc.) written inside the boxes; 1 per student
2. Have the students use an appropriate color to color in their pollution square (ex: farm would be brown)
3. Students then crumple up the paper and then un-crumple it, to make a watershed model
4. Using blue marker, students should go over the ridge lines of their watershed
5. Walk around to each student, and spray their watershed so that they can see how the water and pollution
all end up mixing together
6. As a group, discuss the movement of pollution within a watershed. Why does it move that way? What
physical features in the watershed guide the movement of water? Where did the water and the pollution
end up? What does that mean for the local environment?
7. Have the students write a letter to the polluting company. The letter’s content should include the process of
pollution movement in the watershed and what the impacts on the environment are
Key questions: How does pollution move in this watershed?
What might be the impacts of this pollution’s movement?
Extension(s): Could lead to a discussion of what pollutants are being transported from each student’s house
i.e. motor oil, laundry detergent, anti-freeze, etc.
Teaching Tips: This should be an extension of the students’ understanding of how water moves in a watershed
Author: Erin Dilworth, Yakima WATERS Project, CWU, Fall 2009