Lesson Plan
Instructor:
Course:
Unit Topic:
Stormwater Detectives
Lesson Title: Follow that Stormwater!
Objectives
Grade Level(s):
# of Students:
3rd-5th
25
Learning Goals for the Unit (being met by this lesson):
Upon completion of this unit, students will demonstrate their understanding of science through
the application of engineering practices to stormwater management.
Specific/Enabling Objectives (to reach terminal objective):
Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Explain the movement of stormwater
2. Explain the difference between storm sewers and sanitary sewers
3. Understand the link between increased stormwater volumes and stream health
Assessment
Description of Assessment
Obj.
No.
Type
1
F
Classroom discussion as facilitated by instructor
2
F
Classroom discussion as facilitated by instructor
3
F
Classroom discussion as facilitated by instructor
(F/S)
(if test, give questions/items from test)
Connections to Standards
Objective 1
 3.MD.5, 3.MD.6, and 3.MD.7 - Understand concepts of area and relate area to
multiplication and to addition.
 4.MD.1, 4.MD.2, and 4.MD.3 - Solve problem involving measurement and conversion
of measurements from a larger unit to a smaller unit.
 5. MD.1Convert like measurement units within a given measurement system.
 5.MD.3,5.MD.4,and 5.MD.5 - Understand concepts of volume and relate volume to
multiplication and addition.
Objective 2
 3-5-ETS1-1 Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes
specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost
Objective 3
 3-5-ETS1-1 Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes
specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost
Resources and Materials
Handouts:
 Water maze worksheet
 Residential lot stormwater picture
 I Spy Storm Sewers picture packet
 Clues and decoder key
Materials:
 Empty milk jug (1 gallon preferred)
 Measuring tape (6 feet or more)
 Money (1 dollar bill, 4 quarters, 10 dimes, 20 nickels, and 100 pennies)
 Crayons/markers for each student in the class
 11 toy cars (Hot Wheels)
 Timer (seconds)
 Spray bottle filled with water
 Small pieces of Styrofoam peanuts
 Model
Resources/References
 Agouridis, C.T., S.J. Wightman, J.A. Villines, and J.D. Luck. 2011. AEN-106 Reducing
Stormwater Pollution (http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/aen/aen106/aen106.pdf)
 Osborne, A., S. Jenkins, and C. Agouridis. 2013. HEV-203 Stormwater
(http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/HENV/HENV203/HENV203.pdf)
INTRODUCTION (Preparation/Interest Approach/Learning Context)
In this lesson, Follow that Stormwater!, students will learn what happens to stormwater once it
becomes runoff.
Teacher will read the following to the students at the beginning of the lesson.
Brook and Rio found it helpful that some surfaces allowed water to infiltrate while others did
not. They now knew that more impervious surfaces like roofs, parking lots, and roads meant
more stormwater. But where did the stormwater go if it could not infiltrate into the ground?
The clouds in the sky were growing dark and the wind was picking up. Brook and Rio started to
walk faster. They didn’t want to get catch in the rain … or did they? As the rain began to fall,
Brook and Rio watch the stormwater as it flowed on the road. The stormwater ran into a curb
alongside the road, flowed along the curb, and then it disappeared into an opening in the curb.
Brook and Rio realized they had never really seen this opening before although they had walked
along this road for years. In fact, looking down the road, Brook and Rio saw many of the same
openings. What were these openings and where was the stormwater going?
Teacher will ask students the following questions to recall information from previous lessons:
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is a watershed?
What is stormwater?
What is an example of a pervious surface? An impervious surface?
How are impervious surfaces and stormwater volumes related?
Watershed: Area of land that drains into a lake, river, stream or wetland.
Remember, everyone lives in a watershed!
Stormwater: Excess water from rainfall and snowmelts that flows over the ground and does
not infiltrate into the soil
Pervious: Allowing something, especially liquids like water, to pass through. This means that
water can infiltrate a pervious surface. Soils are examples of impervious surfaces (strainer was
used as an example in the previous lesson).
Impervious: Not allowing anything, such as liquids, to pass through. This means that water
cannot infiltrate an impervious surface. Roads, sidewalks and roofs are examples of impervious
surfaces (balloon was used as an example in the previous lesson).
The more impervious areas we have in a watershed, the more stormwater. By increasing
impervious areas, we have increased the amount of stormwater.
LESSON (Presentation, Methods & Application)
Objective 1: Explain the movement of stormwater
Teacher will ask the students the following questions:
1. How much rain do you think Lexington gets in a normal year?
2. For the residential lot we looked at in the previous lesson, how much stormwater is
produced in a normal year?
3. How many years of baths is this?
4. Have you ever heard of a conversion factor?
Normal year: A typical year. With rainfall, normal value is computed by averaging
precipitation over a 30-year period.
Conversion factor: Factor by which a quantity that is expressed in one set of units must be
multiplied to convert it to another set of units.
When we go to the store, we use conversion factors though we may not realize it. Money is
something that we convert all of the time.
Teacher will ask the students to convert money by asking the following questions:
 How many quarters are in one dollar?
 How many dimes are in one dollar?
 How many nickels are in one dollar?
 How many pennies are in one dollar?
Four quarters equal one dollar; ten dimes equal one dollar; 20 nickels equal one dollar; and 100
pennies equal one dollar.
Lexington, KY normally receives about 45 inches of rainfall in a year.
Teacher will compare 45 inches of rainfall (3 feet 9 inches) to the height of a student.
Teacher will write the conversion steps on the board.
From the previous lesson, our residential lot produced 197 cubic feet of stormwater from a1
inch rain. To find out how much stormwater is produced in a year, multiply 197 cubic feet of
stormwater by 45 inches of rain per year.
197 𝑓𝑡 3 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 45 𝑖𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 8,865 𝑓𝑡 3 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟
𝑥
=
1 𝑖𝑛𝑐ℎ 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛
𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟
𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟
To convert cubic feet of stormwater to number of years of baths, use the following conversion
factors.
1 cubic foot= 7.481 gallons
1 bath=40 gallons
365 days=1 year
Teacher will show students an empty milk jug to demonstrate the quantity of a gallon.
Recall that we used a conversion factor in the previous lesson, 12 inches=1 foot. It was on your
ruler.
8,865 𝑓𝑡 3 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑥
7.481 𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠
1 𝑏𝑎𝑡ℎ
1 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟
𝑑𝑎𝑦
𝑥
𝑥
𝑥
= 4.54 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠
3
1 𝑓𝑡
40 𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠 365 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 1 𝑏𝑎𝑡ℎ
So, if you collected all of the stormwater from the residential lot for a 1 year time period, you
would have enough water to take one bath a day for 4.5 years.
Teacher will compare the number of years of baths to the age of the students.
Teacher will ask the students the following questions:
 Do you see all of this stormwater outside right now?
 Detectives, where did all of the stormwater go?
From previous lessons, students should say infiltration, evapotranspiration and stormwater or
runoff. In the next section, we will learn the destination of the runoff.
Infiltration: Process whereby water soaks into the ground
Evaporation: Process whereby water changes from a liquid to a gas
Stormwater: Excess water from rainfall and snowmelts that flows over the ground and does
not infiltrate into the soil
Runoff: Overflow of water from land into a body of water such as a stream (same as
stormwater)
Water Maze Activity
Teacher will hand out a copy of the water maze worksheet and crayons/markers to each student.
In this water maze activity, students will be given the chance to choose the destiny of a drop of
rain. The maze contains multiple paths with each encountering different objects such as trees,
houses, pets, etc. before continuing to flow onward. Each path ultimately ends by either
infiltrating into the ground, and thus becoming groundwater, or flowing into a storm sewer
before continuing onto a stream.
Teacher will ask students the following question:
 What was the final location of your water drop?
Objective 2: Explain the difference between storm sewers and sanitary sewers.
Teacher will ask students the following questions:
 Have you ever heard of a storm sewer (before the water maze activity)?
 Have you ever heard of a sanitary sewer?
Storm sewer: Series of pipes used to transport stormwater from roads and parking lots directly
to streams
Teacher will give each student a copy of the residential lot stormwater picture. Teacher will
trace the path of a rain drop from the roof of the home to a stream.
Teacher will emphasize that stormwater is not cleaned before it reaches streams. Thus, anything
that flows into a storm sewer, such as trash, will reach a stream.
Sanitary sewer: Series of pipes used to transport used water (toilets, washing machines,
showers, etc.) from homes and buildings to water treatment plants where the water is cleaned
before it continues to flow to streams.
Sewer: An underground conduit or series of pipes.
Flows in storm and sanitary sewers are gravity fed. Engineers design the system so that gravity
does the work.
Gravity: Force that tries to pull two objects toward each other.
Think about what happens when you jump. You are pulled back to the Earth.
I Spy Storm Sewers
Each of the pictures provided contains a storm sewer somewhere in the picture. Ask the
students to identify the storm sewers from the pictures. Some storm sewers will contain a
considerable amount of trash. Compare a picture of a storm sewer to one of a sanitary sewer.
Storm Sewer Tour
Teacher will take the students on a tour of the parking lot (weather permitting). Look at the
gutters on the building. Where do they go? How does the stormwater in the parking lot get into
the storm sewer system? Look for curb inlets and grates.
Teacher will ask students the following question:
 From what we just learned, what are the main differences between a storm sewer and
sanitary sewer?
Curb inlet: A chamber or opening in the side of the road (curb) that allows stormwater to enter
the storm sewer system.
Stormwater grate: A flat, slotted surface designed to allow stormwater to enter the storm
sewer system.
Storm sewers carry stormwater from roads, parking lots, and buildings to streams. Stormwater
is not treated. So anything collected in stormwater is also transported to streams.
Sanitary sewers takes water from our homes and buildings (toilets, washing machines, showers,
etc.) to sewage treatment plants where the water is cleaned before it is transported to streams.
Model Activity: Storm Sewers
Set up model using original setup- non water-friendly.
This activity will demonstrate how storm sewers are directly connected to streams and any trash
on the ground will be carried to the water.
Place small pieces of Styrofoam peanuts on the model to signify trash. Paper can be placed
anywhere, but primarily around the road and driveway. Point out the storm sewers to the
students.
Teacher will ask the following question:
 What do you think will happen to this trash when it rains?
“Rain” on the model using spray bottles making sure there is enough water to move the trash.
The trash will be carried to the storm drains. A clear tube connects the storm drain to the river.
Students will be able to watch the paper go through the tube and surface in the stream through
the Plexiglas.
Teacher will ask the following question:
 Think back to the I Spy game where some storm sewer pictures showed a lot of trash.
Where might all this trash be going?
The stream Brook and Rio are investigating contains a lot of trash.
 Where might some of the trash in this picture come from?
Most of the trash in streams comes from parking lots and roads. In these places, stormwater
carries the trash to storm sewers where it is then directly transported to streams. Stormwater is
not treated before it reaches streams, unlike water carried through sanitary sewers. Because of
this, any trash that is not a in garbage can will eventually make its way into our streams and
rivers.
Objective 3: Understand the link between increased stormwater volumes and stream
health
Teacher will show students a picture of a healthy, stable stream and an unhealthy, unstable one
(urban stream preferred).
Teacher will ask the following questions:
 What are the differences between the two pictures?
 Why do you think the unhealthy, unstable stream looks the way it does? Could it be
connected to stormwater?
 How are stormwater volumes and impervious area related?
Students should note things like eroding banks (may phrase as more soil/sediment/dirt) and lack
of trees.
The more impervious areas we have in a watershed, the more stormwater. By increasing
impervious areas, we have increased the amount of stormwater.
Before land was developed, the nearby streams could carry all of the stormwater from the
watershed. But as the area was developed with roads, homes and businesses, the amount of
impervious areas increased. Now, streams received a lot more runoff after each rain whereas
before, they received much smaller amounts of runoff because most of the rain infiltrated. This
infiltrated stormwater slowly made its way to the stream as baseflow. To carry all of the runoff,
streams had to change by getting bigger. Because much less rain infiltrated in developed areas,
the amount of baseflow is much less meaning there is much less water between storms for the
fish and bugs that live in streams.
Baseflow: Flow entering streams from groundwater sources
How Many Cars Can You Carry
Teacher will ask a student to carry cars from one location to another using just one hand. The
teacher will give the student 2 cars to carry to demonstrate the amount of stormwater generated
from an undeveloped area. Next, the teacher will give the student 5 cars to carry to symbolize
the amount of stormwater from a residential lot. Note that depending on the size of the student,
this may be difficult to do. Finally, the teacher will give the student 10 cars to carry to
symbolize the amount of stormwater generated from a highly developed urban area, such as the
downtown of a city. It is likely that the student will not be able to carry all 10 cars in one hand
at a single time.
Teacher will ask the following question:
 What could the student do to carry more cars at one time?
 How does this relate to streams?
The student could use both hands to carry the cars. This doubles the size. Streams must also
increase in size to carry more flow.
Use only 11 cars for this exercise. Each cycle should last no more than 1 minute.
Teacher will ask a student to carry 2 cars followed by 1 car at a time from one location to
another. The 2 cars represent a storm event from an undeveloped area while the 1 car represents
baseflow. Each 20 seconds, have another storm whereby the student must carry 2 cars.
Teacher will ask a student to carry 5 cars followed by 1 car at a time from one location to
another. The 5 cars represent a storm event from a residential lot while 1 car represents
baseflow. Each 20 seconds, have another storm whereby the student must carry 5 cars.
Teacher will ask a student to carry 10 cars followed by 1 car at a time from one location to
another. The 10 cars represent a storm event from a residential lot while 1 car represents
baseflow. Each 20 seconds, have another storm whereby the student must carry 10 cars.
Teacher will ask the following questions:
 How did stormwater volume differ between the sites?
 How did baseflow differ between the sites?
 How did the size of the stream differ?
Stormwater volume increased with impervious area. Baseflow decreased with impervious area
because less water could infiltrate. The size of the stream increased with stormwater volume.
Wrap Up: Closure, Review for the Days Lesson
Teacher will re-emphasize the main points of the day by asking the following questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
When it rains, where does the water go?
What is a storm sewer? What is a sanitary sewer? How are they different?
Is stormwater cleaned before it enters a stream?
How do increased amounts of impervious area affect stormwater volumes and streams?
Teacher will give students a sheet of paper with the following clues to decode along with the
decoder key:
1. Storm sewer
2. Baseflow
3. Streambank erosion