Activity I – Lesson plan using primary resources
Lesson plan using primary resources for 5th grade students (Social studies)
Topic: Water
Content: Social studies
Objectives:
Students discover and reflect on the provided content and through investigation and analysis create a report on the reasons for the oil spills, effects on marine life and consequent effects on Humans (ecological imbalance).
Primary resource links
10 famous Spills (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Oil spills throughout history (The Washington Post)
The Gulf Oil Spill (The Washington Post)
Gulf Oil Spill’s Animal Victims (The Washington Post)
Oil spill from year 1910 still visible (CNN)
Water Pollution image 06/1974 – Image of untreated sewage in Manhattan flowing into the Hudson river
City life in early 1900s- Provides a brief insight into how initially homes didn’t have proper sewage systems or indoor plumbing and how later scientist brought in sanitation laws to improve the situation
Recommended Procedure
Step 1: What is pollution?
Share ideas about examples of pollution. Then try to come up with a definition. Help them see that pollution is making something dirty or unsafe for life. Lead into thinking about water pollution. Talk about our oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams. What have they heard or read about pollution in these water bodies? Do they ever think about whether or not the water they swim in is safe? Have they ever been concerned about the fish we eat being poisoned and harmed from living in polluted water?
Suggested resources for understanding: Pollution- Wikipedia, Water Pollution,
Students could then be shown the following image and document from the past to determine whether water pollution and sanitation laws have improved from then to now.
Water Pollution image 06/1974 – Image of untreated sewage in Manhattan flowing into the Hudson river
City life in early 1900s- Provides a brief insight into how initially homes didn’t have proper sewage systems or indoor plumbing and how later scientist brought in sanitation laws to improve the situation
Step 2: What are oil spills?
Provide the given resource Oil Spills- Wikipedia, Effects of oil spills (ITOPF) and NOAA Ocean Service Education for students to read and analyze. This could be followed by a discussion where students are divided into groups and each group chooses one of the following topics under oil spills such as
Step 3: Experiment to clean up an oil spill (Optional)
The following experiment could be conducted to help students get a real time experience on how difficult cleaning up oil spills can be.
Experiment to clean up an oil spill (Optional)
Step 4: A closer look at the History of oil spills.
Students are asked to review and analyze the given primary resources and choose three specific historical spills. They need to create individual reports on
Primary resource links
10 famous Spills (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Oil spills throughout history (The Washington Post)
The Gulf Oil Spill (The Washington Post)
Gulf Oil Spill’s Animal Victims (The Washington Post)
Oil spill from year 1910 still visible (CNN)
Activity II – Lesson plan using Google Earth
Objective:
Suggested procedure:
http://earth.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=176576 – Please view the following tutorial links for using Google Earth
Step 1: Teachers are required to open Google earth and download the latest version onto their computers. Once this is achieved students can be shown or use the following links to understand the various topics on Water
Human Impacts
Water Aid
All the Water
These links could be used to provide students a more dynamic and visual understanding of issues and facts related to water. In addition students can also view the change in the quality of our water bodies using the time option which enables us to go back in time and view images of Earth during that period.
Step 2: Teachers could help students locate their ePals through Google earth. This is achieved by entering the desired address in Google earth (After downloading). It would be exciting for students to know where exactly their friends stay and also help them learn the various geographical locations of places on our planet.
Step 3: Using the above tutorials teachers can assist students in creating a visual map tour of the current water resources, water storage and water purification plants in their city. For this activity teachers would need to provide students with required information such addresses by contacting the local water or health department or looking it up on the net. With this information and guidance on the usage of various options in Google Earth students can create their own maps or visual tours.
Standards
Idaho State Standards for 5th grade
Geography
Goal 2.2: Explain how human actions modify the physical environment and how physical systems affect human activity and living conditions
NETS standards for students
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:
a.Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
b.Create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
c.Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
d.Identify trends and forecast possibilities.
Lesson plan using primary resources for 5th grade students (Social studies)
Topic: Water
Content: Social studies
Objectives:
Students discover and reflect on the provided content and through investigation and analysis create a report on the reasons for the oil spills, effects on marine life and consequent effects on Humans (ecological imbalance).
Primary resource links
10 famous Spills (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Oil spills throughout history (The Washington Post)
The Gulf Oil Spill (The Washington Post)
Gulf Oil Spill’s Animal Victims (The Washington Post)
Oil spill from year 1910 still visible (CNN)
Water Pollution image 06/1974 – Image of untreated sewage in Manhattan flowing into the Hudson river
City life in early 1900s- Provides a brief insight into how initially homes didn’t have proper sewage systems or indoor plumbing and how later scientist brought in sanitation laws to improve the situation
Recommended Procedure
Step 1: What is pollution?
Share ideas about examples of pollution. Then try to come up with a definition. Help them see that pollution is making something dirty or unsafe for life. Lead into thinking about water pollution. Talk about our oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams. What have they heard or read about pollution in these water bodies? Do they ever think about whether or not the water they swim in is safe? Have they ever been concerned about the fish we eat being poisoned and harmed from living in polluted water?
Suggested resources for understanding: Pollution- Wikipedia, Water Pollution,
Students could then be shown the following image and document from the past to determine whether water pollution and sanitation laws have improved from then to now.
Water Pollution image 06/1974 – Image of untreated sewage in Manhattan flowing into the Hudson river
City life in early 1900s- Provides a brief insight into how initially homes didn’t have proper sewage systems or indoor plumbing and how later scientist brought in sanitation laws to improve the situation
Step 2: What are oil spills?
Provide the given resource Oil Spills- Wikipedia, Effects of oil spills (ITOPF) and NOAA Ocean Service Education for students to read and analyze. This could be followed by a discussion where students are divided into groups and each group chooses one of the following topics under oil spills such as
- What is an Oil spill?
- What are the causes?
- What are the environmental effects?
- Clean up and recovery
- Prevention
- Largest oil spills
Step 3: Experiment to clean up an oil spill (Optional)
The following experiment could be conducted to help students get a real time experience on how difficult cleaning up oil spills can be.
Experiment to clean up an oil spill (Optional)
Step 4: A closer look at the History of oil spills.
Students are asked to review and analyze the given primary resources and choose three specific historical spills. They need to create individual reports on
- Comparing the similarities and differences in cause and effect
- How some of these Oil spills are directly linked to World history
- Personal views on how these events could have been prevented
- Ecological imbalance caused by these Oil spills.
Primary resource links
10 famous Spills (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Oil spills throughout history (The Washington Post)
The Gulf Oil Spill (The Washington Post)
Gulf Oil Spill’s Animal Victims (The Washington Post)
Oil spill from year 1910 still visible (CNN)
Activity II – Lesson plan using Google Earth
Objective:
- Students are able to understand visually the geographical location of countries facing water shortage, the devastating impact of Humans on our planets water bodies and the amount of water available for human consumption
- Students create a visual tour of water resources, water storage and water purification plants in their city assisted by teachers. This would help to improve map and technical skills and increase understanding of water resources in their own city
Suggested procedure:
http://earth.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=176576 – Please view the following tutorial links for using Google Earth
Step 1: Teachers are required to open Google earth and download the latest version onto their computers. Once this is achieved students can be shown or use the following links to understand the various topics on Water
Human Impacts
Water Aid
All the Water
These links could be used to provide students a more dynamic and visual understanding of issues and facts related to water. In addition students can also view the change in the quality of our water bodies using the time option which enables us to go back in time and view images of Earth during that period.
Step 2: Teachers could help students locate their ePals through Google earth. This is achieved by entering the desired address in Google earth (After downloading). It would be exciting for students to know where exactly their friends stay and also help them learn the various geographical locations of places on our planet.
Step 3: Using the above tutorials teachers can assist students in creating a visual map tour of the current water resources, water storage and water purification plants in their city. For this activity teachers would need to provide students with required information such addresses by contacting the local water or health department or looking it up on the net. With this information and guidance on the usage of various options in Google Earth students can create their own maps or visual tours.
Standards
Idaho State Standards for 5th grade
Geography
Goal 2.2: Explain how human actions modify the physical environment and how physical systems affect human activity and living conditions
NETS standards for students
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:
a.Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
b.Create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
c.Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
d.Identify trends and forecast possibilities.