Testing  Our  Water!    

Description:    This  activity  is  designed  to  accompany  the  Grade  8  GUSH  Workshop.  Students  will  test  water  obtained  from  different  sources  for  a  range  of  chemical  characteristics.    They  will  then  determine  the  quality  of  the  different  sources  of  water  and  present  their  results  in  the  format  of  a  lab  report.  

Grade  Level:    Grade  8  

Setting:    Classroom    

Learning  Objectives:  1.  Research  a  range  of  chemical  characteristics  that  affect  water  quality.  2.  Test  for  a  range  of  chemical  characteristics  on  water  obtained  from  different  sources.  3.  Determine  the  quality  of  the  different  sources  of  water  and  present  your  findings.  

Duration:    1  hour  

Key  Words:  -­‐pH  -­‐Alkalinity  -­‐Nitrate  -­‐Nitrite  -­‐Chlorine  -­‐Water  hardness  -­‐Water  quality        

Related  Curriculum  Links:    Science:  Understanding  Earth  and  Space  Systems:  Water  Systems  2.1  follow  established  safety  procedures  for  the  use  of  apparatus  and  chemicals  (e.g.,  when  using  water-­‐testing  equipment  and  water-­‐testing  chemicals)  2.3  test  water  samples  for  a  variety  of  chemical  characteristics  (e.g.,  pH,  salinity,  chlorine)  2.7  use  a  variety  of  forms  (e.g.,  oral,  written,  graphic,  multimedia)  to  communicate  with  different  audiences  and  for  a  variety  of  purposes    Writing  1.3  gather  information  to  support  ideas  for  writing,  using  a  variety  of  strategies  and  a  wide  range  of  print  and  electronic  sources  1.5  identify  and  order  main  ideas  and  supporting  details  and  group  them  into  units  that  could  be  used  to  develop  a  summary,  a  debate,  or  a  report  of  several  paragraphs,  using  a  variety  of  strategies    2.1  write  complex  texts  of  a  variety  of  lengths  using  a  wide  range  of  forms  Equipment:    -­‐  Padlet  Login  https://padlet.com/      -­‐  Laptops  -­‐  Pipettes  -­‐  Beakers    

Consumables:  -­‐  LaMotte  Teach  Water  Kit  (tests  for  6  different  characteristics,  can  be  organized  into  stations  around  the  classroom).  Order  from:  https://boreal.com/store/catalog/product.jsp?catalog_number=6834702  -­‐  Water  samples  from  different  sources  (ie:  tap,  flowing  stream,  stagnant  pond,  water  bottle  etc.)  -­‐  Copies  of  Tin  Roof  Global’s  Testing  Our  Water  worksheet  (attached)  

 Safety  Considerations:    Students  must  not  drink  any  of  the  water  samples.  Students  must  follow  safety  procedures  outlined  in  the  LaMotte  Teach  Water  Kit.  

Lesson:  Starter  (5  minutes):  Ask  students  to  think  back  to  the  Grade  8  GUSH  Workshop  and  list  ways  that  the  quality  of  water  can  be  tested.  Write  their  answers  on  the  board.  Students  should  remember  that  characteristics  such  as  levels  of  chlorine,  nitrite/nitrate,  phosphate,  bacteria  etc.  help  determine  the  quality  of  water.  Explain  that  today  they  will  be  researching  and  testing  for  some  of  these  characteristics  in  water  from  a  range  of  sources.    Activity  (45  minutes):  Split  students  into  6  groups  and  assign  each  group  a  chemical  characteristic  of  water  (pH,  alkalinity,  chlorine,  nitrate,  nitrite,  water  hardness).  Give  the  students  the  Padlet  login  information  and  allow  them  to  log  in  on  the  laptops.  Log  in  to  Padlet  yourself  and  display  the  screen  on  the  board.  Explain  to  students  that  they  will  research  their  given  characteristic  and  present  their  findings  on  Padlet  for  the  whole  class  to  see.  Things  they  must  research  about  their  characteristic  are:  what  it  is,  how  it  affects  water  quality,  how  its  levels  are  disrupted,  and  the  normal  level  present  in  good  quality  water.      Once  students  have  accumulated  enough  research  about  each  characteristic  of  water,  explain  to  them  that  they  will  be  testing  for  these  characteristics  on  water  obtained  from  a  variety  of  different  sources.  Split  the  class  into  groups  of  2-­‐3  students,  and  give  each  group  a  water  sample  and  a  Testing  Our  Water  worksheet.  Explain  to  the  students  that  the  tests  are  arranged  around  the  classroom  in  stations  and  that  they  will  be  rotating  around  each  station  to  test  for  each  characteristic  in  their  water  sample.  Go  through  the  safety  procedures  and  explain  that  they  must  read  and  follow  the  instructions  provided  at  each  station.  Before  they  start,  they  must  predict  whether  their  water  sample  will  be  of  good  or  poor  quality.  They  will  record  all  of  their  results  on  the  “Testing  Our  Water”  worksheet.      Conclusion  (10  minutes):    After  students  have  completed  each  station,  have  students  share  their  results  on  the  board.  Start  a  discussion  by  asking  the  following  questions:  Are  the  results  similar?  Which  water  source  was  of  the  best  quality?  Which  water  source  was  of  the  worst  quality?  Did  your  results  match  your  prediction?  Explain  that  they  will  now  present  their  findings  in  the  format  of  a  lab  report.  Their  report  must  include  their  prediction,  a  brief  introduction  on  the  six  factors  they  tested  for  (information  can  be  obtained  from  Padlet),  their  method,  their  results,  and  a  brief  discussion  

 analyzing  their  results.  This  report  can  be  worked  on  in  another  lesson  or  set  as  homework  (up  to  teacher’s  discretion).  Accommodations/Modifications  Students  can  be  given  a  report  writing  guideline  to  help  them  structure  their  report  and  have  it  broken  down  into  simpler  steps.    Students  can  present  their  findings  in  other  formats  (ie  poster  or  presentation).  Extensions  Students  can  research  other  factors  that  affect  water  quality  (ie:  phosphates,  dissolved  oxygen  etc.)  and  include  this  in  their  report.      

 

     

Testing  Our  Water      Group  Members:  ………………………………………………………………………………………………………    Water  Sample:  ……………………………………………………………………..    Prediction  –  will  your  sample  be  of  good  or  poor  quality?  

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Results  Table    Characteristic   Colour  of  Test  Strip   Amount  Present  in  Sample  pH    

   

 

Alkalinity        

 

Chlorine        

 

Nitrate        

 

Nitrite        

 

Water  Hardness        

 

   Conclusion  –  what  is  the  quality  of  your  water  sample?      …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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