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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