Brief Description

This introductory lesson is an Internet-based collaborative project that will allow students to share information about water usage with other students from around the country and the world. Based on data collected by themselves and their classmates, students will determine the average amount of water used by one person in a day. They will compare this to the average amount of water used per person per day in other parts of the world.

This lesson will take approximately 2-3 weeks based on availability of the computer lab or classroom computer time. (One week to share lesson and gather data on the spreadsheet, one-two weeks to record data on the website and write up conclusions in a Word document)

Standards and Frameworks

Technology Standards

• 3T-E3. Publish and present information using technology tools
• 4T-E3. Collaboratively use telecommunications and online resources
• 4T-E2. Use technology tools for individual and collaborative writing, communication and publishing activities to create curricular related products for audiences inside and outside the classroom

• 1SC-E1. Identify a question, formulate a hypothesis, control and manipulate variables, devise experiments, predict outcomes, compare and analyze results, and defend conclusions
• 1SC-E3. Organize and present data gathered from their own experiences, using appropriate mathematical analyses and graphical representations

Academic

• Using the Down the Drain excel spreadsheet from the website http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/drainproj/personalwateruse.html, students will keep track of individual water usage noted on the spreadsheet for one week with 100 percent accuracy.
• Using the scientific process and Word document, students will write a hypothesis, make a prediction, gather data for one week, compare and analyze their data with other website data, and draw conclusions receiving a score of 3 or better on the rubric. http://rubistar.4teachers.org/view_rubric.php3?id=730181

• Using the Internet, students will access the Down the Drain website

http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/drainproj/personalwateruse.html, and record information gathered from their personal water usage excel spreadsheet with 100% accuracy.
• Using a word document, students will write a hypothesis, prediction, and concluding 3 paragraph report about their personal water usage compared to one other source on the Down the Drain website.

• Students must be able to access the Internet and move from page to page by clicking the back button.
• Students must be able to access, use, and save information on a Word document.
• Students must be able to enter data into a spreadsheet.

• Internet access to Down the Drain collaborative project. http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/drainproj/personalwateruse.html
• Word document for student write up.
• Paper copy of Excel spreadsheet per student.
• Teacher created rubric for grading http://rubistar.4teachers.org/view_rubric.php3?id=730181
• Overhead copy of excel spreadsheet to use for class predictions.
• calculators

Gifted students – This lesson encourages critical thinking and analysis.  It allows students to explore and analyze a variety data from the website.  They may elect to go to the resource page and analyze various results from other states.  If they finish early, students also have the option of helping another student with answering questions, analyzing information, or the technology process.

SEI (Sheltered English Immersion) students – Since the first part of this lesson is to gather data from home, students will be able to get parent help as they gather and record their own data. Students may be paired up with another student, or the student techno-teachers, to help them record their data. Student analysis could be modified based on their English abilities. For example, the teacher may only expect that the student will gather data and fill out the spreadsheet on the website.  The report may be only one or two sentences in length.

ADD/ADHD students – Break down the task. Since the first part of this lesson is to gather data from home, students will be able to get parent help as they gather and record their own data. Because these students are typically disorganized, have them staple their spreadsheet to their agenda book, or keep it in a folder, and bring it to back and forth to school so the teacher can check daily progress rather than at the end of the week.

Special Education students – Break down the task.  Since the first part of this lesson is to gather data from home, students will be able to get parent help as they gather and record their own data. Because these students are typically disorganized, have them staple their spreadsheet to their agenda book, or keep it in a folder, and bring it to back and forth to school so the teacher can check daily progress rather than at the end of the week. Student analysis could be modified based on IEP. For example, the teacher may only expect that the student will gather data and fill out the spreadsheet on the website.  A report may be only a few sentences in length.

Procedures

Week One:

1.  Introduce the lesson by sharing with students a gallon of water. In a class discussion, have students predict/comment/think about how many gallons water it would take to:
 
• Wash your hands? Brush your teeth? Take a shower? Take a bath? Flush the toilet? Get a drink? Wash the dishes? Water the lawn? Wash the car?


2.  Record some of the predictions on an overhead spreadsheet. (see attached spreadsheet)

3.  Using a projection screen or TV monitor to computer, show students the Down the Drain website. http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/drainproj/index.html

4.   Explain to students that this is a collaborative project and that they will be using the scientific process to formulate a question, create a hypothesis, gather and analyze data, and write up a comparison paragraph of their data results with that of another source from the website.

5.  Hand out a copy of the spreadsheet (from the website) to each student and explain that they will be keeping track of their personal water usage for one week.  Remind them that it is very important to not lose their data sheet.  Explain that they will be entering their data the next week into the Down the Drain Website.

6.  Have students bring their data sheet to the computer lab.  In the lab the teacher will go to the website and demonstrate how to record personal student data on the spreadsheet.
 
7.  Students will then enter their data and print the information.

8.  Through a discussion encourage students compare their data with their predicted data from the week before.

9.  After students have gathered their personal water usage data, together they will find the class average and submit this information on the website.

10.  Next, in a whole class discussion brainstorm a few questions and hypotheses for students to investigate. Remind them that this is a brainstormed list and they only need to select one question and hypothesis.

 Ideas of  possible questions:

*How do you think the average amount of water you use in one day compares to what other Americans use?
          *Do you think people in other parts of the world use more or less water than Americans? Why?
          *What factors contribute to water usage?
Ideas of possible hypotheses:
          *People in drier climates use more water than people in rainier climates.
          *Americans use more water than people in Europe.
          *Water usage depends on geographical location.
          *People who live near oceans use less water than people who do not.

11. Once students have formulated a question and hypothesis they need to make a
 prediction. Share some of the examples from the website.

*Hypothesis: People in drier climates use more water than people in rainier climates.
*Prediction: People in Phoenix, Arizona will use more water than people in Seattle, Washington.
*Hypothesis: Americans use more water than Europeans.
*Prediction: The average amount of water used by all American classes will be greater than the average amount of water used by all European classes. 


12.  After students have gathered their personal water usage data, they will find the class average and submit this information on the website.

13. Students are now ready to analyze and compare their data.  Click on the Project Data link on the left menu bar to view the results submitted by other classes. Analyze the results. Look closely at all the data. Depending on what your
prediction was, you may need to look at data from specific locations.  After nalyzing the data, determine if your hypothesis was correct.

14.  Open a word document and follow the computer agenda to complete your Analysis report.  Make sure you save and print your document. Turn it into the science basket when completed.(see attached agenda)

• Student data charts will be assessed.  Percentage scores for each area completed.
• Using the teacher created rubric http://rubistar.4teachers.org/view_rubric.php3?id=730181, students will be assessed on a clearly written question, hypothesis, prediction and data comparison report.