Brief Description

This collaborative, Internet-based project is part of an environmental unit, in which water use and water conservation will be examined.  In this lesson students will learn about their own water usage, as well as other household members.  In addition, they will compare their information to that of others locally and around the world.

Standards and Frameworks

Technology Standards

• 3T-E2 Use a variety of technology tools for data collection and analysis.

• 1SC-E3. Organize and present data gathered from their own experiences, using appropriate mathematical analyses and graphical representations
• 2M-E1. Construct, read, analyze and interpret tables, charts, graphs and data plots (e.g., box-and-whisker, stem-and-leaf, and scatter plots)
• 2M-E2. Make valid inferences, predictions and arguments based on statistical analysis

Academic

• Using a Personal Water Use Chart, students will collect daily estimates of personal and household water use for a period of one week.  Weekly totals

will be turned into an over-all total for the household.
• After submitting water use data the students will put their totals together to create a class average.  The students will compare their household totals with that of other students in the class.  They will also compare their household total with the class average.
• Using data from the Down the Drain site, students will compare their data to data from around the world.
• After examining and comparing data, students will write an explanation of the comparisons at the Analysis level of Bloom’s taxonomy on the Down the Drain worksheet.

• Students will access Down the Drain spreadsheet display for comparison of data.

• Basic technology skills for navigating the Internet to find the Down the Drain site.

Personal Water Use Chart
Computer with Internet access
Calculators
TV converter
Classroom computer and/or computer lab

Accommodations for Special Needs

• SEI (Sheltered English Immersion) and Special Education Students: Since the first part of this lesson is to gather data from home, students will be able to get parent help for gathering and recording their own data. SEI students could be given instructions and a data collection form that has been translated into their home language.  Students may need to work individually with the teacher or be paired up with another student, in order to analyze the data. Advanced students could be used for this purpose. If necessary, data collection and analysis, and written responses could be modified based on need.
• Advanced Students: The students will be encouraged to elaborate in their written responses by demonstrating higher-level thinking, particularly in regards to comparisons being made of the differences of water use in different regions.  They could also be asked to explore ways to conserve water, especially at school and at home. Then present their information in some creative way of their choosing.  An additional independent, creative project, could be a bulletin or newsletter, which includes what the class has learned about water use.  This could be sent home and shared with parents.

1. Introduce students to the Down the Drain project. Explain the main objectives for doing the project, what data the students will be collecting and its relevance to their lives.  Also, as a way of providing a focus for this lesson, tell them about the final summary worksheet that they will fill out at the end of this lesson.
2. Via the Internet, displayed on the TV converter, show the students the Down the Drain web site http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/drainproj/instructions.html.  For easier access, it would be helpful to bookmark this site in the classroom, as well as in the computer lab.
3. Pass out Personal Use Water Charts (printed from web site), explain how to collect the data, and assign students to collect data at home for one complete week.
4. When surveys are returned, students will follow directions under step 4 of Lesson 1b located on the website.   Students can calculate their data either manually or by using the spreadsheet located on the Down the Drain site.
5. Students will access the Down the Drain data to make comparisons with other groups around the globe.  Encourage them to think about reasons for the similarities and differences in water use.
6. Students will respond to the prompts on the Down the Drain worksheet, by reflecting about what they have learned about water use, their own household water use, and the comparisons that they made with others.

Students will be assessed on the following:

1. The degree of completion of the Personal Water Use Chart
2. Completion of the “Down the Drain” worksheet.

Teacher Name: Judy Kalish
Site: Coronado K-8
Date Submitted: May 15, 2003