Ed Tech Lesson Plan

Brief Description/Unit Goal

This Internet-based collaborative project will allow students to share information about water usage with other students from around the country and the world. Based on data collected by their household members 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. The students will locate the web page provided and navigate the web site to answer the questions in Down The Drain.
The first lesson, highlighted here, is: Lesson 1a How Much in a Gallon? In this lesson, students will learn to use their computer efficiently and effectively to research from a web site.

Standards and Frameworks

Technology Standards

1SC-E1. Identify a question, formulate a hypothesis, control and manipulate variables, devise experiments, predict outcomes, compare and analyze results, and defend conclusions.

Academic Standards

6T-E1 Determine when technology is useful and select and use the appropriate tools and technology resources to solve problems. (In this lesson 1a, the students will use an online calculator to convert their gallon hypothesis to liters using calculator.com)

Unit Objectives

Technological

After locating the webpage: http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/drainproj/ reference material and successfully finding the calculator.com link, the students will convert gallons to liters using a web calculator.
After locating the webpage: http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/drainproj/ the students will navigate the site to answer the question How Much in a Gallon?
3. After locating the webpage: http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/drainproj/ students will define water flow.
4. After locating the webpage: http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/drainproj/ students will conduct a scientific experiment using the computer webpage.

Science
Unit objective: After locating the website to answer the question, How Much is a Gallon? the students will navigate the website formulate a hypothesis, control and manipulate variables with water flow formula, devise and conduct the experiment, to predict an outcomes, compare and analyze results, and defend their conclusions.
Lesson Objectives:

In this lesson 1a, the students will use an online calculator to convert their gallon hypothesis to liters using http://www.calculator.com
After navigating the website the students will complete the accompanying worksheet with 100% accuracy.

Pre-Requisite Technology Skills

The following skills are necessary to successfully complete this lesson:

The students will be able to turn on the computer independently.
The students will be able to find and click on Netscape Communicator.
The students will be able to type in the URL for Water Science for Schools and successfully navigate the website.

Materials

Computer
URL addresses for Water Science for Schools
Graphic Organizer/Assessment worksheet 1

Accommodations for Special Needs

Special Education Students: Print the word gallon on the gallon container and Liter on the liter container.
Gifted: Explore the other calculators on the calculator page.
SEI: Print the word gallon on the gallon container and Liter on the liter container. Teach the words calculator, scroll, click before the lesson.

Procedures

1. Anticipatory Set: Show the students a gallon container. Ask the following questions:

What is this?
How much water would this container hold? (Accept gallon or liter)
How different is a gallon from a Liter? Which is bigger? Who uses these measurements? Where have you seen people use these measures?

2. State today’s objective. A major part of science is the scientific method. We just finished a science fair project and you did very well. Now we are going to begin a science experiment using the computer tools to help us with your new investigation. We are going to a captivating website Down the Drain. It asks us to determine How much water we use. Today will start with the gallon/liter comparison. Later we will use the computer to actually conduct a scientific experiment. These lessons will help you learn to use your computer efficiently and effectively. We will eventually answer the question How much water do we really use? Let’s complete the first part of this scientific investigation called How Much In a Gallon? The computer can help us answer this question and show use how to convert gallons to Liters.
3. There are two worksheets to help us keep track of our data. We’ll begin with the worksheet 1a: How Much In a Gallon?
4. Hand out the worksheet, Worksheet 1a: How Much In a Gallon?
5. Read the worksheet together and give the students time to record their hypothesis for each question.
6. Comparing Gallons and Liters

Here in the U.S. we still use gallons to measure the quantity of many liquids. However, that is starting to change. Can you think of anything that is measured in liters instead of gallons? Yes, gasoline in Mexico and liters of Coke or Pepsi in the US.

7. Now that you have your guesses, each is called a hypothesis. Let’s convert our gallons to liters. The computer can help.
8. Go to the Down The drain website: http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/drainproj/
9. Click on the left side of the screen on the Reference Material section.
10. Scroll to calculator.com
11. Click on the orange unit converter.
12. Scroll to volume. Type in your gallon estimates and click calculate.
13. View and record the data on your worksheet Lesson 1a: How Much in a Gallon?

Assessment

1. Worksheet 1a: How Much in a Gallon?
2. Using a student checklist, the teacher will record the student’s ability to access the website and follow the directions to the calculator and convert the volume measures.

How Much In A Gallon Checklist Example

Student Names	Access website	Calculator Located	Converted gallons to liters or visa versa
Sarah Smith	Yes	Yes	Yes
Andrew Jones	Yes	Yes	NO

Teacher Name: Kelly Woods
Site: Walker
Date Submitted: May 11, 2003