Great Outside Project in Water and Metrics

I love this lesson plan and the potential to use this lesson plan within my environmental/ecology unit. This lesson would be great addition to a lesson I currently use on water usage. In m... See More

I love this lesson plan and the potential to use this lesson plan within my environmental/ecology unit. This lesson would be great addition to a lesson I currently use on water usage. In my current unit, students predict the amount of water used for different common activities - washing dishes, flushing a tiolet and the average shower, and then reflect on their water usage in comparison to available fresh water. In this lesson plan, I especially like how students gain a deeper insight into how gallons per minute is determined. However, as written, this would need to be a project requiring completion at home, unless there are sinks available to be used in the classroom. I am considering completing this activity in a lab setting, since each of my lab tables has a working faucet. I will also complete this activity using the metric system, in addition to English standard. For English standard, I would consider using the cup method, as suggested in the lesson plan. To complete this activity in metrics, I would consider using liter bottles. Once this lesson has been completed at school, under supervision, I would consider assigning the home shower and faucet audits for extra credit. Overall a great lesson plan - but one I would rather have students complete in the classroom.

In Times of Drought Think About Water Usage

This article presents a series of activities that determine the amount of water usage in various forms (such as shower, bath, toilet ) for the average home. These activities are varied by l... See More

This article presents a series of activities that determine the amount of water usage in various forms (such as shower, bath, toilet ) for the average home. These activities are varied by level of ability and serve to reinforce use of measurement and unit conversions. The third activity in the article is about ‘Water-Use Awareness.’ None of these activities are new or unique however, making students aware of the significance of water in a drought situation might encourage them to be better water consumers.