Introduction:


Water is one of the most important resources we have. People can survive without food for several weeks, but without water we would die in just a few days.
On a slightly less dramatic note, millions of gallons of water are needed every day worldwide for washing, irrigating crops, cooling, and industrial processes. Water is also required for many forms of recreation, such as swimming, boating and fishing.

Despite our dependence on water, we use it as a dumping ground for all sorts of waste, and do very little to protect the water supplies we have.

The Task:

You are going to create a Public Service Announcement or PSA that people can search on the Internet and read or watch to learn about water pollution and to get them to help stop it!
Create your PSA in response to a number of incidents in which the water has become polluted in different areas around where we live such as Chimacum Creek or the Puget Sound or the Hood Canal. Your PSA will help to increase public awareness about water pollution and it will hopefully help to prevent its spread.

Include the following information (what types of pollutions can affect OUR area - WA State, especially our creek, Chimacum Creek?)

Begin by choosing a type of water pollution that most interests you. Choose from the following:

  1. River, Streams or Creeks (such as sewage leaks, septic leaks, or surface runoff)
  2. Oceans (such as the garbage patch or oil spills)
  3. Lakes or Ponds (such as Anderson Lake and the deadly toxins in it!)
  4. Drinking Water (such as all the places in the world where people don't have clean, safe drinking water)

  1. What are some of the sources of water pollution that can pollute the water type you chose (pick from these nine causes)?
  2. What types of water pollution could affect your water type (choose from these seven types)?
  3. What is a point source of pollution?
  4. What is a non-point source of pollution?
  5. What are some of the consequences of your water pollution (look up your topic on Google, such as oil spills or oxygen depletion or anatoxin-a)?
  6. Explain and recommend some things that EVERYONE can do to stop the water pollution you researched (use the following Rethink, Refuse, Replace, Recover, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle [and Rot - added from Laura's Climate Change presentation])!






The Process:

You will work together in your teams. Each person on your team will research and find answers to all six questions. Then you will come together to check your answers. Once you have all checked and verified that you have complete and scientifically accurate responses to all six questions then you will each brainstorm what kind of PSA you will create. It could be a blog post, a stop motion animation, a video, a podcast, or a vodcast or news show.

Your team will benefit from having a research expert to check your answers are correct, a strong writer to edit any writing you do, an artist to create original artwork, and a tech person to help create things on the class devices.


Resources:

The following is a list of Internet resources that can be used to complete this project 

Algal Bloom That Kills (The Anderson Lake mystery, another great article to read about our neighborhood lake.)

Department of Health (DOH) Fish Advisory (Lists the fish you can eat and not get sick!)

WA State Red Tide Info (Read this to learn about red tides in our state!)

Curious about this whole Fracking thing? Watch this video to learn more.

Worried about your DRINKING WATER? Look through WA State's Dept of Health website. And read this for information on WA Tap Water!

Here's a great website on Eutrophication.

Here is some information on the R's for fixing pollution, this one has 7 R's!!!



Good information about Water Pollution
Water Pollution Guide

Point Source of Water Pollution

Nonpoint Source of Water Pollution This is an EPA webpage!

Preventing Urban Water Pollution
Information about urban water pollution and how to help prevent it can be found at this site.

 

Reply to Ask-an-Earth-Scientist

This is a reply from ask an earth scientist concerning the topic of sources of water pollution.

Reply to Ask-an-Earth-Scientist
This is a reply from ask an earth scientist concerning the topic of water pollution in the world's oceans .




Water Science for Schools

Water Science for Schools from the USGS provides a lot of general information on water, its uses, etc...

 

The Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Dump (click on image for more info):
Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Dump
Here's another website with information about the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.
And here's another website with an idea for cleaning up that garbage patch!

Note for students in Mr. G's classes for starting your PSA with a Meme:
Search PhotosForClass or use Google Search Advance Search and make sure the image is creative commons (the license HAS to be free to modify not just free to use or share) or public domain.

Then use the image in your PSA by puting a title on the picture. You can use Doodle Buddy or Pic Collage on the iPad and use Pizap on the iMacs, Netbooks, Laptops, and Chromebooks.




Evaluation:

Your project will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
Is your blog clear and concise?

Does your public service announcement hook your readers?

Does your public service announcement educate your readers to the problems of water pollution?

Does your public service announcement inform your readers on what they can do to prevent or treat water pollution?

Did you include photos, creative commons, public domain, or original artwork only, with a powerful title?









WATER WEBQUEST