Lessons from the Bay
Types of Pollution
What are the different types of water pollution? Objectives
Students will differentiate between the four types of water pollution (i.e., toxic, sediment, nutrient, and bacterial)
classify examples of pollution, using a Venn diagram, and graph the number of examples of each type infer the effects of certain decisions and actions on the animals and plants of watershed habitats learn why there are rules and laws regulating the release of pollution into water devise alternatives and solutions to pollution problems.
Related Standards of Learning Science: 3.1.j; 3.7.d; 4.1.a; 4.5.f; 4.8.a; 4.8.b; 5.7.e; 5.7.f; 6.5.f; 6.5.g; 6.7.a; 6.7.f Mathematics: 3.22; 4.20; 5.18; 6.18.a English: 3.1; 3.2; 3.4; 3.8; 3.10; 3.11; 4.1; 4.2; 4.3; 4.7.a; 4.7.b; 4.7.c; 4.7.d; 4.7.e; 5.1; 5.7; 5.8; 6.2; 6.5; 6.6 History and Social Science: 3.9; 3.10; VS.1.b; VS.1.d; VS.1.h; VS.1.i; USI.1.e; USI.1.f; USII.1.f; USII.2.b; USII.8.b Time Required Three 45-minute sessions Materials Pollution Cards, cut apart (handout, page 31) Pollution Cards Answer Key, for teacher (page 33) long piece of blue bulletin board paper 4 segments of string tied to create 4 large loops for a Venn Diagram self-stick notes For each group: 2 pieces of paper and drawing materials
Background
Pollutants enter the watershed either directly from a traceable source (point source pollution) or through channels that prevent the source from being identified (non-source point pollution). Regardless of the manner in which they enter the water, pollutants can be classified into four types: toxic, sediment, nutrient, and bacterial. Toxic pollution includes chemicals that poison and kill organisms in and near streams, rivers, lakes, and the Bay. When a body of water has a high level of toxic pollution, fishing for the purpose of human consumption is banned. Even low levels of toxicity can be lethal when chemicals accumulate in predators that consume large amounts of slightly poisoned organisms. Examples of toxic pollution include pesticides and herbicides; gasoline, oil, and other automotive products; household cleaning products; paints and solvents; battery acid; industrial waste chemicals; and toxic substances in car exhaust and solid waste incinerator smoke. Sediment pollution is dirt, minerals, sand, and silt eroded from the land and washed into the water. It comes from areas where there is inadequate vegetation to slow runoff. Sediment causes several problems for aquatic organisms. First, particles of sediment are suspended in the water. The resulting cloudiness decreases the amount of sunlight that can reach underwater plants that provide food and oxygen for underwater animals. Second, as sediment particles settle, they fill spaces between rocks, destroying the habitat needed by many
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underwater insects and other macroinvertebrates. Sediment also clogs the gills of fish, crabs, and other underwater organisms. Sediment can bury fish and insect eggs, preventing them from hatching, and when it covers an oyster bed, it smothers the oysters. Nutrient pollution results from an overabundance of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Living things cannot survive without nutrients, but too much can be detrimental to watershed organisms. An overabundance of nutrients leads to escalation in plant growth, particularly of algae and vascular plants. This causes two problems. First, water clouded with too much alga growth does not allow enough sunlight to reach the plants below. Second, when those plants die, the bacteria that decompose them use inordinate amounts of dissolved oxygen. This deprives underwater animals of the oxygen they need to survive. Sources of nutrient pollution include overflow from sewage treatment plants, leakage from improperly maintained septic systems, discharge from factories, and automobile exhaust. Examples of nutrient pollutants include fertilizers, animal manure, discharge from boat toilets, and household detergents. Bacterial pollution occurs when there is an excess of harmful bacteria. There are many beneficial bacteria in the water. Even harmful bacteria in small amounts are safe. In larger concentrations, however, certain types of bacteria can be deadly to fish and animals (including humans) that drink or accidentally ingest the water. Certain bacteria can cause illness if they come in contact with an open wound. Interestingly, most of these harmful bacteria do not affect aquatic insects. Some sources of bacterial pollution include overflow from sewage treatment plants, leakage from improperly maintained septic systems, animal manure, and discharge from boat toilets.
2. Divide the class into 6 groups. Give each group 2 Pollution Cards, 2 pieces of white construction paper, and some lined paper. 3. Direct each group to read their cards and determine the types of pollution happening in each scenario. Make sure students realize that some illustrate just one type of pollution, while others illustrate more than one. 4. After a significant discussion within the groups, ask students to share their thoughts with the rest of the class. Using the answer key, guide them to add any pollution types they may not have considered. 5. Lay the 4 large loops of string on the floor to create a Venn diagram. Label one circle sediment, one toxic, one nutrient, and one bacterial. Now have groups place their Pollution Cards in the appropriate section of the diagram. Observe the results, and ask students how many cards describe the cause of only one type of pollution and how many cards describe the cause of more than one type of pollution. 6. Give groups one sticky note for each type of pollution they find on their Pollution Cards, and tell them to label each note with a separate pollution type. For example, if the group has cards 9 and 10, they will need three sticky notes: one for sediment on card 9, one for sediment on card 10, and one for toxic on card 10. 7. On the blackboard, draw the axes of a bar graph, and write the four types of pollution along the x-axis. (See Preparing Graphs and Charts on page 69 of the Project Action Guide.) Ask students to place their sticky notes in a column above the appropriate pollution type. When all the students have contributed their sticky notes, discuss the graph. Point out that different communities will have varying amounts of these pollution types depending on the choices they make and actions they take. 8. Have students regroup and draw pictures to represent the pollution actions occurring in the Pollution Card scenarios. Each group will draw two pictures: one for each of their cards. Have the groups also write a few sentences describing the pollution, its source, and its effects; have the groups glue the sentences onto their drawings.
Procedures
Session 1 (45 minutes)
Conduct this session in the classroom. 1. Write the four types of pollution on the board. Describe each and explain its negative effects on the Bay watershed (see Background). Write key points on the board, or tell students to take notes: they will need this information to complete the next part of the session.
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Lesson Plans 27
Types of Pollution
Session 2 (45 minutes)
Conduct this session in the classroom. 1. Arrange students into the same groups as in Session 1, and make sure they have their Pollution Cards from the previous session. Tell
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Types of Pollution them to review their work and discuss solutions to and alternatives for the polluting actions depicted on their cards. 2. Ask each group to share their solutions with the class. 3. As in Session 1, direct the groups to draw pictures illustrating their solutions and alternatives. Tell them to write sentences describing the illustration and glue the sentences onto the drawing. 4. Cut the long piece of blue bulletin board paper in half lengthwise. Fold it accordion-style with each folded section large enough for a piece of construction paper to be attached. The blue paper will represent a river flowing into the Chesapeake Bay. 5. Next, staple together the two drawings for each Pollution Card so that the drawing of the problem covers the drawing of the solution/alternative. Staple across the top so that the top drawing can be lifted to reveal the solution/alternative. Then, attach each of the stapled pairs of drawings onto a section of the blue paper (between the folds). 6. Point out to students that the finished construction represents a river flowing to the Bay with many occurrences of pollution along the rivers course. Discuss the effects on the Bay of such pollution. Then discuss the possible results if all the solutions and alternatives were put into place. 7. After displaying the river on a bulletin board, again fold it accordion-style, and staple one side to bind it as an oversized book. You may choose to have students make a cover and an About the Authors page. Then, allow students to take turns borrowing the book to take home.
Classroom Assessment Suggestions Classification of pollution cards with Venn diagram, and placement of sticky notes to create bar graph
Illustration and description of types of pollution caused by examples on cards, and solutions to the problems Descriptions of the problems found in the school and schoolyard
Session 3 (45 minutes)
Conduct this session in the schoolyard. 1. Divide the class into groups and have them look for potential pollution problems around the school and in the schoolyard. 2. After students have completed their investigations, discuss their discoveries. Ask students to think of solutions to the pollution problems. 3. Ask students to name other examples of pollution. Discuss community, city, county, state, and federal regulations that serve to limit or prevent pollution. Why do you think these rules or laws were made? What types of pollution do rules or laws not regulate? Why not?
Resources
Allsburg, Chris V. Just a Dream. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1990. ISBN 0395533082. Build Your Own Rain Garden. Project Action Guide. Lessons from the Bay. 1317.
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Types of Pollution
Extensions for Students After identifying pollution problems in the school and schoolyard, write the problems on cards, classify them in the Venn diagram as in Session 1, and graph the types to find the most common problems.
A Check-up for Lake Anna. Lets Explore and Research Nature (LEARN). (Environmental education lesson plans for field trips to Lake Anna State Park. Contact Lake Anna State Park: 540-8545503.) Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Animal Poop: Whats the Scoop?, Driving the Bay to Exhaustion, Nutrient Nuisance, Sediment Impediment, Think, Whats Under the Sink? Watershed Action for Virginias Environment (WAVE). (See <http://www.cbf.org/site/PageServer?pagename= edu_educators_curriculum_va_index>, or contact the Virginia Office: Capitol Place, 1108 E. Main Street, Suite 1600, Richmond, VA 23219; phone 804-780-1392.) Frost, Helen. Keeping Water Clean. Mankato, MN: Capstone Press, 1999. ISBN 0736804080. (See <http://www.capstone-press.com/ viewbook.cfm?rid=987>.) Improving Streams through Waterway Cleanups. Project Action Guide. Lessons from the Bay. 3338. Jeffers, Susan. Brother Eagle, Sister Sky. New York: Penguin, 1991. ISBN 0803709692. Morgan, Sally. Acid Rain. Earth Watch. New York: Franklin Watts, 1999. ISBN 0531145670. Poff, Judy A., ed., and George Wills. A Guide to Virginias Ground Water. Virginia Water Resources Research Center. (See <http://www.vwrrc.vt.edu/publications/ educatio.htm>.) Restoring the Environment through Land Cleanups. Project Action Guide. Lessons from the Bay. 2931. Tate, Suzanne. Crabbys Water Wish: A Tale of Saving Sea Life. Nags Head, NC: Nags Head Art, 1991. ISBN 1878405047. United States. Dept. of the Interior. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Nutrient Pollution. Fact sheet. (Contact Chesapeake Bay Estuary Service: 180 Admiral Cochrane Drive, Suite 535, Annapolis MD 21401; phone 310-224-2732.) Using the Library Media Center for Project Research. Project Action Guide. Lessons from the Bay. 5556. Using the World Wide Web for Project Research. Project Action Guide. Lessons from the Bay. 5758. Water Pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. Fact Sheet. Chesapeake Bay Foundation. <http://www.cbf.org/site/PageServer? pagename=resources_facts_water_pollution>.
Implement some of the school and schoolyard solutions. Research local and state laws regulating pollution. (See Using the Library Media Center for Project Research and Using the World Wide Web for Project Research on pages 5558 of the Project Action Guide.) Research water pollution using Morgans Acid Rain, Frosts Keeping Water Clean, and other resources (see Resources). Read Tates Crabbys Water Wish, Allsburgs Just A Dream, or Jeffers Brother Eagle, Sister Sky; then write an original story with a message about pollution (see Resources). Take a field trip to Lake Anna State Park, or another state park, to test water quality, as in the activity A Check-up for Lake Anna (see Resources). See Build Your Own Rain Garden on page 13 of the Project Action Guide. See Improving Streams through Waterway Cleanups on page 33 of the Project Action Guide. See Restoring the Environment through Land Cleanups on page 29 of the Project Action Guide.
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