Hands in the River Lesson 2: How Watersheds are Impacted

Sierra Nevada Journeys Hands in the River Unit

Lesson 2: How Watersheds are Impacted

Enduring Understanding: 

Students will understand the importance of a watershed, which is tied directly to the water cycle, and the impact environmental factors and humans can have on this system and what impact this has on humans. Students will gather evidence and research in order to answer/address questions with empirical evidence.

Essential Questions: 

What does it mean to protect you watershed?

Objectives:

• Students will be able to understand the effects pollution and invasive species can have on a watershed.
• Students will be able to evaluate the impacts certain decisions can have on a watershed.

Standards:

5-ESS2-1: Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.

Crosscutting concepts:

-A System can be described in terms of its components and their interactions.

Disciplinary Core Ideas:

ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems

            Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on the land, vegetation, streams, ocean, air, and even outer space. But individuals and communities are doing things to help protect Earth’s resources and environments.

Materials:

• Notebooks
• Foam squares
• Large paper with Invasive species and Native species written on it
• Large clear container
• Envelops with each role in the watershed
• Soil
• Food coloring
• Large spoon
• Film canister

 Key Vocabulary:

• Watershed
• Native Species
• Invasive species
• Pollution

Invitation: (5 minutes)

1.    Pose the question, what does a watershed mean to you? Have the students talk with a partner for about a minute.

2.    Have a couple students share what their group said.

Explore: Watershed activity (25 minutes)

***Collaboration***

1.    Set up a station at the front of the room with tub of water, “pollution”, soil, clear cups (one with lightly tinted water for “standard”), and 2 film canisters.

2.    Explain that you will be reading different scenarios to the group, and each group must vote for which option they think will be the best.

3.    Read the first scenario to the group, answering any questions they may have.

4.    Give the students about 3 minutes to decide on an option.

5.    Have each group share what their group chose and tally on the board.

6.    Once all of the scenarios have been read and voted on, add (or don’t add) pollution to the tub of water.

7.    Have students think about the choices that must be made when it comes to water. Are they easy choices?

Concept Invention: Explore the playground (15 minutes)

1.    Take the students outside and ask them to look around. What are some things they see?

2.    With a partner or a group of 3 they will have 5-7 minutes to walk around and find as many living things as they can. They can be inside the playground or outside (Birds, trees, etc.)

3.    Gather the students back together and of those living things that they saw which ones were here 100 years ago? Which ones were not?

4.    Ask students for some examples of living things that their group decided were not here 100 years ago. (Grass) Any examples of a living thing that was here 100 years ago. (Sagebrush)

5.    Have students talk to a neighbor to make a meaning of invasive and native.

6.    Ask them if they know the main difference between grass and sagebrush in our area. Grass needs to be watered by humans, while sagebrush does not. Sagebrush grown naturally, while grass does not. Etc.

7.    Explain that Sagebrush is a native species, meaning that it grows naturally in our environment. Grass is an non-native species, meaning that it does not grow naturally in this environment.

***Check for Understanding***

1.    Have students tell a partner what invasive and native mean.

 Application: Invaders (20 minutes)

1.    Explain that we are going do an activity that shows how invasive species and native species work together.

2.    Arrange foam squares (one per student) back to back in a curving line to represent a stream or river channel.

3.    Tell students they will be playing a game similar to musical chairs. Each student will be standing on a foam square. There will either be a green strip of tape or a red strip of tape.

4.    If they are standing on a green square they are a native species; a red square they are invasive.

5.    For the first round there will be enough foam squares for all the students to succeed within the environment, whether they are native or an invasive species. As with musical chairs, when the music is playing, students circle the squares clockwise. When the music stops, they must find a square, signifying that they have acquired enough water and habitat resources to survive. When students stop on a square they may have to change. If they are an invasive species and they land on a green square they flip the square over to red. If they are a native species and they land on a red square, their habitat was taken over and they now represent an invasive species. Tell students that invasive species may have a competitive advantage over native species by growing or reproducing more quickly.

6.    At the beginning of each round, count the number of invader students and the number of native students. Record these numbers so you can graph them later.

7.    As the game continues more and more squares will be taken over by the invasive species, leaving less and less habitat for the native species. Play enough rounds so that almost all the squares are taken by the invasive species.

***Check for Understanding***

1.    Take the students inside and make a line graph showing the number of invasive species verses native species in each round.

2.    Have the students talk about what happened with a partner or in a small group.

Reflection: How has your view changed? (5-10 minutes)

1.    Ask the students to think about if the first question asked (What does a watershed mean to you?). Has their answer changed? Why or why not?

2.    What are 3 ways that you can positively impact a watershed system? Have students share out with the class

3.    Introduce the New Zealand Mud Snail (show pictures). Explain that they are invasive species that are new to the Truckee River Watershed. We will be looking for them when we go to the river.

4.    Briefly explain what is needed for the field trip (water, lunch, closed-toed shoes, journal, pencil, and a great attitude).