About this resource
This lesson addresses an ongoing problem in the community---the need for clean, abundant water. The current sources of Arizona's water supply are largely in Colorado and California, which have experienced a significant drought in recent years, and there has not been enough rain in Arizona to sustain the need. While some solutions have had some effect (e.g., storing unused water, building homes with low-flow plumbing, creative landscaping), more ways to capture and preserve water are needed. This lesson is the first in a unit on innovations to save the water supply of Arizona. It focuses on preparing students for research of the problem, identifying the questions that need to be asked, and refining those questions before beginning to research the topic. Students will be grouped into small teams, and their task is to come up with their best innovative and sustainable idea for a tool or method for maintaining an adequate water supply in their community.
Curriculum & Standards
Related General Curriculum / Common Core Area
Science
Related Curriculum / Common Core Standard
AZ State Science Standard, Strand 1: Inquiry Process.
- Indicators: Formulate predictions, questions, or hypotheses based on observations. Locate appropriate resources.
What students will do
- Writes questions independently based on key ideas or areas of focus.
- Refines questions to guide the search for different types of information.
Resources Needed
- PowerPoint presentation that introduces the problem
- Whiteboard
- Handout on asking good questions.
Lesson sequence & procedures
Hook:
5 minutes: To grab students' attention from the very beginning, the librarian holds up a glass of dirty water and asks, "What if this were the only liquid available for you to drink from now on?" The 6th grade Science teacher then explains that only 1% of the earth's water, which must be shared with the 7 billion people and all the animals on earth, is fresh water and drinkable. She also tells them that, while Arizona does have enough clean water for its population right now, it is always in danger of losing its water supply and asks, "Why do you think that is?"
5 minutes: The students brainstorm answers to this question (reasons why Arizona is always in danger of losing its water supply) and all ideas are written on the whiteboard.
Direct Instruction & Guided Practice:
5 minutes: (Direct Instruction) The librarian shows students how these preliminary ideas could translate into inquiry questions. For example, if students suggested that Arizona is in danger of losing it's water supply due to pollution or household waste of water, this can be turned into a question for research such as "How much water is wasted in Arizona households?" Or "Is water being polluted in Arizona?"
10-15 minutes: (Guided Practice) The librarian and teacher ask students in pairs to generate some questions for inquiry based on the brainstormed reasons for Arizona's loss of water supply. The Science teacher and librarian check each pair or small group and provide individual feedback until pairs have successful inquiry questions.
30 minutes (10 for activity, 20 for presentation): The librarian introduces a problem that students will soon endeavor to solve; both educators present a PowerPoint on "Arizona's Water: Uses and Sources" which further explains the problem and describes some of the current solutions. After the title slide, however, the students are asked to jot down a few additional questions that they may have about the problem ( e.g., "What are the sources of Arizona's water? What is it used for? What are some problems with our water?"). The teachers encourage students to inquire at the general level here. When all students have at least 1-2 questions, they continue with the PowerPoint.
At the end, the Science teacher asks the students to look at their original list of reasons that AZ's water is at risk to determine which answers were correct, which might be incorrect and why, and any other reasons they had not considered. Also, students are encouraged to look at their initial questions to see if any had been answered (any inquiries satisfied) by the presentation.
(Direct Instruction) The librarian points out that learning starts with questioning, and as we encounter information, we have our questions answered or not (and then we have to look elsewhere to satisfy those questions), and new information leads to more questions.
5 minutes: The Science teacher explains the task for students: In teams of three, students will develop an idea for an innovative method or tool to help sustain the water supply in Arizona. After they have developed this method or tool, each team will give a technology-based presentation of its idea to a panel of judges, and each idea will be evaluated and awarded points. The three teams with the most points will go to the next level-a school-wide competition on this topic will be the culminating event.
The librarian explains that in order to have a viable solution to this problem, they will need to research in order to have adequate understanding of the problem.
Independent Practice:
20 minutes: Students are put into their teams and provided the opportunity to give themselves a team name. The teachers distribute the handout on asking good questions and ask teams to evaluate their questions (collectively from the independent activity during the PowerPoint presentation) in terms of the handout. Were they good questions? Based on what was learned in the presentation, what new questions may they need answered in order to know more about the problem? As teams, students discuss and write down on a piece of paper any questions that must be answered in order to get the information needed to generate ideas for an innovation to solve the community's water shortage problem.
The Science teacher and librarian circulate the room and provide feedback on the quality of each question. Either the Science teacher or the librarian will review each team. During these feedback sessions, students may be provided with a list of additional questions they might research (e.g., What solutions have already been tried and what were the results?) Students should be coached to refine their general questions in light of new information from the presentation. Ask students to select their best question to share with other students. They may also determine some preliminary innovation ideas, if time permits.
Closing/Reflection:
5 minutes: The class comes back together and teams are asked to share their best question with the group. They are told to not share their ideas yet so that no-one is influenced by someone else's idea. The librarian tells the student that they will be using their questions to research their ideas during the next learning session:
How learning is assessed
Students will be observed and assessed on the level of their engagement in discussions and activities.