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South Carolina ETV
1101 George Rogers Boulevard
Columbia, SC 29201-4761
Phone: 803-737-3545

Wide Open Spaces (Grades 7-8)

MASTER TEACHER

Helen Schiller

OVERVIEW

Students will study groundwater, pollution, and geology as they attempt to solve the problem of a polluted water source.

ITV SERIES

The Earth Revealed, Lesson 21: "Groundwater"

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will be able to measure the space between sediment particles and the rate of water flow through the particles

SC MATH/SCIENCE STANDARDS MET

Science - Process Skills Measure

• use metric units
• make accurate measurements within the limitations of the instrument being used

Design, Conduct, and Evaluate a Scientific Investigation

1. record data and organize it in meaningful ways
2. analyze data to construct explanations and conclusions
3. construct and/or use models to carry out/ support scientific investigations

Mathematics Measurement

use measurements and formulas to solve real-world and mathematical problems

MATERIALS (Per group)

• 3 different soil samples (e.g. sand, day, and loam or potting soil) labeled A, B, C
• 1 hand lens
• 1 graduated cylinder (100 ml), with markings starting at 1mL
• 3 short stemmed funnels (approximately 65 mm in diameter)
• 3 test tubes (150 mm)
• 1 test tube rack
• 3 pieces of filter paper (11 cm in diameter)
• metric ruler
• water paper
• towels
• clock

PRE-VIEWING ACTIVITIES

Tell students that there are between 7 and 15 million underground storage tanks in this country alone. Leaks of petroleum products and other chemicals from these tanks are the most common cause of contamination of groundwater. It is estimated that old corroded storage tanks have already leaked 11 million gallons of petroleum products into soil and groundwater.

Open discussion with students as to how an understanding of soil types might be helpful in solving the problem of groundwater pollution. (Different soils allow various amounts of water to seep through them at different rates.)

VOCABULARY

groundwater

permeability

porosity

sand

clay

loam

aquifer

aquiclude

artesian well

FOCUS FOR VIEWING

To give students a specific responsibility while viewing The Earth Revealed, Lesson 21: "Groundwater," students will watch the video to determine the importance of groundwater and to see how water gets into the ground. They will also see that the type of soil in an area can determine the amount of pollutants that may seep into groundwater.

VIEWING ACTIVITIES

Say, " The first segment will explain why groundwater is so important. Listen for this explanation." Show The Earth Revealed, Lesson 21: "Groundwater." Start the tape approximately 1 minute after the title, "Groundwater" appears on the screen, with the scientist standing in front of the water, on the bank, saying, "Most people tend to take groundwater for granted..."

Pause after he says, "...less polluted than surface water." (40 sec.) Answer: groundwater is useful for drinking, irrigation, industrial use, and it is less polluted than surface water; it is plentiful and clean.

Say, "Now listen for the problems that can occur with groundwater." Start the tape immediately after the previous pause with, "But this valuable resource is now being threatened.." and pause at "...predict the location and quantity of groundwater." (30 sec.) Answer: contamination and wells extract water too quickly,

Ask, "If groundwater is so important, how do you think that it gets into the ground in the first place?" Accept all student answers and have them listen to the video for an answer. Start with the first scene of rain, with "In some places rainwater disappears", and pause after the picture of the plains, with "... between the individual bits of matter." (1 min.) Discuss the difference between rainwater on soil or asphalt/ rocks, and the way that water can seep into any cracks or crevices in rocks, and into the underlying soil.

Ask, "Are all rocks capable of absorbing or carrying the same amount of water?" (No) Tell students that a rock's or soil's ability to hold water depends on two very important characteristics: permeability and porosity. Have them listen for the definition of permeability (the capacity to transmit water) and porosity (the capacity to store water), and for the definition of an aquifer (a rock that can store water) . Show the segment with the diagram of permeable rock. Start with, "For a rock to contain abundant groundwater...", and stop after the definition of an aquifer and the picture of the mountain with
a large crack down the middle is shown on the screen, with "... from the Latin for water bearing." (30 sec.) Discuss.

Tell students to watch the video to understand how different types of soils will react differently with moving underground water. Say, "We have learned what an aquifer is, a rock that is permeable enough to conduct groundwater. Listen now for the specific type of rock that can be an aquifer and for the type that will not be a good aquifer, but an aquiclude (rock that absorbs water slowly but will not transmit it fast enough to supply a well or spring)." Start the "Groundwater" tape immediately after the last pause with "Sandstone is a good example of..." and pause at "...thus blocking the effect of groundwater." Answer: aquifer: sandstone; aquiclude: clay

Tell students to listen to the next segment to tell the way well water is affected by groundwater. Start the tape with "The one reason geologists study groundwater...," after the picture of the pond that looks green, and pause after the definition of the water table, with "...this surface is called the water table." Answer: the water table is the upper surface of the saturated zone which is below the unsaturated zone.

Say, "Listen for the name of the type of well that can actually pull water out of the ground." Start the tape with the picture of the windmill, and the audio cue, "Getting water out of the ground...", and pause at "...these are called artesian wells." (a deep well in which water rises under pressure from a permeable rock layer above)

Tell students that they will now see some of the causes of groundwater pollution. Start the tape at "In coastal regions, the excessive withdrawal of groundwater..." with the picture of a coastline. Pause at the headline and the cue "...all too common in recent years." Answer: fresh water pumped out too quickly and is replaced by salt water, contamination from factories, farms, septic tanks, and garbage dumps.

Show the next segment with no audio and ask students to tell how groundwater would be polluted this way. Start from immediately after scene of headlines and pause with the pull away shot of the truck going backward on the landfill. Answer: rain leaches pollutants into saturated zone and a plume of polluted waste spreads in the direction of groundwater flow.

There are ways to ensure safe landfills. Have students listen for the two main methods. Start immediately after the last pause at "One of the techniques..." and pause at "...an additional source of electricity" before the scene of the oil well pump. Answer: landfill layer of impermeable clay, with synthetic plastics on top of clay, then sand with drainage pipes; and methane gas collected as a source of electricity.

Ask students, "Why would sampling soil be important to protect groundwater?" Have students listen for the answer to this question. Start tape with "As a well is drilled, ..." with the worker putting soil in bags, and pause with the worker sealing the bag with the audio cue, "...how to effectively contain groundwater pollutants."

POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY

Have students do the "Wide Open Spaces" Activity.

ACTION PLAN

Have students bring in samples of sand from various locations and bag different types. These samples would reflect the variety of sand and then the experiment could be repeated to observe any changes. They could also collect soil samples from various areas locally and compare them to the samples used in the "Wide Open Spaces" Activity. Students could then compare results with different densities of water, e.g. making salt water of various concentrations.

Have students use Internet sources to examine recent legislation/legal decisions on groundwater problems. They can then compile decisions into a presentation on the problem of groundwater pollution.

EXTENSIONS

Language Arts: Students can write letters to the
local Soil and Water Conservation District to get information on soils in their area. The information could be displayed and presented on posters, backboards, video, etc. They could also write to local water systems to get information about water-purification/filtration in their area.

Creative Writing: Have students tell a story from the point of view of a drop of water traveling up the soil in a certain area. Tell them to be as creative as they can be, describing all that the drop may encounter through the soil. They can illustrate it as well.

Social Studies: Use a large wall map of the United States and have students write to State Geologists of various states (usually affiliated with universities) to request samples of soil types of that state for comparison with local soil types. The students could keep track of the samples returned with push pins on the states and mount the soil samples on the map for comparison.