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Sustainability, El Nino and Water Conservation

Years 5 and 6 Science and English

Learning Module

Abstract

Year 5 and 6 students develop an understanding of water management on personal, school and community levels through auditing their use of water. They also gain knowledge about the impact of weather patterns on water conservation. Through science experiments students develop inquiry skills. The module also encompasses development of arguments/persuasive texts and information reports.

Keywords

English, Science, Environmental Studies, Water, Sustainability, Weather Patterns, Natural Disasters, Information Reports, Arguments/Persuasive Texts, Natural Disasters, El Nino, Water Conservation.

Knowledge Objectives

As a result of completing this learning module, students will be able to:

EXPERIENTIAL OBJECTIVES

Science Inquiry Skills

Questioning and predicting

With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be.

Planning and conducting

Use equipment and materials safely, identifying potential risks.

Processing and analysing data and information

Construct and use a range of representations, including tables and graphs, to represent and describe observations, patterns or relationships in data.

Literacy

Interacting with others

Year 5: Clarify understanding of content as it unfolds in formal and informal situations, connecting ideas to students' own experiences, and present and justify a point of view.

Year 6: Participate in and contribute to discussions, clarifying and interrogating ideas, developing and supporting arguments, sharing and evaluating information, experiences and opinions.

Interpreting, analysing, evaluating

Year 5: Navigate and read texts for specific purposes, applying appropriate text processing strategies, for example predicting and confirming, monitoring meaning, skimming and scanning.

Year 6: Select, navigate and read texts for a range of purposes, applying appropriate text processing strategies and interpreting structural features.

CONCEPTUAL OBJECTIVES

Science Understanding

Chemical Sciences

Year 5: Understand that solids, liquids and gases have different observable properties and behave in different ways.

Year 6: Understand that changes to materials can be reversible, such as melting, freezing, evaporating.

Understand that water is a reusable rather than a renewable resource.

Science Inquiry Skills

Processing and analysing data and information

Compare data with predictions and use as evidence in developing explanations.

Language

Expressing and developing ideas

Understand the use of vocabulary to express greater precision of meaning, and know that words can have different meanings in different contexts.

ANALYTICAL OBJECTIVES

Science as a Human Endeavour

Use and influence of science

Scientific understandings are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples' lives.

Language and Literacy

Text structure and organisation

Year 5: Understand that the starting point of a sentence gives prominence to the message in the text and allows for prediction of how the text will unfold.

Year 6: Understand that cohesive links can be made in texts by omitting or replacing words

Expressing and developing ideas

Year 5: Understand the difference between main and subordinate clauses and how these can be combined to create complex sentences through subordinating conjunctions to develop and expand ideas.

Year 6: Investigate how clauses can be combined in a variety of ways to elaborate, extend or explain ideas.

Interpreting, analysing, evaluating

Year 5: Identify and explain characteristic text structures and language features used in persuasive texts to meet the purpose of the text.

Year 6: Analyse how text structures and language features work together to meet the purpose of the text.

APPLIED OBJECTIVES

Science Inquiry Skills

Communicating

Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts.

Science as a Human Endeavour

Use and influence of science

Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions.

Literacy

Creating texts

Year 5: Plan, draft and publish persuasive print and multimodal texts, choosing text structures, language features, images and sound appropriate to purpose and audience.

Year 6: Plan, draft and publish persuasive print and multimodal texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience.

Year 5: Reread and edit student's own and others' work using agreed criteria for text structures and language features.

Year 6: Reread and edit student's own and others' work using agreed criteria and explaining editing choices.

Year 5: Use a range of software including word processing programs with fluency to construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements.

Year 6: Use a range of software including word processing programs, learning new functions as required to create texts.

Capabilities:

Literacy - persuasive texts

Numeracy - measurement, conversions

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) competence - Scholar, PPT

Critical and Creative Thinking - scientific investigation

Cross-Curriculum Priority:

Sustainability - water

1. Where is All My Water?

For the Student

This learning module focuses on these questions:

Why is water conservation important and how can we conserve water?

What weather conditions impact water conservation?

How do we use scientific knowledge to inform personal and community decisions?

How can we write an effective persuasive text?

To get started, using a Free See, everyone close their eyes and imagine your day from when you wake up to when you go to sleep, noticing every time you use water or see water in use. In teams then complete a rally table travel where everyone writes one place you noticed water in your day. One person from each group then travels to another to share your group's list and add anything new. Create a class list of some of the different areas of the school that uses water.

Everyone is given a 'Journal' where you will have to write about your water usage. As a class, create a list of possible things you could record and write these in the back of your journal. Create a title page for your journal and write your first entry about your Free See. You also need to write about where you have recently seen water and the effects of water. Consider where you have seen or heard about water on the TV and in newspapers. Finally record what you think/hope you'll learn about in this unit.

Fig. 1: Using Water

For the Teacher

Knowledge of water and journals

Purpose

Year 5: Reread and edit student's own and others' work using agreed criteria for text structures and language features. 

Year 6: Reread and edit student's own and others' work using agreed criteria and explaining editing choices. 

Resources

Throughout this learning element, a range of Kagan Cooperative Learning tools are used such as Free See, Rally Coach, Rally Table etc. These are available in commercially available resources or can be replaced by similar cooperative learning tools.

Teaching tips

During the Free See prompt students about where they go during their day and how they use or see water being used such as washing up, tooth bushing and lawn watering.

A journal will continue throughout the unit and will form part of the assessment. Prompt students about what to write sometimes; for others it will be free writing.

2. Exploring the Structure of a Persuasive Text

For the Student

Look at the persuasive 'text/exposition on the flood tax'. A persuasive text is also called an exposition or expository text or an essay. It will try to persuade you to accept a point of view by arguing one side or both sides of an argument or issue.

Australians_should_pay_a_flood_tax.doc

1. Read and respond

After reading the text, use a Think-Pair-Share to discuss whether you agree or disagree with the arguments presented. Highlight or underline the parts which were most convincing for you. Discuss whether what you highlighted was the same or different to your partner. Why do you think that is?

2. Now glue the persuasive text on an A3 sheet of paper. With your partner, identify the P paragraph, the E paragraphs and the C paragraph. Draw arrows to label them. Why is there more than one E paragraph? Highlight the labels in three different colours.

3. Look at each paragraph and identify the P sentences, the E sentences and the C sentences. Working with your partner, colour them, using the same three different coloured highlighters. What have you learned about the structure of a persuasive text? What is its purpose? How does the structure help to achieve the purpose? Share your ideas and create a whole class mindmap which you can refer to when writing your reflection in 4.

4. Use the PEC structure to write a reflection on why the PEC structure can help you to write your own persuasive texts.

Fig. 2: Floods in Queensland in 2010-2011

For the Teacher

The structure of a persuasive text

The persuasive text lessons are designed to be implemented throughout the unit in your literacy time schedule. They are not designed to be taught in this sequence before going on to the following content activities.

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is to clearly identify the structure of persuasive texts at the whole text, paragraph and sentence levels. This is made explicit through the text annotations and also the reflection which involves practising the skill of writing a PEC paragraph.

Teaching tips

Ensure that you share the definition of a persuasive text with the students. Display the definition in a prominent place as you will refer to it throughout the learning element. It is important to have a common language when talking about persuasive texts. An advertisement is a persuasive text so for the purposes of the writing task, students will be writing a persuasive text which is an exposition. It is sometimes called an essay.

Emphasise the importance of the Point sentence to signal to the reader what the main message is. It links to an objective of the point sentence giving 'prominence to the message in the text and allows for prediction of how the text will unfold.'

In 3 invite students to discuss these questions in small groups and then have a whole class discussion, recording key ideas on a class mindmap to cater for the visual learners and to reinforce the main points. Some ideas that the students may share include:

What have you learned about the structure of a persuasive text? The PEC structure works at the whole text level as well as the paragraph level.

What is its purpose? How does the structure help to achieve the purpose?

- It helps you to clearly state an idea through 'P' paragraph and sentences

- Because the structure encourages writers to include evidence, examples and elaboration, it supports the purpose of persuasive texts - to persuade! Statistics help to provide strong evidence.

- The structure also ensures the writer does not go off on tangents which are not relevant to the main argument.

In the final reflection write a point sentence as a scaffold for students who need it, eg:

Following a PEC structure is very useful when writing a persuasive text.

The final reflection will also be useful to assess which students understand the PEC structure.

3. What Words, Phrases and Sentences will Help me Write a Persuasive Text?

For the Student

Look at the text on the A3 sheet again or create another. This time use a different colour to shade the words or phrases that you think are the most effective to persuade someone to agree with a point of view. Look back at the definition of a persuasive text before you start. Focus on persuasive words rather than persuasive ideas or arguments.

With a partner use the words or phrases you highlighted and look for others to complete the first two columns. An example has been done for you and there are some other clues. Use the 'analysis template' to record your responses.

Analysing_the_Flood_Tax_Exposition.doc
Word/ phrase
 Why it is persuasive (or not persuasive!) Mode
must More definite than might, may etc and shows the writer's opinion. Modal verbs
Makes the writer sound informed Technical terms or smart words
More importantly Shows the writer's point of view Signal word/Connective
On the other hand Shows writer is looking at other side of argument Signal word/Connective
Signal word/Connective
Evidence
Example
Subjective language
Subjective language
Conjunction
Conjunction
Appeals to the reader on a personal level Emotive words

Modal Verbs

Let's practise writing sentences with modal verbs. Each pair writes ten sentences and creates a data set of sentences with modal verbs. Walk around the room and look at other students' data sets. Place two ticks against the sentence you think is most persuasive and one tick next to the one you think is least persuasive. How did the class vote? Now create a word cline of the modal verbs.

Sort the modal verbs and create a wall chart for your classroom.

High Modality Medium Modality Low Modality



Use a Think-Pair-Share to reflect on when it is best to use high modality words and when low modality words work effectively. Share your ideas with the whole class.

Connectives/Signal Words

Brainstorm a word wall of words used in the text to connect paragraphs and sentences within each paragraph. These are called connectives or signal words. Highlight the words. They include:

- To begin

- Also

- More importantly

- On the other hand

- However

- Certainly

- Additionally

- Subsequently

- However

- In conclusion

What other connectives could you add to your word wall?

Conjunctions, dependent and independent clauses and complex sentences

Persuasive texts are more powerful when reasons, examples and/or elaborations are given to support an idea. This also helps you to write more complex sentences which can also make you sound very persuasive.

Use another highlighter to find all the conjunctions in the text - for, because, since, so, while, in order to, if, and.

The sentence that follows the conjunction is called the dependent (or subordinating)clause.The other part of the sentence is the independent clause - it generally can stand alone. By including conjunctions in this way you can write more complex sentences and sound really persuasive.

Use one colour to highlight the dependent clause and another to highlight all the independent clauses. Find other passages and do the same. Note that the independent clauses make sense by themselves.

Practise writing complex sentences using independent and dependent clauses. Try to write one complex sentence for each conjunction on the class list you brainstormed. Be creative and have fun! Share your sentences and vote on the best one for each conjunction.

For the Teacher

Analysing the language features of a persuasive text

Now go back and look at your PEC reflection on the structure of persuasive texts. Identify any complex sentences that you wrote that have independent and dependent clauses. Rewrite the PEC to include at least three complex sentences.

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is to clearly identify the language features of persuasive texts at the word, phrase and sentence levels. This is made explicit through the text annotations, retrieval charts to develop metalanguage for the language features and to analyse their effects, and opportunities for students to practise incorporating the language features in their own writing.

Teaching grammar in context is central to these activities. Grammar is seen as a resource for making meaning and to enable students to make deliberate choices to influence their audiences when producing their own texts.

Teaching tips

Modal Verbs

An example of a data set on modal verbs:

Children could learn about conserving water.

Children should learn about conserving water.

Children must learn about conserving water.

Children will learn about conserving water.

Children ought to learn about conserving water.

Children may learn about conserving water.

Children shall learn about conserving water.

Children have to learn about conserving water.

Children can learn about conserving water.

Children need to learn about conserving water.

Children would learn about conserving water.

Children might learn about conserving water.

Students may determine that 'will' is as strong/persuasive as 'must' - it depends on intonation! It is important to conclude that high modality words such as must are used by the writer to reflect their own views. Low modality words such as 'could' and 'might' are used in the E paragraphs to argue the other side of the argument - the one the writer does not feel as strongly about. Low modality verbs would follow 'On the other hand, for example. It's important to conclude from this activity that modal verbs can be used very effectively in persuasive writing.

Dependent and Independent Clauses

In the Australian Curriculum subordinate and main clauses are used in year 5 and dependent and independent clauses in year 6. In this learning element we are focusing on subordinate clauses but using the language of dependent and independent clauses as this is more accessible to the students and they can draw on it when exploring clauses in more depth, particularly dependent clauses beginning with pronouns such as who, whom, which and that. These are not covered in this learning element so the students are very clear about creating complex sentences using dependent (subordinate) clauses which begin with a conjunction.

A clause is the basic unit of meaning in English. It is a group of words that includes a verb. Understanding clauses can help students to write more complex sentences. A phrase does not have a verb.

You might have to revise verbs. Be careful not to limit the definition of verbs to 'doing' words as verbs are also 'having' words, 'being' words and 'saying' words. You could do a word sort of different verbs to clarify these differences and at the same time define verbs.

A conjunction links dependent (subordinate) and independent clauses and phrases. Here are some examples.

TIME CAUSE + EFFECT OPPOSITION CONDITION
after because although if
before since though unless
when now that even though only if
while as whereas whether or not
since in order that while even if
until so in case (that

An independent clause can stand alone. If it stands alone it is a simple sentence.

Many people have migrated to Australia.

Two independent clauses joined by a conjunction is a compound sentence.

Many people have migrated to Australia and they have become Australian citizens.

A dependent clause elaborates or adds information to an independent clause. A dependent clause needs an independent clause in order to make sense.

Many people have migrated to Australia in order to improve their living standards.

For extension students could explore other combinations of sentences - a simple sentence and a complex sentence; a compound sentence and a complex sentence etc.

4. Writing about Your Opinion

For the Student

Write an argument/persuasive text about:

  • Australians should pay for fresh water
  • Water conservation is important
  • Dams are an effective way to conserve fresh water
  • The El Nino Effect is fake
  • Australians should pay a flood tax
  • House and Contents Insurance should be mandatory
  • Other states shouldn't have to help after a natural disaster
  • An 'Act of God' should be covered by insurance
  • Australia should conserve water
  • Australia is a country drought and flood, and we should learn to live in both rather than try and change the natural environment
  • Scientists should get paid more than doctors/teachers/lawyers etc

For the Teacher

Project Rubric

5. A What???

For the Student

In pairs you are given a 'Tree Organiser' that has the main topic (Resource) and a definition for it (An available supply that can be drawn on when needed). Below that you fill in the boxes with words from the word bank. Using the Partner Share strategy, check your answers with your partner pair. At the bottom of the organiser, write a paragraph that summarises your findings.

Resource_Definitions.docx

For the Teacher

A resource is ...

Purpose

Students discuss with their partner what they think a resource is to try and have success for every child. They then share ideas so that if one pair has struggled the other pair may make it clearer. The summary checks that they understand what they have learnt.

Resources

'Tree Organiser' for every pair of students.

6. Something about Water

For the Student

The text 'Something About Water' by Penny Mathews and Tom Jellett (2009) is read by the teacher. It is only read to the 7th page. It ends with 'The earth has been recycling its water for Billions of Years'. (PPT)

For the Teacher

Key Text Investigation

Purpose

This lesson is short and designed to lead into a discussion about why our water is important. This will happen in the following lesson. The rest of the book will be read in following lessons.

Resources

Text Matthews, P. & Jellett, T. (2009) Something About Water.Omnibus Books; Malvern: South Australia.

7. So What!

For the Student

In teams of 4 everyone receives a 'Fishbone' structure. Each team member has a different issue. Each person in the group must add an effect of the problem then pass it on to the next person. You then add to another section in the next Fishbone you receive. The Fishbones are passed until everyone has added at least one thought to the fishbone. Read each fishbone and make sure you understand all the points. Each person from the group then takes their Fishbone and jigsaw’s with other people who have the same issue. Your group creates an A3 Fish Bone on that issue and presents it to the class. As a class brainstorm why it is important to look after our water supply.

In your journals draw what a world without fresh water would be like and write why it is important to you that we look after our fresh water supply.

So_What_Fishbone.doc

For the Teacher

Why is it important to care for our fresh water supply?

Purpose

This activity draws on many different structures. It is designed as a ‘What if’ activity where students put themselves in different situations where fresh water is polluted or scare so that they can appreciate that water is important to life.

Resources

Issues:

1. All the rivers in the world have become empty.

2. All fresh water sources have pollution in them.

3. When it rains only polluted water (acid rain) falls from the sky.

4. All sewerage is dumped into the rivers and lakes.

5. All water has been turned into salt water.

6. There is only a litre of fresh water given to each person a day.

7. All fresh water has to be bought (e.g. showers, drinking, dams, rivers)

A4 size Fishbone for every person. A3 size fishbone for every issue/group of 4.

Teaching tips

The first part is a Simultaneous Round Robin structure using and information organiser called a Fish Bone. There are 7 possible issues that you can place in the head of the fish for students to use. Groups need to be about 4 students. They then Jigsaw which means they change groups so that everyone in the group has the same issue. The final brainstorm is designed to prompt students' journal entries.

This process is used for an assessment activity. See Knowledge Outcomes for details.

8. How the Earth Made Us

For the Student

Watch the documentary 'How the Earth Made Us'. Write down any questions or interesting facts that you learn during the documentary. At the end of each section share your thoughts with a partner and combine any that were different. At the end of the documentary write a reflection in your journal about what you have learnt from the documentary, any questions you still have and if this has changed the way you think about water.

For the Teacher

BBC Documentary

Purpose

The purpose of this learning activity is to give students information about water, how it's used, why it's special, and how it changes humans and animals.

Resources

How the Earth Made Us

Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn6tOWKZbh4

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5munSXY6FE

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHf-Vx2AzhA

Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-Cv_OjnPN8

Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1aUfLqF5vg

Part 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnVQcr5DjeU

Teaching tips

This is a 6-part documentary.

It is important to stop at the end of each section or the students will get overloaded with information and not be able to think about what they have learnt. By sharing they get extra time to write about their ideas, they get to talk about them for validation and they get to write down any other information they may have missed.

9. Something about Water - 2

For the Student

Listen to your teacher read 'Something About Water' by Penny Matthews and Tom Jellett (2009).

Afterwards use a Think-Pair-Share to discuss your responses to it.

For the Teacher

Key Text Investigation - 2

Purpose

This lesson is designed to start the students thinking about the water cycle in real life before attempting the experiment to show them how it works. As such it is only meant to be a lead into the next lesson.

Resources

Text Matthews, P. & Jellett, T. (2009) Something About Water.Omnibus Books; Malvern: South Australia.

Teaching tips

If some students are unaware of the water cycle continue reading the pages of the information text entitled 'My Project'. This will give them a brief overview and allow for any questions or queries

10. Solid - Liquid – Gas – and Back Again - 1

For the Student

Using an experiment outline/scaffold with the title and purpose already filled out, hypothesise what will occur when ice is heated then cooled. Following the instructions, perform the experiment in groups and complete the diagram showing the results. Write a description of the results and whether it matched with the hypothesis.

For the Teacher

Experiment: Solid, liquid, gas - 1

Purpose

This series of lessons is designed to show that water changes states so that students understand that there is a fixed amount of water on the earth even though is changes state, leading to the concept of conserving water.

Focus is on having students understand that the process is reversible i.e. That water which we can create as a gas can then become a liquid and a solid again.

11. Solid - Liquid – Gas – and Back Again – 2

For the Student

Using the words solid, liquid, gas, condensation, freeze and melt and their definitions, re-label the diagram using the correct scientific terminology. Create a word wall using the words from the experiment.

For the Teacher

Experiment: Solid, liquid, gas – 2

Teaching tips

For the word wall create a diagram showing the different processes or states which have the words with it so that students create the connections.

12. Solid - Liquid – Gas – and Back Again – 3

For the Student

In your journals write or draw where the concepts discovered in the experiment would occur in the natural environment such as rain is condensation, ice to water is melting.

For the Teacher

Experiment: Solid, liquid, gas – 3

Purpose

Students are making connections to their own knowledge and using what they’ve learnt and using the theories in everyday life.

13. Can’t We Get Some More of It? - 1

For the Student

Record the following facts in your books:

Water is a reusable resource not a renewable resource as such there is a set amount available i.e. we can’t make anymore unlike trees which we can grow and there is not an infinite amount unlike sunlight which there is always more of.

¾ of the Earth’s surface is covered by water but 97%is salt water in our oceans; 3% is fresh water and of this, 2% is frozen in ice caps, snow and glaciers; 0.5% is underground. As such only 0.5% of the water on earth is useable fresh water.

For the Teacher

Water Conservation - 1

Purpose

This activity is designed so that students understand that water conservation needs to occur. They fill in the boxes so that they can start to comprehend how much water is actually useful for human activity.

14. Can’t We Get Some More of It? – 2

For the Student

You will then be given a piece of paper which is divided into squares. This paper represents the earth’s surface. Using the key on the paper, colour is the amount of surface area that is not taken up by water (1/4). Of the other part, colour 97 boxes, in a different colour, to show the amount of salt water on the earth. Next colour in 2 boxes to show frozen fresh water. Then colour in ½ a box to indicate all the fresh water stored underground. Finally colour in ½ a box to show all the useable fresh water on the earth’s surface.

Using the strategy All Round Robin Write, write down what this means for your use of fresh water and humanity's use of fresh water. Share your ideas with the other members of your group and write down any that you didn’t have. As a group brainstorm the ways that you could go about saving water.

In your journal reflect about the information you learnt today and the impacts on your life.

The_Earths_Surface_Worksheet.doc

For the Teacher

Water Conservation – 2

Resources

'Earth's Surface Worksheet'

Teaching tips

In All Round Robin Write, students silently write as many points that they can think of. They then share their ideas with the group so that everyone has similar/the same points and no one is left out or doesn’t know.

In this section, when the groups come together make sure they talk about doing a water audit so that they have a starting point and can see where they need to improve and can measure their improvement.

15. Water Payment

For the Student

After learning that water is a resource and we pay for the fresh water we use, in groups look at a water bill. Create a description for each major section of water charges, water charges based on actual readings and compare your usage.

Using the ‘Water charges based on actual readings’ section work out how much water is used each day and how much it costs each day.

In your journal, write a PEC paragraph on the topic ‘Should we pay for our water?’

For the Teacher

Looking at a Water Bill

Teaching tips

Explain that when change is made we need to have reliable scientific research for the change so that people understand why it is necessary. They need to do the research so that they can show the research results and their plan to the ‘community’ so that change can be made.

In the groups all students contribute ideas but they also have roles such as reader, writer, timekeeper and manager.

16. Paying for School Water

For the Student

Using your understanding of water bills, work out how much the school pays for water each day and how much water is used each day on average.

Create a goal for reducing water and possible uses for the money saved. Add this to a PPT as the start of a water management plan.

For the Teacher

Interpreting the School Water Bill

Purpose

In this activity, students' learning is connected to real life experiences. It also provides an opportunity to make numeracy relevant and connected.

Teaching tips

Support this activity by aligning some of the activities in your numeracy session with it. You may have to do some extra work on calculating the mean and division.

17. Water Meter Investigation – 1

For the Student

Using an example of a water meter, identify the amount of water that has been used. Then, given two different readings, in pairs, investigate how to work out how much water has been used over a given time.

As a class write down the steps to read a water meter.

For the Teacher

Reading the School Water Meter – 1

Purpose

This activity also provides a real life context for learning. It also builds student knowledge about water usage.

Teaching tips

Again support this activity by explicitly teaching the maths required by students to work out water usage.

18. Water Meter Investigation – 2

For the Student

As a class create a roster so that the water meter is checked before lunch, after lunch, before recess, after recess and at the end of the day. Each pair will have to fill in a table showing their reading and the amount of water used each session and day.

For the Teacher

Reading the School Water Meter – 2

Purpose

By looking at school water usage, students will have a strong basis for planning actions to save water at school as well as home.

Teaching tips

This may need to be done in negotiation with other classes who may be completing the same unit. It may also be done by the same people or everyone can have a turn.

19. Where do We Use the Most Water and Why?

For the Student

In teams, use the information gathered from reading the meter to fill in a fish bone diagram to explain possible reasons for having a high amount of water use at certain times and a low amount of water at other times i.e. where is the water being used. Using this knowledge create possible ways to reduce water usage. Add these to the water management plan PPT.

In your journal reflect on the questions ‘How much water do I use?’ ‘Can I use less water?’ and ‘Where/how can I use less water?’

For the Teacher

Using the Information

Teaching tips

As the students complete the fishbone, encourage lots of talk so students share ideas and prompt each other's thinking and understanding.

20. Presenting Your Water Management Plan

For the Student

Complete the PPT for your water management plan, including why we need to conserve the amount the school uses, your goal for reduction, and the actions you want the school community to take to conserve water.

You then need to present your PPT to the class and the best two are to present to a younger grade in the school.

. Read the other PPTs and comment on the best one. The two with the most positive comments are presented to a younger grade.

For the Teacher

Presenting the Water Management Plan

Teaching tips

Explain that when change is made, we need to have reliable scientific research for the change so that people understand why it is necessary. They have done the research now they need to show the research results and their plan to the ‘community’ so that change can be made.

21. Action Plan in Action

For the Student

In groups, create 2 different strategies to remind all students about the actions you’ve decided to take to conserve water such as posters or reward programs. Post these to Community in Scholar and make at least 2 comments on 2 other strategies. Pick one and put your strategy in place.

Reflect in your journal on your success in the implementation. Post the main points in Community in Scholar  and comment on at least 2 other strategies.

For the Teacher

Long Term Action Plan

Extension: Create an action plan based on your understanding of school and home water use that could be used to inform the wider community of why water needs to be conserved and how they could go about conserving their water.

Extension: Investigate a different resource and how we can and should conserve it. Students present their information in Scholar Community.

Extension: Investigate how water is used, appreciated and conserved in another country. Compare to Australia using a PMI chart/Venn Diagram.

Teaching tips

The reflection will have to occur at least a week after putting the strategy in place. It could be an ongoing reflection each week with modifications as needed.

22. Cotter Dam Excursion

For the Student

View the construction of the Cotter Dam. Whlist there read the information and talk to the expert about how and why it's constructed.

When you return from the Dam reflect in your journal about what you saw, learnt and thought about.

For the Teacher

Teaching tips

Try and have the excursion planned for this space in the unit; however it can go anywhere across the unit as long as the following lesson (the effects of dam building) is taught after visiting the dam.

When you are there have students consider the size of the wall and dam, the amount of storage this creates and why more was needed especially considering that the building of the dam was proposed and started during a drought.

If possible the students could take their journals to record what they see and think about whilst viewing the dam. This would be especially good for a drawing exercise. Students could brainstorm writing words as they walk, it may initiate interesting discussion and writing pieces back at the school.

23. Conserving Water the BIG Way

For the Student

After visiting the dam complete a cause and effect fish bone trying to come up with as many effects as possible of putting a dam into a river system. These may be negative or positive and may have flow on effects which need to be included. Partners then do a partner share to try and come up with as many effects as possible. Partners then combine to make groups of 4 and share their fish bones. They then thumb vote whether a dam is a good way to conserve water or not. One person then travels to the group on the left and one person to the group on the right and shares their group's ideas and votes.

For the Teacher

Effects of Dam Building

Teaching tips

When setting the fish bone up have students focus on water conservation with dams. They can think of other effects of damming but the main consideration is conserving water through creating dams.

24. Winners and Losers

For the Student

 In groups of four participate in a fan and pick. Everyone in the team will have a role that rotates with each turn (1: fans the cards, 2: picks and reads, 3: Answers, 4: Adds any comments and praises). Each team will be given a set of question cards. Each person will need to pick a card and answer the question. Roles will then rotate until everyone has had a turn.

Questions: Who gains if we act to save water and does anyone lose? Who gains and who loses if we understand that water is not renewable? Who gains and who loses if all school students know about conserving and saving water? What are the effects on the community if we conserve water? What would be the effects on the world if we don't conserve water?

In your journal, pick one question and write your thoughts and conclusions about it based on the group talk.

For the Teacher

Who gains/loses if we conserve water?

Purpose

In this activity students evaluate their learning and develop an understanding of its significance in their own lives.

Teaching tips

Not all the questions will be used. This gives the students some choice about their own learning.

Students may choose any of the questions to answer in their journal even if it hasn't been discussed in the group as all the questions are related.

25. Dry vs Wet

For the Student

The whole class creates a mindmap of all that they've learnt over the past weeks in this topic. Write down 3 reasons why we would be looking at water conservation. Using the defend strategy share with your partner the reasons you wrote down and defend your choices. Swap roles. Pick the most likely one. You are then given the what if scenario of Australia being in a drought and you need to reconsider your answer with your partner. Share the most likely conclusion with the class.

For the Teacher

Drought

Purpose

The purpose of this lesson is two-fold. Firstly, it's to have the students see the big picture of why we're doing this. Secondly, it's a lead in to talk about weather disasters, particularly drought and flood. As such students need to get to the conclusion that the point is that our water in Australia has been limited due to drought and we need to take conservation steps for when we go back into drought.

26. Crazy Weather

For the Student

Fold an A4 piece of paper into 4 segments. On the bottom left hand corner complete a rally table (each person writes a response, swaps the paper with a partner and they write another response. This continues back and forth for 3 mins. Each partner should end up with a list) on what Queensland and western NSW was like in summer 2009-2010. Swap these with your face partner and add any extra ideas. In the top left hand corner draw a representation of what Queensland and NSW Australia was like in summer 2009-2010. Complete the task again on the opposite side (using face partners first then sharing with shoulder partners) to the topic what Queensland looks like summer 2010-2011. Summarise the information as a class using a Venn diagram. Share some suggestions as to why there may be some many differences.

View some clips on YouTube about the drought and flood in recent Australian history. Some examples are 'Australian Drought Hits Food Bowl', Toowoomba Flood Australian Floods 2011 - Australia's Crying - True Blue

In your journal reflect why there may be such a difference. Justify your answer.

For the Teacher

Connecting to Drought and Flood

Purpose

This is the equivalent of a case study, as such the unit will refer back to the case study.

This lesson is designed to have students connect to what they know about the change in weather in QLD, particularly the droughts up until summer 2010 and the flooding in the summer of 2011. NSW is also having similar changes and could be discussed.

Resources

Blank A4 paper for each person

Teaching tips

When students are completing the Rally Table encourage them to use adjectives to describe drought and flood.

27. What is Going on?

For the Student

In groups of four, team read a 'newspaper article' about the disasters in Queensland. Complete an all write round robin where everyone writes all the facts they can remember about the text. Then share your answers with the group and add any others that you may have come up with. Class then creates a Venn Diagram about what is similar in the articles their team read and what was different.

Newspaper_Articles.docx

For the Teacher

Reading about El Nino/La Nina

Purpose

Through this activity students gain more knowledge which is important to develop their understanding of the topic.

Resources

4 'newspaper articles' (1 copy for each)

28. El Nino/La Nina

For the Student

Define any key content words from the articles. Teams decide on a choral answer for the question 'What is the weather phenomenon happening in Eastern Australia?'

Watch the documentary 'Australia - Eye of the storm: La Nina' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCqmffgQDHA&feature=fvsr about El Nina.

Class discussion based on the overall purpose of the documentary and the importance of Australian weather patterns. Like to Dorothea Mackellar's poem 'My Country' particularly the line 'Of droughts and flooding rains'.

In groups complete a mind map of all the facts you now know about El Nino and La Nina. Take one natural disaster on your mind map and create a chain sequence organiser of what could/has happened in Australia if this hit the Eastern Coastline. There may be more than one chain i.e. your chain may branch off with different possibilities. Complete a one stray where one person from your group takes the information and shares it with another group. Add anything else that has been taught of to either the mind map of sequence chain.

Reflect in your journal about your response to the El Nino Effect.

For the Teacher

Defining El Nino/La Nina

Extension - Students could look up the origins for the terms and discuss why these terms might have been used and why they are not named in English.

Teaching tips

NOTE: there are scenes which show and discuss animal reproduction.

Students can struggle with the purpose of the documentary. They need to discuss it before, during and after to understand that all the changes in weather lead to new life and continued life for many species of flora and fauna. For example the wallabies only reproduce when it is wet enough i.e. during La Nina, and some trees only release their seed pods after fire. As such both extremes are needed in Australia.

29. Water Temperature Experiments

For the Student

View a of 'PPT' of pictures of flooding in Queensland. Continue viewing the PPT with pictures of flooding and/or mudslide in South America. the teacher will explain that what has been happening in eastern Australia was happening in South America. Identify where Australia and America are on a 'world map'.

Weather_Patterns.pptx
world-map-outline.gif

For the Teacher

How does the El Nino and La Nina Happen?

Resources

'Weather Patterns in Australia PPT'

'World Map Outline' - One for each student

30. Why?

For the Student

In an inner/outer circle pairs discuss some possible reasons why the flooding maybe happening at different times in different sections of the world. As a class predict possible answers.

For the Teacher

Why is flooding happening in Australia and South America?

Purpose

Through this activity students use talk to scaffold their thinking. The structure of the activity also develops social skills as students interact with a variety of other students in the class.

31. Water in Our Oceans

For the Student

As a class perform the following experiments and complete the sheet to help illustrate what is happening in our oceans.

'Going Under!'

Going_Under.doc

Prepare a clear container of mild water. This is going to be the sea at a normal temperature; however there are cold water currents and hot water currents. Have a salt shaker of ice cold water with blue dye and boiling hot water with red dye. Predict what will happen if the different types of water are poured into the ocean. Complete the experiment and record the results, answering the question: what does this mean for our ocean? (i.e. cold water goes to the bottom and hot water goes to the top).

'Going Up!'

Going_Up.doc

Prepare two clear basins - one of hot water and one of cold. Predict which one will have the greatest and quickest evaporation. Place cling wrap over the top of each basin and put a stone in the middle. Which one condenses faster? Reflect as a class what this means for our oceans (i.e. if one evaporates quicker, one type of water is going to form clouds but the other is not).

Continue watching the 'PPT' describe the fact that water currents move around the ocean in conjunction with the wind. There are 3 types of currents and wind. In normal conditions warm water is at the top nearer to Australia and cool water rises on the western coast of South America allowing some clouds to be formed and taken to eastern Australia. In El Nino years hot water is pushed out across the whole of the Pacific Ocean and no cold currents are near the top meaning that lots of clouds form and the winds push them towards South America. In La Nina years more hot water is pushed towards the Australian coast and the winds push the clouds towards the Australian coast.

Weather_Patterns.pptx
Experiment_Teacher_Sheet.doc

For the Teacher

Experiments

Resources

'Going Under' and 'Going Up' experiment sheets for every student

Large clear container

2 smaller clear containers

2 salt/pepper shakers (heavy)

Cold/Hot/Mild water

Blue and red food dye

Weather Patterns 'PPT'

Teaching tips

Going Under!

'To perform this experiment' fill the large container with mild water. Place boiling hot water and red dye in one of the salt/pepper shakers. Place freezing cold water and blue dye into the other one. Facing opposite directions, place them side by side at the bottom of the container. The red dye will rise and the blue dye will settle at the bottom. It takes a minute to get going but the students will see it coming out of the top of the salt/pepper shakers in a pattern. This is what they must draw.

Going Up!

'To perform this experiment' fill one clear container with cold water and blue dye and place its lid on. Fill another container with hot water and red dye and put its lid on. The hot one forms condensation. This is what they must draw.

After completing the experiments take time to discuss what happened and the scientific reasons for why. Try and have students elaborate on their thinking and apply it to other circumstances such as hot air in a Hot Air Balloon.

32. Drought and Flood

For the Student

Go back to your original predictions about why El Nino and La Nina occur and compare them with the idea that the more hot ocean water that is near the country the more clouds (and rain) happens in that country.

In your journal reflect on the following question: Should Australians be prepared for both flood and drought or is what is happening in Queensland unique and we shouldn't prepare as it won't happen again?

For the Teacher

Should Australians be prepared for Drought and Flood?

Purpose

This activity was designed to allow students to bring their ideas back to how it affects them and should they prepare for fluctuating weather patterns.

Teaching tips

Encourage talk to scaffolding thinking before writing.

33. Becoming a Scientist

For the Student

Using a word web, write Scientist as the topic in the middle. With a partner, in a rally table, fill in points for each section (What are some types of scientists?, What things can be studied as a scientist?, What do scientists do?, What do scientists look like?). Each pair completes a Pairs Compare, where you team up with another pair to share your answers and add anything you might have missed. Individually write at least 2 points as to why it is important to study science as a career. Using the hand up, stand up, pair up strategy find a partner and share one of your ideas, recording your partners if you don't already have it. Continue until you have found 4 other people to share with.

In your journals record your answer to the following questions: Are scientists useful? Should we have scientists? Why/Why not? If you had to be a scientist, what would you study? Finally, draw what you think a scientist would look like and draw what you would look like as a scientist.

For the Teacher

Science as a Career

Purpose

In this lesson students engage with the idea that all the information we have learnt is because scientists have researched them. Also that scientists, and science itself, is valued in society. They imagine themselves being scientists and explore the possibility of it being a career. This also connects their learning to real life, making it more relevant.

34. Natural Disasters

For the Student

Using what you have researched in class, prepare a project based on another disaster (i.e. not flood or drought). Use the 'rubric' provided to research and present your information. You will need to include a description of your chosen event, a case study and a cause and effect chart that shows the different effects that disaster may have in different communities.

For the Teacher

Project - Natural Disasters

Purpose

This is designed to be a project that the students take home to complete to gain a greater understanding of the effects of various disasters.

Resources

'Rubric' in Scholar

Teaching tips

This was used as an assessment for the unit.

Project Rubric

35. Acknowledgements

The original version of this learning module was written by Rebecca Stapleton, Rita van Haren and Sue Gorman.

Title: (Source); Fig. 1: (Source); Fig. 2: (Source).