approved Adirondack Curriculum Project - www.adkcurriculum.org student tested
NYS Content Area Standard

Arts 1: Create, Perform, Participate in the Arts
ELA 1: Language for information and Understanding
MST 4. Science

NATIONAL STANDARDS
  • Science: Earth & Space Sciences; Life Sciences
  • Life Skills: Thinking & Reasoning; Life Work; Working with Others
  • Language Arts: Reading; Writing
  • Arts: Understands & Applies Media, Techniques & Processes
 Title: The Water We Drink and Use


Grade Level: 3 - 6th

Author: Hollie Combs & Jennifer Hubert, Queensbury UFSD

Email: hcombs@queensburyschool.org,  jhubert@queensburyschool.org 		Adirondack Curriculum Content Area
_X_ Natural History
___ Human History
___ Culture & the Arts
___ Government & Civics
___ Economy
___ Health, Recreation & Life Skills

Investigative Question or Issue: Where does your water come from and how can we keep water clean?

Challenge:  
In groups of four, create one (your choice) of the following products to helpothers learn where our water comes from and how we can help to keep it clean.
1. Write a letter to the editor of your local or school newspaper.

2. Design a t-shirt logo, with an attached information card, to inform about where our water comes from and to persuade consumers to keep our water clean.

3. Write and perform a one-act skit about where our water comes from, how we use water and ways to keep it clean.

4. Create an informational display or powerpoint presentation.

Context for Challenge: This challenge is a culminating activity for a unit of study investigating three
questions: 1) Where does our water come from? 2) What factors pollute our water? 3) How can we
keep our water clean? The teacher will want to lead students in an investigation of The Water Cycle
and encourage students to discuss and share their thoughts regarding the questions cited previously.

Directions: Distribute Student Hand-Out and Product Quality Checklist; discuss challenge and quality standards;
provide resources; and allow students to form groups.

Quality Standards:  

  • Product shows where our water comes from and how it might be kept clean
  • Produce communicates information that is accurate
  • Product is completed on time
  • Product is neat in appearance
  • Products meets all the Crieria for Quality as described and posted in class
  • All group members are prepared to explain their product to the rest of the class when asked to
    do so
Adapted for the Adirondack Curriculum Project from the work of Education By Design TM and Leading EDGE, LLC ©ACP 2002

   Product Quality
Checklist
Date: ________                                                                     Class Period: ________
Product Author(s):
The Water We Drink & Use
Evaluator Name(s)
 
 Observed Standard/Criteria
Possible
Points
Rating

ALL PRODUCTS

 
Product shows where our water comes from and how it might be kept clean
  
  

Product communicates information that is accurate


Product is completed on time


Product is neat in appearance


All group members are prepared to explain their product to the rest of the class when asked to do so


LETTER TO THE EDITOR


Proper letter format


Persuades readers to keep water clean


Letter is presented to the class


T-SHIRT LOGO


Fits on 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper


Logo must be an original and colorful design


Logo is mounted on posterboard template of t-shirt


ONE-ACT SKIT


Each student must demonstrate their role in writing the skit


Each student must demonstrate their role in performing the skit


Speaking - voice is clear and able to be heard


INFORMATIONAL DISPLAY OR POWERPOINT


Display or presentation is original and colorful


Contains 10 written informative facts about where our water comes from and how to keep it clean.





 
TOTALS
  100  

Comments: nf Northern Forest Partnership