Lesson What’s THAT in the Water?!

(Inquiry Lesson)
Title
Teacher Catharina Grabe
Grade High School Biology (I am not specifying a specific grade level because
Level many high school biology courses include students from multiple grade
levels)
Approxim 90 minutes
ate Length
of Lesson
Targ Next Generation Science Standards:
et
1.) HS-LS2-3. Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence
for the cycling of matter and flow of energy in aerobic and
anaerobic conditions.

Virginia Standards of Learning:

2.) BIO.8 The student will investigate and understand dynamic

equilibria within populations, communities, and ecosystems. Key
concepts include
d) the effects of natural events and human activities on ecosystems;

Rela Next Generation Science Standards:

ted
3.) HS-LS2-2. Use mathematical representations to support and revise
explanations based on evidence about factors
Stan affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales.
dards
Virginia Standards of Learning:

4.) BIO.8 The student will investigate and understand dynamic

equilibria within populations, communities, and ecosystems.
Key concepts include
a) interactions within and among populations including carrying
capacities, limiting factors, and growth curves;

BIO.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific

reasoning, logic, and the nature of science by planning and conducting
investigations in which
5.) d) graphing and arithmetic calculations are used as tools in data
analysis;
6.) e) conclusions are formed based on recorded quantitative and
qualitative data;
7.) i) appropriate technology including computers, graphing calculators,
and probeware, is used for gathering and analyzing data,
 communicating results, modeling concepts, and simulating experimental
conditions;
8.) m) current applications of biological concepts are used.

Based on a set of data regarding the water quality of several bodies of water,
the student will be able to correctly identify which bodies of water are most
and least affected by eutrophication (Standards 2, 4, 6, 8).
Given a set of data regarding the water quality of several bodies of water,
the student will be able to explain correctly how water quality data provides
Objectives
information regarding the level of eutrophication within aquatic ecosystems
(also
(Standard 1, 6).
provide
Given a set of data regarding the water quality of several bodies of water,
the
the student will be able to use Microsoft Excel to effectively compare and
associated
contrast the data for the different bodies of water (Standards 3, 5, 6, 7).
standard)
Given a set of data regarding the water quality of several bodies of water,
the student will be able to explain how the components or properties of an
aquatic ecosystem are related to the health of the ecosystem. These
components and properties include: pH, turbidity dissolved oxygen,
temperature, nitrate, phosphate, and coliform bacteria (Standards 1, 4, 6).
Essential How can scientists use water quality data to determine the health of aquatic
Questions ecosystems? (Standards 4, 6, 8).
(also How does eutrophication influence the components or properties of an
provide aquatic ecosystem? (Standards 1, 2, and 4).
the How can you use graphs to compare water quality data from different
associated bodies of water? (Standards 3, 5, 6, 7).
standard)
Post- At the conclusion of the lesson, the students will submit the Water Quality
Assessme Analysis Form. The teacher will grade this form to determine if the students
nt (also mastered the objectives for this lesson. The Water Quality Analysis Form
provide assesses all of the standards (Standards 1 through 8) for this assignment.
the
associated
objective)
I normally conduct pretests several days before conducting the related
lesson. I do this because I use pretest data to adjust my lessons in order to
address any misconceptions that the students have regarding the material.
Pre-
Thus, the students will complete the following pre-assessment prior to this
Assessme
lesson.
nt (also
provide
The students will respond to the following question in a written paragraph:
the
associated
How does eutrophication influence the components or properties of an
objective)
aquatic ecosystem? (Standards 1, 2, and 4).

Next, the students will use Microsoft Excel to complete another pre-test
 question:

Draw a graph that will allow you to compare and contrast the following
water quality data from three bodies of water:

pH for Water Body A: 6.7

pH for Water Body B: 7
pH for Water Body C: 7.3

On your graph, indicate whether the bodies of water have a basic, acidic, or
neutral pH.

(Standards 3, 5, 6, 7, 8).

Materials • 1 Earth Force® Low Cost Water Monitoring Kit

• Samples of water from three different rivers, ponds, or lakes from
the local community.
o One of these water bodies should demonstrate signs of a
healthy ecosystem with little or no eutrophication. Another
water body should demonstrate signs of mild eutrophication.
The third water body should demonstrate signs of severe
eutrophication.
• Laptops that contain Microsoft Excel (At least 6 laptops are required
for this lesson because there are 6 groups of 4 students in the class. The
class need at least 1 laptop per group of students).
• Access to the Internet
• Computer projection system
• 24 Copies of the Water Quality Analysis Form
• 24 Copies of the Eutrophication Process Form
• Eutrophication | Ecology and Environment | the virtual school
video. This video is available through the website:
https://youtu.be/6LAT1gLMPu4
• Video from the article “Large fish kill, dolphin stranding reported on
Outer Banks beaches” This video is available through the website:
http://wtkr.com/2015/03/18/large-fish-kill-dolphin-stranding-reported-on-
outer-banks-beaches/

1.) Prior to conducting this lesson, the teacher will obtain samples of water
from three different rivers, ponds, or lakes from the local community. One
of these water bodies should demonstrate signs of a healthy ecosystem with
little or no eutrophication. Another water body should demonstrate signs of
mild eutrophication. The third water body should demonstrate signs of
severe eutrophication.
 2.) Next, the teacher will use the Earth Force® Low Cost Water Monitoring
Kit to obtain data certain chemicals and organisms within the water. The
Earth Force® Low Cost Water Monitoring Kit Will allow the teacher to
contain data regarding the “pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, temperature,
nitrate, phosphate, and coliform bacteria” (LaMotte Company, 2015, “Earth
Force®,” para. 1) within the water samples. The directions and safety
instructions are included with this kit but are not available online.

I selected this kit because this kit allows teachers and students to gather a
large amount of data in a safe, efficient, and affordable manner (LaMotte
Company, 2015). One of these kits will have enough materials to test all
three water samples. The kits cost only $38.95 (LaMotte Company, 2015).
The Earth Force® Low Cost Water Monitoring Kit can be purchased from
the website http://www.lamotte.com/en/education/water-monitoring/3-
5886.html

In this lesson the teacher collects the data before class due to the time
constraint. The class is not long enough for the students to collect all of the
required data using the kit.
Technolog The students will use Microsoft Excel to create graphs.
y Lesson
Scientific The students will engage in an inquiry activity regarding the effect of water
Inquiry quality on the health of aquatic ecosystems. The students will analyze water
Lesson quality data to answer the following research question: “How can you use
water quality data to determine the health of aquatic ecosystems?” I
obtained a few ideas for this lesson plan from the Institute on Science and
the Environment for Teachers at Cornell University (n.d.) article
“Eutrophication Experiments.”
Engage 1.) (2 minutes) The students will view the first 65 seconds
of the video from the article “Large fish kill, dolphin
stranding reported on Outer Banks beaches” (Mitchell &
Corillo, 2015). The video is available through the URL:
http://wtkr.com/2015/03/18/large-fish-kill-dolphin-
stranding-reported-on-outer-banks-beaches/
2.) This video describes a massive fish kill that happened in
the Outer Banks. The teacher will stop the movie after
Procedure 65 seconds because after 65 seconds the video begins to
explain why the fish died. Students must not listen to the
explanation for the fish kill until later in the lesson.
3.) (3 minutes) Next the teacher will ask the students to
brainstorm ideas regarding possible causes of the fish
kill. The teacher will provide the students with the
following prompt: “What caused the massive fish kill in
the Outer Banks? Take 2 minutes to write down your
ideas about the possible causes of the fish kill.”
 4.) (3 minutes) One or two students will share their
response to the question with the class. A possible
response from one of the students might be that an oil
spill polluted the water and caused the fish to die. At this
point, the teacher will allow the students to present their
answers without agreeing or disagreeing with their
responses. At the end of the class, the students will have
opportunities to correct their explanations.
5.) (20 minutes). The teacher will then discuss principles
regarding the nature and history of science with regards
to the issue of water quality:
• Scientific conclusions about natural phenomena, such as
the massive fish kill we learned about at the beginning of class,
are based on empirical evidence. Empirical knowledge is
knowledge that was gained from observing the natural world.
Since scientific conclusions are based on observation and
experimentation, scientific conclusions are different from other
types of knowledge, such as philosophical or religious
conclusions about the world. Therefore, to make a scientific
conclusion about the cause of the fish kill in the Outer Banks,
you would have to gather data through experimentation and
observation.
• Today, numerous organizations continuously collect
water quality data to analyze the health of aquatic ecosystems.
The teacher will ask the following question: Why is it
important to collect water quality data?
• A student might respond by saying that we need to
collect water quality data to determine if there are any
pollutants in our drinking water. The teacher would respond by
saying that human beings indeed add many pollutants to the
water bodies around us. The teacher will then provide the
students with the following information regarding the history
of water quality control:
• The United States Government has not always regulated
the pollutants that are poured into the nations waters.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(2012), "The first comprehensive legislation for water pollution
control was the Water Pollution Control Act of 1948"
("Statutory History," para. 1). This law initiated the
development of programs to regulate water pollution within the
United States.

Explore 1.) (4 minutes) The teacher will introduce the next activity with
the following statement:
• “Fish kills and other ecological disturbances do not
happen only in the Outer Banks. Such disturbances have
 happened in water bodies in our own community. One of the
most important steps in finding out what causes ecological
disturbances in aquatic ecosystems is to gather extensive water
quality data.
• Today we will use the process of inquiry to make
conclusions regarding the use of water quality data in
determining the health of aquatic ecosystems. Inquiry is a very
important process that is used in science. Inquiry refers to the
process of analyzing data in order to make conclusions
regarding a research question.
• I have collected water samples from three different water
bodies in the community. Work individually to complete the
Water Quality Analysis Form regarding this data. In this
inquiry-based activity, you will analyze water quality data
to answer the following research question: How can you use
water quality data to determine the health of aquatic
ecosystems?”

2.) The teacher will provide the students with a list of data for
each of the three water samples regarding the following
parameters: pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, temperature,
nitrate, phosphate, and coliform bacteria.

3.) The teacher will also place the water samples at the front of
the classroom for the students to observe. The water samples
should be contained in clear glass containers that are labeled
and sealed tightly. The teacher must tell the students that
they may not open the waters samples. Instead the students
should observe the water samples by looking through the
glass of the sealed containers.

4.) The students will take approximately 30 minutes to work on

the Water Quality Analysis Form, which is attached at the
end of this document. The students will use this form to help
them with analyzing the water quality data. The students will
complete a portion of the assignment for homework. The
students will work individually on this assignment.

Explain 1.) (5 minutes). The students will watch a short video that
explains the process of eutrophication. This video will
help the students to understand how high nutrient levels
can lead to hypoxic conditions within aquatic
environments. Thus, the students will be able to use the
video to improve their understanding of the water quality
data that they examined during the Explore portion of
the lesson. The students will watch the video twice. The
 video is titled Eutrophication | Ecology and
Environment | the virtual school (The Fuse School -
Global Education, 2012). This video is available through
the following URL: https://youtu.be/6LAT1gLMPu4
2.) (10 minutes). After watching the video, the students will
work in pairs to complete the Eutrophication Process
Form, which I have attached below.
Elaborate 1.) (5 minutes) Next, the students will meet in groups of
four to respond to the following scenario: Imagine that
you are a biologist who works for the North Carolina
Department of Environment and Natural Resources,
Division of Water Resources. You have been given the
task of finding out what caused the massive fish kill. As
a scientist, what would you do to find out what caused
the massive fish kill? The students will take 5 minutes to
discuss what they would do to find out what caused the
massive fish kill.

2.) (10 minutes) Each group will select one person to share
their groups’ plan to find out what happened to the fish.
Evaluate At the conclusion of the lesson, the students will submit the
Water Quality Analysis Form. The teacher will grade this form
to determine if the students mastered the objectives for this
lesson. On their homework, the students will list any questions
and concerns that they have regarding the lesson. The teacher
will address these concerns during the following class period.
Explicit In the Engage section of this lesson plan, the teacher connects information
Incorporat regarding the nature of science with issues regarding water quality.
ion of
Nature of
Science
Explicit In the Engage section of this lesson plan, the teacher discusses the history of
Incorporat water quality monitoring within the United States.
ion of
History of
Science
Modificati To meet the needs of English Language Learners (ELL), I will provide these
ons to students with a list of key terms and definitions. I will identify all of the
Meet essential terms within this lesson that ELL students may find challenging. I
Individual will then define these terms and provide the list to the ELL students.
Student
Needs A student who has Down syndrome is enrolled in my class. The student has
moderate intellectual disabilities. This student will work with a teacher’s
aide to complete the activities. The student will complete an adjusted
version of the lesson. For example, the student will not complete all of the
graphs. Instead, the student will focus on completing and analyzing just the
 Dissolved Oxygen Graph. In addition, the teacher’s aide will work with the
student individually regarding the process of eutrophication.

To meet the needs of gifted students, I will provide the students with an
additional reading assignment regarding the effects of temperature changes
on aquatic environments. I will provide the gifted students with copies of
the article “Chesapeake Bay region streams are warming” (2014). The
article is available through the following URL: http://phys.org/news/2014-
12-chesapeake-bay-region-streams.html

Safety The teacher will explain to the students that they may not open the sealed
jars that contain the water samples. These water samples may contain
hazardous chemical or biological materials because the samples were
collected from outdoor environments. The teacher will dispose of the water
samples in a safe manner.
Reference Chiappetta, E. L., & Koballa, T. R., Jr. (2004, November). Quizzing
s students on the myths of science. The Science Teacher. Retrieved from
https://www.blackboard.odu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-4585561-dt-content-rid-
6207884_2/courses/201420_SPRING_STEM454_23094/Myths_of_Science
.pdf

Institute on Science and the Environment for Teachers at Cornell

University. (n.d.). Eutrophication experiments. Retrieved from
http://ei.cornell.edu/watersheds/Eutrophication_Experiments.pdf

LaMotte Company. (2015). Earth Force® Low Cost Water Monitoring Kit.
Retrieved from http://www.lamotte.com/en/education/water-monitoring/3-
5886.html

Mitchell, B., & Corillo, T. (2015, March 18). Large fish kill, dolphin
stranding reported on Outer Banks beaches. NewsChannel 3. Retrieved from
http://wtkr.com/2015/03/18/large-fish-kill-dolphin-stranding-reported-on-
outer-banks-beaches/

New York State Department of Health. (2011, June). Coliform bacteria in

drinking water supplies. Retrieved from
https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/water/drinking/coliform_bacteria.
htm

Phys.org. (2014, December 8). Chesapeake Bay region streams are

warming. Retrieved from http://phys.org/news/2014-12-chesapeake-
bay-region-streams.html

The Fuse School - Global Education. (2012, October 15). Eutrophication |

Ecology and Environment | the virtual school [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://youtu.be/6LAT1gLMPu4
 The USGS Water Science School. (2014, April 8). Water Properties and
Measurements. Retrieved from
https://water.usgs.gov/edu/characteristics.html#Turbidity

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2012, April 3). Water

quality standards history. Retrieved from
http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/history.cfm
Teacher I worked very hard to create this lesson. I believe that the students will
Reflection enjoy completing the activities in this lesson while also learning a great
s on deal. I look forward to implementing this lesson in my future classes.
Lesson
To analyze the effect of the lesson on student learning, I will evaluate the
changes in the students’ understanding of the material based on the pretests
and posttests. I will use the pretests to identify any misconceptions that the
students might have about the material. I will address these misconceptions
during the lesson. If 80% of the students do not demonstrate mastery of the
objectives with regards to the posttest, then I will allocate additional class
time to remediate the concepts that the students struggled the most to
understand.

Water Quality Analysis Form

Student Name: ___________________

Bell Number: _________

Directions: In this activity, you will analyze water quality data to answer the following
research question: How can you use water quality data to determine the health of
aquatic ecosystems?

Use Microsoft Excel to create graphs for each category to compare the data from each of
the three different water bodies. After you create your graphs in Excel, paste the graphs
into the spaces below. The categories for the different sets of data include: “pH, turbidity,
dissolved oxygen, temperature, nitrate, phosphate, and coliform bacteria.”

Terms that you might not understand:

According to the New York State Department of Health (2011), “Coliforms are bacteria
that are always present in the digestive tracts of animals, including humans, and are found
in their wastes. They are also found in plant and soil material” (“What are Coliforms?,”
para. 1).

“Turbidity is the amount of particulate matter that is suspended in water” (The USGS
Water Science School, 2014, “Turbidity,” para. 1).

Observations regarding the water samples:

1.) Examine the water samples by looking at the samples through the glass jars. (Do
NOT open the sealed jars that contain the water samples). What do you notice
about the water samples? Describe the appearance of the water samples:

pH Graph:

Turbidity Graph

Dissolved Oxygen Graph

Temperature Graph

Nitrate Graph

Phosphate Graph

Coliform Bacteria Graph

Use your graphs to answer the following questions:

1.) Describe the relationship between the pH of the water and the amount of
oxygen within the water bodies.

2.) Describe the relationship between the turbidity of the water and the amount of
oxygen within the water bodies.

3.) Describe the relationship between the temperature and the amount of oxygen
within the water bodies.

4.) Describe the relationship between the amount of oxygen in the amount of
nitrate within the within the water bodies.

5.) Describe the relationship between the amount of oxygen in the amount of
phosphate within the within the water bodies.

6.) Describe the relationship between the amount coliform bacteria and the
amount of oxygen within the water bodies.

For homework, answer the following questions using the The USGS Water Science
School website.
Go to the The USGS Water Science School website titled “Water Properties and
Measurements” to find out how scientists use water quality data to assess the health
of aquatic ecosystems. The URL for this website is:
https://water.usgs.gov/edu/characteristics.html#Turbidity

Answer the following questions by using information from this website:

How do changes in pH influence the health of an aquatic ecosystem?

How do changes in turbidity influence the health of an aquatic ecosystem?

How do changes in oxygen influence the health of an aquatic ecosystem?

Explain why oxygen is a limiting factor within ecosystems?

How do changes in temperature influence the health of an aquatic ecosystem?

Use information from The USGS Water Science School website titled “Nitrogen and
Water” to answer the following question. The URL for this website is:
https://water.usgs.gov/edu/nitrogen.html

How do changes in nitrate influence the health of an aquatic ecosystem?

Use information from The USGS Water Science School website titled “Phosphorus
and Water” to answer the following question. The URL for this website is:
https://water.usgs.gov/edu/phosphorus.html

How do changes in phosphate influence the health of an aquatic ecosystem?

Use information from The USGS Water Science School website titled “Bacteria in
Water” to answer the following question. The URL for this website is:
https://water.usgs.gov/edu/bacteria.html

How do changes in coliform bacteria influence the health of an aquatic ecosystem?

Describe the health of the water bodies that you analyzed in the “What is THAT in the
water?!” activity. (For example, did any of the water samples come from water bodies
that are undergoing eutrophication?)

Please list any questions or concerns that you have regarding this lesson:

I based the Eutrophication Process Form on the script of the Eutrophication | Ecology
and Environment | the virtual school video by The Fuse School - Global Education
(2012).

Eutrophication Process Form

Student Name: ___________________

Bell Number: _________

You can view the eutrophication video through the TeacherTube:
http://www.teachertube.com/video/eutrophication-ecology-and-environment-the-virtual-
school-356652

1. Eutrophication is a process that could happen in a ___________, like a river or

lake, when too many nutrients are added to the system.

2. Eutrophication starts when fertilizers, which are rich in ___________, like nitrate
and phosphate, are washed into a ___________system. This leads to an increase
in ___________ concentrations in the water.

3. The nutrients are food for ___________. The ___________ grow and reproduce
quickly, forming a thick green bloom in the water.

4. This ___________ bloom will ___________ sunlight shining on the water. As a

result, the sunlight can’t reach the bottom of the lake or river.

5. ___________ that need this sunlight to photosynthesize will die out.

6. The algae will also start to ___________ when they eat up all of the nutrients and
run out of food.

7. Next, ___________ start to break down the dead plants and algae. And that
releases more ___________ back into the water continuing the ___________
Cycle.

8. The bacteria, with a continuing supply of food, will reproduce into much larger
numbers. The bacteria will continue to consume ___________ as they grow and
respire.

9. There’s not much ___________ in the water to begin with, so when bacteria
consume it quickly, it might run out completely. Water without oxygen is called
___________ water.

10. If the water turns anoxic, all nonbacterial life in the water, including
___________, will die.

11. So that’s how eutrophication happens: when nutrients are added to water, it
causes in algal bloom, cutting off sunlight and feeding bacteria. The bacteria use
oxygen in the water, which becomes anoxic, causing everything in the water to
die. Eutrophication is one reason why we need to be careful with fertilizers when
growing crops.