Water Pollutants

Contributor
Iowa Public Television
Type Category
Instructional Materials
Types
Animation/Movie
Note
This resource, vetted by NSTA curators, is provided to teachers along with suggested modifications to make it more in line with the vision of the NGSS. While not considered to be "fully aligned," the resources and expert recommendations provide teachers with concrete examples and expert guidance using the EQuIP rubric to adapted existing resources. Read more here.

Reviews

Description

Students watching this Water Pollutants video will learn about the different types of pollutants that can be found in water sources. It highlights the damage that these pollutants can do to the environment as well as to humans. The video is 5:08 minutes in length.

 

This video is part of the Explore More Collection.  For supplemental activities, viewers can visit Explore More: Water Quality. The supplemental activities are not part of this curated resource.

Intended Audience

Educator and learner
Educational Level
  • Grade 5
Language
English
Access Restrictions

Free access - The right to view and/or download material without financial, registration, or excessive advertising barriers.

Performance Expectations

5-ESS2-1 Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.

Clarification Statement: Examples could include the influence of the ocean on ecosystems, landform shape, and climate; the influence of the atmosphere on landforms and ecosystems through weather and climate; and the influence of mountain ranges on winds and clouds in the atmosphere. The geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere are each a system.

Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to the interactions of two systems at a time.

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this performance expectation, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Performance Expectation
To meet the Performance Expectation, students should be encouraged to record the information that they are learning about water pollutants into a science notebook or on a teacher created chart so that the student can develop models of the interactions between the hydrosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and the geosphere. For example, students should record the type of water pollutant, determine its origin and then record the path that it makes towards the water source. After analyzing these pathways, students can develop models on how the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.

Science and Engineering Practices

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this science and engineering practice, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Science and Engineering Practice
To ensure that the full practice is met, this video should be used as a complex text. Students should listen to the video several times. The purpose of the first viewing is to understand the gist of the video. During the additional viewings, students record information regarding each type of water pollutant presented. The use of Closed Captioning is a particularly helpful tool provided. The teacher should have students reflect on the discussion questions provided as support materials. In addition to the discussion questions, there is also a background reading document as part of the support materials that the teacher can use to engage students in the reading of informational text.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
The main focus of the video is the impact of humans (biosphere) on waterways (hydrosphere). The video also addresses ways that humans can limit water pollutants.

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
Students could construct arguments on the impact on the environment (biosphere, atmosphere, and geosphere) if humans do not limit water pollutants as well as if changes are made to limit water pollutants.

Crosscutting Concepts

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this crosscutting concept, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Crosscutting Concept
To ensure that this crosscutting concept is addressed, emphasis should be given to students observations of local situations. This could include the effects of stormwater runoff in urban environments, water quality readings within local water sources, as well as runoff in rural environments. Students can investigate how scientists measure water quality in their local areas and how they monitor the changes that occur.

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this crosscutting concept, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Crosscutting Concept
To ensure that this crosscutting concept is addressed, emphasis should be given to students observations of local situations. This could include the effects of stormwater runoff in urban environments, water quality readings within local water sources, as well as runoff in rural environments. Students can investigate how scientists measure water quality in their local areas and how they monitor the changes that occur.

Resource Quality

  • Alignment to the Dimensions of the NGSS: This resource provides opportunities to develop and use specific, grade-appropriate elements of the Science Practice, Disciplinary Core Idea, and the Crosscutting Concept, working together to support students in three-dimensional learning to make sense of the phenomenon of water quality and in how humans affect water quality. A teacher should be very intentional when designing a learning experience for the students that encourages them to ask questions and make connections about how water pollution impacts environments in order for students to take part in three-dimensional learning. This video can provide an introduction to the problems of human impact on the environment, giving students background information they can apply to their local situations.

  • Instructional Supports: The resource engages students in understanding an authentic problem while using scientifically accurate information to support students’ three dimensional learning. Supports for differentiation are not provided.

  • Monitoring Student Progress: The teacher may wish to develop a rubric to rate student discussion participation, science notebook entries, and rating questions that students ask about water pollution on Earth. The science notebooks and the discussions that will occur with each viewing of the video would provide direct, observable evidence of three-dimensional learning.

  • Quality of Technological Interactivity: The resource does not include a technologically interactive component.