Lesson 21.2: Water Pollution
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C HAPTER
Chapter 1. Lesson 21.2: Water Pollution
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Lesson 21.2: Water Pollution
Key Concepts • • • •
Point and non-point source pollution Sources of water pollution Ocean water pollution Thermal water pollution
Lesson Objectives • • • •
Define point and non-point source pollution. List sources of water pollution. Describe ocean water pollution. Identify causes and effects of thermal pollution.
Lesson Vocabulary • point source pollution: pollution that enters water at a single point • non-point source pollution: pollution that enters water in many places rather than at a single point • thermal pollution: pollution that raises the temperature of water
Teaching Strategies Introducing the Lesson
Introduce water pollution by helping students recall what they already know about pollution. Question: What is pollution? Answer: Pollution is the act of contaminating the environment. Question: How do you think water might become polluted? Answer: Students might mention sources of water pollution that have received a lot of media attention, such as oil spills or illegal dumping of toxic wastes by industry. Tell students they will learn about these and other sources of water pollution when they read this lesson. 1
www.ck12.org Activity
Help students realize how our daily activities can affect the water supply. One of the most common chemicals in the products that we regularly use is phosphorus. In addition to fertilizers, it is found in cleaning products such as dishwasher detergents. Excess phosphorus is a serious pollutant in aquatic ecosystems. In the activity at the following URL, students will estimate the amount of phosphorus in water discharged from a dishwasher and relate that amount to the EPA’s recommended limits on phosphorus in bodies of surface water. http://earthecho.org/images/uploads/wpc_uploads/Phosphates_in_Dishwasher_Detergents_MS.pdf
Differentiated Instruction
Ask students to make a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting point source and non-point source pollution. Then discuss examples of each type of pollution.
Enrichment
Suggest that students who want to learn more about water pollution read the EPA report “What’s Up With Our Nation’s Waters?” at the following URL. The report includes science projects and a home water survey that students can undertake on their own with your approval or the approval of a parent or guardian. Ask the students to create a written summary of what they learned from the report, projects, and/or survey. http://water.epa.gov/learn/resources/nationswaters_index.cfm
Science Inquiry
Most water pollution comes from non-point sources, specifically, from runoff. The inquiry activity at the URL below shows how building and other development affect the amount and quality of runoff. In the activity, students will make a model that simulates different land use situations. Then they will use the model to investigate how water infiltrates or runs off depending upon whether the land is covered with vegetation, bare, or developed. http://omp.gso.uri.edu/ompweb/doee/teacher/pdf/act10.pdf
Common Misconceptions
Students may think that the ocean is so large that pollution of ocean water is not a serious problem. Discuss why this is not the case. Explain how pollution in the ocean can affect entire marine food webs. Tiny marine organisms such as plankton take in pollutants, and the pollutants are passed on to the larger animals that feed on them. Because of bioaccumulation, the effects of pollution are greatest in the top predators of marine food webs.
Reinforce and Review Lesson Worksheets
Copy and distribute the lesson worksheets in the CK-12 Earth Science for Middle School Workbook. Ask students to complete the worksheets alone or in pairs to reinforce lesson content. 2
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Chapter 1. Lesson 21.2: Water Pollution
Lesson Review Questions
Have students answer the Review Questions listed at the end of the lesson in the FlexBook® student edition. Lesson Quiz
Check students’ mastery of the lesson with Lesson 21.2 Quiz in CK-12 Earth Science for Middle School Quizzes and Tests.
Points to Consider People can’t live without water. They need it for life itself. More than almost any other resource, water must be protected. How can water pollution be prevented? How can we use less water?
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