South Carolina Aquarium Online Curriculum, 6th

Eighth Grade Indicators

8-1.1	Design a controlled scientific investigation.
8-1.2	Recognize the importance of a systematic process for safely and accurately conducting investigations.
8-1.3	Construct explanations and conclusions from interpretations of data obtained during a controlled scientific investigation.
8-1.4	Generate questions for further study on the basis of prior investigations
8-1.5	Explain the importance of and requirements for replication of scientific investigations.
8-2.7	Summarize the factors, both natural and man-made, that can contribute to the extinction of a species.

Key Points
Key Points will give you the main information you should know to teach the activity.

Detailed Information
Detailed Information gives more in-depth background to increase your own knowledge, in case you want to expand upon the activity or you are asked detailed questions by students.

Water pollution in our watersheds is an issue that affects us all. It affects us directly through our drinking water and indirectly through slow changes in the environment. We have been aware of the problems and solutions for decades. Industry and individuals have made important changes in their practices and daily lives but there is still a lot that can be done.

There are different types of pollution that affect the water in our watersheds. One type is categorized as point source water pollution. Point source water pollution enters the environment from an identifiable source, such as from a discharge pipe of a factory. Industries that have identifiable discharges include sewage livestock farms, landfills, and water treatment plants. These industries discharge many different kinds of pollution, ranging from livestock manure to industrial chemicals.

The discharge of materials from point sources is regulated by state and federal government agencies. These industries are issued a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. This means that the pollutants are controlled and monitored as they are emitted into streams, rivers and other bodies of water. The emissions must meet the guidelines of the permits or the facility may be heavily fined. There are some facilities that do not meet the guidelines of laws passed by the state and federal governments. These facilities are not breaking the laws. They have been "grandfathered" through the laws. Many of these facilities were operating before the laws were created and are not able to comply without spending lots of money on refurbishing major parts of the facility. The companies that run the facilities would possibly go bankrupt if they were made to comply with the laws.

Point sources of pollution, such as the industries mentioned above, contribute a great amount of pollution to streams, rivers, and other bodies of water, but they do not contribute a majority of the pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency estimated that 50% of the pollution in our nation's waters comes from non-point sources. Non-point sources of pollution are the products of everyday activities by people like you and me.

Non-point source pollution is pollution that comes from sources that cannot be directly located. An example of non-point pollution is the fertilizer that people put on their lawns. When excess fertilizer washes off of the lawn during a rainstorm it can enter the watershed as runoff. Runoff is water that flows on the surface across lawns, roads and other landscape features. Pollution can be carried or dissolved in runoff and enter the watershed. Once in a body of water, the pollution can be sensed with the proper equipment, but it can not be directly linked to any particular lawn in the community. It is pollution that originated from an indistinguishable (non-point) source. Runoff originates from urban areas, agriculture land, construction sites, lawns, and some industries, such as mining. The main elements of polluted runoff are heavy metals, salts, sediment, nutrients, and bacteria.

Many of our daily activities can contribute to non-point source pollution, including lawn and landscape maintenance; car maintenance; use of vehicles; and construction of structures, like homes, highways and shopping malls. In these activities, we apply fertilizers and pesticides; spill small amounts of oil and gasoline; and dig up the ground causing soil erosion. The chemicals and loose soil stay in the area until there is precipitation. The water from a rainstorm falls in these areas, picks up the pollution, and then flows towards storm drains and streams and rivers.

When the rainwater goes directly into a stream it carries all of the pollution with it. Storm drains, though, are not always a better destination for the rainwater. Many towns' storm drains and water treatment systems are unable to cope with the high volume of water that runs through them during a storm. When this happens the runoff is diverted directly into the watershed. The runoff contains heavy metal, salts, oils and soil, sometimes in high concentrations. These types of events have been called "shock loadings." Shock loadings can temporarily make the water unfit for life. In many communities, beaches are closed to recreational activities immediately after a rainstorm. The runoff from the storm carries too much pollution into the water for it to be safe to swim.

What can we do? Point source water pollution is under strict regulations, so we are already helping the environment by restricting how industries pollute water environments. We cannot entirely eliminate pollution from industries because we need them to support our way of life. But we can still develop new and better methods of reducing industry's waste.

There are many things that we can do to help reduce non-point source water pollution. As people participate in a variety of activities, they contribute little bits of non-point source pollution. Each person or activity is not contributing dangerous levels, but all of the little bits added together can be damaging to the environment, wildlife and people. The key to lessening non-point source pollution is education. If everyone understands how their activities contribute to pollution, maybe they can make small changes in their activities that will help reduce their own pollution contribution. Examples include using a little less fertilizer on their lawn and reducing the amount of oil they spill when working on their cars.

Towns and cities can reduce the amount of non-point source pollution by increasing the frequency of street cleaning, encouraging people to take mass transit, enforcing stricter regulations concerning construction site runoff and use of fertilizers and pesticides. Towns and cities review potential pollution sources in their area and generate Best Management Practices (BMP's) to deal with them. Examples of BMP's include planting buffer zones of vegetation in certain areas. The buffer zones absorb runoff and allow it to be slowly emitted after the rainstorm, preventing some of the shock loading of watersheds.

Point source and non-point source water pollution can be reduced if people and community leaders have the information they need. Taking care of the water in our watersheds is a responsibility we all must share. We are all a part of the problem and we can all be a part of the solution.

Point Source And Non-point Source Water Pollution
Common types and sources of point source (ps) and non-point source (nps) water pollution. Also included is information about how the pollution enters the watershed (runoff, ground water, or direct) and what some Best Management Practices (BMP's) are that may help reduce the amount or affect of the pollution from these sources.

Type of pollution	point (ps) or non-point (nps)	Source	Best Management Plans (BMP)
salts	nps	salting icy roads	careful use
pesticides, fertilizers	nps	lawn care	careful use
pesticides and fertilizers	nps	golf courses	careful use
pesticides	nps	agriculture pesticides	buffer zone or collection pool
oils, gasoline	nps	recreational activities	careful use
oils, gasoline	nps	long commutes/ excess driving	car pooling, mass transit
oils, gasoline	nps	car maintenance	careful use
oils, gasoline	nps	paved roads	porous roads
nutrients and bacteria	nps	agriculture fertilizers/manure	buffer zone or collection pool
nutrients and bacteria	nps	septic systems	better containment
hazardous chemicals	nps	households	careful use
eroded soil, heavy metals	nps	mining	better containment
eroded soil	nps	construction runoff	better containment
chlorine, heavy metals	ps	Industrial facilities	careful use
chlorine	ps	sewage treatment plants	careful use

Materials

Watering can
Measuring cup
Clay (non-hardening)
Clear plastic trays (tops to seedling trays)
Wax paper
Tape
Vegetable oil
A variety of spices
Carpet or sponges cut up into small piece

Procedure

How is the land around rivers developed by people? Ask the students to list some different ways that people use rivers and the land around rivers. Use a local example if your town or city is located on or near a large river.
Divide the students up into groups of four to six students each and introduce the activity to the students. Each group represents a new community along a river. They will plan and build a model of their community, which will be reviewed and tested in a certain way (revealing the rainwater test too early might reduce the impact of the lesson).
Have each group create a drawing for their new community. Guidelines for the plan:
1. streams should be included in the landscape. There should be several streams flowing from the land portions of the model into the river.
2. the community can have homes, shopping areas, factories, mines, lumber companies, hotels, recreational facilities, natural areas, public parks, whatever the students think the community would need to be a place where people would want to live.
Each group should create a model of their community with clay on a clear plastic tray with raised sides.
1. a piece of wax paper should be placed on the bottom of the tray
2. clay represents the land and should be placed in the model accordingly. A thin layer of clay can be placed in sections in the model to represent the land between the streams and river. Clay should not be placed where the river and streams will flow.
3. the river and land should end two inches from the end of the tray- this is the ocean or lake that the river flows into.
4. if time allows, students can create small models of the buildings or plant life of their community with clay or other waterproof materials.
Once all of the groups have finished their models, discuss the terms point source water pollution, non-point source water pollution, and runoff with the students. Refer to the lesson's background section. Explain to the students that they will be testing to see how much pollution the community they designed might be producing.
One group at a time, prepare and test the student's models.
1. the teacher will place small amounts of "pollution" on developed areas of the models according to a key. An example key would use spices (pepper, paprika, etc.) to represent point source pollution, and vegetable oil to represent non-point source pollution. The amount of "pollution" should be correlated to the size of the source of pollution. Example: a small factory would get 1/8 teaspoon of pepper and a large factory would get 1/2 teaspoon of pepper sprinkled over it; a lawn would get a half drop of vegetable oil and a golf course or farm field would get two drops.
2. the teacher can place pieces of carpet or sponge in areas that represent natural places (parks, fields, forests, marshes, etc.) or in a water treatment plant if the students included one (if possible do not introduce the idea of a water treatment plant until a second run through of the activity)
3. create a slight slope to the model by placing a book or other object under one end. The flow of the river in the model should be towards the "lake" or "ocean" portion of the model where there is a two inch open space.
4. make it rain on the model with water from a small watering can: use the same amount of water for each group's model, such as 250 ml.- the runoff from the rain should flow into the streams and river and collect in the "lake" or "ocean"
5. the students should determine what pollution entered the runoff?; how much runoff and pollution the carpet (natural areas) held onto; how they could improve their model to help with the pollution
6. follow the same procedure with each group
If time permits, conduct a second trial of the experiment. This time with improvements to the models
a. have the groups modify their models in ways that will lesson the amount and impact of their pollution
b. they can include water treatment plants, buffer zones of vegetation, collection pools, etc.
c. a chart can be created that shows the differences between the results of trial 1 and trial 2.

Follow-up questions

What can we do to help? Have the students list things that they can do to lessen the amount of pollution they create in their daily activities.

Cross-Curricular Extensions
Social Studies Extension
Have students research a pollution event that occurred in South Carolina. For example, occasionally aquatic birds have washed up on the Atlantic coast covered in oil. Students can research where and when spills have occurred and what measures were taken to clean up the spill and prevent future spills.

Social Studies Extension
During a visit to the South Carolina Aquarium, have students try to find exhibits that depict different human uses of aquatic habitats. The students can record their findings in a journal as they walk around the Aquarium. Examples of Aquarium exhibits that depict human uses of aquatic habitats include Fly Fishing (recreation), Piedmont Reservoir (hydroelectric plants), Freshwater Marsh (rice fields) and Blackfish Banks (artificial reefs).

Social Studies Extension
Students can participate in a town council meeting simulation about a proposal to build a stock car racetrack a few miles upstream from a National Park. National Parks are often home to threatened or endangered species and a source of pollution a few miles away could threaten the health of the ecosystem in the National Park. Students can fill the roles of the developers, town council members, racecar team owners and drivers, racecar event fans, environmentalists, and local citizens. The students should write a few sentences that they will read during the meeting. The students that are the council members must come up with a decision that best reflects the needs and desires of the community.

Physical Education Extension
Written by South Carolina Aquarium master teacher Missy Vogt physical education teacher at Bluffton Elementary School.

Teacher Reference Books
Audubon magazine, published by the National Audubon Society.
This bi-monthly magazine has articles on wildlife all over the world and the conservation issues affecting them.

Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1993.
This book, first published in 1962, was a powerful look at how pesticides have affected the natural world. It led to the banning of DDT and helped start the environmental movement.

Duany, Andres, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Jeff Speck. Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream, North Point Press, New York, 2000.
A look at the issues around and consequences of America's current system of urban development.

Leopold, Aldo. A Sand County Almanac, Oxford University Press, New York, 1949.
This classic of nature writing was one of the first texts to examine the ethical reasons of why humans need to preserve wild places.

Ricklefs, Robert E. and Gary L. Miller. Ecology, W.H. Freeman Company, 1999.
This college textbook is a great resource for finding out how wildlife communities interact with each other as well as the abiotic factors of their environment, and what human influences can be on these communities.

Teacher Reference Websites
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Environmental Education
http://www.cbf.org/education/index.htm
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation has put together an exemplary watershed protection program that encompasses many states. This site includes information on what they have done in this program as well as curricula and other education related items.

Southern Appalachian Watershed Conservation Clearinghouse
http://sunsite.utk.edu/samab/proj/watershed.html
This site offers links to a number of websites related to watershed conservation in the Southeastern United States.

South Carolina DHEC Bureau of Water
http://www.scdhec.net/water/
This website offers lots of information on watersheds in South Carolina including information on education and outreach programs.

United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Surf Your Watershed
http://www.epa.gov/surf/
This EPA website is a wonderful resource that includes maps and interactives that can be used for a better understanding of watersheds and the conservation issues related to them.

Student Reference Books
Bruning, Nancy. Cities Against Nature, Childrens Press, Chicago, 1992.
A student's look at how urban development affects wildlife communities.

Cone, Molly. Come Back, Salmon, Sierra Club Books for Children, San Francisco, 1992.
Learn how the students of Jackson Elementary School in Everett, Washington, cleaned a nearby stream, stocked it with salmon and protected it from pollution.

Herda, D.J. Environmental America: The Southeastern States, The Millbrook Press, Brookfield, CT, 1991.
A student's look at the environmental issues affecting the Southeastern United States.

Liptak, Karen. Saving Our Wetlands and Their Wildlife, Franklin Watts, New York, 1991.
This book describes the different types of wetlands and the wildlife found there. It also includes ideas for protecting the wetland habitats.

Mattson, Mark. Scholastic Environmental Atlas of the United States, Scholastic Inc., 1993.
This excellent reference book is filled with maps and charts that help kids to understand different aspects of environmental issues such as overpopulation and waste disposal.

McVey, Vicki. The Sierra Club Kid's Guide to Planet Care & Repair, Sierra Club Books for Children, San Francisco, 1993.
Learn how activities we do everyday affect the environment. Includes tips for improving our environment as well as classroom activities for students.

Student Fiction Books
(These books may be too elementary for middle school students, but they are beautiful books that can be appreciated by everybody, accept, maybe, punky pre-teens)

Cherry, Lynne. The Great Kapok Tree, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers, New York, 1990.
A man getting ready to chop down a tree in the Amazon rainforest falls asleep and is visited by many different members of the rainforest wildlife community who tell him why they do not want the tree to be cut down.

Cherry, Lynne. A River Ran Wild, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers, New York, 1992.
A beautifully illustrated story of how a river in New England has changed during the last 400 years as more people moved to live on its banks.

Jeffers, Susan. Brother Eagle, Sister Sky: A Message From Chief Seattle, Dial Books, New York, 1991.
A beautifully illustrated book of the ecological message of Chief Seattle, an Indian chief who lived in the Pacific Northwest from 1790 to 1866.

Curricula
Action: A South Carolina Environmental Curriculum Supplement
Action is an activity-based, interdisciplinary K-12 curriculum for teaching basic environmental education sponsored by the South Carolina DHEC. Activities focus on air, energy, solid waste and water, including watersheds. Free workshops are available.

For more information:
Contact: Richard Chesley
Telephone: 1 (800) 768-7348 or
(803) 896-4209
E-mail: cheslerl@columb34.dhec.state.sc.us
Internet Address: www.state.sc.us/dhec/eqc/lwm/recycle1.html

Aquatic Project WILD
Aquatic Project WILD is an interdisciplinary curriculum for K-12 teachers on aquatic wildlife and ecosystems. The activities cover a broad range of environmental and conservation topics. For information on signing up for workshops, call the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources at (803) 734-3814.
For more information click on:
www.dnr.state.sc.us/cec/educate/edu1.html#teacher

The GLOBE Program
Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) is a hands-on international environmental science and education program. GLOBE links students, teachers, and the scientific research community in an effort to learn more about the environment through student data collection and observation. To learn more about the GLOBE program visit their website at www.globe.gov.

Either before, after, or in place of a visit to the South Carolina Aquarium, we encourage teachers using the South Carolina Aquarium's sixth through eighth grade curriculum to visit a local stream, pond or river to conduct water analysis experiments. You can find detailed water analysis procedures on the GLOBE website. From the home page, visit the measurements section and then proceed to hydrology.

Project WILD
Project WILD is an interdisciplinary curriculum for K-12 teachers on a broad range of environmental and conservation topics. For information on signing up for workshops, call the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources at (803) 734-3814.
For more information click on:
www.dnr.state.sc.us/cec/educate/edu1.html#teacher

SCMAPS:
SCMAPS is an integrated curriculum for grades 6-8 that uses maps and aerial photography to focus on the natural and cultural history as well as the geology and geography of South Carolina. It is filled with useful classroom activities, many of which deal specifically with watersheds. For information on signing up for a SCMAPS workshop call the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (803) 734-3814.
For more information click on:
www.dnr.state.sc.us/cec/educate/edu1.html#teacher

Project WET
Project WET is an interdisciplinary curriculum for K-12 teachers that focuses on water, waterways and watersheds. For information on signing up for workshops, call the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources at (803) 737-0800.
For more information click on:
www.dnr.state.sc.us/cec/educate/edu1.html#teacher

Field Trip Sites
Lee State Natural Area
This site, located near Florence, allows students to explore the Lynches River and its associated hardwood floodplain forest. Education programs offered there focus on understanding and stewardship of watersheds. For more information call (803) 428-5307 or click on www.southcarolinaparks.com/.

Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area (Jones Gap and Caesars Head State Natural Area)
This natural area, located in the Northwest corner of South Carolina, joins the watersheds of Table Rock Reservoir and Poinsett Reservoir. It contains two state parks and three Heritage Preserves and a diversity of mountain habitats. Both state parks offer education programs that explore the ecology, hydrology and geology of the area. For more information call Caesars Head State Park at (864) 836-6115 or Jones Gap State Park at (864) 836-3647 or click on www.southcarolinaparks.com/.

Table Rock State Park
Located in the Northwest corner of the state, this park includes some of South Carolina's most spectacular scenery. Part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, this park gives students an opportunity to see the waterfalls, elevation changes and other features that are characteristic of a mountain landscape. Education programs are offered there that promote awareness and appreciation of the surrounding watershed and its associated natural resources. For more information call (864) 878-9813 or (864) 878-7269 or click on www.southcarolinaparks.com/.

Congaree Swamp National Monument
Located just outside of Columbia, this is an area of old-growth riverbottom hardwood forest that is protected by the National Park Service. Its blackwater and brownwater swamps are very indicative of the habitats found in the Coastal Plain of South Carolina. These swamps, formed with water brought from the Piedmont, can be used to illustrate the interconnectedness of aquatic habitats in a watershed. The Monument has developed a curriculum and offers environmental education programs for visiting school groups. For more information call (803) 776-4396 or click on www.nps.gov/cosw/.

Francis Biedler Forest
Located near Harleyville, Francis Biedler Forest is the last remaining stand of virgin bald cypress trees and tupelo gum in the world. It gives students the opportunity to see a pristine blackwater swamp habitat that is a part of the Edisto River watershed. The forest is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday and offers interpretive environmental education programs. For more information call (843) 462-2150 or click on www.pride-net.com/swamp/.

ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve
This reserve, located between Edisto Beach and Hunting Island, contains 12,000 acres of tidal marshes and estuarine waters. The area is rich in wildlife: fish, crustaceans, birds and even mammals can all be found here. Boat tours are available through this area for high school and college students allowing them to tour some of the watersheds of the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto Rivers. For more information call (843) 762-5032.

St. Stephen Fish Lift/ Jack Bayless Hatchery
This is a good place to see the some of the changes man has made on watersheds. Located near St. Stephens, this fish lift allows anadramous fish (the fish that migrate into freshwater rivers to spawn) to bypass the lake Marion and Moultrie dams that block their way. A fish hatchery is also here where striped bass, white bass and hybrids are produced for stocking the lakes of South Carolina. The fish lift operates from about March 15 to April 15 and school groups are welcome. For more information or to arrange a group tour call (843) 825-3387.

Savannah District Lakes
Located in the upstate on the Savannah River, these man-made lakes include Hartwell, Russell and Thurmond. Around 130 parks and recreation areas can be found around these lakes. They are a good place to look at the reservoirs that have made major alterations in South Carolina's watersheds. For information on bringing school groups to these lakes call 1-888-893-0678 for Hartwell, 1-800-944-7207 for Russell, and 1-800-533-3478 for Thurmond.

If you are aware of other books, videos, websites, curricula, fieldtrip destinations or other materials that would make excellent resources for this activity, please e-mail them to us for inclusion in this list at: Education@scaquarium.org

Grade Level	Standards
6th Grade	6-1.2, 6-1.4, 6-4.2
7th Grade	7-1.2, 7-1.3, 7-1.4, 7-1.6, 7-4.5
8th Grade	8-1.1, 8-1.2, 8-1.3, 8-1.4, 8-1.5, 8-2.7
* Bold standards are the main standards addressed in this activity.

6-1.1	Use appropriate tools and instruments (including a spring scale, beam balance, barometer, and sling psychrometer) safely and accurately when conducting a controlled scientific investigation.
6-1.4	Use a technological design process to plan and produce a solution to a problem or a product (including identifying a problem, designing a solution or a product, implementing the design, and evaluating the solution or the product).
6-4.2	Summarize the interrelationships among the dynamic processes of the water cycle (including precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, condensation, surface-water flow, and groundwater flow).

7-1.2	Generate questions that can be answered through scientific investigation
7-1.3	Explain the reasons for testing one independent variable at a time in a controlled scientific investigation.
7-1.4	Explain the importance that repeated trials and a well-chosen sample size have with regard to the validity of a controlled scientific investigation.
7-1.6	Critique a conclusion drawn from a scientific investigation.
7-4.5	Summarize how the location and movement of water on Earth’s surface through groundwater zones and surface-water drainage basins, called watersheds, are important to ecosystems and to human activities.