On Monday, we kicked off Earth Week with a visit from our local watershed ambassador, Jordan Foreman. He is the Americorp volunteer for Watershed Management Area 11. Jordan's presentation clearly demonstrated how pollution can find its way into our local lakes and streams. He encouraged the students to be good stewards of our watershed by cleaning up after pets and disposing of waste properly.
Following the assembly, Jordan visited Grades 2 and 3 for a demonstration of the Enviroscape watershed model. The visit was part of their IB unit," Water is an essential, but limited, resource".
The watershed model included a landscape of mountains, homes, farmland, roads, vehicles, a factory, and a mine. Water that was sprayed on the model quickly turned black as it mixed with the "pollution" that had been sprinkled at various sites. The rivulets of dirty water joined together to flow into a lake,
demonstrating how a watershed can be polluted by human activity.
demonstrating how a watershed can be polluted by human activity.
Grades 2-5 worked on their Water- themed projects all week.
On Friday, the students presented their projects at an all school gathering.
On Friday, the students presented their projects at an all school gathering.
Grade 2
Grade 2 presented "All the Water in the World". The demonstration began with 5 gallons of water, which represented all the water on earth. It ended with one tablespoon of water, which represented the tiny amount of fresh water that is available for our use.
Grade 3
Grade 3 conducted water testing of the nearby Shipetaukin Creek. The tests included pH, temperature, turbidity, and amount of nitrates, phosphates, dissolved oxygen, and biological oxygen demand.The students presented their results at the assembly.
Grade 4
To coordinate with their IB unit, The Ocean's Ecosystem is Essential to the balance of Life, Grade 4 students researched the trash that is polluting our oceans. Their presentation on The Great Pacific Garbage Patch illustrated how devastating plastic waste is for the health of the ocean and our planet.
Grade 5
Grade 5 students presented their findings on the water footprint of various products, mostly food. A water footprint is the amount of water needed to grow, produce, package, and ship a product. At the low end, the water footprint of 2.2 lbs of tomatoes is 57 gallons. At the high end, the water footprint of 2.2 lbs of coffee is 4, 993 gallons!