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• Resources for Elementary Grades •

Celebrate 50 years of Earth Day by exploring human impact on the environment. How can we take action against climate change? How can we be sustainable even as our population grows?

Reading: How Do People Use Earth’s Resources Lesson Plans:

Green Spaces (3‐5; science, social studies, math) ‐ Students estimate and verify the amount of green space necessary to meet the oxygen needs of the entire class and then design an imaginary city that meets both the oxygen needs and daily living needs of the city's residents. Habitat Scramble (K‐5; science, social studies, ELA, math) – In a role‐playing simulation, students act as an animal in a habitat trying to survive by collecting cards that represent all of the essential habitat services – water, soil, shelter, space, air, and food. Lend a Hand to the Earth (K‐2; science, social studies, language arts) – Students create handprint art and write an action they will take to protect the environment. Waste A‐Weigh (K‐5; science, math, social studies) – By weighing and recording their lunch waste every day for a week, students learn how conservation efforts can reduce the total amount of trash generated. Who Polluted the River? (K‐2; science, social studies, language arts) ‐ By creating their own “polluted river,” students learn how our growing population and use of resources have affected local waterways.

*For more great resources, visit us at www.PopulationEducation.org!

Climate Connection

Climate Connection

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K-5 Activities for Global Citizenship

Population Connection © 2016

UNIT 6 | PEOPLE AND RESOURCE USE

HOW DO PEOPLE USE THE EARTH’SRESOURCES?

BACKGROUND READING

In Unit 4, students learn that people need certain resources to meet their basic needs for food, shelter, water, and energy. But if these resources are not used wisely, there will not be enough for present and future generations. In this unit, students will learn about the unique relationship that people have with both renewable and nonrenewable resources, focusing specifically on water, trees, energy sources, and minerals.

Before beginning these activities, go over the following information with your students:

Everything we use to survive and to enjoy life comes from resources from the earth. The food we eat comes from plants grown in the ground, from animals which live off the land, or from fish that live in the sea. Our homes are built from wood which comes from trees, or maybe with bricks which are made from clay and straw. Our clothes might be made from natural fibers grown on plants (cotton) or from the fleece of sheep (wool). Even man-made cloth, such as polyester, combines elements found in the earth.

Much of our fuel which heats and cools our homes, cooks our food, powers our cars, TVs, radios, computers, and appliances comes from elements found in the ground, such as oil, coal, and natural gas. Minerals and fuels from the ground are nonrenewable resources and can’t grow back. Once we use them all up, they are gone forever.

All of these natural resources are limited. There is a fixed amount of land on which to grow crops. If we use more of that land to build homes, schools, roads, shops, and factories, there will be less land on which to farm.

It is the same with trees. We depend on trees to clean the air, give beauty to the land, and supply us with paper, wood, nuts, and fruits. It takes trees a long time to grow, so if we cut down too many or use forest land for other things, we won’t have enough trees for people to use and enjoy.

There needs to be a balance between people and the resources we use. If there are too many of us, and if we use more resources than we need, we will upset the balance.

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UNIT 5 | CROWDING

GREEN SPACES

CONCEPTIt is important for communities to have green spaces so they avoid the dangers of overdevelopment.

GRADE LEVELUpper elementary

SUBJECTSScience, Social Studies, Math

OBJECTIVESStudents will be able to:• Identify the amount of green space

needed to supply oxygen for their entire class.

• Describe why green space is important and see how a growing population can impact the availability of green space.

• Develop ways to establish more green space in an urban setting.

• Assess the consequences of living with more people and less green space.

SKILLSCollecting and analyzing data, estimating, adding, problem solving, measuring area, calculating percentages

MATERIALSPart 1:• Rulers or meter sticks• String (20 ft piece for each student)• Popsicle sticks (per student)• Additional Popsicle sticks (optional)• Geranium leaves (optional)• Microscope or magnifying glass (optional)• Calculator (optional)

Part 2:• Student Worksheet

INTRODUCTIONGreen space can be defined as community space, such as parks, where plant life grows. In this activity, the focus is on green space consisting of grass. The more people there are, the less green space we have. For example, if our population doubles, we will need more houses, schools, hospitals, libraries, grocery stores, and roads. All of this construction decreases our green space. We need green space for many reasons, one of which is the production of oxygen.

During the process of photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen. In doing this, plants help to filter pollutants out of the air (CO2), while also producing oxygen for people and animals to breathe. (Note: Algae is also a large producer of oxygen, however is not

METHODStudents estimate and verify the amount of green space necessary to meet the oxygen needs of the entire class and then design an imaginary city that meets both the oxygen needs and daily living needs of the city’s residents.

considered a plant.) In cities where many people live, it can be hard to maintain and/or preserve green space. Green spaces are important not only for oxygen production, but also to maintain biodiversity and create places for people to play and enjoy nature. Urban planners strive to design cities that will meet both the need for green space and city development.

Population Connection © 2016Activity: Green Spaces, Page 2Unit 5 | Crowding

PART 1: HOW MUCH GREEN DO WE NEED?PROCEDURE1. Before class, gather enough Popsicle sticks so that there is one for every student. Tie a 20 ft piece of string

to each Popsicle stick.

2. Show students the stomata of geranium or other leaves, using a magnifier. Explain that, “Through the process of photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and make oxygen. It comes out of tiny openings like this one, called the ‘stomata.’ Some of the oxygen we breathe is made by plants.” (A large portion of our oxygen comes from phytoplankton, or algae, which is not classified as a plant.)

3. While all plants make oxygen, today, we are going to think about the oxygen created by grass. Ask the class, “How large an area of grass do you think is needed to make a day’s worth of oxygen for the entire class?” Have students write down their guesses on a piece of paper and give them to you. Tell students you will be working together as a class to figure this out.

4. Then ask the class, “How much grass do you think it takes to provide the oxygen needed by one person for one day?” After a few guesses tell them the answer, “A square of grass about 5 ft x 5 ft.”

5. Give each student a Popsicle stick with a 20 ft piece of string tied to it and a ruler or meter stick. Go outside and have each student place their Popsicle stick with the string tied to it in the ground – this will be the first corner of their square. Next, students should use the ruler or meter stick to lay out a 5 ft x 5 ft square of string. If it is windy, students can anchor the string in place by placing additional Popsicle sticks in the ground at each corner and then wrapping the string around.

6. Make sure students’ spaces are adjacent to each other, not overlapping. To save on time, you could have small groups of four work together to make adjacent squares, instead of coordinating the entire class together. Or, you may want to conduct this portion with the help of parent volunteers.

7. Find the area of each student’s square (25 square feet), and then add (or multiply) to find out the total number of grass covered square feet needed to meet the oxygen needs of your class. Return the students’ earlier estimates and discuss whether their guesses were larger, smaller, or close to the actual number of square feet needed to supply oxygen for the entire class.

8. Help students estimate how much green space is needed to supply all the students in the school with oxygen.


PART 2: CITY PLANNINGOur air, and the oxygen in it, is shared around the world. So we all benefit from the oxygen produced in other parts of the world. This part of the activity simulates the amount of oxygen needed by a population living in a city, without accounting for oxygen created in other parts of the world.

PROCEDURE1. Give each student a copy of the Student Worksheet. Explain that the City Planning Grid represents a whole

city and each block on the grid represents 25 square feet of space, enough to meet the oxygen needs of one person for one day, if it were covered in grass. Tell them there are 900 blocks.

2. Ask students, “If the entire city was green space planted with grass, how many people could be supported by the oxygen in this city?” (900)

3. Explain that the city cannot be all green space because there needs to be a place for the houses, roads, stores, and factories that will support the daily lives of the population.

4. Have students work through Part 1 of the Student Worksheet to determine if the city has enough green space to support a population of 400 people, once space for housing, roads, stores, and factories has been developed.

5. As a class, brainstorm ways that more green space could be produced in the city so that the population of 400 people can live with sufficient green space. Ideas could include: combining some of the residential areas into skyscrapers so that more ground level room is left open, ripping out unused parking lots to develop green space, requiring some “blocks” to have rooftop gardens, etc.

6. Challenge students to complete Part 2 and Part 3 of the Student Worksheet to design a city that can meet both the oxygen needs and living needs for a population of 400 people.

Note: You may want to assign these tasks for homework or as a project to be completed overseveral days.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS1. We need green space for air. Why else do we need green space?

Answers will vary but may include: being outdoors, going for walks, having picnics, playing sports, reading a book, a place for dogs to run, preserving the habitat of plants and animals, visual appeal, a place to be alone, increase tourism to an area, etc.

STUDENT WORKSHEET ANSWERSNo, the developed space uses 594 blocks, leaving only 306 blocks, or 34% of the land area, open as green space. There would need to be 94 additional “green” blocks in order to support the oxygen needs of 400 people.


2. How do you think green spaces are impacted when the population of a city, state, or country grows?

As a population grows, green space may be developed in order to support the housing, education, and lifestyle needs of a larger population. As a result, the amount of green space gets smaller. Ecosystems may suffer as habitats are destroyed for development.

3. Can you think of ways to maintain green space, even when the population of a city is increasing?

Answers will vary but may include: tearing up unused or under-used paved places and turning them into parks or gardens, “building up” so that less space is needed for housing and businesses, passing laws to preserve the green space that is currently available, creating gardens and parks on rooftops of buildings, etc.

4. What are the possible consequences of living with more people and less green space?

Less green space would mean that there is less oxygen being produced and not as much pollution being filtered out of the air. This could cause air quality to decrease leading to a number of health problems. Less green space would also mean less room for people to enjoy the outdoors and fewer habitats to support plants and animals.

5. Grass is not the only oxygen producing plant. A plant’s ability to produce oxygen is based on the amount of surface area that is green. What other plants could help filter air and create oxygen? How can this help create more green space in a city?

All trees, bushes, and flowers are also oxygen producers. These plants can be planted in areas where there isn’t space to plant large plots of grass (sidewalks, courtyards, medians of roads, small yards, etc.). Areas with a combination of grass and other plants have even more oxygen producing potential!

MEASURING LEARNINGRather than going over the Discussion Questions as a whole class, play the game “Corners.” Write each question on a different piece of chart paper and tape the pieces of paper around the room. Divide the class into five small groups. Instruct the groups to rotate through each question, discussing the answers together and then responding in writing on the paper. Review responses to check for student understanding.

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES1. Using maps of your community, have students estimate the total area of land devoted to public parks and green space. Discuss whether this amount is sufficient, insufficient, or more than sufficient for community needs, considering things such as housing, transportation, filtering pollutants, recreation, etc. Then have students use current population totals to calculate the amount of green space (planted with grass) that would be needed to provide oxygen for city, county, state and/or national needs.

2. Using maps of New York City and current population estimates for Manhattan, have students determine whether Central Park is adequate to meet the oxygen needs of all Manhattan residents. Central Park is approximately 2.5 miles long and .5 miles wide (843 acres, which equals 1.47 million square feet). To give students a visual, you can “visit” Central Park on Google Earth. (Note: In 2012, Manhattan’s residential population was approximately 1.6 million.)


3. Research and discuss how cities and communities are working to develop more green spaces. Project EverGreen is a group working to enhance green spaces in cities across the United States. A good place to start your research would be in the “Our Work” section of their website, http://projectevergreen.com/our-work/. Additional information can be easily found on-line. 4. Facilitate the activity, Timber!, to explore the effects of growing demand for trees on a forest.

GREEN SPACESSTUDENT WORKSHEET

Part 1: Each of the 900 blocks in your city planning grid is equal to 25 square feet, enough to support the oxygen needs of one person when planted with grass. However, not all this land can be left open – people need somewhere to live and work, and a way to get from place to place! Use the chart below to determine whether your city can currently support the daily living needs AND the oxygen needs of its 400 residents.

*percentages are based on land use distribution in New York City.

Is the number of blocks available for green space enough to support 400 people? _______

How many more “green” blocks would you need? ________

Part 2: Can you figure out ways to have more green space available? Make changes to your city and record your decisions below. Try to make your changes realistic and remember that you can make changes to multiple categories of land use. Don’t forget, you need a total of 400 green squares!

Population Connection © 2016Activity: Green SpacesStudent Worksheet, Page 1

Unit 5 | Crowding

Name: Date:

Type of land use % of total land area used Number of blocks on GridHousing

Commercial (restaurants,stores, doctors, etc.)

Industrial (factories)

Transportation (roads, parking lots,airport, railroad)

Public Facilities (schools, hospitals,museums, churches)

Green Space, Vacant Land

Type of land that will change What change will be made? How many blocks will beturned into green space?

41%

6%

4%

8%

7%

______ %

369

54

36

72

63

______ blocks

City Name:

Part 3: Use the City Planning Grid to design your new city. Choose a color (not green!) to represent each type of developed land by coloring in the boxes in the key. Then color the appropriate number of squares on the grid to represent each. After you’re done “building” your developed areas, color all your open spaces green. Are you left with enough green space to support all your people? Don’t forget to name your new “green” city!

Key:Fill in each square with the color you will use to represent the five different land uses.

Population Connection © 2016Activity: Green SpacesStudent Worksheet, Page 2

Unit 5 | Crowding

Housing

Commercial

Industrial

Transportation

Public Facilities

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UNIT 8 | PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE

HABITAT SCRAMBLE

CONCEPTNo species, plant or animal, can survive without a suitable habitat. Sometimes human populations and activities can spoil or destroy the habitats of other species.

GRADE LEVELLower and upper elementary

SUBJECTSScience, Social Studies, Language Arts, Math, Art

OBJECTIVESStudents will be able to:• Explain the importance of an

organism’s habitat by listing what the habitat provides the species.

• Demonstrate the importance of carrying capacity within a habitat.

• Identify factors that can change a habitat so that it no longer is able to support its species.

• Identify ways that human activities can contribute to the destruction of a habitat.

SKILLSCooperating, observing, making comparisons, deductive reasoning

MATERIALS• Hula hoops or rope (1 per group of four)• Habitat cards (provided, 4 sets per habitat)

INTRODUCTIONA habitat is an area that provides water, soil, shelter, space, air, and food for various species. Plants as well as animals depend on specific habitats to survive. Every habitat has a carrying capacity for the number of species that can be supported by that habitat’s resources. Often, human impact interferes with or destroys these habitats.

METHODIn a role-playing simulation, students act as species in a habitat trying to survive by collecting cards that represent all of the essential habitat services – water, soil, shelter, space, air, and food.

PROCEDURE1. Make habitat areas using either hula hoops or circles of rope.

Initially there should be a habitat for each group of four students. Place four sets of Habitat Cards (24 cards total) inside each of the circles (habitats). These can be scattered in the circle, face up.

2. Review the term habitat and list the six characteristics of a good habitat – water, soil, shelter, space, air, food. These are printed on the Habitat Cards.

3. Ask the students to name some animal species that live in particular habitats.

This could be a habitat close to school or home or one in another part of the world. Remind the students that plants are also species and need all the characteristics to be able survive.

Explain that the hula hoops on the floor represent habitats.

4. Tell the students that only four animals/plants can survive in each habitat without it becoming too crowded or its resources becoming depleted.

5. Explain that when you give the signal, each person should go to a habitat, but that only up to four can live in each of the habitats.

6. Have the students find a habitat, allowing for cooperation among the students, so that only four are in each habitat (if the number of students isn’t a multiple of four, you will have one or two habitats with only three students).

7. Tell the students that they should look at the cards and collect what they need to survive. When all students find the cards they need, ask them if their habitat is healthy enough for them to all survive.

Note: At this point in the simulation, each habitat should be healthy enough for all to survive since there are sufficient resources.

8. Have the students return their cards to the habitat area. Then have them leave their habitats and face away from the habitat area. Create some kind of disturbance in the habitats, so that they are no longer able to support all the species that live there. To do this, remove some of the cards from each habitat. Tell students what the disturbance is – it could be a natural disaster or land development, for example.

9. Ask the students to return to their habitats. They can return to the same habitat or choose a different one. Tell the students that once again they need one of each card to be able to survive. If a participant does not have one of each of the cards, he or she steps away from the circle because he/she can no longer survive. Discuss what might have caused the cards to disappear. Examples: take away some water cards because there is a drought or the water has become polluted; take away some shelter cards because trees have been cut down or meadows have been mowed.

. Once again have the groups leave their habitats and face away from the area. This time an entire habitat will be destroyed (remove a hula hoop and all the cards inside it). Have the students go back to a habitat area, reminding them that the carrying capacity is four per habitat. Some students will be without a habitat. Ask the students with habitats if those without habitats can join their habitats. (No) What will happen if they allow more species in their habitat? (The plants/animals that are already living there will run short on resources.) Here is a good time to discuss carrying capacity, showing how by destroying an entire habitat (clear cutting or building homes) another habitat can also be destroyed as more species compete for limited resources.

Population Connection © 2016Activity: Habitat Scramble, Page 2Unit 8 | People and Wildlife

1. Make habitat areas using either hula hoops or circles of rope. Initially there should be a habitat for each group of four students. Place four sets of Habitat Cards (24 cards total) inside each of the circles (habitats). These can be scattered in the circle, face up.

2. Review the term habitat and list the six characteristics of a good habitat – water, soil, shelter, space, air, food. These are printed on the Habitat Cards.

3. Ask the students to name some animal species that live in particular habitats.

This could be a habitat close to school or home or one in another part of the world. Remind the students that plants are also species and need all the characteristics to be able survive.

Explain that the hula hoops on the floor represent habitats.

4. Tell the students that only four animals/plants can survive in each habitat without it becoming too crowded or its resources becoming depleted.

5. Explain that when you give the signal, each person should go to a habitat, but that only up to four can live in each of the habitats.

6. Have the students find a habitat, allowing for cooperation among the students, so that only four are in each habitat (if the number of students isn’t a multiple of four, you will have one or two habitats with only three students).

7. Tell the students that they should look at the cards and collect what they need to survive. When all students find the cards they need, ask them if their habitat is healthy enough for them to all survive.

Note: At this point in the simulation, each habitat should be healthy enough for all to survive since there are sufficient resources.

8. Have the students return their cards to the habitat area. Then have them leave their habitats and face away from the habitat area. Create some kind of disturbance in the habitats, so that they are no longer able to support all the species that live there. To do this, remove some of the cards from each habitat. Tell students what the disturbance is – it could be a natural disaster or land development, for example.

9. Ask the students to return to their habitats. They can return to the same habitat or choose a different one. Tell the students that once again they need one of each card to be able to survive. If a participant does not have one of each of the cards, he or she steps away from the circle because he/she can no longer survive. Discuss what might have caused the cards to disappear. Examples: take away some water cards because there is a drought or the water has become polluted; take away some shelter cards because trees have been cut down or meadows have been mowed.

. Once again have the groups leave their habitats and face away from the area. This time an entire habitat will be destroyed (remove a hula hoop and all the cards inside it). Have the students go back to a habitat area, reminding them that the carrying capacity is four per habitat. Some students will be without a habitat. Ask the students with habitats if those without habitats can join their habitats. (No) What will happen if they allow more species in their habitat? (The plants/animals that are already living there will run short on resources.) Here is a good time to discuss carrying capacity, showing how by destroying an entire habitat (clear cutting or building homes) another habitat can also be destroyed as more species compete for limited resources.

10

MEASURING LEARNINGHave each student draw two pictures (a before and after) of a habitat that undergoes change. On the first picture, they will label all the things that make this a good habitat for a particular species. On the second picture, they should illustrate how the habitat changes in response to a natural disaster or human encroachment.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS1. What are the characteristics of a healthy habitat, one that would make a good home for a species to live?

The characteristics are water, soil, shelter, space, food, and air.

2. Can you think of a specific habitat and a species that lives there? Suggest that the students look outside or think about some place they visited on a field trip. (Possible answers: a woodland and a squirrel lives there, or a pond and a green frog lives there.) Ask the students to help describe all the characteristics of the habitat that help the species survive.

Possible answer: If a squirrel lives in a woodland, the woodland has soil that allows trees to grow which provide food and shelter. Rain provides water for the soil and the trees, then the squirrel can chew on the buds and leaves for additional moisture. There is space for the squirrel to run around and collect what it needs.

3. What do we as humans do to change the habitat for these species?

Answers will vary but may include: cut down trees, kill off the predators so there are too many squirrels for the limited resources, remove woodlands to build a new shopping mall or other buildings.

4. How can we work to make sure that there are good habitats for the species that live in them?

Answers will vary but may include: recycling paper so we don’t need to cut down more trees, getting more natural areas zoned for habitat protection, preventing pollution and litter in habitat areas.

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITYAsk the students to create an imaginary creature. Remind them that it will need to do all the things that would make it a living thing. Then have them build a habitat that would support their creature. This could be done as a drawing, or by actually making the creature and then building a 3-D habitat where it can live. The students should be able to share all the ways the habitat supports the creature and how the creature uses the habitat to survive.

Written by Cathy Knoop, Environmental Educator, Laurelville, OH.



HABITAT CARDS

WATER SOIL SHELTER

SPACE AIR FOOD

WATER SOIL SHELTER

SPACE AIR FOOD

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UNIT 6 | PEOPLE AND RESOURCE USE

LEND A HAND TO THE EARTH

CONCEPTEvery person can take actions to help the environment and the cumulative effect of these individual actions can be immense.

GRADE LEVELLower elementary

SUBJECTSScience, Social Studies

OBJECTIVESStudents will be able to:• Identify one personal action that

will help protect the environment. • Create and write a pledge about

their personal action.• Discuss the cumulative effects

of individual actions.

SKILLSProblem solving, brainstorming, decision making, writing

MATERIALS• Construction paper• Markers• 1 sheet of poster board• Scissors

INTRODUCTIONAs the next generation of leaders, parents and voters, children should feel empowered to take positive action to protect the environment. In this activity they will create a “handprint” that contains a description of one way they can help the earth and then put that idea into action. The class’s handprints will be displayed together, showing a collective commitment to protecting the environment and representing the cumulative effect of individual actions.

PROCEDURE1. Ask the students to think of one positive action they will take to

protect the environment and why that action is important. Explain that they will later be required to put their action into practice and report back to the class. You may find it helpful to brainstorm a list of ideas from which each student can choose an action. Be sure to discuss why each action is important.

METHODStudents create handprint art and write an action they will take to protect the environment.

Population Connection © 2016Activity: Lend a Hand to the Earth, Page 2Unit 6 | People and Resource Use

MEASURING LEARNINGAsk students to remember their pledge over the next few days so they can report back to the class when and where they were able to take their positive action. After a few days, have each student re-read their action pledge to the class and share one time they took that action.

Have each student create a pledge using his/her chosen action. An example of a positive action pledge is “I will write or draw on both sides of a piece of paper.” This action is important because re-using paper means we need less new paper. New paper comes from trees that have been cut down and may be dyed or treated with chemicals that are harmful to humans and the environment. Trees produce oxygen and provide shade, so it is important to limit our paper consumption as much as possible.

Other suggestions of positive action pledges:• I will help my parents find and repair leaky water faucets and pipes at home.• I will turn off lights, televisions and computers when no one is using them.• I will not leave the refrigerator door open.• I will put my litter in a trash can or recycling bin.• I will not let the water run while I’m brushing my teeth.• I’ll help with the dishes and encourage my family not to use paper plates and cups.

Instruct students to trace their handprint on construction paper, cut it out, and write their action pledge on their handprint.

Arrange the handprints on the large paper and glue them down. Include a drawing of the earth in the middle of the poster, with the phrase “We All Can Lend a Hand to the Earth.”

Display the poster in your classroom or school.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Describe your action and how you plan to make it happen. When and where will you first complete it? (Students may want to point to their handprint on the banner while doing so.)

Is the action something you can do every day or just once in a while? Will you need an adult’s help to complete your action or can you do it on your own?

How will your action have a positive impact on the earth?

When we all complete our actions, what kind of an impact will we have? What if everyone in our school made a positive action pledge? Or everyone in our community?

1.

2.

3.

4.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Population Connection © 2016Activity: Lend a Hand to the Eart, Page 3Unit 6 | People and Resource Use

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITYShare one or both of the following thought-provoking books with your class:

• If Everybody Did by Jo Ann Stover (BJU Press, 1989).This very funny book uses lively illustrations to demonstrate the cumulative effects of individual, everyday actions. Use this book as a springboard for discussing questions such as: What if everybody left the water running (or even dripping) in the sink? What if everybody left the lights on? What if everybody threw trash on the ground?

If everybody did these things we would pollute our environment and use up our resources even more quickly. Pose the opposite kinds of questions to emphasize positive behaviors: What if everybody recycled their newspaper or read a copy at the library—how many trees could be saved? What if everybody washed their clothes only when they had a full load—how much water could be saved? What if everybody used re-usable plates at parties instead of disposable ones—how many bags of trash could we avoid producing?

• The New 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth by John Javna (Earth Works Group, Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2009). This book highlights actions young people can take to care for the environment. It explains the relationships between the specific actions and the broader connections among living things.

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UNIT 7 | PEOPLE AND WASTE

WASTE A-WEIGH

CONCEPTIn order to lighten our impact on the planet, it is important to reduce the amount of waste that each one of us creates.

GRADE LEVELLower and upper elementary

SUBJECTSScience, Social Studies, Math

OBJECTIVESStudents will be able to:• Develop and implement ways to

create less waste during lunchtime.• Record and analyze data to

determine the weight of waste produced during a week and the amount of waste saved as result of conservation efforts.

• Identify ways as an individual, a class, or a school, to continue waste reduction efforts.

SKILLSAnalyzing trends, collecting and analyzing data, practicing conservation, measuring weight, calculating averages

MATERIALS• Digital kitchen scale• Student Worksheet• Calculators (optional)

INTRODUCTIONEach American generates an average of roughly 4.5 pounds of garbage every day. As the U.S. population grows, so does the amount of garbage we produce – and all that garbage has to go somewhere. As our landfills fill up, it becomes harder and harder to find a place to put all of our waste. We must also be careful that the landfills which store our waste do not leak toxic chemicals into the surrounding soil or water supply. This becomes a more difficult task as we have more and more garbage to store. To combat this problem, people around the world are being encouraged to “reduce, reuse, and recycle” their garbage. The first part of this formula, “reduce,” means that we have to try to find ways to create less waste.

METHODBy weighing and recording their lunch waste every day for a week, students learn how conservation efforts can reduce the total amount of trash generated.

PROCEDURE1. This activity is an experiment in waste reduction that will last one full week. On the Monday of the week

you plan to do the experiment, set up a weighing station in the cafeteria.

2. Explain to the class that they will be taking part in an experiment concerning waste generation and ask that after lunch on Monday, each of them use the kitchen scale to weigh any item that they plan on throwing away: food scraps, packaging, bottles, etc. They should record this weight on a small piece of paper and bring it back to class. (You may want to pre-adjust your kitchen scale to the weight of one cafeteria tray and have students place their trash on the tray.)

3. When back in class, explain that the amount of waste students generate during lunch will be recorded for the entire week. The weight of their waste on Monday will serve as a starting point from which to gauge progress as their awareness of consumption and waste generation grows throughout the week.

4. They should record the weight of their “Monday waste” on the Student Worksheet. Then, as a class, find the average per person. Students should record these numbers on their worksheet as well.

5. Each day of the week, have students repeat the process of weighing any items that they plan to throw away. They should again record the weight of their waste on their Student Worksheet and when back in class, find the total weight for the whole class and average per person.

6. During the beginning of the week, talk as a class about what types of things are being thrown away. Is it mostly packaging? Food scraps? Plastic utensils? Bottles or cans? Then, brainstorm how to reduce some of this waste. Suggestions may include: only buying or bringing as much food as they plan to eat, avoiding items with excess packaging, bringing reusable containers and drink bottles from home, using a lunch box instead of a paper bag, using metal utensils rather than plastics, and recycling glass, aluminum, and plastics. Note: You may want to make clear to students that while recycling an item is much better than sending the item to a landfill, recycling also requires energy. So ultimately, it is best to not create that waste at all!

7. You may want to send a note home to your students’ parents, or craft a letter as a class, to let your students’ parents know about the class’s waste reduction experiment.

8. Each day, repeat the process of finding the class’s total “waste weight” and average per person. Note whether the waste is decreasing.

9. At the end of the week, divide students into small groups and instruct them to work together to complete the remainder of the Student Worksheet. For upper elementary students, have them try the Bonus Questions on the Student Worksheet.

Population Connection © 2016Activity: Waste A-Weigh, Page 2Unit 7 | People and Waste

Then, within their groups, have students discuss the following questions:• Which conservation methods were the most effective?• Which ways of reducing waste were most convenient?• Which would be best to implement on a school level? On a community or city level? On a national level?• Is there anything that could be done differently in our school cafeteria to reduce waste?• Do you think it would be possible to have a “no waste lunch” in your school? Do you think it would be possible to have a “no waste city?” How?

Each talking group should report back to the class.

Based on the class discussion, decide on something you can do, either on a classroom or school-wide level, to continue to reduce waste now that the experiment is over. Take a class pledge (or each student could make an individual pledge), or organize a school-wide campaign to reduce your school’s waste.

STUDENT WORKSHEET ANSWERS

Bonus Questions (2012): 1,408,500,000 lbs; 514,102,500,500 lbs. 2050: 567,000,000 lbs; 206,955,000,000 lbs. You may want to put these weights into a familiar context by comparing to the weight of a familiar heavy object. (Ex. A male African elephant can weigh up to 15,000 lbs, so how many elephants would this be?)

Fun Facts about Trash

• Every year, Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks, and spoons to circlethe equator 300 times.

• Every year, Americans use approximately 1 billion shopping bags, creating 300,000 tons of landfill waste. The average 18-wheeler truck weighs 40 tons, so that’s the weight of 7,500 trucks!

• Not everyone on the planet creates waste like an American. We make up 5 percent of the world’s population but create 30 percent of the world’s waste. If everyone on the planet consumed at U.S. rates, we would need 3 to 5 planets to support our consumption!

• Of the 4.5 pounds of garbage produced by the average American per day, about 1.5 pounds is recycled or composted. This works out to be about 34 percent of our waste. About half of our waste (54 percent) ends up in landfills (the other portion is burned in incinerators).

• In 1994, only about 23 percent of the waste that Americans generated was recycled. So while we still have much room for improvement, our current recycling rate of 34 percent shows marked progress.

Note: In some schools, lunchtime is too limited for each student to weigh their waste. In this case, do the activity as an entire class by weighing one garbage bag after all the students have discarded their waste. Then the class can challenge itself to reduce their waste the next day or challenge another class to see who can create the least amount of waste. You may need to use a bathroom scale to weigh this larger amount of waste.

1. This activity is an experiment in waste reduction that will last one full week. On the Monday of the week you plan to do the experiment, set up a weighing station in the cafeteria.

2. Explain to the class that they will be taking part in an experiment concerning waste generation and ask that after lunch on Monday, each of them use the kitchen scale to weigh any item that they plan on throwing away: food scraps, packaging, bottles, etc. They should record this weight on a small piece of paper and bring it back to class. (You may want to pre-adjust your kitchen scale to the weight of one cafeteria tray and have students place their trash on the tray.)

3. When back in class, explain that the amount of waste students generate during lunch will be recorded for the entire week. The weight of their waste on Monday will serve as a starting point from which to gauge progress as their awareness of consumption and waste generation grows throughout the week.

4. They should record the weight of their “Monday waste” on the Student Worksheet. Then, as a class, find the average per person. Students should record these numbers on their worksheet as well.

5. Each day of the week, have students repeat the process of weighing any items that they plan to throw away. They should again record the weight of their waste on their Student Worksheet and when back in class, find the total weight for the whole class and average per person.

6. During the beginning of the week, talk as a class about what types of things are being thrown away. Is it mostly packaging? Food scraps? Plastic utensils? Bottles or cans? Then, brainstorm how to reduce some of this waste. Suggestions may include: only buying or bringing as much food as they plan to eat, avoiding items with excess packaging, bringing reusable containers and drink bottles from home, using a lunch box instead of a paper bag, using metal utensils rather than plastics, and recycling glass, aluminum, and plastics. Note: You may want to make clear to students that while recycling an item is much better than sending the item to a landfill, recycling also requires energy. So ultimately, it is best to not create that waste at all!

7. You may want to send a note home to your students’ parents, or craft a letter as a class, to let your students’ parents know about the class’s waste reduction experiment.

8. Each day, repeat the process of finding the class’s total “waste weight” and average per person. Note whether the waste is decreasing.

9. At the end of the week, divide students into small groups and instruct them to work together to complete the remainder of the Student Worksheet. For upper elementary students, have them try the Bonus Questions on the Student Worksheet.


Then, within their groups, have students discuss the following questions:• Which conservation methods were the most effective?• Which ways of reducing waste were most convenient?• Which would be best to implement on a school level? On a community or city level? On a national level?• Is there anything that could be done differently in our school cafeteria to reduce waste?• Do you think it would be possible to have a “no waste lunch” in your school? Do you think it would be possible to have a “no waste city?” How?

Each talking group should report back to the class.

Based on the class discussion, decide on something you can do, either on a classroom or school-wide level, to continue to reduce waste now that the experiment is over. Take a class pledge (or each student could make an individual pledge), or organize a school-wide campaign to reduce your school’s waste.

STUDENT WORKSHEET ANSWERS

Bonus Questions (2012): 1,408,500,000 lbs; 514,102,500,500 lbs. 2050: 567,000,000 lbs; 206,955,000,000 lbs. You may want to put these weights into a familiar context by comparing to the weight of a familiar heavy object. (Ex. A male African elephant can weigh up to 15,000 lbs, so how many elephants would this be?)

Fun Facts about Trash

• Every year, Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks, and spoons to circlethe equator 300 times.

• Every year, Americans use approximately 1 billion shopping bags, creating 300,000 tons of landfill waste. The average 18-wheeler truck weighs 40 tons, so that’s the weight of 7,500 trucks!

• Not everyone on the planet creates waste like an American. We make up 5 percent of the world’s population but create 30 percent of the world’s waste. If everyone on the planet consumed at U.S. rates, we would need 3 to 5 planets to support our consumption!

• Of the 4.5 pounds of garbage produced by the average American per day, about 1.5 pounds is recycled or composted. This works out to be about 34 percent of our waste. About half of our waste (54 percent) ends up in landfills (the other portion is burned in incinerators).

• In 1994, only about 23 percent of the waste that Americans generated was recycled. So while we still have much room for improvement, our current recycling rate of 34 percent shows marked progress.

Note: In some schools, lunchtime is too limited for each student to weigh their waste. In this case, do the activity as an entire class by weighing one garbage bag after all the students have discarded their waste. Then the class can challenge itself to reduce their waste the next day or challenge another class to see who can create the least amount of waste. You may need to use a bathroom scale to weigh this larger amount of waste.

10.

11.

MEASURING LEARNINGHave students write a postcard that tells a friend, family member, or local politician about their waste reduction experiment in the classroom. They should include at least two ways that they or their classmates were able to reduce their lunchtime waste.

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES1. Extend this activity for another week, and this time, put all leftover food scraps into a class compost bin,

rather than throwing them away. Continue to record the amount of waste for each day and determine the total amount saved at the end of the second week (you could compare both to the first day of the experiment and to the end of the first week). For an introduction to composting, try the activity Scraps Into Soil. A kid-friendly guide to what composting is and how to set up a bin can be found here: http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/wormfarm.html. Alternatively, you could save all the food scraps from the week and take them to a local farm or greenhouse.

2. Challenge another class to a competition to see who can average the least amount of waste (or no waste!). The competition could be expanded to different grade levels, or even other area schools. Consider contacting local newspapers to share your students’ conservation efforts and tips with the community.

3. A few weeks after the experiment, run a “surprise trash weighing” and compare the class’s weight to the original class baseline weight to see if there has been an overall improvement in waste reduction.

4. Reusing old items is another important step for reducing the amount of waste that ends up in the landfill. Try the activity, Waste Not, Want Not, to encourage students to think about the benefits of reusing their “garbage.”

Data Sources: Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/waste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw_2010_rev_factsheet.pdf; Earth911, http://earth911.com/news/2010/06/21/recycling-to-go-plastics/; Clean Air Council, www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html; Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, www.no-burn.org/article.php?list=type&type=89.


Population Connection © 2016Activity: Waste A-WeighStudent Worksheet, Page 1

Unit 7 | People and Waste

WASTE A-WEIGHSTUDENT WORKSHEET

1. At the end of the week, do you have more or less total waste than the class average?_______________________________________________________________________

2. Did you and your class create less waste as the week went on? How much less? (Subtract the last day’s total from the first day’s total to find the amount saved!)You: ___________________________________________________________________Your class: _______________________________________________________________

Name: Date:

Monday

PersonalWaste (oz)

Total Class Waste (lbs)

Class Average (lbs per person)

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Week Total

3. If the whole school followed the same conservation patterns, how much garbage would be avoided? (You will need to know either how many students are in your school or how many classes are in your school.)In one day? ______________________________________________________________One month? ______________________________________________________________One year? _______________________________________________________________

BONUS:Each American creates about 4.5 pounds of garbage each day. The U.S. population in 2012 was 313 million people. How much garbage is created in our country in one day? How about in one year?

The U.S. population is expected to increase by 126 million people by the year 2050. How much more garbage would be created each day? How about each year?

1. At the end of the week, do you have more or less total waste than the class average?_______________________________________________________________________

2. Did you and your class create less waste as the week went on? How much less? (Subtract the last day’s total from the first day’s total to find the amount saved!)You: ___________________________________________________________________Your class: _______________________________________________________________

Activity: Waste A-WeighStudent Worksheet, Page 2


3. If the whole school followed the same conservation patterns, how much garbage would be avoided? (You will need to know either how many students are in your school or how many classes are in your school.)In one day? ______________________________________________________________One month? ______________________________________________________________One year? _______________________________________________________________

BONUS:Each American creates about 4.5 pounds of garbage each day. The U.S. population in 2012 was 313 million people. How much garbage is created in our country in one day? How about in one year?

The U.S. population is expected to increase by 126 million people by the year 2050. How much more garbage would be created each day? How about each year?


PROCEDUREPrepare and label the film canisters using the provided Canister Labels and the items in the chart below. Prepare enough canisters for each student to have at least one. There are 10 canisters, so unless your class is very small, you will need to double some characters. (Some students will have identical canisters.)

Note: Don’t have more than one barnyard canister (coffee), as two doses of it will make the water too dark to notice the progression of pollution afterwards.

PE PLECOUNTING ON



UNIT 7 | PEOPLE AND WASTE

CONCEPTOver time, individual actions have impacted our rivers in both negative and positive ways, causing many rivers to change.

GRADE LEVELLower elementary

SUBJECTSScience, Social Studies, Language Arts

OBJECTIVESStudents will be able to:• Discuss ways people can pollute

a water source.• Propose methods for preventing

and cleaning up water pollution.• Explain why it is more effective

to prevent pollution than to clean it up after the fact.

SKILLSCritical thinking, listening and observing, role playing, understanding cause and effect, describing

MATERIALS• 1 clear gallon jar or bowl of water• 1 plastic film canister for each student (canisters are often

available for free at film processing stores—if you can’t find film canisters, any small condiment container with a lid will work)

• Canister labels (provided)• Character nametags (provided)• Story: Who Polluted the River? (provided)• Canister ingredients • Plastic fish toy (optional)

INTRODUCTIONRivers have always been an important resource. They provide water for drinking, a means of transportation, a home for wildlife, and more. As human populations have increased, so has our impact on the water system and many rivers have changed as a result. In this activity, students participate in an interactive story about the changes humans have made to a river over time and learn how many of our rivers have become polluted. This example demonstrates that just as we each contribute to the problem, we can also each be part of the solution.

WHO POLLUTED THE RIVER?METHODThrough an interactive story, K-2 students experience the pollution of a local river over time and propose methods to protect the river from current and future pollution.

1.

Population Connection © 2016Activity: Who Polluted the River?, Page 2Unit 7 | People and Waste

CHARACTER INGREDIENTS

Trees Dry leaves

Building sites Soil (dry)

Farmers Baking soda

Family picnics Litter, assorted (shreds of paper, pieces of plastic, etc.)

Person fishing Tangle of fishing line or dental floss

Barnyards Water + instant coffee

Factories Water + one drop red food coloring

Drivers Vegetable oil + one drop red and green food coloring

Washing the car Soapy water

Motorboats Vegetable oil + one drop red and green food coloring

2. Cut out the Character Nametags. Make sure that there is a Character Nametag for each canister you’ve made (ex. if there are two “Driver” canisters, there should be two “Driver” character cards).

3. Fill a clear jar or bowl with water. Place the container in a location that can be seen by all students. If using a fish toy, put it in the water now and when asking the questions within the story, point to the fish and include the question “How do you think the fish feels?”

4. Distribute one Character Nametag to each student. To activate background knowledge, ask students to share one thing they already know about the Character they are given (the sound it makes, what color it is, etc.).

5. Set up the labeled canisters within easy reach of where you’ll be facilitating the activity, lined up in the order they are to go into the water.

6. Explain that you will tell a story about the river, (insert the name of a river in your area, if you wish) and that each of the students will play a part in the story. The jar of water represents the river. When they hear the name of the item pictured on the Character Nametag you’ve given them, they should come up to you and get the matching canister, open it, and empty its contents into the container.

Note: If you feel the students will have trouble opening the canisters without spilling the contents, remove the lids for them, or leave the lids off altogether.

7. Read the story Who Polluted the River? aloud. Add emphasis as you read each bolded character name and pause after each question to give the students time to think and respond.

Population Connection © 2016Activity: Who Polluted the River?, Page 3Unit 7 | People and Waste

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITYArrange a class field trip to your local waste water treatment plant. Prior to your visit, have each student write down one question they have about polluted water and/or the cleaning process. At the plant, ask that an employee provide a tour of the facility and provide information such as how the water is cleaned, how much water goes through the plant, and why the plant is an important part of the local community. Be sure to leave time for student questions!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS1. Who polluted the river?

Everyone played a role.

2. What effect did the increasing population have on the health of the river? What are some examples?

In this situation, population growth led to increases in pollution. Examples include: factories that make things for people leaking paint and chemicals, cars leaking oil, families leaving trash on the beach, etc.

3. Think about the pollution contained in your canister. What could each of us do to keep the river clean by making sure these kinds of pollution don’t get into it in the first place?

Answers will vary but may include: biking or walking instead of driving, using water carefully, picking up litter so it doesn’t end up in our fresh water supply, etc.

4. Challenge students to come up with ways to clean up the water in the bowl—after all, everything has to go somewhere. Can water be cleaned up in the real world?

Solids can be strained using a kitchen strainer or netting. Students may also find coffee filters or absorbent cotton helpful. In reality, people clean up rivers in many ways – using nets to pull out large items, treating the water with chemicals, etc.

5. Is it easier to prevent pollution, or to clean it up later? Have students explain their ideas.

Preventing pollution is known to be a more effective approach for ensuring clean waterways.

MEASURING LEARNINGAsk students to pick a pollutant from the story and illustrate:

1. an action that would cause that pollutant to go into the river. 2. an action that would prevent that pollutant from entering the river.


Trees

Barnyards

Factories

Motorboats

Building sites

Washing the Car

WHO POLLUTED THE RIVER?CANISTER LABELS

Farmers

Family picnicsPerson fishing

Drivers

Activity: Who Polluted the River?, Page 4Unit 7 | People and Waste


Trees

WHO POLLUTED THE RIVER?CHARACTER NAMETAGS


Building sites

Farmers

Family picnics

Person fishing


Barnyards

WHO POLLUTED THE RIVER?CHARACTER NAMETAGS


Factories

Drivers

Motorboats

Washing the car

Population Connection © 2016Activity: Who Polluted the River?Who Polluted the River?, Page 1


STORY: WHO POLLUTED THE RIVER

There was a time many years ago when our land was very wild. This was a time before roads and cars. Only a small number of people lived here then. These native people depended on nature for many of the things they needed to survive, but they lived simply and didn’t change the natural surroundings too much. The people hunted in the forests, found food in the swamps, and caught fish in the river. [Insert the name of a local river.] The beautiful and sparkling river was home to fish and other wildlife. Imagine that the container of water in front of you was taken from the river a long, long time ago.

- Describe how the water looks to you. Would you drink this water? Eat fish that came from it? Swim in it?

Eventually, more people traveled to this land from across the ocean. They found rich soil for farming, forests full of wildlife, and a river that provided plenty of food and water. It was a perfect place to live.

- How do you think the new people used the river? (Answers will vary but may include: for water to drink, cook with, bathe and wash clothes in; to catch fish from; to go boating on; to move supplies from place to place) - Do we use the river the same way today? (Answers will vary.)

The river has changed a lot since that time long ago. This is the story of those changes. Listen for the name of what’s pictured on your Character Nametag. When you hear your picture named, walk up to the teacher, get the matching container, and dump what’s inside into the river. Be sure to stand to the side, so the whole class can see the bowl.

Years went by, and once in a while there were big storms. Strong winds whipped through the TREES and blew leaves into the water. More and more people moved to the area. Gradually, a city grew up around the river. People drained swamps and cut down forests to build houses, schools, churches, stores, roads, hospitals and many other buildings. Rains washed loose soil from these BUILDING SITES into the river.

- Is this water safe to drink? (If the response is “no,” ask if the river had leaves or soil in it when people long ago drank from it.) - Would you swim in it? Is it safe for animals to drink and fish to swim in?

At first, the city was small. Upstream, FARMERS planted crops to feed all the people as the city grew. They used chemicals called fertilizers to make their crops grow faster. Some farmers kept pigs and other animals in BARNYARDS. As rainwater drained out of the fields and barnyard, it carried some of the fertilizers and manure into a little creek behind the farm. The creek flows into the river.

- Would you drink this water now? Would you swim in it? Go boating on it? - Is it safe for fish and animals?

Now, the city along the river has grown to be one of the largest cities in the country. Many people live and work in and around the city. Many businesses provide services for the people. Several FACTORIES make things that people want, like cars and furniture, but the factories leak paint and other chemicals into the river. These pollutants cause the fish to become sick. As people move about their busy days, they often drive from place to place. Traffic jams are a big problem for DRIVERS who take their cars to and from work. If a car is not taken good care of, it might also leak oil or other fluids, which will be washed off the roads and into the river with the next rain.

A boy in the city is out WASHING THE CAR. The soapy water rushes down the driveway into the storm drain by the curb; the storm drain empties into the river. The grease and grime on a car contains tar from the roads, very tiny bits of rubber from the wearing of the tires, and rust. If the boy had gone to a local car wash instead, the water would have been cleaned before it went back into the river or was recycled.

On nice days, many people head down to the river. Some zoom up and down the river in MOTORBOATS and don’t notice that a little engine oil leaks into the water. The oil will not mix with the river water, but will float on the surface. It will coat the feathers of ducks or other birds that paddle around on the water looking for food, making it harder for them to stay afloat or fly. Lots of people are having FAMILY PICNICS in the parks along the river, too. Some of these people have left trash on the shore. With the next storm, that trash will wash into the river. On the shore a PERSON FISHING snags a hook on a log. Instead of untangling it, the person fishing simply breaks off the snagged piece of the nylon fishing line and lets it fall into the river. The land is no longer wild, and the river has changed a lot over the years.


STORY: WHO POLLUTED THE RIVER

There was a time many years ago when our land was very wild. This was a time before roads and cars. Only a small number of people lived here then. These native people depended on nature for many of the things they needed to survive, but they lived simply and didn’t change the natural surroundings too much. The people hunted in the forests, found food in the swamps, and caught fish in the river. [Insert the name of a local river.] The beautiful and sparkling river was home to fish and other wildlife. Imagine that the container of water in front of you was taken from the river a long, long time ago.

- Describe how the water looks to you. Would you drink this water? Eat fish that came from it? Swim in it?

Eventually, more people traveled to this land from across the ocean. They found rich soil for farming, forests full of wildlife, and a river that provided plenty of food and water. It was a perfect place to live.

- How do you think the new people used the river? (Answers will vary but may include: for water to drink, cook with, bathe and wash clothes in; to catch fish from; to go boating on; to move supplies from place to place) - Do we use the river the same way today? (Answers will vary.)

The river has changed a lot since that time long ago. This is the story of those changes. Listen for the name of what’s pictured on your Character Nametag. When you hear your picture named, walk up to the teacher, get the matching container, and dump what’s inside into the river. Be sure to stand to the side, so the whole class can see the bowl.

Years went by, and once in a while there were big storms. Strong winds whipped through the TREES and blew leaves into the water. More and more people moved to the area. Gradually, a city grew up around the river. People drained swamps and cut down forests to build houses, schools, churches, stores, roads, hospitals and many other buildings. Rains washed loose soil from these BUILDING SITES into the river.

- Is this water safe to drink? (If the response is “no,” ask if the river had leaves or soil in it when people long ago drank from it.) - Would you swim in it? Is it safe for animals to drink and fish to swim in?

At first, the city was small. Upstream, FARMERS planted crops to feed all the people as the city grew. They used chemicals called fertilizers to make their crops grow faster. Some farmers kept pigs and other animals in BARNYARDS. As rainwater drained out of the fields and barnyard, it carried some of the fertilizers and manure into a little creek behind the farm. The creek flows into the river.

- Would you drink this water now? Would you swim in it? Go boating on it? - Is it safe for fish and animals?

Now, the city along the river has grown to be one of the largest cities in the country. Many people live and work in and around the city. Many businesses provide services for the people. Several FACTORIES make things that people want, like cars and furniture, but the factories leak paint and other chemicals into the river. These pollutants cause the fish to become sick. As people move about their busy days, they often drive from place to place. Traffic jams are a big problem for DRIVERS who take their cars to and from work. If a car is not taken good care of, it might also leak oil or other fluids, which will be washed off the roads and into the river with the next rain.

A boy in the city is out WASHING THE CAR. The soapy water rushes down the driveway into the storm drain by the curb; the storm drain empties into the river. The grease and grime on a car contains tar from the roads, very tiny bits of rubber from the wearing of the tires, and rust. If the boy had gone to a local car wash instead, the water would have been cleaned before it went back into the river or was recycled.

On nice days, many people head down to the river. Some zoom up and down the river in MOTORBOATS and don’t notice that a little engine oil leaks into the water. The oil will not mix with the river water, but will float on the surface. It will coat the feathers of ducks or other birds that paddle around on the water looking for food, making it harder for them to stay afloat or fly. Lots of people are having FAMILY PICNICS in the parks along the river, too. Some of these people have left trash on the shore. With the next storm, that trash will wash into the river. On the shore a PERSON FISHING snags a hook on a log. Instead of untangling it, the person fishing simply breaks off the snagged piece of the nylon fishing line and lets it fall into the river. The land is no longer wild, and the river has changed a lot over the years.

Activity: Who Polluted the River?Who Polluted the River?, Page 2


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