Unit 3 Alignment with National Science Standards

Unit 3 Learning Goal
Students will develop a water resource plan to balance the needs of farmers, residents and the environment. To develop the plan, students will use their understanding of farm water use and irrigation, dam and river flow relationships, water storage in aquifers, and the environmental effects of altering natural and historic flows of water.

Soil and Agriculture
1.  Students will learn to classify soils into types based on the ratios of sand, silt and clay in the soil. Students will understand that plants get their nutrients from the soil. These nutrients can come from organic material or from artificial fertilizers.

2.  Students will measure the spaces in soil to determine the amount of water that it can hold and relate this to plant water use through transpiration.

3.  Students will describe how technologies and new farming methods allow farmers to grow more, with more efficient use of water and resources.

NSES: D2b, F4a
AAAS: 8.A.3

Dams and Salmon
4.  Students will understand that dams hold back natural fluctuations in rivers in order to store water in a reservoir, or to generate hydroelectric power.

5.  Students will use topographic maps and other information about an area to determine if it is an appropriate location for a dam.

6.  Students will understand that dams alter ecosystems, and in recent years this has resulted in a decline in salmon populations. Students will explore the possibility of restoring salmon to their historic numbers.

NSES: C4e,F4c, F6e
AAAS: 3.C.4

Aquifers and Water Management
7.  Students will examine their own water use and explore ways to conserve. Students will learn the major domestic uses of water, and compare usage in different cultures.

8.  Students will understand that aquifers are underground areas where water collects in spaces between rocks, gravel, and soil. People use wells to remove water from aquifers, sometimes faster than it can be naturally recharged.

9.  Students will understand that water and pollution can spread from the surface to underground supplies. The connections between water sources, along with increasing demand for water, are at the heart of many water resources disputes.

NSES: F3a, F3b, F3c, F5d

Working with data and representations
1.  Students will construct and interpret various representations of data, including data tables, graphs, and scientific visualizations.

2.  Students will learn to use geographic information systems (GIS) software to view, interpret, and manipulate large datasets.

NSES: A1c, A1d, A2c
AAAS: 11.C.1, 12.B.3, 12.B.4, 12.B.5, 12.B.6, 12.C.2, 12.D.3, 12.D.7, 12.E.2

Environmental Decision Making
3.  Students will learn a systematic approach to decision making; when faced with a problem they will analyze the situation, determine their goals, consider their options, evaluate the consequences, consider stakeholder interests, and make a decision.

4.  Students will understand the complex nature of environmental decisions, including their basis in both scientific evidence and values-based opinions.

NSES: A1e, E1b, E1d, F5d, F6a, F6b, F6c, F6d, G1c
AAAS: 1.A.3, 3.B.4, 3.C.3, 7.C.2, 7.D.1, 7.D.2, 7.D.3, 8.C.2, 8.C.5, 12.E.3, 12.E.4, 12.E.5, 12.E.6

Observation and Measurement
5.  Students will carry out scientific procedures, using appropriate measurements and careful observations.

NSES: A1a, A1b, A1d, A2a
AAAS: 1.B.1, 1.B.2, 1.B.3, 1.B.4, 1.B.5, 1.B.6, 1.B.7, 1.C.7

Communication of Scientific Information
6.  Students will communicate the results of experiments and decisions in a clear and understandable manner.

NSES: A1f, A2f, E1e
AAAS: 12.D.1, 12.D.2, 12.D.3, 12.D.6, 12.D.7