Splish! Splash! Can I Take a Bath?

A WebQuest for 7th Grade (English, Social Studies)

Halifax Regional School Board

tara.prime@ns.sympatico.ca

Introduction

You live in a small town in Nova Scotia; it's a hot and humid day. You grab your snorkel and flippers and head off to the community pool where you see a sign "Pool Closed Until Further Notice". Disappointed, you return home and decide to take a shower to cool off. You turn on the shower and guess what…no water! You grab a towel, head downstairs and see your father sitting grumpily at the kitchen table. He hasn’t yet had his morning coffee. Your mother looks depressed. She says it's because it hasn’t rained recently and her flowers can’t be watered. They are already drooping from the early morning heat and there's not a drop of water coming out of the hose. Your sister is cranky because she is thirsty and your pet dog, Rover, pants beside his empty water dish.

Knock! Knock! It’s your best friend who has arrived at your door desperate to use your toilet as his won’t flush. Your father reluctantly calls the local town water commission to discover there is no water left in the town. Unconcerned your father hands you five dollars to pick up some bottled water at the store and suggests you be patient and wait for the next rainstorm. Furious at his lack of concern, and nonchalant attitude, you’re bound and determined to find out where the water comes from, is it as important to others as it is to you, and what can be done to preserve this precious natural resource?

Task

You and your friend start brainstorming. Where does the water come from? Where can you find water in your town? Lakes? Rivers? Fountains? Kitchen sinks? Puddles? Swimming pools? Reservoirs? Sewers? Creeks? Rain?

Now, think about this: how are all the sources of water related? Throughout history, communities have survived or failed because of water. The water supply in a community is the vital lifeblood that keeps the city going. While the water supply is healthy, citizens take it for granted. If the supply is severely interrupted, the community and the world will ultimately die.

You and your friend have decided to research the topic and report to town council to let people know how important water is in their daily lives and to ensure respect and conservation of this precious natural resource. As 'water advocates', you and your partner must give an oral presentation to town council supported by a concept map.

Process

Please read through all of the steps before beginning the WebQuest.

1. Choose a partner – keep in mind that you will be evaluated. You will be responsible for helping one another in your learning.

2. Brainstorm- to complete the KWL graphic organizer provided by the teacher. What do you and your partner already Know about water? What do you Want to learn about water? Save the KWL chart to complete the what you Learned column after you and your partner finish the WebQuest.

3. Internet, Library and Classroom Resources- You and your partner are going to use Internet resources provided as well as classroom and library materials to find out the importance of water in your lives. Read each resource used carefully and take jot notes of important points which will assist you in the oral presentation. Review your notes on how to give an effective oral report.

4. Concept Map- After viewing all resources, use Inspiration Software to create a concept map. This is a special form of a web diagram for exploring knowledge and gathering information. Show at least 10 relationships between humans and water that is, how important water is to our daily lives, ways we use water, and suggestions for conservation. Use specific facts and provide examples to support your oral presentation. Your concept map should show what you learned and be easy to understand.

5. Preparation- Prepare your notes for your presentation to city council. Both members must take part in the presentation. Practice your presentation to ensure it is 3-5 minutes in length. Keep in mind you must answer the following in your presentation:

Who uses water?

What is water used for in our lives?

Where does the water come from?

Why must we respect and conserve this precious natural resource?

How can this be done?

6. Complete your KWL - With your partner, complete the "What you have learned " section of your KWL graphic organizer. Include facts that you didn’t know before you began this WebQuest. This could include interesting facts, conservation tips, water trivia, etc.

7. Student Showcase – Now you and your partner will present your report to city council. Be sure to bring to their attention the impact that they have on the environment, not only on a local level but also globally. Are you a novice, informed or expert water advocate?

8. Rubric- Obtain a rubric from the teacher. Place an "X" in the mark that you feel you deserve for each of the criteria listed. Hand in your rubric as well as your concept map to the teacher after your presentation.

Resources

Visit the following links to find information to help you in preparing your city council report.

Clean Water - Life Depends On It! Be sure to check out the links from this page. There is valuable information here.

How important is drinking water?

The importance of water information can be found here.

All-Around Water Tips although a Manitoba site, very useful information.

Conservation Tips - Be sure to check out both indoor and outdoor conservation

Play the Watershed Game to learn how we can keep water pure and fresh.

Click here for Quick Water Facts.

What causes Water Pollution?

Find out about the water cycle.

More about the water cycle

Are You a Water Protector or Contaminator? - take the quiz

Evaluation

Assessment of this WebQuest is on-going. Your participation and cooperation within your partnership is vital to a good grade. You and your partner will both complete a self-assessment by obtaining a copy of the rubric from the teacher. As well, the teacher will give a final assessment on the rubric using not only her assessment of the final product, but also her observations during the process of the WebQuest.

	Novice	Informed Advocate	Expert Advocate
KWL Chart	-completed KWL chart with little detail -did not include ideas from other team -shows little or no new ideas learned -untidy, contains many spelling error -not signed by teacher and group with whom you shared	-completed KWL chart with some detail -includes few ideas from other team -shows some detail of what you have learned -tidy but contains several spelling errors	-completed KWL chart in detail -includes many ideas from other team -shows in detail what you have learned -tidy with minimal spelling errors -signed by teacher and group with whom you shared
Concept Map	-shows fewer than 5 relationships between humans and water -disorganized, hard to understand -contains many spelling/grammar errors	-shows between 5- 9 relationships between humans and water -somewhat organized, parts difficult to understand -contains few spelling/grammatical errors	-shows 10 or more relationships between humans and water -organized so it looks good and is easy to understand -no spelling or grammatical errors
Oral Report	-audience showed lack of interest -lacked facts and details -lacked organization and logical flow -presentation contained factual errors -difficult to hear, mumbled -little eye contact -unequal oral participation -dependent on notes -unable to answer questions	-did not maintain audience attention -persuaded audience with some facts and details -showed some organization and logical flow -contained some factual errors -inconsistent voice control -some eye contact -somewhat dependent on notes -answered most questions knowledgeably	-grabbed attention of audience -persuaded audience with facts and details -showed organization and logical flow -contained no factual errors -clear, loud voice -good eye contact -both partners participated -not dependent on notes -answered any questions knowledgeably
Participation	-followed few directions given -did not complete task on time -needed constant teacher prompting -worked cooperatively little of the time -demonstrated poor listening skills -unequal distribution of work	-followed most directions given -occasionally needed teacher prompting -worked cooperatively most of the time -demonstrated some listening skills	-followed all directions given -completed task on time -showed self-motivation -worked cooperatively all of the time -showed good listening skills -equally shared work

Conclusion

Now that you have successfully presented your concerns to town council, you have taken the initial steps to becoming an effective water advocate. Do you believe your town council will take action? Have they recognized the impact their water use has on their community as well as the global environment. What else could you do to help conserve this precious natural resource?

Credits & References

All graphics or animated gifs courtesy of Microsoft.

This WebQuest is based on a template from The WebQuest Page and the Design Patterns page.

Last updated on (June 13, 2002). Based on a template from The WebQuest Page