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Lake Winnipeg Water Stewardship

A Resource for Grade 8 Science

L A k E W i n n i p E G

W A t E R S t E W A R d S h i p

2010

Manitoba Educat ion

A Resource for Grade 8 Science

Manitoba Education Cataloguing in publication data

Lake Winnipeg water stewardship : a resource for Grade 8 science [electronicresource]

designed for use as a supplement to the Grade 8science curriculum document entitled : Grades 5-8science : a foundation for implementation.

includes bibliographical references.

iSBn-13: 978-0-7711-4595-7

1. Science—Manitoba—Curricula.2. Science—Study and teaching (Secondary)—Manitoba.3. Sustainable development—Manitoba—Curricula.4. Sustainable development—Study and teaching (Secondary)

—Manitoba.5. Winnipeg, Lake (Man.)—Study and teaching (Secondary).i. Manitoba. Manitoba Education.ii. Grades 5-8 science : a foundation for implementation.372.35043

Copyright © 2010, the Government of Manitoba, represented by the Minister ofEducation.

Manitoba EducationSchool programs divisionWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Every effort has been made to acknowledge original sources and to comply withcopyright law. if cases are identified where this has not been done, please notifyManitoba Education. Errors or omissions will be corrected in a future edition.Sincere thanks to the authors, artists, and publishers who allowed their originalmaterial to be used.

Any websites referenced in this document are subject to change. Educators areadvised to preview and evaluate websites and online resources beforerecommending them for student use.

this resource is available on the Manitoba Education website at<www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/esd>.

Websites are subject to change without notice.

C o n t e n t s iii

C o n t E n t S

Acknowledgements vii

Introduction 3

Purpose 3

Background 3

How to Use This Document 3

Big Ideas 5

Big Idea 1: Interdependence of Systems that Support Life on Earth 7

Big Idea 2: Contributions to a More Sustainable Future 8

Big Idea 3: Scientific Inquiry Processes 9

Supporting Principles 13

Inquiry 13

Classroom-Based Assessment 14

Lake Winnipeg and Sustainable Development: Planning for Learningand Setting the Stage for Inquiry 17

Phase 1: Activating 19

Phase 2: Acquiring 20

Phase 3: Applying 25

Suggestions for Strategic Instruction 29

Considering the Importance of Lake Winnipeg 31

Shoreline Erosion 35

Flooding 41

Lake Winnipeg Ecosystems 45

Research and Action: Protecting Our Water 53

Lake Winnipeg Water Quality 55

Lake Winnipeg and Climate 61

Lake Winnipeg Watershed 65

Looking at the Big Picture: The Global Water Cycle 69

Blackline Masters

BLM 1: Sustainable Development

BLM 2: Sample Brainstorm of Ideas Related to Lake Winnipeg

BLM 3: Sample Concept Map

BLM 4: Sample Brainstorm of Initial Questions

BLM 5: Example of How Concept Map Can Develop Questions

BLM 6: Helping Students Extend and Refine their Questions

BLM 7: Text Sets

BLM 8: Some Suggested Performances, Products, and Demonstrations

BLM 9: Speak Out! Sample Questions to Support and Debrief the Process

BLM 10: Analyze This! Developing a Briefing Note

BLM 11: I Pledge—Sample Web

BLM 12: Read Me—A Sample Procedure

BLM 13: Constructing Student-Generated Criteria for Quality Work

BLM 14: The Importance of Lake Winnipeg: Note-Taking Template

BLM 15: The Importance of Lake Winnipeg: Note-Taking Template (Sample)

BLM 16: Waves and Lake Winnipeg

BLM 17: Biological and Physical Impact of Erosion: Sort and Predict

BLM 18: Erosion Investigation: A Process for Students

BLM 19: Investigating Erosion Prevention

BLM 20: Natural Means of Erosion Prevention

BLM 21: Rip-rap

BLM 22: Bulkhead

BLM 23: Breakwaters/Groynes and Gabions

BLM 24: Shoreline Erosion Prevention: Different Methods

BLM 25: Erosion Prevention Methods: Information for Teachers

BLM 26: Flooding: Placemat Strategy

BLM 27: Cause of Flooding: A Representation

BLM 28: Reflection Metacognition

BLM 29: List-Group-Label Word List

BLM 30: Cycling of Nutrients in a Healthy Ecosystem: Word Splash

BLM 31: Cycling of Nutrients in a Healthy Ecosystem: Sample Word Splash Response

BLM 32: Ecosystem Tumble Tower

BLM 33: Sample Word Cycle: Cycling of Nutrients

BLM 34: Eutrophication: A Look at Cause and Effect

BLM 35: How Do Extra Nutrients Get into the Lake?

L a k e W i n n i p e g W a t e r S t e w a r d s h i p : A R e s o u r c e f o r G r a d e 8 S c i e n c eiv

C o n t e n t s v

BLM 36: Sample Representation of the Lake Winnipeg Ecosystem

BLM 37: Constructing and Using a Secchi Disk

BLM 38: Heat Capacity Investigation: A Process for Students

BLM 39: Heat Capacity Investigation: Sample Chart

BLM 40: Heat Capacity Investigation: Sample Graph

BLM 41: Convection Current Demonstration: Transfer of Heat through Water

BLM 42: Sea and Land Breezes: Diagram

BLM 43: 3-2-1 Exit Slip

BLM 44: Mini Watershed Tracer: Building Instructions

BLM 45: Working Water Cycle Model: Building Instructions

BLM 46: Water Cycle Diagram

BLM 47: Labelled Working Water Cycle Model: Sample Representation

BLM 48: Water Cycle Word Cycle: Example

Glossary 1

References 1

Bibliography 3

Webography 6

Videography 10

A c k n o w l e d g e m e n t s vii

A C k n o W L E d G E M E n t S

Manitoba Education gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the following educators inthe development of Lake Winnipeg Water Stewardship: A Resource for Grade 8 Science.

Writer Cheryl BoguskiTeacher

Pembina Trails School Division

Manitoba Education StaffSchool Programs Division

and Bureau de l’éducationfrançaise Division

Louise BoissonneaultCoordinator

Document Production ServicesEducational Resources Branch

Danièle Dubois-JacquesConsultant

Bureau de l’éducation française

Ani GransonWebsite Coordinator

Media Production ServicesEducational Resources Branch

Kristin GrapentineDesktop Publisher


Anne MacDiarmidProject Leader

Learning Support andTechnology UnitInstruction, Curriculum andAssessment Branch

Tani MikiDesktop Publisher


Grant MoorePublications Editor


Cheryl ProkopankoProject Manager

Learning Support andTechnology UnitInstruction, Curriculum andAssessment Branch

Lindsay WalkerDesktop Publisher (until October 2009)


Shelley WarkentinConsultant

Development UnitInstruction, Curriculum andAssessment Branch

Manitoba Education also acknowledges the partnership of the Lake Winnipeg WaterStewardship.

i n t R o d u C t i o n

n purpose

n Background

n how to use this document

i n t R o d u C t i o n

purpose

Lake Winnipeg Water Stewardship: A Resource for Grade 8 Science is designed to give a LakeWinnipeg focus to the Grade 8 Science water systems cluster. It provides a context forwhich students can deepen their understandings about water systems and conceptsrelated to sustainable development through a focused inquiry into Lake Winnipeg.Within the context of inquiry, learners can explore how Lake Winnipeg and itswatershed tie us all together; consequently, they can become active in the care of thislarge part of our province and environment. Processes such as reflection and goal-setting will help students gain a sense of personal responsibility toward building ahealthy environment, and consider ways in which they may take action. This documentalso suggests a variety of strategies that may support teachers in planning for strategicinstruction and respond to student needs and gaps in understanding. These teachingand learning strategies relate to particular questions that may arise during the inquiry.

Background

As a result of changes occurring to the vast ecosystem of Lake Winnipeg and thesubsequent impact on future generations, inhabitants of the Lake Winnipeg watershedhave expressed a need to increase awareness of sustainable development and waterstewardship skills, and to prepare our children to care for their legacy by using thesustainable development approach.

Sustainable development is an approach to decision making that takes intoconsideration how the consequences of the decision will affect the environment, theeconomy, and human health and well-being (society). This approach seeks to ensure abetter quality of life for everyone, now and for future generations.

Education for sustainable development (ESD) seeks to foster the values, behaviour, andlifestyle required for a sustainable future. ESD helps students learn how to makedecisions that are long term and to better understand the world in which they live.Students then face the future with hope and confidence, knowing the connectionbetween all living and non-living forms that make up the Earth.

how to use this document

Lake Winnipeg Water Stewardship: A Resource for Grade 8 Science elicits scientific thinkingand active learning from students within the context of inquiry in order to buildunderstandings about the watershed and, ultimately, support student reflection abouttheir roles in sustaining it.

Because ESD demands decision making and encourages action, students need to care

i n t r o d u c t i o n 3

about the issues they are examining. Inquiry allows students to ask meaningfulquestions and engage in learning that is relevant to them. Hence, teachers becomefacilitators of this inquiry and provide explicit and strategic instruction when needed toguide and extend the inquiry. The suggestions for strategic instruction have been chosenbased on questions that could be asked about Lake Winnipeg, prior learning related towater systems, and curricular links. The suggested strategies are not meant to becovered in sequence; rather, teachers are encouraged to choose, use, and adapt these orother strategies that best connect to their students’ inquiry and learning needs.

Lake Winnipeg Water Stewardship: A Resource for Grade 8 Science provides a framework forengaging students in inquiry while embedding strategic instruction within the process.This document is organized around the following components:

n Big Ideas—This section identifies the big ideas for the Lake Winnipeg water cluster,and connects these to the Declaration for Sustainable Living and the specific learningoutcomes for the Grade 8 Science water systems cluster.

n Supporting Principles—This section describes the concepts and processes thatrepresent the supporting principles for the inquiry model that underpins Lake

Winnipeg Water Stewardship: A Resource for Grade 8 Science.

n Planning for Learning and Setting the Stage for Inquiry—This section providesinformation, strategies, and “think-abouts” for teachers to plan for inquiry, includingstrategies for activating prior knowledge, reflecting on the purpose for this learning,launching inquiry through concept mapping and determining guiding questions,considering resources and criteria, planning for strategic instruction, building inreflection, and considering how students will show their learning.

n Suggestions for Strategic Instruction—This section provides a variety ofsuggestions for strategic instruction that may be used and adapted by teachers inorder to guide and extend student inquiry.

n References—This section provides a bibliography, webography, and videography ofthe sources consulted and cited in the development of this thematic unit.

L a k e W i n n i p e g W a t e r S t e w a r d s h i p : A R e s o u r c e f o r G r a d e 8 S c i e n c e4

B i G i d E A S

n Big idea 1: interdependence of Systems that Support Life on Earth

n Big idea 2: Contributions to a More Sustainable Future

n Big idea 3: Scientific inquiry processes

B i G i d E A S

Big ideas are the things that we most want our students to understand. They are theconcepts, skills, and processes that are at the core of the curriculum and are the basis forchoosing the focus and content for a studied topic. These ideas are bigger than discretefacts and can be transferred into other contexts. Big ideas refer to “the importantunderstandings that we want students to “get inside of” and retain after they’veforgotten many of the details” (Wiggins and McTighe). The selection of big ideas for thisdocument responds to Wiggins and McTighe’s criteria for selecting ideas and processesto teach for deep understanding—that is, represent a “big idea” that has enduring valuebeyond the classroom, resides at the heart of science and ESD, requires uncoverage, andhas potential for engaging students.

For Lake Winnipeg Water Stewardship: A Resource for Grade 8 Science, the big ideas areinspired by the Declaration for Sustainable Living poster and represent not onlyunderstandings related to sustainability, but also skills related to decision making andattitudes related to social and environmental responsibility. These ideas, exploredthrough an inquiry into Lake Winnipeg and water stewardship, will permit teachers touncover Grade 8 Science outcomes, while doing so in a significant context.

Big Idea 1: Interdependence of Systems that Support Life on EarthStudents will develop understandings about the interdependence of systems that support life on Earth and how the interactions among these systems affect their sustainability.

The Earth is a system in which all components are interrelated. All living organisms liveon planet Earth, which has a finite amount of space and resources. Our planet has someunique characteristics that make it habitable for life as we know it and no other planet(that we know of) has similar characteristics. The presence of water in a liquid form isone of these characteristics and will be studied in the context of issues related to LakeWinnipeg, which ties in well with the Grade 8 Science water systems cluster. All livingthings depend on the Earth’s resources to survive, and water is one of those resources.The Lake Winnipeg context helps make the study of water systems more pertinent to

B i g i d e a s 7

www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/esd/poster.html

students and can help them understand how everything around us is connected. Waterprovides a habitat for many living organisms, including humans. It is also a source ofdrinking water and food for many organisms. In order to appreciate the impacts ofproblems related to Lake Winnipeg, students will need to develop an understanding ofthe interactions among organisms that live in and around Lake Winnipeg.

In order to understand how human activity can affect the quality of water in LakeWinnipeg, some understanding of science concepts will be necessary (e.g., watersheds 8-4-07). In a watershed, all of the water drains to the same place; therefore, if a personwants to protect water, it is important to understand where it comes from and where itgoes. It is also possible to investigate the global water cycle in order to get a broaderunderstanding of water as a planetary resource (8-4-06), or to investigate the issuessurrounding waste water disposal (8-4-16, 8-4-17, 8-4-18). To protect our waterresources, it is important to know what kinds of substances humans add to water andhow this can affect water quality. The Lake Winnipeg context can also give students anopportunity to understand the impacts of natural events and processes, such as floodingand erosion (8-4-08, 8-4-09, 8-4-11, 8-4-12, 8-4-13). (See Grade 8 Science Water Systems onEarth outcomes.)

Big Idea 2: Contributions to a More Sustainable FutureStudents will develop an awareness of the consequences of human actions on the environment, a sense of personal responsibility, and a willingness to act in order to contribute to a more sustainable future.


www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/science/outcomes/5-8/clusters/grade8_waste.html

www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/science/outcomes/5-8/clusters/grade8_waste.html

This big idea is an extension of students’ scientific understandings about theinterrelations between organisms and their environment. Students should understandthat because of the interactions and interdependencies of living organisms, humanactions (or even lack of action) can affect the health of the planet because humans are apart of this system. Students should also understand that society has a responsibility inprotecting the environment as well as in responding to environmental problems.Students need to develop an awareness of their personal responsibility to act and realizethat they can have a positive impact on their environment. By involving them in aninquiry within a local context, students can better understand the impacts that humanshave on the environment, as well as concrete actions they can take to minimize theseimpacts. See 8-0-8g, 8-0-9e, and 8-0-9f for related outcomes.

Big Idea 3: Scientific Inquiry ProcessesStudents will apply scientific inquiry processes in order to investigate issues related to sustainability.

In order to become scientifically literate, students must be engaged in answeringquestions, solving problems, and making decisions. While the skills and attitudesinvolved in these processes are not unique to science, they play an important role in thedevelopment of scientific understandings and in the application of science andtechnology to new situations. They are also fundamental in the study of issues related tosustainability as well as in the choice of actions that can contribute to a sustainablefuture. Examining a local issue will provide students with an authentic context forinquiry, helping them understand the relevance of the processes they are using, whichare often presented in a decontextualized manner. Looking at authentic problems canalso help students understand that these problems are often complex and can beexamined through various perspectives.

Depending on which learning experiences are conducted, students will applyappropriate scientific inquiry skills, such as questioning, observing, inferring,predicting, measuring, hypothesizing, classifying, planning, collecting, analyzing, andinterpreting data. They will also develop scientific habits of mind such as curiosity,skepticism, and creativity. Central to these skills are critical thinking abilities, which areespecially important in this age of information overload. Students need to learn to siftthrough information and not just passively accept it.

A detailed view of skills and attitudes can be found in Cluster 0 of the Grade 8 Sciencecurriculum.

B i g i d e a s 9

http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/science/outcomes/5-8/clusters/grade8_overall.html

S u p p o R t i n G p R i n C i p L E S

n inquiry

n Classroom-Based Assessment

S u p p o r t i n g p r i n c i p l e s 13

S u p p o R t i n G p R i n C i p L E S

inquiry

In an inquiry-based classroom, learning grows out of students’natural inclination to question the world. Building classroomsaround inquiry engages students, integrates process and content,and fosters self-directed learning.

A basic inquiry process engages students in

n posing questions and exploring ways to answer them

n locating and managing information from various sources

n processing and synthesizing their findings

n sharing their findings on an ongoing basis while supporting each other in their research

n reflecting on and celebrating their inquiry findings with others

Some students may need more support in moving through theinquiry stages, while others, working with the same thematic

focus, may pose questions of greater depth, explore a wider range of sources, createmore complex products, and work with greater autonomy.

Benefits for Learners

Inquiry is fuelled by student curiosity and shaped by student planning. Teachers whocome to the classroom with detailed plans for student inquiry are not only increasingtheir workload, but are also assuming a responsibility that has rich educational benefitswhen shared with students. In working through the planning process together withstudents, teachers instruct learners in developing

n a sense of ownership and responsibility for their own learning

n skills and strategies in making decisions and reaching consensus

n knowledge of information sources

n confidence in contacting individuals in the school or community

n criteria for assessing processes, performances, demonstrations, and products

“inquiry is a dynamic

process of being open to

wonder and puzzlement

and coming to know and

understand the world... .

inquiry is based on the

belief that understanding is

constructed in the process

of people working and

conversing together as they

pose and solve problems,

make discoveries and

rigorously testing the

discoveries that arise in the

course of shared activity.”

(Galileo Educational

network Association)

http://www.galileo.org/inquiry-what.html

http://www.galileo.org/inquiry-what.html


Role of the teacher

While inquiry is often student-led, it is also teacher-facilitated. Teachers ensure thatinquiry stems from curriculum, that the learning needs of individual students areidentified and addressed, that adequate resources are available, and that students’learning processes and products meet criteria for quality work.

To address the curricular learning outcomes as well as the needsof a wide range of students, instruction needs to be intentionaland focused on developing skills and strategies for independentinquiry. Instruction may take the form of mini-lessons for thewhole class or for small instructional groups, shaped to addressthe needs of students as they conduct their inquiry. Embeddinginstruction in the context of ongoing inquiry helps students see

the purpose of their learning and gives them the opportunity to apply it immediately inan authentic context.

Classroom-Based Assessment

Classroom-based assessment is a cyclic process withineveryday instruction and learning that encompassesongoing planning, observing, scaffolding, responding,and reflecting on learning and teaching to improvestudent learning.

In Lake Winnipeg Water Stewardship: A Resource for Grade 8

Science, educators gather information throughobservation, conversation, and student products aboutwhat their students know and can do throughout theinquiry in order to provide descriptive feedback tostudents and to inform teaching. Students will also havethe opportunity to show their learning by creatingculminating products, performances, or demonstrationsat the end of the unit, providing further evidence forthemselves and teachers in determining next steps forteaching and learning as well as in determining how well they are meeting targetedoutcomes.

differentiated instruction

Educators face a growing diversity in their classrooms and are challenged withresponding to the diverse needs of students by differentiating instruction.

Differentiated instruction means offering students multiple options at each stage of thelearning process. It recognizes that there are many avenues to reach student learningoutcomes and that each student needs a complex and unique mix of basic instruction

For more information about

the inquiry process and how

teachers might plan for it,

see “planning for Learning

and Setting the Stage for

inquiry”

teachers may want to look over

the Manitoba Education

document Rethinking Classroom

Assessment with purpose in

Mind for detailed information

about assessment for learning,

as learning, and of learning.

teachers may also want to

review Communicating Student

Learning: Guidelines for Schools

in order to consider information

on principles and practices for

effective communication with

students and parents about

student learning.

www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/docs/csl/

www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/docs/csl/

www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/wncp/



http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/docs/support/multilevel/chap6.pdf



S u p p o r t i n g p r i n c i p l e s 15

and practice to reach his or her potential. (Manitoba Education and Training, Success for

All Learners: A Handbook on Differentiating Instruction, 1.5)

A variety of instructional strategies (e.g., modelling, explicit instruction, guided practice,descriptive feedback) and student groupings (e.g., whole class, co-operative groupings,and individual students) are used to provide individual students with the instruction,scaffolding, and practice they require to succeed in their learning.

Gradual Release of Responsibility

Differentiation of instruction involves a gradual release of responsibility from theeducators to the students. The Model of Explicit Instruction (Pearson and Gallagher)illustrates this gradual release of responsibility that is integral to instruction (see<www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/multilevel/media/print_release.html>).

Buehl suggests that a gradual release moves in the following progression: I do, youwatch → I do, you help → You do, I help → You do, I watch. The middle zone of themodel or ”the zone of proximal development“ is where much of classroom instructionoccurs (Buehl). In this zone, students are able to engage in guided practice as teachersprovide feedback and adjust the levels of support according to their needs. In observingand interacting with students, teachers will learn if some students need furthermodelling or strategic instruction, if others need more guided practice, and whichstudents are ready to apply their learning independently.

Reflection and Metacognition

As students engage in learning, both action and reflection are important. Reflecting onwhat they are learning, how they are learning, and why they are learning will helpstudents to not only understand the purpose for their learning and the content of theirlearning, but will also support their thinking about their thinking (or metacognition).Teachers will need to model and encourage the use of reflection and metacognitionstrategies in order to help students understand, monitor, and direct their learning. When students have opportunities to reflect on their learning, especially with peers, theybegin to develop self-assessment skills and want to take more responsibility for shapingand directing their own learning experiences. Whether alone or with others, studentsuse reflection as a tool to consolidate what, how, and why they have learned, and to setgoals for future learning.

www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/multilevel/media/print_release.html

http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/tech/lict/tell_me/respons.html


Supporting Reflection and Metacognition

teachers play an important role in supporting reflection and metacognition in the classroom.they

n model and teach the skills of reflection, goal-setting, and self-assessmentn guide students in setting goals and monitoring their progress toward them n facilitate classroom conversations and opportunities to share reflective and

metacognitive processesn provide models of quality practice and workn support students in developing criteria for quality workn guide and coach students in developing both internal and external conversations

about their processes, strategies, resources, motivations, and interactions n guide students in developing self-monitoring mechanisms to validate and question

their own thinkingn provide regular, challenging opportunities to practisen monitor students’ metacognitive processes as well as their learningn provide descriptive feedbackn create a collaborative learning environment where it is safe to take chances and where

support is readily availablen celebrate learning

L A k E W i n n i p E G A n d

S u S t A i n A B L E d E v E L o p M E n t : p L A n n i n G F o R L E A R n i n G

A n d S E t t i n G t h E S t A G E

F o R i n q u i R y

n phase 1: Activating

n phase 2: Acquiring

n phase 3: Applying

L a k e W i n n i p e g a n d S u s t a i n a b l e d e v e l o p m e n t : S e t t i n g t h e S t a g e f o r i n q u i r y 19

L A k E W i n n i p E G A n d S u S t A i n A B L E d E v E L o p M E n t :p L A n n i n G F o R L E A R n i n G A n d S E t t i n G t h E

S t A G E F o R i n q u i R y

The Lake Winnipeg Research Consortium states that “scientific evidence accumulated

over the last 70 years now reveals that Lake Winnipeg is approaching a state of

deterioration that may affect ecosystem sustainability.” This provides a real, critical,and meaningful context through which students can examine issues related tosustainable development, and explore possible actions they may take individually or asa collective. In order to set the stage for inquiry, teachers will want to activate students'prior knowledge about Lake Winnipeg and create an awareness of the issues related toit. The following suggested sequence for instruction/learning also supports the surfacingand focusing of student questions that will provide direction for and guide their inquiry.

phase 1: Activating

Exploring the Context: Why Lake Winnipeg?

In order to activate thinking about Lake Winnipeg, water systems, and sustainabledevelopment, teachers may wish to engage students in a gallery walk. This wouldinvolve placing a series of photos and headlines on the classroom walls so that pairs orsmall groups of students can view and discuss them.

Teachers can focus their discussions by asking questions such as the following:

n What is this making you think about? What are your impressions?

n What does the content of the photos and headlines relate to?

n Why might this be important to you?

Teachers may want to use some or all of the following headlines and photos, or theymay collect their own. Students may have others to add to the collection as well.

n A Sea of Troubles: Lake Winnipeg in Crisis

www.cbc.ca/manitoba/features/lakewinnipeg/

n Algae Blooms Concern Winnipeg Cottagers

www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2006/09/05/lake-wpg-algae.html

n Share dirty work of cleaning up lake

www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Share-dirty-work-of-cleaning-up-lakepanel38053469.html

n Big Lake—Big Problems

http://resourcesnews.tripod.com/aug-3.html

n Forgotten Lake

www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/nd06/feature_lake_winnipeg.asp

n Mosher, Jim. “Lake Winnipeg has its share of ecological stressors”www.interlakespectator.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=1453836

Mosher, Jim. �Lake Winnipeg has its share of ecological stressors�www.interlakespectator.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=1453836



www.cbc.ca/manitoba/features/lakewinnipeg/

Teachers can initiate a class discussion where students share their thoughts from thegallery walk and discuss problems related to Lake Winnipeg.

Sharing Stories—Lake Winnipeg

In order to create personal meaning related to Lake Winnipeg and issues surrounding it,teachers, students, and invited guests can share their experiences, stories, and memoriesrelated to Lake Winnipeg in general and to activities in, on, or around the lake.

thinking about Assessment

The Activating phase of learning provides the context through which teachers can begingaining an understanding of students’ prior knowledge and experiences. Teachers willwant to listen to and observe learners as they share their impressions and stories. Thisinformation will provide insights into next steps for instruction and learning and howteachers will plan for the Acquiring phase of learning.

phase 2: Acquiring

Reflecting on purpose for Learning

Teachers can ask students to reflect on the Declaration forSustainable Living poster as a class or in small groups if copies areavailable. Students can closely examine the poster and answer thefollowing questions:

n What do the images suggest?

n What do the statements mean to you?

n What connections can you make between this and your understanding of the Lake Winnipeg problem?

It would be important to explain the nature of the learning for thisunit: that it will grow out of student inquiry. This discussion can alsobe supported by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education’s model“Constructing Understanding Through Inquiry” (and The GalileoEducational Network’s model “The Inquiry Learning Community.”)

Teachers will also want to be transparent about the “end point“ orthe big ideas/learning toward which students will be working.Teachers will want to examine the big ideas with learners andengage students in making connections to the Declaration forSustainable Living poster. Teachers will want to explain how thisinquiry will provide the context through which students will buildtheir understandings and skills related to these big ideas, while theculminating task will allow them to show these understandings andskills.


Students' understandings and

experiences with sustainable

development will represent a

broad spectrum of prior

knowledge. Students may be

highly involved in activities

related to sustainable

development while others may

not even recognize the term.

teachers may want to open

discussions by asking students to

share what they know about

sustainable development, and

then move to examining the

Sustainable development Model

and definition (see BLM 1) in

order to define and extend

understandings about sustainable

development. teachers will need

to draw out ideas and explicitly

teach how sustainable

development is an approach to

decision making that involves

considering implications on the

environment, the economy, and

society. teachers may want to

further explore Manitoba

Education’s ESd website for more

information and ways of

extending the thinking around

sustainable development.

http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/esd

http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/esd

http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/learnres/mbcalls/sust_dev.pdf

www.galileo.org/inquiry-why.html

www.galileo.org/inquiry-why.html

http://www.education.gov.sk.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=36cbd48f-fe17-441b-9ef9-0db7b4141ccc

http://www.education.gov.sk.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=36cbd48f-fe17-441b-9ef9-0db7b4141ccc

http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/esd/poster.html

http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/esd/poster.html

Finding Focus through Concept Mapping

Teachers can provide students with sticky notes. Student pairs or small groups can sharetheir impressions of the photos and headlines, and write on each note something thatthey know or think they know about Lake Winnipeg (this activity could also be doneusing ICT). A sample brainstorm has been provided in BLM 2. As students arediscussing, teachers can watch and listen to their conversations in order to determinewhat their understandings are. Students can then share their words or phrases with therest of the class, and can begin to sort ideas into categories and label these categories. Ifsimilar ideas are presented more than once, the notes can be placed on top of each other.Although this process can be messy and ideas can be grouped in different ways, acollective concept map should emerge. A sample concept map has been provided inBLM 3. To support students in the categorization of ideas, teachers can ask questionssuch as the following:

n Do you see any patterns where certain ideas fit together?

n I see a number of ideas that are about the quality of water in Lake Winnipeg. Can you find any ideas that fit under this heading?

n Does it make sense to put these ideas under this heading?

n Are there any ideas that fit here too?

n Is there a big idea or a heading that would capture these points?

(adapted, with permission, from Gregory, Cameron, and Davies, Setting and Using

Criteria, 11)

determining inquiry questions

When the draft concept map has emerged (words will be added throughout the unit asstudents acquire new knowledge), students can generate initial questions. Thesequestions may come from ideas presented in their concept map or will stem from gaps,unknowns, or uncertainties. This can be done in small groups, where each group createsa list of questions and shares their best ones with the class. If students are havingdifficulty generating questions, teachers can support students by providing starters suchas: “How does…? Why is there…? What might…?” Initial questions will represent abroad spectrum of thinking, some having a very narrow focus, others that would requireyears of study, and still others that might be off topic or not relevant to the context ofthis unit. A brainstorm of initial questions has been provided in BLM 4. An example ofhow a concept map can develop questions can be found in BLM 5.

Teachers will need to guide students in reviewing and revising their questions in orderto extend them or focus them on issues of sustainability and the Lake Winnipeg context.It may be necessary to let students know that it is best to avoid using yes or noquestions, as they do not provide a good context for inquiry. Prompts such as thefollowing could support students in this revision process:


n What do you mean by…?

n Is that what you are asking?

n Do you know this or think you know?

n How do you know...?

n How is your question linked to the pictures and headlines we’ve seen about LakeWinnipeg?

n Are your questions yes or no questions?

n How could you change your question to make it more open-ended?

n Can you think of another question that could be linked to this one?

n How is this linked to the big ideas?

An example of teacher prompting to help students refine their questions has beenprovided in BLM 6. The class will need to sift through these more focused questions todetermine which ones have more value for inquiry and which ones may be feasiblewithin this context and timeframe. Questions will need to be drafted and redrafted tofocus and fine tune them to guide inquiry. Note that as students pursue their inquiry,secondary questions will surface. These will further guide their inquiry.

Some Suggested Resources

n Saskatchewan Ministry of Education. “Creating Questions for Inquiry in Science.”Science 8, p. 15.www.education.gov.sk.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=36cbd48f-fe17-441b-9ef9-0db7b4141ccc

n Buehl, Doug. “Thick and Thin Questions.”www.weac.org/News_and_Publications/education_news/2005-2006/readingroomnov05.aspx

n Galileo Educational Network Association www.galileo.org

planning for inquiry

Once the guiding questions have been determined, teachers will want to guide studentsin planning for how they might answer them. Students will want to brainstorm possibleinformation sources. Will they need to engage in primary research (e.g., lab activities,field trips, experts, etc.) and/or secondary research (websites, books, articles, etc.)?Teachers and students will want to build a text set (print and other media texts) (seeBLM 7: Text Sets). Consider previewing some of the suggested resources and links inthis document; they may be integrated into your text set.

Developing criteria for the process of inquiry is critical to the success of such anapproach. Students need to know what quality inquiry looks like and sounds like. Guide students in thinking about the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for qualityinquiry (e.g., collaboration, critical thinking about sources and information, curiosity,


www.galileo.org

www.weac.org/News_and_Publications/education_news/2005-2006/readingroomnov05.aspx

www.weac.org/News_and_Publications/education_news/2005-2006/readingroomnov05.aspx

www.education.gov.sk.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=36cbd48f-fe17-441b-9ef9-0db7b4141ccc


determination, knowing where and how to find information, determining how best topresent certain kinds of information, understanding audience, purpose, and context,etc.). As students dig deeper into inquiry, the criteria for a quality inquiry process willeventually feed into the criteria for a quality product.

Students may benefit from the use of an inquiry log (or e-log) to record their thinkingand to link their learning with the big ideas of this unit and their guiding question(s).Teachers will want to discuss the purposes of journaling for this unit. Students will

n record and organize their thinking

n make connections between their learning and the big ideas of this unit and guidingquestion(s)

n see growth in their thinking that will support their individual goal-setting

n draw from their inquiry logs for a culminating task

Teachers may also want to consider discussing what forms inquiry logs can take and thekinds of entries that students may choose to include. Examining samples of existing logswith students would provide concrete examples.

Student thinking can be extended by teachers periodically commenting on student logentries and students commenting on each others’ entries.


For more information about planning for inquiry and supporting student inquiry,consult the following:

n Supporting Principles—Inquiry (p. 13 of this document).

n Manitoba Education and Youth. Independent Together: Supporting a Multilevel Learning

Community.

www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/docs/support/multilevel/index.html

n Saskatchewan Ministry of Education. Science 8. www.education.gov.sk.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=36cbd48f-fe17-441b-9ef9-0db7b4141ccc

n Manitoba Education and Training. “Introduction to General Learning Outcome 3.”Grades 5–8 English Language Arts: Manitoba Curriculum Framework of Outcomes and

Grade 6 Standards, p. 27.

n Poon, Chew-Ling, et al. “Classroom Management and Inquiry-Based Learning.”

n Galileo Educational Network Associationhttp://www.galileo.org/

n National Science Foundation: Division of Elementary, Secondary, and InformalEducation; Directorate for Education and Human Resourceswww.nsf.gov/index.jsp

n Alberta Education. Focus on Inquiry

http://education.alberta.ca/media/313361/focusoninquiry.pdf




n Hand, B., and C.W. Keys. “Inquiry Investigation: A New Approach to LaboratoryReports.”

n Ramig, Joyce E., et al. Teaching Science Process Skills.

For more information about inquiry logs, consult the following:

n Campbell, Brian, and Lori Fulton. Science Notebooks: Writing About Inquiry.

n Chesbro, Robert. “Using Interactive Science Notebooks for Inquiry Based Science.”

n Fingon, Joan C. and Shallon D. Fingon. “Using Science Journals to Encourage AllStudents to Write.”

n Ideas for Podcasting in the Classroom—Science Logshttp://fcit.usf.edu/podcasts/

n Baker, William P., et al. “Writing-to-Learn in the Inquiry-Science Classroom:Effective Strategies from Middle School Science and Writing Teachers.”

planning for Strategic teaching

To address both the inquiry skills and content needs of a wide range of students,instruction needs to be embedded throughout the inquiry. This instruction needs to beintentional and focused on developing skills and strategies for independent inquiry aswell as the knowledge needed to deepen understandings of a particular topic.Instruction may take the form of mini-lessons for the whole class or for smallinstructional groups, shaped to address the needs of students and their inquiry.Embedding instruction in the context of ongoing inquiry helps students see the purposeof their learning and gives them the opportunity to apply it immediately in an authenticcontext.

Teachers may want to explore some of the suggestions for strategic instruction related toscience concepts in the next chapter, starting on page 29.

These particular suggestions may relate to potential student inquiry questions andtargeted Grade 8 Science Cluster 4 outcomes. They do not represent a comprehensive listof instructional strategies, nor do they represent all the possible areas of inquiry. The listof suggestions is not intended to be a definitive manual or a “how to“ guide for this unit.

The suggestions for strategic instruction identify purposes, targets, and descriptions ofteaching, learning, and assessment strategies, and include resources and/or templates.


Manitoba Education and Training. Success for All Learners: A Handbook on

Differentiating Instruction.


thinking about Assessment

The dialogue that develops between teachers and students and among peers is animportant element in assessment for/as learning. Teachers will want to continuouslyreflect on student needs to inform their instruction. Through observation, conversation,and student work, teachers will want to consider the following:

n students making connections to their learning

n students asking questions

n students revisiting/revising their thinking

n students showing thinking related to sustainable development, the big ideas, andtheir guiding question(s)

Teachers will want to conference with students at different points within the inquiryabout their learning goals and steps they might take toward these. Observe students asthey draw upon the class text set. Are the materials responding to their needs? Are somestudents adding titles to the set? Do students need support in accessing and assessinginformation? How are students focusing their inquiry? Are initial questions moving tomore focused guiding questions? What kinds of strategies are students using to processand record information? Is strategic or explicit instruction needed to fill in gaps inunderstanding?

Listen as the class generates criteria for quality inquiry. Are criteria becoming morefocused (e.g., moving from general language and ideas to more descriptive and specificideas)? Listen and observe as the class focuses criteria on product. Are students activelyusing the criteria?


n Davies, Anne, et al. Making Classroom Assessment Work.

n Cooper, Damien. Talk About Assessment: Strategies and Tools to Improve Learning.

phase 3: Applying

Showing What We know

As students advance in their inquiry, they will want to begin thinking about how theywill share their learning related to the following big ideas. Students will

n develop understandings about the interdependence of systems that support life onEarth and how the interactions between these systems affect their sustainability

n develop an awareness of the consequences of human actions on the environment, asense of personal responsibility, and a willingness to act in order to contribute to amore sustainable future


n apply scientific inquiry processes in order to investigate issues related tosustainability

Through planning and developing performances, demonstrations, and/or products,students will be able to formulate and extend their knowledge, engage in problemsolving, showcase results of their inquiry, and make recommendations for the presentand future welfare of Lake Winnipeg and the watershed to which it belongs. Theseculminating tasks also provide the important time to celebrate and reflect on learning.

planning and developing performances, demonstrations, and/or products

Teachers and students will want to determine how students can best show their learningthrough performance, demonstration, and/or product. Whether these are developed asa whole class, in small groups, or individually, teachers will want to determine forms orguide students in selecting forms that are suited to their diverse learning goals, needs,strengths, and multiple intelligences.

Teachers will also want to consider planning for time and resources. Development ofperformances, demonstrations, and/or products will often take larger blocks of time,depending on their scope, and students will need access to resources.

Some suggestions of performances, products, and demonstrations have been provided(see BLM 8: Some Suggested Performances, Products, and Demonstrations). Teacherswill want to embed some instruction and supports related to how a particular form,audience, and context might affect content, presentation, and language that students will use.

developing Criteria for quality

Teachers and students will need to develop criteria for quality work (see BLM 13:Constructing Student-Generated Criteria for Quality Work). Criteria can be posted,revisited, revised, and added to throughout the planning and development process.Criteria will become more focused as students explore models and reflect on form (whatthey are creating), audience (for whom the form is being developed), purpose (why theyare developing the form), context (when, where, and how it will be shared) and topic.The student-generated criteria should be used for self-assessment, peer-assessment, andformative assessment (for and as learning) and summative assessment (of learning).

Celebrating and Reflecting on Learning

Teachers and students can use different means to celebrate and reflect on learning as aresult of their inquiry:

n Exhibition of models and other products, a public hearing, and interactivedemonstrations: Teachers and students can plan a simple classroom event or a more



formal event to which guests are invited. The event can also become part of a wholeschool celebration.

n Debrief: The class can take time to share significant ideas/concepts, reflections onprocesses of planning and developing performances, demonstrations, and products,new questions students may have, and the impact that this learning may have hadon them.

n Whole-class reflection on learning (see BLM 28: Reflection Metacognition).

n Goal-setting: The whole class can discuss their learning and set new learning goalsand goals related to their contributions to sustainability.


n Gregory, K., et al. Setting and Using Criteria: For Use in Middle and Secondary School

Classrooms.

n———. Self-Assessment and Goal-Setting: For Use in Middle and Secondary School

Classrooms.

n———. Conferencing and Reporting: For Use in Middle and Secondary School Classrooms.

n Davies, A. Making Classroom Assessment Work.

n Cooper, Damien. Talk About Assessment: Strategies and Tools to Improve Learning.

n Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth. Rethinking Classroom Assessment with

Purpose in Mind.

n———. Communicating Student Learning: Guidelines for Schools.

S u g g e S t i o n S f o r

S t r a t e g i c i n S t r u c t i o n

n considering the importance of Lake Winnipeg

n Shoreline erosion

n flooding

n Lake Winnipeg ecosystems

n research and action: Protecting our Water

n Lake Winnipeg Water Quality

n Lake Winnipeg and climate

n Lake Winnipeg Watershed

n Looking at the Big Picture: the global Water cycle

S u g g e s t i o n s f o r S t r a t e g i c i n s t r u c t i o n 31

S u g g e S t i o n S f o r S t r a t e g i c i n S t r u c t i o n

considering the importance of Lake Winnipeg

Purpose

Teachers and students may want to activate and extend some of their initial thinkingabout the importance of Lake Winnipeg by exploring the subject from the followingdifferent perspectives: economy, nature, domestic use, and spiritual/cultural role. Thiswill allow for a broader range of thinking.

targets

8-04-18; Cluster 0 Targets

Description of teaching and Learning Strategies

The following questions can support the uncovering of the students’ prior knowledgeand initial understandings:

n How does Manitoba’s economy depend on Lake Winnipeg?

n How does nature depend on Lake Winnipeg? How do we use water in our homes?

n What is the spiritual and cultural importance of water?

Teachers may choose to use/adapt the Rotational Cooperative Graffiti strategy (see Senior

Years Science Teachers’ Handbook, p. 3.15) to focus the thinking from particularperspectives in small groups:

1. Students are divided into three groups. This will depend on the number of studentswithin the class who will be participating in this experience.

2. Groups receive a poster paper with one of the questions as its heading.

3. Team members write down as many responses or ideas about the topic as they canwithin a predetermined amount of time.

4. Posters are rotated to the next team. Once again, the team members write down alltheir responses.

5. Posters circulate until every team has placed their responses on each poster.

Once posters have been circulated, students may want to further their exploration of theimportance of Lake Winnipeg with resources such as the ones suggested on thefollowing page. This will provide the opportunity to move beyond prior knowledge andclarify any misconceptions. Students can add ideas and/or revise information on their

The Importance of Lake Winnipeg

L a k e W i n n i p e g W a t e r S t e w a r d s h i p : a r e s o u r c e f o r g r a d e 8 S c i e n c e32

posters or use a note-taking template to record key ideas and information fromresources. Examples of a note-taking template have been provided in BLMs 14 and 15.

Thinking about Assessment

Observe and listen to learners as they share their prior knowledge related to LakeWinnipeg and the importance of water. Observe and listen to learners as theycollaborate to access, record, and share new information.


Economy

n Lake Winnipeg Research Consortium—About the Lakewww.lakewinnipegresearch.org/aboutlake.html(section on hydroelectric development)

n Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board—Lake Facts www.lakewinnipeg.org/web/content.shtml?pfl=public/downloads.param&page=000103&op9.rf1=000103

n Manitoba Fisheries www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/sustain/intro.html(information on the benefits of fisheries, as well as other important economic uses ofLake Winnipeg)

n Manitoba Water Stewardship. Manitoba’s Water Protection Handbook, pp. 13–15.www.gov.mb.ca/waterstewardship/reports/water_protection_handbook.pdf

n Manitoba Hydro—Lake Winnipeg Regulationwww.hydro.mb.ca/corporate/water_regimes/lake_wpg_regulation.shtml

Domestic Uses


Importance for Nature


n Good and Bad Water System Practiceswww.mostreamteam.org/activity_guide/flood_plains/floodPlains_functions.htm

www.lakewinnipeg.org/web/content.shtml?pfl=public/downloads.param&page=000103&op9.rf1=000103



Fish

n Fish Community Studies www.lakewinnipegresearch.org/pdf%20files/FISH%20COMMUNITY%20STUDIES2.pdf

Spiritual and Cultural Importance

n Water in Human Culture www.spiritus-temporis.com/water/water-in-human-culture.html

n Environment Canada. “Water and Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples.”www.ec.gc.ca/eau-water/default.asp?lang=En&n=BA5125BF-1

n Groenfeldt, David. Water Development and Spiritual Values in Western and Indigenous

Societies.

www.waterculture.org/uploads/Groenfeldt_- Wate_Spirituality.pdf




Shoreline erosion

Purpose

These instructional strategies are intended to help students connect the concepts oferosion, human activity, and the health of Lake Winnipeg. Student inquiry may generatequestions related to erosion. Students will need to understand that erosion that occurswithin the Lake Winnipeg watershed can increase turbidity in Lake Winnipeg.

targets

8-4-08, 8-4-09, 8-4-11, Cluster 0 targets


Because Lake Winnipeg is so expansive, it can develop large waves that affect the landaround it. Teachers may need to use explicit instruction to explore the concept of waves,energy transfer in water, and how waves affect the lake and the shoreline around it.Teachers may want to walk through and discuss information provided in BLM 16: Waves

and Lake Winnipeg. This can be done as a hand-out or students can record theinformation in their journals.

Waves are introduced in the Grade 8 optics cluster, but if this cluster has not beenstudied yet and student inquiry brings up the topic, it may be helpful to introduce theconcept of waves before exploring their effect on Lake Winnipeg. A skipping rope canbe used to demonstrate the wave and its parts (crest, trough, wavelength, wave height).Place the length of skipping rope on a table or floor so that students may gather towatch. Have one student hold one end of rope still and slowly move the other endhorizontally along the surface. Stop the movement and compare the shape of the rope tothe wave diagram in BLM 16: Waves and Lake Winnipeg. Experiment with the speed ofmovement and observe the wavelengths (faster creates a shorter wavelength). Switch rolesso that students can feel how speed affects wavelengths.

To help students transfer the concept of wave movement to water, teachers will want toengage learners in a second demonstration and further discussion. Place water in a largeplastic tray/tub or aquarium. Lift one end (slightly) and then lower it and waves will becreated. A small boat or rubber duck can be placed in the tub to show that energytransfer is vertical not horizontal. (The object will only move up and down on the water and

not across the expanse of water.)

Students may want to create an animation of waves breaking (e.g., stack of cards or apackage of small sticky notes that can be flipped, PowerPoint, or computer animationsoftware).

Waves and Lake Winnipeg



n Related information can be found in Nelson Science and Technology 8 (Section 4.14)and Science Power 8 (Section 11.1).

Reflecting on Learning

Students can reflect on the learning related to waves and shoreline erosion in exit slipsor their science logs. Teachers can prompt reflection with questions such as thefollowing:

n What causes waves?

n Describe how waves break near a shoreline.

n You are walking along smooth rocks along a stretch of the Lake Winnipeg shoreline.What causes this?

n Grand Beach is known for its well sorted fine sand. Why do you think the sandbecame this way?


Check for students’ prior knowledge and growing understandings through observation,conversation, and exit slips and/or animations.

Students can engage in hypothesizing about the effects of wave action on LakeWinnipeg beaches’ shoreline erosion. Students can take on the point of view of aresearcher who is searching to explain the differences between the fine-grain sand on theshoreline of Grand Beach and the mixed pebble-sand shorelines at Winnipeg Beach andGimli Beach. Students will consult with fellow scientists (classmates) to share theirunderstandings of erosion, river features, wave action, and how this might apply to thiscontext.

Have a discussion about hypotheses and the reasons for these hypotheses. Teachers maywant to extend this by asking students to collect information in order to draw someconclusions about the causes for a difference in the shoreline makeup of the beaches(e.g., depth of lake, speed of waves coming in).


Look and listen for students’ use of terminology as well as the application of conceptsrelated to erosion and waves. Are they making connections? Teachers may want to listento students as they share their predictions or hypotheses. Are they making connectionsto their prior knowledge? Are they suggesting examples to support their thinking? Arethey attempting to support their predictions/hypotheses?

Hypothesizing about Lake Winnipeg Beaches


Manitoba’s Water Protection Handbook provides information about the biological andphysical impacts of erosion. Engage students in a Sort and Predict activity as a way ofsupporting their reading for information (see BLM 17: Biological and Physical Impact ofErosion). Sort and Predict will allow students to think about concepts and relatedvocabulary before they read a text. This can be done in small groups or individually.

Students can add new terms and make changes and additions to their Sort and Predictcharts as they read page 31 of Manitoba’s Water Protection Handbook. Discuss the findings.


n Manitoba Water Stewardship. Manitoba’s Water Protection Handbook. www.gov.mb.ca/waterstewardship/reports/water_protection_handbook.pdf

For more information about Sort and Predict:

Manitoba Education and Training. Success For All Learners: A Handbook for

Differentiating Instruction.


As students engage in the Sort and Predict, listen as they share their prior knowledgeand observe them as they read the text. Do they refer back to their charts as they comeacross information in the text? Are they showing growing understanding by revisingtheir sorting? Do some students need more support or different strategies for reading forinformation? Do others need further instruction on the concepts?

To support students in thinking about the effects of erosion on Lake Winnipeg, teacherscan engage students in investigating the effect of the speed of water on erosion. Teacherscan consult BLM 18: Erosion Investigation: A Process for Students for a laboratoryinvestigation process that presents a student-centred approach. Students are given a listof materials and a framework to guide their thinking and writing of a report, but theyare responsible for planning a procedure to answer their question.

Although students have probably had previous experience with conducting labinvestigations, some students might benefit from some explicit instruction and guidance.For example, teachers may need to guide students in

n developing their testable questions (e.g., What is the effect of the speed of water onerosion?)

n identifying the variables they will study (e.g., independent variable: speed of water,which could be adjusted by changing the inclination of the tray, dependent variable:erosion, controlled variable: for example, amount of water)

Why Should We Prevent Shoreline Erosion?

Erosion Investigation


n creating a written plan (e.g., Place sand evenly on the bottom of the tray; place bookunder end of tray to cause an angle; pour water into a specific spot in the elevatedregion of the tray; spill out water from tray into a pail; smooth out sand and repeatexperiment, pouring the water out faster or tilting at more of an angle.)

n recording their data (e.g., charting temperatures and graphing temperature versustime for each substance)

n following safety measures (e.g., wearing safety goggles, using a thermometerproperly)

The laboratory report suggested for this investigation is different from the traditionalformat. It uses a tool called the Science Writing Heuristic, which focuses on helpingstudents make connections among questions, procedures, data, claims, and evidence(support for the claim). Students are also encouraged to verify their explanations withother students as well as with other sources of information in order to develop theirconceptual understanding.


n Manitoba Education and Training. Science Safety: A Kindergarten to Senior 4 Resource

Manual for Teachers, Schools, and Divisions.


n Norton-Meier, L., et al. Questions, Claims, and Evidence: The Important Place of

Argument in Children’s Science Writing.

Resources for Developing and Strengthening Science Inquiry Skills


n Nelson Education. Nelson 8 Science and Technology.

n McGraw-Hill Ryerson Canada. Science Power 8.


Teachers will want to observe students as they engage in the investigation. What theyare looking for will depend on the targeted Cluster 0 Outcomes (e.g., carry outprocedures that comprise a fair test, work cooperatively with team members, makeobservations that are relevant to a specific question). Teachers will want to get a sense ofstudents’ comfort with, skills in, and experiences with scientific inquiry.

The report provides another form of evidence of learning. Teachers may choose to assesstargeted portions of the report and set criteria with students for these portions.


In order to engage students in thinking critically about the effects of water on theerosion of land, propose a problem such as the following:

the Martins bought a piece of property near Wavy creek. they are discussing whether

they should plant some trees and grass along its banks where the previous owner had

a bare patch of soil. conduct the following investigation and make a recommendation

to the Martin family.

Students can conduct an investigation comparing water flow on bare soil versus soilheld together by grass and roots in order to help them make recommendations. Thisinvestigation may be demonstrated by the teacher or conducted by small groups ofstudents. Teachers may instead choose to ask students to devise their owninvestigations. Students can share recommendations and their reasoning. Teachers maywant to access the investigation process suggested in BLM 19: Investigating Erosion

Prevention.

The investigation and ensuing discussions may lead to methods of erosion prevention.Teachers will want to help students make connections between their recommendationsand natural means of shoreline erosion prevention (see BLM 20: Natural Means of Erosion

Prevention).


As students participate in the investigation, listen as they share questions andpredictions. Listen for their reasoning. Are they using prior knowledge? Are theymaking connections to what they know about erosion? Are some students thinkingbeyond the scope of this particular problem and even connecting to Lake Winnipeg?

Teachers may want to organize opportunities for students to tour their community toidentify examples of methods used to prevent riverbank or shoreline erosion. Studentscould sketch, digitally capture, and describe each example. It would be important todiscuss safety issues prior to leaving the classroom. This learning experience can besupplemented (or replaced) with a presentation by a guest speaker (e.g., a member ofthe local public works department responsible for preventing riverbank erosion).Multimedia and/or print resources can also be used to illustrate different methods ofriverbank or coastal erosion.

Teachers and students will want to view illustrations and photos of some methods ofshoreline erosion prevention that are used along the shores of Lake Winnipeg andwaterways that flow into it. The right combination of conditions (such as high lake leveland wind direction) can result in a severe wave pounding, and shoreland soil may needadditional protection. This can be achieved through various methods, such as by theinstallation of the following:

Investigating Erosion Prevention—Natural Means of Erosion Prevention

Examining Methods of Preventing Shoreline Erosion


n Rip-rap (large rock)

n Bulkheads (retaining walls)

n Breakwaters or Groynes

n Gabions (rock-filled wire cages or boxes)

A representation of these methods along with an explanation has been provided forteachers (see BLMs 21–23 and BLM 25). Students can then view a final photo that showsdifferent methods of erosion prevention used at Winnipeg Beach (see BLM 24: Shoreline

Erosion Prevention: Different Methods).

The illustrations show different methods of preventing shoreline erosion. As a class or insmall groups, students can discuss these methods and attempt to evaluate theireffectiveness (see BLM 24: Shoreline Erosion Prevention).

Students can expand the picture collection by adding pictures of shoreline erosionprevention methods taken by students, other staff members, friends, family, or othersources.


Listen to students as they explore the different methods of shoreline erosion prevention.Are they using related terminology? Are they applying what they know in differentcontexts (e.g., identifying a previously seen method in a new photo or on a field trip)?Are they reflecting on individuals’ actions and their impacts on the environment?


flooding

Purpose

These instructional strategies are intended to help students reflect on the effects offlooding on the water quality in Lake Winnipeg. Although it is tied to erosion,widespread flooding adds not only shoreline sediment to the water but also soil fromfarmers’ fields as well as any soluble material that was applied to the fields (herbicides,pesticides, fertilizers). Flooding, if very extensive, can also add contaminants from otherhuman activities such as industry or human waste water treatment.

targets

8-4-12, 8-4-13, 0 Cluster Targets


In order to activate thinking about flooding, ask students to reflect on the following:

after a heavy rain, a stream carries more water than usual. this raises the water level.

Sometimes the level gets so high that the water flows over its channel (the place it

usually flows through). then there is flooding.

Using a placemat strategy (see BLM 26: Flooding: Placement Strategy), students canindividually record responses to the following question and then develop a groupresponse:

Why is it important to know about watersheds when you are talking about flooding?

Take some time to discuss the group responses.

Sample responses:

n If there is a lot of precipitation in one area, the water will be transferred downstream to other

areas/communities—even ones that may not have had a lot of rain.

n Materials that are soluble (able to dissolve in water) may be transferred downstream,

contaminating local water.

n Pollution and garbage could get transported downstream.

n Flooding could cause increased erosion of shorelines and roads downstream.


Observe and listen to students as they record and share their responses. Are theymaking connections to their prior knowledge (e.g., understandings about watersheds,erosion, and solubility)? Are they making connections to personal experiences? Do somestudents need support with group processes?

Flooding and Watersheds


Teachers and students can brainstorm possible causes of flooding and record them onthe board, overhead, or other media. There may be misconceptions or generalities at thispoint. These will provide teaching points as students build on the concepts throughoutthe sequence.

Based on the brainstorm, teachers will want to teach some of these concepts explicitlyand extend understandings. Some background information on causes of flooding can befound in the article “Rain causes floods, but isn’t always the whole story” by ChadPalmer at <www.usatoday.com/weather/wfldfac.htm>. Teachers may also want tocollect, display, and use images that represent each of the factors to support instruction.

To examine each of the causes of flooding more closely, groups of students can representtheir understandings of a particular cause of flooding using a concept map or other formof representation. A sample representation has been provided (see BLM 27: Causes ofFlooding). Post finished products so that students can view and discuss all of the causes.


Listen as students share ideas in the brainstorm. Do concepts need to be clarified orextended? Teachers and students will want to fill in gaps through discussion andexplicit instruction. Listen to pairs as they share ideas about causes of flooding and showtheir understanding in concept maps. Is strategic instruction needed to clarify conceptsor to support finding information from other sources?

Engage students in sharing stories about floods. In order to do so, students can haveconversations with family or community members about experiences and memoriesrelated to a flood, such as the flood of 1997. Teachers may also choose to invite guests toshare their stories or show a video documenting Manitoba floods. As inquiry is often anegotiated process, teachers will want to move questions, discussions, and researchtoward the effects of flooding on Lake Winnipeg.

To facilitate their reflections on their learning throughout the case study, students canrecord their thinking using their journals or a Y Chart (see BLM 28: ReflectionMetacognition). Teachers will want to provide opportunities for students to share theirreflections.

Teachers and students can build a text set by collecting various images and texts (suchas maps, photos, newspaper “clippings”, artwork, stories, poems, video, web pages).This text set will support further exploration of and inquiry into Manitoba floods.

To further explore various facets of Manitoba flooding, students can develop a plan ofinquiry based on questions that surface from discussions and reflections. Teachers mayneed to guide students in focusing their questions, planning for inquiry, exploring theirsources, and gathering and recording information.

What Causes Flooding?

Examining Manitoba Floods

http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/multilevel/blm/blm_7.doc

http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/multilevel/blm/blm_7.doc

www.usatoday.com/weather/wfldfac.htm


Students may suggest questions such as the following:

n What were the factors that caused the flooding in 1997?

n What are some human actions that may contribute to flooding (e.g., getting rid ofwetlands)?

n What are some methods of flood damage prevention (e.g., sandbag dikes, Red RiverFloodway, dams)?

n What are some positive impacts to flooding (e.g., deposition of sediments rich innutrients)?

n What are some negative impacts to flooding?

n What areas were directly affected by the floodwaters (locally, nationally, andinternationally)?

It would be important to embed instruction throughout the inquiry in order to bring outand extend certain concepts (e.g., pros and cons of living on a flood plain, importance ofwetlands, direction of water flow, and effect on Lake Winnipeg).

Teachers and students may want to brainstorm possible ways to communicate theirdiscoveries to others. They will want to explore models of quality work and generatecriteria based on student learning goals and the particular performance task.


n CKND Newsline and Canwest Global. Red River Raging: The Flood of the Century,

Manitoba 1997 [videocassette].

n Government of Canada’s RésEau—Building Canadian Water Connections Initiativewww.ec.gc.ca/reseau/default.asp?lang=En&n=6BDB0B2D-1

n Rivers West. Red River Basin Water Systems: Grade 8 Curriculum Guide, pp. 34–50http://riverswest.ca/pdf/Red_River_Basin_Curr.pdf

n Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth. “BLM 7: Our/My Learning Plan”Independent Together: Supporting the Multilevel Learning Community.www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/docs/support/multilevel/index.html

n Red River Valley Floods Interpretive Centrewww.steagathe.mb.ca/FloodIntCtr.html

n Geoscientific insights into the Red River and its flood problem in Manitoba:http://cgc.rncan.gc.ca/floods/redriver/images_e.php[Images of the Red River and the floodway during high water levels]

n Atlas of Canada:http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/reference/provincesterritories/redriver

http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/reference/provincesterritories/redriver

http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/reference/provincesterritories/redriver


n Palmer, Chad. “Rain causes floods, but isn’t always the whole story” (USA Today,May 17, 2005).www.usatoday.com/weather/wfldfac.htm


Celebrate learning by exhibiting the work of students within or beyond the classroomand reflecting on individual and collective learning.


Listen to the students as they share their reflections. What connections are they making?What kinds of questions are they asking? Listen to students as they tie together theconcepts of flooding and the environmental challenges of Lake Winnipeg. What kinds ofconnections are they making? Is strategic instruction needed to fill in any gaps or toclarify ideas?


Lake Winnipeg ecosystems

Purpose

These instructional strategies are intended to extend or review student understandingsabout ecosystems. Students will build on their knowledge about ecosystems and expandtheir understanding to include lakes in general and Lake Winnipeg specifically. This cansupport students’ ongoing reflection on problems related to Lake Winnipeg’s water andhow these problems can affect many species/types of organisms.

targets

(7-1-02; 7-1-03; 7-1-05); 8-4-18; Cluster 0 targets


Students have had the opportunity to explore concepts related to ecosystems in Grade 7Science. In order to activate their prior knowledge, teachers may want to have studentsbrainstorm what they know about ecosystems. Teachers may want to refer to Grade 7targeted outcomes.

Students can scan the text related to ecosystems in the NatureWorks website, payingparticular attention to subtitles. Students then discuss with a partner what they thinkeach section is about. Divide students into small groups and assign a text section to read.Groups will create a summary sentence for their section that they will share with thelarger group. Teachers may wish to create a larger group web in order to organize theideas.

Working in small groups, students create a definition of an ecosystem and list severalparts that make up an ecosystem. Groups can share findings and review their ecosystemdefinitions as well as their list of parts. Consider tying it all together by creating a wholegroup definition and list.

Teacher Background: A Possible Definition for Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a community of living organisms that interacts/works with other living and

non-living things within the environment they inhabit. The parts of an ecosystem include soil,

atmosphere, heat and light from the sun, water, and living organisms.


n NatureWorks www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwepecosystems.htm

What’s an Ecosystem?

http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwepecosystems.htm

http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwepecosystems.htm



Check for students’ understandings about ecosystems.

Students can explore the “How Healthy is Your Lake?“ poster by HACH to focus theirunderstandings of ecosystems to the context of a lake. Before looking at the poster,engage students in a pre-reading strategy such as a List-Group-Label. Divide studentsinto small groups, giving each group an envelope of key words derived from the poster(see BLM 29: List Group Label Word List). Each group will place the word strips on theirtable, talk about what they know about these words, and discuss connections amongthem. Groups of students will sort words together based on categories of their makingand label their categories. Students can then take a moment to predict what the posterwill be about and share their thinking with the larger group.

Still in small groups, students will view the poster. Teachers may want to guide thestudents in noticing different elements of the poster. Students will continue makingpredictions, asking questions and looking for key words in context. Ask students tofocus their reading on finding information to determine the components of a healthylake system. Students can create a checklist of these components using both the posterand other resources. Students may identify components, such as fish, insects, plants,algae, crustaceans, oxygen, and clear water.


n HACH. How Healthy is Your Lake?www.hach.com/fmmimghach?/CODE%3AL19025037%7C1


Check students’ prior knowledge and growing understandings of ecosystems. Are theymaking connections between ecosystems and the more specific lake ecosystem concept?

To illustrate the interconnectedness of the components of ecosystems and to build onprior knowledge, students can utilize a Word Splash such as the one provided inBLM 30. Students can draw a line between words in the Word Splash that have aconnection or relationship in the functioning of a lake ecosystem. Ask them to place anumber on the line, and then, on a separate piece of paper, write the number and asentence that explains the connection. A sample Word Splash response has beenprovided in BLM 31.

Ecosystem Word Splash

How Healthy is Your Lake?

http://www.hach.com/fmmimghach?/CODE%3AL19025037%7C1


Students may individually create as many connections as they can, then turn to apartner and compare connections. They can then add any new connections that they feelare important and accurate to their own Word Splash. Students can use a variety ofresources, such as the “How Healthy is Your Lake?” poster in the previous strategy, toassist them in making connections.

Teachers may want to create a larger group Word Splash on the board or overhead andhave smaller student groups contribute to the final Word Splash. Teachers may need tofill any gaps or clarify any misconceptions.


Observe students as they work with the Word Splash. What kinds of connections arethey making? Listen as they share their thinking. Are they making new or differentconnections?

When components of an ecosystem are missing or occur in an overabundance,ecosystems are affected. Students can explore this by playing an Ecosystem TumbleTower game (see BLM 32: Ecosystem Tumble Tower). Teachers may also use it as ademonstration using larger pieces of rods (check for local woodworking class scraps or alumber yard for material).

Rods of different colours represent various components of the ecosystem. Students canobserve what happens to the tower when pieces are removed or added to it.

Using a Think-Pair-Share process, students can reflect individually, in pairs, and then asa larger group on the following after they have had opportunity to interact with thegame:

1. Compare what happens to your ecosystem tumble tower and what happens in areal lake ecosystem if certain components are removed? What is affected by thisremoval?

2. What happens when more blocks are added to the system but the foundation istaken away?

3. In the case of a real lake system, what is affected by the addition of certain materialsin an ecosystem?


Listen to students as they play the Ecosystem Tumble Tower game. Are they makingconnections to their prior knowledge? What kinds of predictions are they making?

Ecosystem Tumble Tower


Eutrophication occurs naturally to bodies of water that are older and whose tributariesare often mature rivers that transport nutrient-rich materials. Some of the rivers thatflow into Lake Winnipeg (e.g., the Red River and the Assiniboine River) are maturerivers. As well, Lake Winnipeg itself is a eutrophic lake. See the Cows and FishFactsheet: Lakes and Wetlands for information about lake types.

The concern for Lake Winnipeg is not its natural evolution but the speed at which itscharacteristics have changed and how human actions and practices have intensifiedeutrophication to a point where a very productive lake may begin to actually begin tolose its species diversity. Teachers may want to explicitly present these concepts tostudents. Students can also visit the website and try to determine whether LakeWinnipeg is a eutrophic, oligotrophic, or mesotrophic lake, and give reasons for theiranswer.

In order to help build on these understandings, students can develop a representation ofthe cycling of nutrients in an ecosystem (e.g., Word/Picture Cycle). This representationwill grow as students discuss and learn more about the concepts within the process. Anexample of a Word Cycle has been provided in BLM 33. Students can use the HealthyEcosystem Word Splash to support their thinking.

Lead this group in a discussion about what happens to the cycle when excess nutrientsare added. Consider starting with what students know about nutrients and their effectson living organisms (e.g., human body, farmer’s fields). Guide students in reflecting onthe ripple effect or how one change affects subsequent components within the cycle.

Students can take on a particular point of view (e.g., algae, fish) in order to think aboutspecific effects the addition of excess nutrients has on the lake nutrient cycle. Initially,students may discuss and share the short-term positive effects (e.g., more algae → morefood → more fish), but discussion should ultimately lead to longer-term effects (e.g.,algal blooms, mass decomposition and depletion of oxygen→ intensifiedeutrophication). See BLM 34: Eutrophication: A Look at Cause and Effect for somebackground information.


n Eutrophicationhttp://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/01590/pollution/eutrophication.html

n The Eutrophication Processwww.motherjones.com/news/featurex/2006/03/eutrophication.html

n BLM 34: Eutrophication—A Look at Cause and Effect

n Manitoba Water Stewardship. Manitoba’s Water Protection Handbook

www.manitoba.ca/waterstewardship

n Cows and Fish Factsheet: Lakes and Wetlandswww.cowsandfish.org/pdfs/lakes_wetlands.pdf

Intensified Eutrophication and Sources of Extra Nutrients

http://www.cowsandfish.org/pdfs/lakes_wetlands.pdf

http://www.cowsandfish.org/pdfs/lakes_wetlands.pdf


Students may have already begun discussing sources of excess nutrients, but teacherswill want to examine this more closely.

As a larger group, brainstorm and record possible sources of the extra nutrients thatcause the intensified eutrophication of Lake Winnipeg. Teachers and students will wantto take a closer look at three possible sources of added nutrients: waste water,agriculture, and industry (see BLM 35: How Do Extra Nutrients Get into the Lake?). Askstudents to share what they know about waste water sources (e.g., toilets, sinks,dishwashers, washing machines). Extend the discussion to explore ideas related toincreased nutrient loads from larger populations and the addition of chemicals likephosphates.

To support students in consolidating their understandings about intensifiedeutrophication, students can role-play or develop a RAFT (Role, Audience, Format,Topic). Teachers may need to model and guide students as they engage in the RAFT.They will also want to guide students in generating criteria for a quality RAFT. Somestudents may choose instead to show their understandings in a more concrete form (e.g., concept map).


As students explore concepts related to cycling nutrients, are they making newconnections? Are they showing understanding of cause and effect? Are studentsreflecting on both short-term and long-term effects? Are students reflecting on and usingcriteria as they develop their RAFT?

Teachers will want to get a sense of students’ growing understandings and determine ifand when strategic instruction is needed.

Sample RAFT Ideas

role audience format topic

algae Self Diaryrejoice and lamentthe effects ofexcess nutrients

Lake Winnipeg Humans Letter of concerncreate awarenessof consequences of excess nutrients

fish excess nutrients Love letterexpressuninformedbliss/joy


Teachers will want to guide discussions about local waste water treatment, as well asagricultural and industry practices. Students can share prior knowledge and questionsand seek information from parents or community members. Teachers may want toinvite guest speakers (e.g., local farmer, or agricultural or water stewardshiprepresentative) or arrange a field trip (e.g., local water treatment facility—town orindustry), and/or show a video.


n Waterworks video on sustainable development, which is available to borrow from theManitoba Education Library (Call number VT-0354)

n Down the Drain video, which is available to borrow from Fort Whyte Alive

n BLM 35: How Do Extra Nutrients Get into the Lake?


Teachers will want to get a sense of students’ awareness of sources of problems relatedto Lake Winnipeg.

Using multimedia, Internet, and print resources, students can discover the naturalinhabitants and components of Lake Winnipeg. Teachers may want to guide students asthey manage different resources. Students may need help maintaining focus on thekinds of information they need and in finding it in different resources. Individually or insmall groups, students can create a visual representation of the Lake Winnipegecosystem (e.g., a picture created with computer software, a handmade poster, a bulletinboard, or a mural). Teachers and students will want to talk about what would make aquality representation and determine criteria together (see BLM 36: SampleRepresentation of the Lake Winnipeg Ecosystem).


n Lake Winnipeg Research Consortium—About the Lakewww.lakewinnipegresearch.org/aboutlake.html

n Lake Winnipeg Research Consortium—About the Sciencewww.lakewinnipegresearch.org/aboutscience.html

n Fish and Seafood (pictures of some local fish) www.ats-sea.agr.gc.ca/sea-mer/fp-pr-eng.htm

n Food Chain (an example of a lake food chain)www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/sustain/10.html#K

What’s In, On, and Around the Lake?

Where Do the Nutrients Come From?

http://library.edu.gov.mb.ca:4100/index.php?acode=osv&refid=&source=16a


n Field Trip Activity (visit one of Manitoba’s lakes)www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/sustain/fieldt.pdf


Consider doing a gallery walk of individual or group representations and talk aboutwhat makes each one powerful. Listen to students as they talk about components andinhabitants represented. Listen to how they reflect on their own work. Teachers andstudents would also need to reflect on what makes a mural or bulletin board powerfuland what might be changed or added.


research and action: Protecting our Water

Purpose

The following teaching strategy provides a context within which students can makeauthentic connections to their inquiry into Lake Winnipeg and sustainability. Studentsmay raise questions about what individuals or organizations are already doing toresearch and understand the issues of Lake Winnipeg. They may also want learn moreabout how individuals and organizations are involved in protecting water.

targets

Cluster 0 Targets; 8-04-17; 8-04-18


Teachers and students can identify individuals and organizations that they have heardare involved in research and/or activities related to the protection of water, andmethods by which we can improve its quality. The following list suggests someexamples or organizations and initiatives:

n Lake Winnipeg Research Consortiumwww.lakewinnipegresearch.org/index.html

n Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Boardwww.lakewinnipeg.org/web/content.shtml?pfl=public/vanilla.param&page=000161&op9.rf1=000161

n Save Our Seinewww.saveourseine.com

n Manitoba Conservation Districts Associationwww.mcda.ca/

n Oak Hammock Marsh—River Watchwww.oakhammockmarsh.ca/programs/educators/riverwatch/index.html

n SOULwww.lakewinnipegresearch.org/pdf%20files/SOUL_2009.pdf

n Rivers West www.riverswest.ca

Students can engage in gathering information about individuals, organizations, orinitiatives that are of particular interest to them. Teachers and students will want tobrainstorm focus questions to help guide this gathering of information.

Who’s Involved in the Protection of Water?

www.lakewinnipeg.org/web/content.shtml?pfl=public/vanilla.param&page=000161&op9.rf1=000161

www.lakewinnipeg.org/web/content.shtml?pfl=public/vanilla.param&page=000161&op9.rf1=000161


The following questions may serve as a springboard:

n What do we know about these individuals/groups/initiatives?

n What are their purposes and what specific activities are they engaged in?

n How are these activities and initiatives helping us solve or confront the issuesrelated to water?

n What kinds of careers may exist that connect to water stewardship and research?

Research can delve into both primary and secondary sources. Teachers and studentsmay want to perform web searches and/or make direct contact with individuals orgroups if possible. Students may even wish to invite a researcher to come and discussher or his work. Teachers and students will want to take some time before welcomingguest speakers to identify questions that they would like to ask (e.g., about thepresenter’s career, the presenter’s investigations, or issues that are of concern).


The questions that students come up with for the visitor to their classroom can beincluded in their notebook so that they may reflect on why these questions would beinteresting or important.

After their research and/or guest presentations, students can reflect on information theyfound to be interesting or surprising.


Observe students as they gather information. Teachers may guide information searches(e.g., identifying key search words, discussing the validity of sources, identifyingparticular websites or texts in advance, helping them distinguish between keyinformation and secondary details). This will depend on student and instructionalneeds.


Lake Winnipeg Water Quality

Purpose

These instructional strategies are intended to extend student understandings aboutwater quality and support students’ ongoing reflection on problems related to LakeWinnipeg’s water.

targets

8-4-15, 8-4-16, 8-4-17, 8-4-18, Cluster 0 targets


To develop a deeper awareness of the water conditions of local bodies of water, studentswould benefit from some hands-on analysis of water. Many types of parameters can betested, and students can conduct tests in the class with a sample of water, or go out intothe field to collect water samples and perform various tests. Tests can be performed onlocal water samples, which could help students understand the importance of waterquality and its relevance to their lives. Tests can also be done from samples of LakeWinnipeg water, depending on the possibility of either organizing a field trip to the lakeor the teacher collecting some samples and bringing them back to the classroom. Thefollowing are descriptions of some factors that can be tested to assess water quality.

Turbidity

Turbidity is an indication of how clear or murky the water is. When water is clear, it hasa low level of turbidity and when it is murky, it has high level of turbidity. Clear water,however, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is clean. It may be too acidic or toocontaminated to permit the growth of plants and other organisms. It may also have toolittle dissolved oxygen. However, a high level of turbidity may indicate the presence ofcertain problems.

High turbidity can mean that a body of water is subject to erosion and contains a lot ofparticles. Turbidity can increase the temperature of water because the suspendedparticles in the water absorb heat from the sun. The particles also block sunlight and,therefore, aquatic plants won’t be able to photosynthesize as efficiently, so they will notproduce as much oxygen. These particles can also clog the gills of fish, transportpollutants, and decrease the suitability for the development and growth of aquaticinvertebrates by accumulating at the bottom of a body of water.

Excessive turbidity can have different causes, such as algae blooms due to a high level ofnitrogen in the water and pollutants from waste water. It can also vary depending on the

How Clean is Our Water?


season and weather conditions. Spring runoff or heavy rains can carry sediment into thewater and increase turbidity. Also, plant growth during the warm days of summer canincrease turbidity.

A turbidity test can be conducted by using a commercial Secchi disk or one that ishandmade. Instructions have been provided for the construction of such a disk (seeBLM 37: Constructing and Using a Secchi Disk). Students can compare the turbidity of afirst sample with a sample from a second water source.

Students can then make a comparison between the samples and the amount of sedimentparticles that eventually settle, and hypothesize causes for the turbidity of the samplewater. (Sample responses: sediment from fields and runoff, lots of dead vegetation)

PH

The pH of water is a measure indicating whether a body of water is acidic (e.g., vinegar),neutral, or alkaline (e.g., ammonia). The pH scale varies from 0 (highly acidic) to 14(highly alkaline). Pure water has a pH of 7. Aquatic organisms are adapted to a certainpH level and do not tolerate pH variations very well. Factors such as the type of soil orrocks, rainfall, water temperature, products such as fertilizers and pesticides in runoff,effluents from industry, waste water, and photosynthetic activity of aquatic plants andalgae can all have an effect on the pH level of water. PH levels can vary between 6 and8.5 in freshwater ecosystems.

The pH level can be measured using pH strips that change colour depending on the pHof the sample. These strips are compared to a colour sample in order to determine thepH. The pH level can also be measured with an indicator solution that is added to thewater. The colour is then compared to colour samples in order to determine the pH.Finally, a pH meter can also be used to determine the pH level of a water sample. Somestudents who have pools, hot tubs, or ponds may already have some experience withthis kind of testing.

Dissolved Oxygen

Aquatic organisms need oxygen to survive. The amount of oxygen present in a body ofwater is a good indicator of the health of the ecosystem. If oxygen levels are too low,aquatic organisms can’t survive. Oxygen levels can also sometimes be too high—forinstance, when water is very turbulent or on sunny days when algal blooms produce alot of oxygen through photosynthesis. Oxygen levels that are too high can harm fish andother aquatic organisms.

Many factors can affect the amount of dissolved oxygen in water. Cool water generallycontains more oxygen than warmer water. Water that is turbulent contains more oxygenbecause there is more contact with oxygen from the atmosphere. Photosynthesis byaquatic plants can increase the level of dissolved oxygen. Dissolved oxygen is thereforehigher in the daytime than at night. Organic waste in the water can reduce the level ofdissolved oxygen because the bacteria that decompose this waste consume oxygen.


Dissolved oxygen levels are also sometimes different at different depths in a body ofwater when there is a significant change in the temperature of the water.

Dissolved oxygen can be measured using kits or probes designed for this. It is usuallymeasured in parts per million or in percentages. An amount of oxygen of 9 to 10 partsper million is considered good for freshwater. If the amount of dissolved oxygen is only4 parts per million, some populations of fish and invertebrate species will start todecline. In a lake, a saturation percentage of 70% is usually an acceptable level.Saturation percentage is the comparison between the amount of oxygen in a litre of asample of water and the maximum amount of oxygen that can be dissolved in a litre ofwater at a given temperature. If the saturation percentage dips below 60% or is above125%, organisms will have difficulty surviving.

Coliforms

Coliforms are a group of bacteria that live everywhere in our environment, including inour body. Fecal coliforms are a group of bacteria that originate in the digestive tract ofwarm-blooded animals, including waterfowl and humans. The most common memberof this group of bacteria is Escherichia coli, more commonly referred to as E. coli. Fecalcoliforms normally do not cause illness themselves but, when present in large numbers,are often associated with more harmful disease-causing organisms. Thus, they areknown as “indicator bacteria.“ The presence of coliforms in water indicates that thewater could be contaminated by sewage or other types of organic waste. Testing forpathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria is difficult and takes a lot of time. However,testing for the presence of coliforms is relatively easy.

In Manitoba, the allowable maximum number of indicator bacteria in recreational wateris 200 E. coli per 100 millilitres of a sample. For drinking water, there should be less than0 colonies of E. coli per 100 millilitres of a sample.

The presence of coliform bacteria can be tested using kits for this purpose. These test kitsusually test for the total amount of coliform populations in a water sample.

Temperature

The temperature of a body of water influences the types of organisms that can live in it.Temperature also influences the amount of oxygen that can be dissolved in the water. Arise in temperature can accelerate plant growth and decomposition, as well as thegrowth and reproduction of bacteria. Temperature variations also influence events suchas the metamorphosis of insect larvae and the laying of eggs by fish. The temperature ofa body of water varies throughout the year and even during the course of a day, but anymajor change (more than 1 or 2 degrees) in a short period of time can be harmful toaquatic organisms. High turbidity can increase the temperature of water, as well aswaste water from industry.

Testing the temperature of a body of water can help predict or confirm water conditions.It is better to take the temperature on-site to get an accurate reading.


Phosphates

Phosphorus is a nutrient that is found in water in the form of phosphates. It is presentnaturally in soils and rocks, but can also enter water sources because of human activity.Phosphates are components of fertilizers as well as many cleaning products, and can endup in the water because of soil runoff as well as waste water discharge. Phosphatesstimulate plant growth; therefore, when levels are high, they can cause algae blooms.These algae blooms can reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen in a body of water whenthe algae die and decompose. Some species of algae can also produce toxins, which cancause health problems in animals as well as humans.

Testing for the phosphate concentration in a body of water can be done using a test kit,which can be purchased at most science supply companies. Even small increases inphosphate concentration can significantly affect ecosystems.

Nitrates

Nitrogen is the main component of our atmosphere, and is also a necessary element forplant growth. Nitrogen is not used by plants in its gaseous form, but, rather, in the formof nitrates or ammonia. Nitrates are naturally present in soils, rocks, and vegetation, butare also found in human and animal wastes, decomposing vegetation and animals, andin fertilizers. They can end up in the water because of soil runoff and waste waterdischarge. High concentrations of nitrates can contribute to algae blooms.

Testing for nitrate levels in a body of water can be done using a test kit, which can bepurchased at most science supply companies.


For more information about the parameters described above and about testingprocedures, the following websites could be very useful:

n Water Watch Australia National Technical Manualwww.waterwatch.org.au/publications/module4/index.html

n Water Sampling Tests Fieldbookwww.ciese.org/curriculum/dipproj2/en/fieldbook/index.html

n Water Quality Testing Manual for Middle Schools and High Schoolswww.mwra.com/publications/waterqualitytesting/waterqualitymanual.htm

Water testing kits can be purchased at many science supply companies and range fromthe very inexpensive and easy-to-use to more accurate and expensive kits. Water testingkits are also available from the Safe Drinking Water Foundation (see www.safewater.organd click on the “Education“ tab).



Observe and listen to students as they engage in hands-on investigations. Depending onCluster 0 targets, teachers will want to observe students as they engage in scientificinquiry. Are they asking questions? Are they working cooperatively to carry out a plan?Are they working safely with materials?

Listen to students as they investigate. Are they talking about their observations andmaking connections to what they have learned about healthy lake ecosystems?

Lake Winnipeg and climate

Purpose

The following suggestions for strategic instruction are intended to support students inthinking about the role that Lake Winnipeg plays in the climate of the land around it.

Targets

8-4-02; 8-4-05; Cluster 0 Targets

Description of Teaching and Learning Strategies

Heat capacity deals with the ability of a substance to hold heat. Students may want toinvestigate the heat capacity of water, soil, and sand. One way that teachers can supportthis is by facilitating a laboratory investigation. Teachers can consult BLM 38: Heat

Capacity Investigation: A Process for Students for a laboratory investigation process thatpresents a student-centred approach. Students are given a list of materials, a procedureto follow, and a framework to guide their thinking and writing of a report.

Although students have probably had previous experience with conducting labinvestigations, some students might benefit from some explicit instruction and guidance.For example, teachers may need to guide students in developing their testable questions(e.g., What is the effect of the type of material on its heat capacity?), in identifying thevariables they will study (e.g., independent variable: type of substance, dependentvariable: heat capacity, controlled variable: time of heating, consistency of heat[comparative samples of the same hotplate]), in recording their data (e.g., chartingtemperatures and graphing temperature versus time for each substance), and infollowing safety measures (e.g., wearing safety goggles, using a thermometer properly).To support scientific thinking students should ideally create their own charts andgraphs. The following samples illustrate important elements of charts and graphsapplicable to this investigation. Teachers may find these useful in guiding students asthey create their own (see BLM 39: Heat Capacity Investigation Sample Chart andBLM 40: Heat Capacity Investigation: Sample Graph).

The laboratory report suggested for this investigation is different than the traditionalformat. It uses a tool called the Science Writing Heuristic, which focuses on helpingstudents make connections among questions, procedures, data, claims, and evidence(support for the claim). Students are also encouraged to verify their explanations withother students, as well as with other sources of information, in order to develop theirconceptual understanding.

Heat Capacity Lab

61S u g g e s t i o n s f o r S t r a t e g i c i n s t r u c t i o n



n Manitoba Education and Training. Science Safety: A Kindergarten to Senior 4 Resource

Manual for Teachers, Schools, and Divisions.


n Norton-Meier, L., et al. Questions, Claims, and Evidence: The Important Place of

Argument in Children’s Science Writing.

Some resources for developing and strengthening graphing skills include:


n Nelson Education. Nelson 8 Science and Technology.

n McGraw-Hill Ryerson Canada. Science Power 8.


Teachers will observe students as they engage in the investigation. What they arelooking for will depend on the targeted Cluster 0 outcomes (e.g., Carry out proceduresthat comprise a fair test, making and recording observations).

Because of the nature of this particular investigation, teachers may want to observestudents’ use of lab safety skills. Are they wearing safety goggles at all times? Are theyutilizing the thermometer in a safe and appropriate manner?

Observe students as they engage in observing and analyzing data. Are they accuratelyutilizing thermometers to collect data? Are they cooperatively working with classmembers to collect data? Are they utilizing the mathematical formula to effectivelydetermine cooling rates among the three types of materials? Do they need more supportwith charting and graphing?

The report provides another form of evidence of learning. Teachers may choose to assesstargeted portions of the report and set criteria with students for these portions.

To fully understand how water and its heat capacity affect the climate, teachers maywant to review with students the concept of convection currents (the transfer of heat inliquids and gases). The concepts of heat transfer and convection are introduced in theGrade 7 particle theory cluster. To help students visualize the concept of convectioncurrents, teachers may want to conduct a demonstration either utilizing a commercialconvection tube, smoke box, or a stoppered jar. Take time to discuss students’observations and conclusions (see BLM 41: Convection Current Demonstration).

Convection Currents, Heat Transfer, and Wind



Listen for students’ understandings as they share their observations and conclusions. Isfurther discussion or more demonstration needed?

Wind is the movement of air masses due to convection currents. Students can read andanalyze a diagram of sea and land breezes (see BLM 42: Sea and Land Breezes), anddiscuss the following questions:

n How do heat capacity and convection currents affect which way the winds blow atdifferent times of the day? (Soil has a higher heat capacity so it heats up faster through the

day and warms the air above it. The air above it rises because it is less dense and cooler air

from over the water takes its place, setting up a convection current. As the warm air rises, it

cools and settles over the water. At night, the water, with its high heat capacity and ability to

hold heat longer, warms the air above it, which rises. The cooler air over the land moves

toward the water.)

n Air cools as it rises in altitude. Cooler air cannot hold as much water vapour. Usingyour knowledge about the water cycle, describe how Lake Winnipeg might affect theprecipitation amounts of the land areas around it. (As warm air above the water rises, it

takes with it evaporated water. When this water-laden air rises even further above the higher

elevation of land, it cools and condenses, clouds form, and precipitation occurs when enough

water vapour has condensed.)

n Who might find this information of land and sea breezes and precipitation amountsimportant? (Possible answers: farmers, sailors, fishermen, tourists)


Look and listen for students’ use of terminology as well as the application of theconcepts of heat capacity and convection currents in their explanations of how winds arecreated. Teachers will want to fill in any gaps in understanding or addressmisconceptions.

Students may want to analyze data from Environment Canada to observe the effect theexpanse of Lake Winnipeg has on the climate of two nearby communities.

Using a map of Manitoba, they can identify the location of Gimli and Fraserwood. Usingdata obtained from Environment Canada’s National Climate Data and InformationArchive, teachers can guide students in analyzing this information. As this might bechallenging for students, teachers may want to prompt them with questions, such as thefollowing:

Comparing Temperatures Inland and Along Lake Winnipeg

Sea and Land Breezes

http://climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climate_normals/index_e.html

http://climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climate_normals/index_e.html


n Which community has a higher daily minimum temperature during the months ofSeptember and October?

n What factor may cause this occurrence? Explain.

n Which community has a higher daily average temperature during the months ofApril and May?

n Using the term “heat capacity,“ explain why the community you identified in theprevious question had a higher daily average temperature.

n Based on the information discussed earlier, which of the following communities maybe able to plant their gardens earlier? Why?

n Frost occurs when water reaches freezing and the cells in plants die. Whichcommunities might observe that flowers in their garden last longer in the fall?


Students can take time to discuss their observations related to the climate data, theconnections they made to the concept of heat capacity, and how they see this applied indaily life.


Look and listen for students’ use of terminology as well as the application of theconcepts of heat capacity and convection currents to the Lake Winnipeg context.

Are they making connections? Teachers may use an exit slip to check for understandingand to plan for next steps (see BLM 43: 3-2-1 Exit Slip).


the Lake Winnipeg Watershed

Purpose

The following suggestions for strategic instruction build students’ understandings ofLake Winnipeg’s watershed and the impact on water quality as a result of humanactions within this extensive watershed. Students also begin reflecting on ideas ofconnectivity within a watershed, the concept that local actions can have largerimplications, and subsequently the need for sustainable development to proposesolutions.

targets

8-4-07; 8-4-17; Cluster 0 targets


In order for students to make connections between the Lake Winnipeg watershed andproblems related to Lake Winnipeg, students will need to understand what a watershedis and how it works. BLM 44: Mini Watershed Tracer: Building Instructions can helpstudents experience how watersheds are formed, and analyze the impacts of elevationon a watershed. Teachers and students will want to discuss their observations (e.g., awatershed is an area of land that drains water downslope; gravity causes the water toflow in a watershed; a lake is a depression in the land where water can accumulate).

If needed, teachers can prompt students’ analysis with questions such as:

n Did you notice different elevations in your tracer? What might these represent (e.g.,mountains, plains)?

n Consider the path the water made and its formations (e.g., straight, wavy, circular).How might these compare to parts of a watershed (e.g., lakes, rivers)?

n What force of nature caused the “rivers“ to flow?

n Why did lakes occur where they did on your paper?

n Did you have rivers after your lakes? If so, describe their shape.

n What might the sand and pebble particles represent? How did they affect the flow ofyour river?


Listen to students as they share their observations. This discussion will informinstructional needs. Would students benefit from more explicit instruction about andfurther exploration of watersheds?

Defining “Watershed”


In order to transfer understandings from the watershed tracer to the Lake Winnipegcontext, students can examine a map of the Lake Winnipeg watershed. Groups ofstudents can discuss questions such as the following:

n What do you notice about the watershed?

n What could this mean when looking at problems related to the water in LakeWinnipeg?

Teachers may need to prompt the discussion in order to move the thinking beyond basicobservations. This can be supported by the following information:

n “Lake Winnipeg’s watershed is almost 1 million square kilometres.”

n “When measured by surface area, it is the 10th largest freshwater lake in the world.”

n “Millions of acres of productive agricultural cropland drain to the lake.”

n “Almost 7 million people live in the watershed plus several times more farmanimals.”

n “Water drains into Lake Winnipeg from four provinces and four states.”

(Lake Winnipeg Foundation 16)


Listen to students as they discuss connections between the tracer and the Lake Winnipegcontext. What kinds of observations are they making? Are they able to make hypothesesor ask questions about causes of problems in Lake Winnipeg?


Teachers may wish to explore and utilize some of the following resources to extend thethinking about watersheds, to explore information related to questions that studentsmay have, or to demonstrate methods of viewing watersheds within Manitoba andNorth America:

n Lake Winnipeg Foundationwww.lakewinnipegfoundation.org/

n Red River Watershed Curriculumwww.riverswest.ca

n Manitoba Watershed Atlashttp://mbeconetwork.org/gis_mapping_center/gis_projects/mb_watershed_atlas/

n The Watersheds of Manitobawww.gov.mb.ca/waterstewardship/floodinfo/maps/mb_basins_map.html

n Moopher’s Amazing Journey (Watershed board game)www.saskriverbasin.ca

Examining the Lake Winnipeg Watershed


n WWF Schools for a Living Planetwww.schoolsforalivingplanet.com/

n 3-D Map of Manitoba: Manitoba Industry, Economic Development and Mines,Telephone: 204-945-4154, or toll-free: 1-800-223-5215

n Manitoba Water Stewardship—Quick Factswww.gov.mb.ca/waterstewardship/water_quality/lake_winnipeg/facts.html

Using a Manitoba road map (available from Manitoba Tourism), students can traceand/or record the path water would take through the Lake Winnipeg watershed.Teachers may need to introduce students to map-reading strategies (i.e., using a mapindex, using the letter- and number-locating system). Teachers may wish to model a firstpath beginning in Roblin, for example. Students can then move to tracing the paththrough The Pas and then through Lac du Bonnet. These suggested locations highlightthree of the major sources of water into Lake Winnipeg. Other starting locations may beused as well, including those outside of Manitoba.

If students have questions about water flow in Manitoba and the possible effects ofvolume, teachers may want to support thinking by using the following table:

Teachers may want to engage students in a discussion to help them reflect on theexpanse of the watershed and the fact that the water comes from different areas beforereaching Lake Winnipeg. Teachers will want to elicit student questioning and may needto prompt the discussion with questions such as the following:

n How might the size of the watershed affect the water quality of Lake Winnipeg?

n Why might a community that is downstream from another be concerned about thewater it is receiving?

n What effects might agriculture and industry have on the watershed?

n How might the fact that the watershed crosses provinces and states affect decisionmaking related to the sustainability of Lake Winnipeg?

Water Source Percentage of Total Contribution (%)

Winnipeg river 40

Saskatchewan river 22

Direct Precipitation in north Basin 11

red river 8

Berens river and Pigeon river 5

other 14

Water Flow in Manitoba: Journey to the Sea


To extend this thinking, teachers may want to ask students the following questions:

n Based on the table, the Red River contributes 8 percent of the water flowing intoLake Winnipeg, while other sources, such as the Winnipeg River, contribute a muchlarger proportion of water. Why should people in Winnipeg or those living in andaround the Red River be concerned about their impact on Lake Winnipeg (e.g., population, density of industry and agriculture)?

n Can the chart’s numbers make a person think that the Red River would have little orno impact on Lake Winnipeg?

n What does this tell us about the nature of statistics and how we make meaning ofthem?


Students can reflect on their learning in the form of an exit slip or in their notebooks. The following sentence starters can support their thinking:

n Two ideas I found interesting...

n The muddiest point...

n What was confusing...

n I’d like to know more about...

n One thing I know that wasn’t mentioned...

n A question I have...

n I’d like to know more about...

Students can also extend their thinking about the concepts with questions such as thefollowing:

n How might an oil spill in Alberta affect Lake Winnipeg?

n How might what a farmer applies on his fields in North Dakota affect LakeWinnipeg?

n The Lake Winnipeg watershed crosses different provinces and states. How mightthis affect decision making related to Lake Winnipeg’s sustainability?


As students discuss, check for growing understanding of watersheds. Exit slips ornotebook entries can also be used as evidence of learning.


Looking at the Big Picture: the global Water cycle

Purpose

These instructional strategies are intended to help students make connections betweenthe Lake Winnipeg context and the global water cycle. Examining the water cycle canhelp students understand that there is a finite amount of water on the Earth and thiswater is recycled over and over. If a water source is polluted, that pollution can becomepart of the water cycle and affect areas beyond the pollution source. This can supportstudents’ ongoing reflection on problems related to Lake Winnipeg’s water, and onpotential sources of these problems.

targets

8-04-6; Cluster 0 targets


Teachers may want to create a working model of the water cycle (see BLM 45: WorkingWater Cycle Model: Building Instructions). This model can be used to activate priorknowledge, to extend understandings of the water cycle, and to show understandings ofwhat students know about the water cycle.

Teachers can begin by posing the following question to students to open discussions andelicit predictions:

Does anyone know what this model represents?

If the sun is shining and water is cycling through the model, teachers can ask students todescribe what they see. If the water is not cycling through, students can hypothesizewhat might happen to the contents of the model when the sun shines. Students canrecord their theories in their science journals. Using the Think-Pair Share format,students can share with a neighbour and then with the rest of the group.


Observe and listen to learners as they share their prior knowledge, predictions, andquestions. Is explicit instruction or further exploration needed?

Creating a Working Model of the Water Cycle


Students can view and talk about a representation of the water cycle. Many animationscan be found online or the water cycle diagram in BLM 46 can be used. Teachers willwant to ensure that students examine the different processes (i.e., evaporation,condensation, precipitation, surface runoff, transpiration, infiltration) that are takingplace within a continuous cycle.

Teachers and students may want to return to the working model of the water cycle inlight of the recent examination of processes and related terminology, and determine howthese are represented. See BLM 47: Labelled Working Water Cycle Model for a samplerepresentation.

In order to consolidate their understandings of the water cycle, students can create arepresentation of the water cycle by consulting resources such as print texts, visuals, andwebsites. Students will be able to draw from their introduction to the water cycle inGrade 5 Science. Students will have also discussed changes of states of matter in theirexplorations of particle theory in Grade 7 Science. Representations can come in a varietyof forms (e.g., word cycle, concept map, drawing, dramatic reenactment) (see BLM 48:Water Cycle Word Cycle: Example).


Students can reflect on their learning in their inquiry logs. Teachers can prompt studentreflection if needed with questions such as the following:

n Think about the water you drink. Where does it come from?

n How long has it been a part of the water cycle?

n Where will it go after it leaves your body?


Check for students’ growing understandings of the water cycle. Is explicit instruction orfurther exploration of the water cycle needed? Teachers may want to confer withparticular learners to clarify the connections they have made. Students’ representationsof the water cycle can become evidence of learning either to determine instructionalneeds and/or to determine how well students show their understandings of the watercycle.

Exploring the Water Cycle

G l o s s a r y

Breakwaters/GroynesBreakwaters/Groynes are structures thatextend into a body of water to deflect anddiffuse the offshore eroding power ofwaves before they reach the beach.

BulkheadBulkheads are wall-like structures thatcontain the shorelines and prevent themfrom being eroded by water and ice.

Classroom-Based�AssessmentClassroom-based assessment is a cyclicprocess within everyday instruction andlearning that encompasses ongoingplanning, observing, scaffolding,responding and reflecting on learning andteaching to improve student learning.

ColiformsColiforms are a group of bacteria that liveeverywhere in our environment, includingin our body.

CondensationAs water vapour rises, it cools andeventually condenses, usually on tinyparticles of dust in the air.

When air condenses it becomes a liquidagain or turns directly into a solid (ice, hail,or snow). These water particles then collectand form clouds.

Controlled�VariablesControlled variables are the factors that willneed to stay consistent.

Convection�CurrentConvection current is the transfer of heatthrough water.

Dependent�VariableDependent variable is the factor that youwill measure or observe.

EcosystemAn ecosystem is a community of livingorganisms that interacts/works with otherliving and non-living things within theenvironment they inhabit. The parts of an

ecosystem include soil, atmosphere, heatand light from the sun, water, and livingorganisms.

EutrophicationA process by which waters, soils, or habitatsacquire a high concentration of nutrientssuch as phosphates and nitrates.

EvaporationThe process by which water changes statefrom a liquid to a gas.

GabionsGabions are rock-filled wire cages that areused to stablize the shore against erosion.

GroundwaterGroundwater is water held in cracks andpore spaces in the Earth’s upper crust.

Depending on the geology, thegroundwater can flow to support streams.

Groundwater can also be tapped by wells.

Heat�CapacityHeat capacity is the ability of a substance tohold heat.

Independent�VariableIndependent variable is the factor that youcan purposely change.

InfiltrationInfiltration is seeping of water through theground.

NitratesNitrogen is the main component of ouratmosphere, and is also a necessary elementfor plant growth. Nitrogen is not used byplants in its gaseous form, but, rather, in theform of nitrates or ammonia.

PHThe pH of water is a measure indicatingwhether a body of water is acidic (e.g.,vinegar), neutral, or alkaline (e.g.,ammonia).

G l o s s a r y 3

G l o s s a r y

PhosphatesPhosphorus is a nutrient that is found inwater in the form of phosphates. It ispresent naturally in soils and rocks, but canalso enter water sources because of humanactivity.

PrecipitationPrecipitation in the form of rain, snow, andhail comes from clouds. Clouds movearound the world, propelled by air currents.

When clouds rise over mountain ranges,they cool, becoming so saturated with waterthat water begins to fall as rain, snow, orhail, depending on the temperature of thesurrounding air.

Rip-rapRip-rap is the large rocks/boulders/concrete blocks that are often piled along ashoreline so that it can better absorb thecrash of the waves and withstand theeroding power of the water.

Secchi�DiskA Secchi disk is one device used to measureturbidity.

Strategic�TeachingStrategic Teaching means makingdeliberate, informed decisions about thebest tools to use for each learning task andto reach each learning outcome of acurriculum, given the particular needs andcharacteristics of students.

Surface�RunoffExcessive rain or snowmelt produceoverland flow or surface runoff to creeksand ditches.

Runoff is also the visible flow of water inrivers, creeks, and lakes as the water storedin the basin drains out.

Sustainable�DevelopmentAn approach to decision making that takesinto consideration how the consequences ofthe decision will affect the environment, theeconomy, and the human health and well-being (social).

Text�SetsA collection of oral, print, and other mediatexts related to a common element, topic,theme, inquiry, or type of text.

TranspirationThe process whereby water vapour is givenoff by plant leaves.

TurbidityTurbidity is an indication of how clear ormurky the water is.

WatershedThe area that drains into a single lake orriver.

Water�TableThe water table is the depth/level of theEarth’s crust at which water will rise whenan open well or pit is dug.

l a k e W i n n i p e g W a t e r s t e w a r d s h i p : a r e s o u r c e f o r G r a d e 8 s c i e n c e4

r e f e r e n c e s

n Bibliography

n Webography

n Videography

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B i b l i o g r a p h y 3

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B i b l i o g r a p h y 5


W e B o G r a p h y

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W e b o g r a p h y 9

V i d e o G r a p h y

Toews, Miriam. Waterworks. Winnipeg, MB: Turner-McCully Productions, 1992.(Manitoba Education Library call number VT-0354)

Coghill, Jim. Red River Raging: The Flood of the Century, Manitoba 1997. Winnipeg, MB:CKND Newsline and Canwest Global, 1997. (Manitoba Education Library callnumber 11020)


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