Activity Preparation

• Completion of all five steps of the lesson may take 3-5 days.
• Day 1 - Step 1 - Introduce the lesson and corresponding tests, research requirements, and documents. Introduce or review “ethics” and “land stewardship.” Testing may or may not begin depending on time.
• Day 1 - Step 2 - Students will conduct water quality tests.
• Day 2 - Step 3 - Begin research and preparations for presentations.
• Days 3-5 - Group presentations and a class discussion serving as lesson closure regarding ethics and stewardship.
• Collect and transport water from outdoor waterbodies. While this lesson is written for the collection of water from one aquatic location, it is suggested that samples are collected from two waterbodies, allowing students to make comparisons. Collect one sample from a moving waterbody and the other from a waterbody that is relatively still.
• Collect water samples no more than 24 hours prior to conducting tests to ensure both water viability and to provide the most accurate readings. Note: Collect a temperature reading immediately after collecting the water sample(s). Provide the temperature reading to the dissolved oxygen (DO) group, as directed in the 101 documents. The dissolved oxygen (DO) group will need the temperature reading for their research.
• Utilize water testing kits that test for the following: temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, pH, ammonia, nitrates, and phosphates. Regardless of which test kit you choose to use, the testing results will align with the steps of the lesson. Prepare testing materials for each group according to test kit instructions. Closely follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer regarding water collection and storage.