This unit has five components linked sequentially: 1. Students should research the human generated sources that have contributed to the increase in the acidity of rain. At the conclusion of their research, students should understand the scope of the problem and be able to list and explain at least three areas where rain with low pH impacts humans and the natural world. In classroom discussion, students should be able to articulate their findings and discuss the validity of sources located as well as future implications if the problem remains unresolved. 2. In the second lesson, students should be able to work in a group to determine the portion of the phenomena (effects on aquatic systems, manmade structures, plants, etc.…) they would like to study and develop a plan to test their hypothesis with the appropriate controls. The plan should be presented to the class for critique prior to implementation. If the class is unable to locate areas of weakness, the instructor should ask questions intended to guide the class in the correct direction to produce relatively valid results. However, the students are responsible for their experimental design so they should be allowed to implement the experiment even if they are unable to correct problems perceived by the instructor - the students, as a group, should take ownership. During the course of study, students may be able to correct problems as they begin to run their experiment. If the problem cannot be corrected, the students should repeat the experiment or report the problem and how a researcher in the future might correct the problem to obtain more accurate results. 3. Lesson 3 requires that students implement their plan using available materials and following all laboratory safety procedures. 4. At the conclusion of their experiment, students will produce a formal lab write up using the word processing program of their choice. Student groups should divide the workload (the sections of the report) so that everyone contributes. One chart and one graph is required and must be produced on the computer as well. The instructor may want to require a rough draft to check student understanding of the process depending on the experience level of the class in producing the formal report. 5. After rough drafts are complete, students should share their results with the class. A discussion of results should be facilitated by the instructor. Students should help each other determine areas for further research.

ABILITIES NECESSARY TO DO SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY Identify questions and concepts that guide scientific investigations. Design and conduct scientific investigations. Use technology and mathematics to improve investigations and communications. Formulate and revise scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence. UNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY Scientists usually inquire about how physical, living, or designed systems function. Conceptual principles and knowledge guide scientific inquiries. Historical and current scientific knowledge influence the design and interpretation of investigations and the evaluation of proposed explanations made by other scientists. Scientists conduct investigations for a wide variety of reasons. For example, they may wish to discover new aspects of the natural world, explain recently observed phenomena, or test the conclusions of prior investigations or the predictions of current theories. Scientists rely on technology to enhance the gathering and manipulation of data. New techniques and tools provide new evidence to guide inquiry and new methods to gather data, thereby contributing to the advance of science. The accuracy and precision of the data, and therefore the quality of the exploration, depends on the technology used. Mathematics is essential in scientific inquiry. Mathematical tools and models guide and improve the posing of questions, gathering data, constructing explanations and communicating results. Scientific explanations must adhere to criteria such as: a proposed explanation must be logically consistent; it must abide by the rules of evidence; it must be open to questions and possible modification; and it must be based on historical and current scientific knowledge. Results of scientific inquiry--new knowledge and methods--emerge from different types of investigations and public communication among scientists. In communicating inquiry, arguments must be logical and demonstrate connections between natural phenomena, investigations, and the historical body of scientific knowledge. In addition, the methods and procedures that scientists used to obtain evidence must be clearly reported to enhance opportunities for further investigation.

Pre-requisite Skills  (help)

Students should understand science as inquiry and the process necessary to accurately design an experiment. Students should follow all laboratory safety procedures and know how to accurately read and use equipment.

Teacher Information  (help)

On the first day, students will work independently to set up their lab. Advance preparation is required. One student group chose to test the effects of acidic water on growing plants which required that I provide established, healthy plants. The students used three different spray bottles to apply solutions with different pH levels. For students that will be testing the effect of lowered pH on seed germination, we used parakeet seed; it is quick to germinate, readily available at a low cost and the class decided to assume that the seeds were about the same age, collected at the same time from the same area with plants that have similar genetics. Students should understand that disproving their hypothesis can also be significant and should not be considered a failure. Example: One student group chose to test the impact of acidic water on the germination and growth of seeds. Four sterilized petri dishes were used. Paper towels were cut to exactly fit the inside of the dishes, ten parakeet seeds were placed on each of the towels, 10 ml of fluids were added (each with differing pH levels), and the dishes were each covered and placed in the same location to control light, air and temperature. Each day, the student group counted the number of seeds that germinated and added fluids as necessary to keep the seeds moist. After germination, they also measure the length of the sprout to make their charts and graphs. The instructor should advise students to take very accurate observations and records so that the formal lab write-up can be completed from their notes. An instructor may choose to allow students to use ANY materials they desire to creat their own lab design. For example, students may want to determine the impact of lowered pH on the growth of healthy plants by watering two identical plants with egual amounts of a pH 7 solution and a pH 5 solution. Students will become very creative at determining how to collect their data. For the impact of acid rain on aquatic ecosystems, it would be unwise to toss two fish in a bowl and dump acid in there to watch them suffer but, a student could use aquatic plants treated with solutions with differing pH using as their data the length of each sprig, number of branches or number of leaves.

Assessment  (help)

Assessment is informal; the instructor should circulate while students set up their lab and collect data to be sure that all procedures are followed correctly.

Student Activity  (help)

Students should follow the plan they devised and set up their laboratory. For five days, students should collect data and make observations which will be recorded in their journal.

Technology Requirements/Integration  (help)

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