Lesson Plan Three:

Content Area/
Activity Name:

Testing Water Samples for Pollution

ELA/Science

Lesson Objective:

Given instruction on how to test water sample

and determine the level of pollution, students will
test a water sample from Onondaga lake and
explain in writing how they tested the water and
the level of pollution present in the water.

Standards:
(NYS Standards, CCSS,
Disciplinary Standards)

Standards:
WS.9-10.2. Write informative/explanatory texts
to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts,
and information clearly and accurately through
the effective selection, organization, and analysis
of content.
Living Environment.1.2a-Inquiry involves asking
questions and locating, interpreting, and
processing information from a variety of sources.

Lesson Rationale:

Students are in the middle of the unit,

discovering what it means for a body of water to
be polluted and how water pollution impacts the
environment. By completing this lesson, students
are able to see hands on why the lake is polluted
and why that is a danger to the environment.
This lesson is necessary for students to see that
the water is unsafe.

Accommodations/
Modifications:

-Provide various visuals for students to

understand the difference between bacteria,
lead, pesticides, nitrates, ph, and chlorine
-Provide students with definitions of each area of
pollution, in order to give students clarification

Research Plan
Component

During this component of the lesson, students

will be experimenting with the water samples in
order to determine whether or not the water is
polluted. Then, students will report the
information they find. During this lesson,
students will complete the experiment and
record data portion of their research plan packet.

Procedures:
(Anticipatory Set,
Scaffolding/Questioning,
Content, Follow Up
Activities, Monitors/
Adjustments)

Anticipatory Set:
Ask students to explain the dirtiest place
they have ever been. Why was it so dirty?
What makes you remember that place?
Explain that Onondaga Lake is the dirtiest,
and most polluted lake, in the United
States. But how do we know that?

Content/Questions:
How is the dirtiness of the lake
determined? What do scientists do to
determine how polluted the lake is? In
order to do this, scientists have to test the
water using water samples. What are
some areas of pollution that we looked at
as a class?
We paid special attention to bacteria, lead,
pesticides, nitrates, pH and chlorine levels
and how each of those have an impact on
the water.
o Define each vocabulary word and
have students watch CAPs videos
regarding vocabulary words and
have students work together to put
the definitions into their own words
o Explain how bacteria, lead,
pesticides, nitrates, pH and chlorine
levels impact the pollution in the
lake
o Have students fill in the note packet
in the Experiment section of their
packet
Today we are going to test our own
water samples. Discuss the
hypothesis students made and what
they think may happen during the
experimentation today.
Take students through using the
First Alert Wt1 Drinking Test Water
Kit
Demonstrate how to use the strips
and show students through one
water testing sample; provide
students with the Experiment
portion of work packet where they
list what tested positive and
negative
Closure:
Have students draw conclusions based off
of their findings--is the lake polluted or
not? How polluted is the lake?
Explain that tomorrow they are going to
test the lake water of a lake that is not
polluted--what do you expect the results of

the various tests to be then?

Assessment:

In order to tie writing into this science lesson,

students will explain how they tested the water
samples and how they determined the level of
pollution in the water. This will allow students to
practice content based writing and demonstrate
their knowledge of the pollution in Onondaga
Lake. It will also assess the students knowledge
of the water testing process and whether or not
they understand how the water is tested.