Real World Water
Water has always run throughout the fifth grade curriculum, but our approach to our in-depth study has changed throughout the years. Each year, we strive to highlight real-world problems while incorporating all subjects. The goal of our water unit is for students to answer the question: Who gets to decide how water is used?
To help students grapple with the immense complexities of this questions, we have created a role-playing scenario for the course of our water studies. Each student will assume the role of a stakeholder in the use of a hypothetical river that has recently been determined to be polluted. Students will play the roles of commercial farmers, paper mill owners, environmental activists, housing developers, hydroelectric company CEOs, wastewater treatment facility managers, homeowners, fishermen, etc. Each have their own interests in the use of the river.
Throughout the course of the unit, students will learn about water through the lens each of multiple disciplines - English, science, social studies, math, and Spanish.
In English, students conduct research about their specific stakeholder role, what is polluting the river, where this pollution is coming from, who is most responsible for the damage done to the river, and what can be done to solve the problem. After conducting this research, students write reports to use as evidence during our culminating Town Hall meeting. Students will practice their critical reading and writing skills in preparing a sound argument for their view of the river’s use.
In science, students continue their previous discussion of the hydrosphere by focusing on water quality issues - what causes pollution, how is it measured, and how is it treated. Students get actual practice measuring various water quality metrics including pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and nitrate levels, to name a few.
In social studies, students explore the ever-changing history of human understanding of their relationship with water. Students examine native cultures and their views of water, breakdown US policy understanding of water within the Clean Water Act, and dive into Indianapolis’s immediate use of water.
Meanwhile, in math, students focus on data analysis. They present public data on water use at the national and state level and assess projections of average daily water use in the United States. Additionally, students take the water quality data they measured in science and determine how to best represent the data.
Finally, in Spanish, students bolster their Spanish vocabulary with water-related terms. They also enrich their understanding of global water issues and different cultures by investigation of the relationship with water in some Latin American communities.
One of the promises of Orchard is to have a “meaningful integration of disciplines.” This unit strives to do just that. Simultaneously, it strives to exemplify how many topics span more than a single subject matter or skill. It shows students that many 21st century problems are nuanced, requiring them to take into consideration multiple voices, perspectives, and ideas when they are in the seat to make changes in the future.
