CLEAN KANSAS WATER...WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?
ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!!!!
 
Eddi Porter
HIP Complex
Wichita, Kansas
 
Overview:
As water quality in Kansas continues to be a major concern, it is critical that all of us- including young children- gain an understanding of ways we can be responsible custodians of our water supply. This lesson was developed to introduce primary-aged children to 1) the governor’s clean water initiative involving the Lower Kansas/Republican river basin, and 2) potential pollutants threatening that basin’s fresh water supply.
 
Grade Level: 1-4
 
Geographic Themes:
place, human-environmental interaction
 
Kansas Social Studies Standards For Benchmarks, Grade Levels 5-K:
The students will understand the effects of economics, science and technology in the classroom, school, community, Kansas, the United States, and different regions in the world.
 
The student will understand the roles of individuals, groups, and institutions in the local community, Kansas and its surrounding states, the United States and its regions, and the world.
 
The student will understand the role of government and civic ideals and practices in the local school and the community, Kansas, the United States, and different nations in the world.
 
National Geography Standards, Grades K-4:
 #4 The geographically informed person knows and understands the physical and human characteristics of place. 
 #14 The geographically informed student will know and understand how human actions modify the physical environment. 

Performance Objectives:
  1. The students will be able to find the Kansas-Lower Republican Basin on a map, label the cities of Manhattan, Lawrence, Kansas City, and Topeka, and label the five major rivers in that area.
  2. The student will be able to show/describe how water sources become contaminated.
Vocabulary:
Kansas Water Office  Pollution/contamination 
Ground water  surface water
Fecal coliform bacteria  Atrazine 

Materials Needed:
Procedures:
 1. Begin by playing a tape of nature/water sounds. Encourage students to think of various occupations that use water, and record the responses. Discuss and highlight with marker those uses that would require clean vs. polluted water. 
 2. Explain that a group of people who work at the Kansas Water Office are continually working to insure that we have a clean, fresh water supply in our state. One thing they do is look for things that might pollute rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, etc. This year, after studying the report from the water office, Governor Bill Graves determined that our state would focus on water quality in one section of Kansas called the Kansas-Lower Republican Basin. The population of this area is almost 1,000,000, and covers 10,500 square miles.... Show map of Kansas, and identify that basin area. Distribute individual maps of Kansas, and instruct students to pencil in the basin area, label the cities of Manhattan, Lawrence, Kansas City, and Topeka, and label the five major rivers in that area. 
 3.
Explain that in the Kansas-Lower Republican Basin, there is a concern about pollution from three major sources, including 
 a) some chemicals used in killing unwanted pests (Atrazine)  
  b) muddy sediment 
 c) bacteria that comes from animal waste products (fecal- coliform bacteria) 
To show how the both the ground water and surface water supply could become contaminated, conduct the following activity. Pour gravel into a small empty aquarium to a depth of about 3-4 inches. Slope the gravel, then add water so there is a pond at one end and dry land at the other. Simulate a well and pump by inserting a small hose deep into the dry land and siphoning water from the land. (Wrap the end of the hose with cloth to prevent the gravel from being siphoned. To siphon, fill the hose with water, and hold a finger over the lower end. Insert the wrapped end into the gravel, and remove finger.) Discuss what happened to the pond (surface water) when the ground water was removed. Try the demonstration again, adding food coloring to the pond to represent a pollutant. What happened to the color of the ground water?
 
Discuss other scenarios. What if a small farm with a herd of cattle was located on the hill by the pond? What if a large garden that was frequently sprayed for weeds was located on the hill.
 
Instruct students to:
 a) use clay, construction paper, etc. to construct a model that will illustrate how ground water and surface water can become polluted 
 b) illustrate and label a poster that shows how ground water and surface water can become polluted 
 c) write a story that explains water pollution from the view point of a drop of water. 
Assessment:
  1. The labeled map of Kansas will assess students’ ability to locate the Lower Kansas/Republican River basin and the rivers/major population centers therein.
  2. Using rubric, the poster, clay project, or story will assess students’ understanding of how surface water and ground water can become polluted.
Extensions:
A Little Dab Will Do Ya...In!! Young children may have a difficult time understanding that potentially harmful pollutants in the water supply are not detectable by the human eye. For example, the level of atrazine in water is potentially hazardous if there are 3 billion parts water to one part atrazine. Read and discuss HOW MUCH IS A MILLION? by David Schwartz, and discuss the microscopically small amount of some contaminants that can create a water pollution problem.
 
Resources:
Teacher Background Information:
Student Resources:

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FHSU Geoscience | Kansas Geographic Alliance
National Geographic Society | Kansas Water Office
Fort Hays State University | Kansas State University
e-mail: pphillip@fhsu.edu