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Water Sustainabilityin Chemistry Education
Andrea Swenson, School LibrarianJoe Vincente, 10th Grade Chemistry
School Setting & Context
• Progressive 6-12th grade New York City public school
• Urban, low-income population, 90 students per grade
• Project based learning and Portfolio assessment
• Waiver from most state exams, including science
• Graduation by PBAT (original research experiments)
• 10th grade chemistry mandatory part of the 6-12 sequence
Water Sustainability UnitIf water is an economic, environmental,
and social equity issue, how are we responsible for it as a sustainable resource?
• Why is water a unique molecule?
• What are the unique chemical properties?
• Where does NYC get its drinking water?
• How do the unique properties of H2O make life on earth possible?
• How do chemical engineers design solutions to real problems?
• How does knowing some science help me, my family, or community?
• How can I educate and inspire others to make sustainable choices?
Sustainability in Chemistry Class?• Social, political, and environmental issues have become increasingly
entangled with new technologies and a growing human population existing on finite resources that we must learn to share today in ways that do not jeopardize the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
• Not just environmental stewards, but agents of positive social change
• Solid repertoire of science content and reasoning skills so that they can be critical consumers of newspapers, blogs, congressional legislation, and laws
• A prerequisite of civic responsibility and essential to informed voting
• Use the science to strengthen their political engagement so that they are never subject to a system, but rather catalysts of positive social change.
Water Chemistry Define the term sustainable using the 3 E’s
Describe the Earth’s water distribution and cycle
Determine the polarity of molecule
Predict solubility of a substance in a particular solvent
Draw hydrogen bonding between water molecules
Describe the unique properties of water (ST, CA, Ice)
Calculate q, m , Cp, or ΔT, from given quantities
Test a H2O sample for various types of contamination
Determine an appropriate method of treatment
Water Chemistry●Universal Solvent –Water is very polar and solvates many
substances, but does not mix with non-polar molecules
●Specific Heat – H-bonding explains water’s high heat capacity requiring a great deal of energy per gram per °C.
●Density – H-bonding explains why water forms a rigid open structure as it freezes becoming less dense than liquid water
●Surface Tension & Capillary Action: High co/ad-hesion
●Water contamination is generally classified by the EPA as: biological, physical [turbidity], chemical [pH, salinity]. Basic water treatments are: filtering, distilling, and adjusting pH.
Example PSA Videos
Why Use Video?
• Engages students• Helps with meaning-making• Works for visual learners• Is automatically differentiated• Supports a skill that is increasingly a 21-
century expectation• Offers a more authentic audience• Creates opportunities for choice
Materials & Resources
Materials & Resources
Science StandardsESS3.A Natural Resources: Resource availability has guided the development of human society and use of natural resources has associated costs, risks and benefits
ESS3.C Human impacts on Earth systems: Sustainability of human societies and the biodiversity that supports them requires responsible management of natural resources, including the development of technologies and regulations
ESS3.D Global Climate Change: Global climate models used to predict changes continue to be improved, although discoveries about the global climate system are ongoing and continually needed
LS2.A Interdependent relationships in Ecosystems: Ecosystems have carrying capacities resulting from biotic and abiotic factors; The fundamental tension between resource availability and organism populations affects the abundance of species in any given ecosystem.
PS1.B Chemical Reactions: Chemical processes are understood in terms of collisions of molecules, rearrangement of atoms, and changes in binding energy as determined by properties of elements involved.
PS2.C Stability & instability in physical systems: A system’s behavior under a variety of conditions can be explained and predicted based on the cycles and transformations that drive it; some systems can be unpredictable given certain conditions.
PS3.A Definitions of energy: The total energy within a system is conserved. Energy transfer within and between systems can be described and predicted in terms of interactions of particles or fields. Systems move toward stable states.
PS3.D Energy in chemical processes and everyday life: Physical and chemical processes in an organism account for transport and transfer of energy needed for life; energy cannot be destroyed, it can be converted to less useful forms.
Science & EngineeringPRACTICES & CROSSCUTTING CONCEPTS1. Asking questions (Sci) and defining problems (Eng)2. Developing and using models3. Planning and carrying out investigations4. Analyzing and interpreting data5. Using mathematics and computational thinking6. Constructing explanations (Sci) & designing solutions (Eng)7. Engaging in argument from evidence8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
Core Idea 1. Engineering DesignA. Criteria for success based on constraints or limits.B. Generating possible solutions and evaluating potential.C. Optimizing the design solution
Core Idea 2. Science, Technology, EngineeringA.Interdependence of STEMB.Influence of STEM on Society
Literacy Standards
INTEGRATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.9 Synthesize information from a range of sources (e.g., texts, experiments, simulations) into a coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon, or concept, resolving conflicting information when possible.
Collaboration• Consider reaching out to your: technology specialist,
local public librarian, information specialist, school library, colleagues in other disciplines
• Collaboration improves practice by opening avenues of curricular change and bringing a wide range of expertise to the table
[Schools and]…Libraries need to change from places
just to get stuff to places to make stuff, do stuff, and
share stuff. (Valenza & Johnson, 2009)
Question & Answer
About the project: eschschemwaterproject.wikispaces.com
Andrea Swenson, School Librarian, [email protected]
Joe Vincente, 10th Grade Chemistry, [email protected]
Student research wiki:eschswaterproject.wikispaces.com
