Freshwater Transport & Riparian Habitats

Learning Targets

• Conduct research using several sources
• Identify facts on freshwater transport and its challenges

Essential Questions

• What is freshwater? Why is it important?
• How can freshwater be transported (moved) to different areas

Lesson Materials

• Chart paper or whiteboard
• Markers, pens/pencils
• Computer or mobile device
• Internet access
• Web resources: The Big Bag Theory (4:10) | Balancing Water Demand (3:25) | Water Pipeline (10:19) | Ancient Water Transport Example (3:25)

LESSON PROCEDURE

1. Draw a large t-chart on chart paper or whiteboard with the headings “What is freshwater?” and “How do we move it?” Ask students to share their prior knowledge about freshwater by asking these questions and recording their responses in the chart.
2. Clarify understanding with a few facts about freshwater (see sample student teacher dialog below).
3. Show students images of drought. The images could be from the past or present, from a specific region of the world or more local. You may want to select images from a Google Image search on the topic. Ask students, “How could we transport water to areas like these?” Record their responses.
4. Form groups of 3-4 students or allow them to form their own groups.
5. Tell students they will be doing some research on freshwater (see sample dialog) and record their work in the lesson maker journal. Ask them where they might find information on freshwater.
6. Consider selecting a few images of uses of water, drought, and results of the water crisis. Model good techniques for safe quality internet searches. Consider selecting sites that yield quality information for the topic. Review some of them together as a class.
7. Assess by evaluating the information on freshwater and transport shared by student groups (see suggested assessment below).

Sample teacher and student dialog

T: Share these facts with students after first assessing their prior knowledge: “Freshwater is essential for life. Plants, animals, and humans all need freshwater to survive. We use freshwater for drinking water, irrigating crops, sanitation systems, and in industrial factories, to name a few. Water used up from groundwater, rivers and lakes is replenished by rain and snowfall.”

“About 70% of Earth’s surface is covered in water. Of all the water on Earth 97% is in the oceans. That only leaves 3% as freshwater. Of that small amount of freshwater almost 2% is locked up in glaciers and ice at the North and South poles. The remaining 1% of freshwater is mostly groundwater, with a small fraction filling the world’s lakes and rivers.”

T: “We are going to conduct research, inquiring about the importance of freshwater and the various methods for transporting fresh water. Let’s think of ways that we could look for this information.”

S: “Internet search, Wikipedia, image search, google maps, maps and other resources in our library.”

T: “These are all great suggestions! Use these tools and your maker journal to record your findings. Be ready to share!”

Assessment

Student groups discuss and compare their findings, sharing different critical uses for water and methods of freshwater transportation they found in their research. They should also share any difficulties they discovered in transporting freshwater.

Exploring Riparian Biodiversity with Northern California Public Media and RAFT
Students step into the role of field biologists in this hands-on lesson developed by RAFT in partnership with Northern California Public Media. Using real-world sampling methods, learners investigate riparian habitats and discover how scientists measure biodiversity through species richness and evenness. The lesson features short videos produced by NorCal Media and supported by Valley Water’s Safe, Clean Water and Natural Flood Protection grant, connecting classroom exploration with authentic local conservation efforts.

Learning Targets

• Learn about riparian habitats and their importance in conserving biodiversity
• Understand how biologists sample and measure biodiversity
• Collect and analyze sampling data from a simulated riparian habitat
• Identify facts on freshwater transport and its challenges

Essential Questions

• What is a riparian habitat? Why are these habitats important to conserve/protect?
• What can measuring biodiversity through species evenness and richness tell biologists about the health of riparian habitats?

Lesson Materials

• Chart paper pad (2×3 ft., 1 per team)
• Graph paper (1 per team)
• Markers and pens/pencils
• Straight edges (rulers okay but yard sticks preferred, 1 per team)
• 20-sided number dice (2 per team)
• Calculators (1 per team)
• “Organism” sets (container with 30 each of 15 different small items such as beads, paper clips, etc.)
• Computer or mobile device with internet access
• Web resources: Valley Water Riparian Restoration (1:30) | Valley Water Grassroots Ecology Volunteers (1:30) | Sampling with Quadrats (until 2:40) | Measuring Biodiversity Lesson Slides | Sampling Biodiversity Data Table Handout

LESSON PROCEDURE

(Note: The lesson procedure below is summarized on this printable Exploration Guide for grades 3-5)

1. Check video/audio connections, internet connectivity, student seating and visibility, etc. Queue all web resources linked above.
2. Ask students if they have ever heard of a riparian habitat. If so, have them share their thoughts with the class. Play the videos Valley Water Riparian Restoration (1:30) and Valley Water Grassroots Ecology Volunteers (1:30). Ask students questions about the video content, clarifying where needed.
3. ASK: “What experiences do you have with riparian habitats? Have you walked next to a stream, river, or lake? What did you see?” Write down their responses on a whiteboard or chart paper.
4. Define the following terms (see below): Riparian habitat, ecosystem, species, species richness, species evenness.
5. Form multiple teams of 2-4 students. Distribute one organism set, a sheet of chart paper, and a straight edge to each team. Provide access to pens, pencils, and markers.
6. Present and go over slide #1 in the Measuring Biodiversity Lesson slide deck. Follow suggestions in the notes field of the slide.
7. Present and review slide #2 in the deck. Play the video Sampling with Quadrats in full screen mode (until 2:40 mark) (see slide facilitation notes).
8. Review slide #3 (see slide notes). Make sure to demonstrate how to measure, mark, and draw lines to create the quadrats in the habitat. Make sure each group has 40 quadrats on their chart paper
9. MEASURING SPECIES RICHNESS: Distribute two 20-sided dice and one calculator per team. Give each person a copy of the Sampling Biodiversity Data Table Handout per person and a sheet of graph paper.
10. Review slide #4 in the slide deck. Illustrate the procedure using the embedded images and handout.
11. Use the facilitation suggestions provided in the slide notes.
12. Emphasize this part’s focus on different species that vary on any attribute (color, size, shape, etc.).
13. Make sure students record the quadrat numbers sampled in the table to avoid double counts. Check that they enter the number of unique species and calculate the cumulative totals as they proceed.
14. SPECIES EVENNESS ANALYSIS: Present and review the instructions on slide #5. Note the emphasis for species evenness is on the number of individuals in each different species.
15. Demonstrate where to enter names and count data in the Species Evenness data table (image shown on slide).
16. Show students how to get the total number of individuals, then show an example of how to calculate the percentage for each species (see data table).
17. SPECIES RICHNESS ANALYSIS: Present and review slide #6 (see notes for slide).
18. Remind students they will graph data from the Species Richness Data table, Sample Number along the x-axis and Cumulative Total Species along y-axis.
19. Demonstrate how to plot points using the data and draw a curve that generally fits the data (not a perfect but shows a trend).
20. Review the example graph embedded on the slide (theirs may look different).

Vocabulary

Riparian habitat: Natural environments situated on the banks of a river, or to wetlands adjacent to rivers and streams where certain plants and animals live.
Ecosystem: A community of living organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment.
Species: A group of living organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
Species richness: A measure of biodiversity that quantifies the number of different species in a specific area (habitat).
Species evenness: The relative abundance (number of individuals) of different species within a habitat/community.

Assessment

Read and/or display the following questions for students:

1. What do you notice about the species richness graph?
2. What does its shape tell you about your habitat?
3. How did you know when to stop sampling?
4. Based on your calculations, how even is your habitat?
5. What were the highest/lowest percentages? Explain.
6. What was the easiest/hardest part of this activity? Why?
7. Which part(s) was/were the most confusing for you?

Extension Suggestions

Students can draw and color in riparian features in their habitat such as stream/rivers, lakes, trees and bushes, hills, etc. Include specific features found in specific terrestrial habitats (e.g. grasslands, mountain, desert).

Student teams apply their learning about freshwater transport to a real-world scenario by designing, building, and testing a water transport system that can move a quantity of water across a distance (facilitator and/or students determine liquid volume, distance, and build time values). Examples of scenarios include transporting water to remote California farms, desert communities, and moon colonies.

Design Prompts

• Choose a real-world scenario where your design serves as the solution
• Design, build, and test your freshwater transport system that meets criteria and constraints (below)

Materials

• RAFT Makerspace-in-a-Box
• Chart paper or poster paper
• Markers, pens, pencils, tape, scissors, staplers, hole punches, rulers, paper clips, binder clips
• Plastic graduated containers, syringes, flexible clear tubing
• Cups, funnels, straws, other pipe or trough-like items
• Paper towels, water
• Computers or mobile devices, internet access

LESSON PROCEDURE

1. Present and explain the design prompt(s) for the challenge (above).
2. Review and define the criteria and constraints listed below and these terms: iteration, prototype, system. Alternatively, you can define them together as a class.
3. Assign student teams or assign students to specific groups.
4. Students follow steps in the design process and record their progress in the Maker Journal.
5. Students share and compare their designs, reflect on their data/calculations, and provide feedback for improvement.

The criteria and constraints for this challenge are listed below. Criteria are the requirements for the design or its expected functions/abilities. Constraints are limitations on the design such as time, space, available materials, etc. The criteria and constraints are also listed in the Maker Journal for this challenge.

Criteria & Constraints

• System moves quantity of water across a certain distance (facilitator and/or student discretion)
• System transports water with minimal assistance
• System built using 6 or more different materials
• Data is collected and recorded for each test
• System completed on time (facilitator and/or student discretion)

Ideate Phase

During the ideation phase students should have ample time to discuss and research their ideas. All ideas are welcome and students should be encouraged to think big. Students capture their ideas using the Maker Journal. Students may return to this phase as many times as needed. They choose the real-world scenario and user for whom they are designing the transport system. Students discuss, draw and list possible solutions for making a scaled transport system and the team chooses the best solution.

Prototype Phase

Students build a rough prototype of the design they will test and improve. Build time should be quick and designs should be kept simple. Students may also experiment with solutions that focus on changes in behavior. For example, students might create a transport system that might be better than current systems and could encourage people to adopt the design. Students use the Maker Journal to record their progress. Students may return to this phase as needed.

Test Your Design

Students evaluate their designs in the Maker Journal. They determine if their system can transport water according to the criteria and constraints. Focus on brevity and conduct tests at a brisk pace. Students should revisit ideas, build prototypes and evaluate their designs often (iteration, optimization). Students may return to this phase as needed.

Assessment

Student groups discuss and compare their solutions and give each other constructive feedback (suggestions for improvement). Conduct a whole group discussion to allow all students to share, discuss and compare their solutions and ideas. Help students focus their thinking on the data collected and interpreting its meaning in the context of the defined real-world scenarios and intended users.