Water Quality

OBSERVE

Portfolio

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OBSERVE

Gather

Reason

Explore

Act

Teach

Observe this Phenomenon

After watching the video above, complete the OBSERVE section of the Portfolio (on the "Pique Your Curiosity" page).

P

Phenomenon

What did you notice? Describe whatever you observed without explaining how or why it might have happened.

I

Initial Explanation

Construct a tentative explanation for the phenomenon you observed. What do you think happened and why?

Qu

Question

Ask questions. What do you wonder? What else would you need to know, to understand the phenomenon you observed? Revise any questions that could be answered with Yes or No to more open-ended inquiries.

E

Engage

Get together with students who asked similar questions and form an Investigation Team to explore an aspect of the phenomenon that interests you. List team members' names in your portfolio.

Your CURIOSITY

How is the phenomenon shown in the video relevant to you? 

Find a nearby source of water - a stream or pond - where you can investigate in the real world.

Take a tour of the schoolyard to look for surface water. Is there a stream or pond on campus? A retention pond that you can get permission to access? A ditch or dry steambed that is occasionally wet? A nearby public park or school that has surface water?

If not, check out Google Maps on "satellite view" to trace the route of nearby waterways and look for nearby creeks you may not have noticed before. Consider whether there are safe places to collect water samples in the neighborhood near your school. If not, is a field trip possible? Where would you propose to go? Could your class build a pond on campus?

When you have decided on a water quality test site, locate it on a map in the Curiosity section of your Portfolio.

Deliverable: Observation of a Phenomenon 

Ready to collect data?

I observed and described the phenomenon shown in the video.
I completed the “PIQUE” portfolio entries, including a tentative explanation of the phenomenon.
I located a stream or pond for real-world investigation.
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