Making
Science
Relevant
Water-monitoring programs
help students study science while
protecting local waterways
T
C h a r l e s E i c k , B i l l D e u t s c h , J e n n i fe r Fu l l e r, a n d F l e t c h e r S co t t
oday, the amount and quality of water is a local issue of concern throughout the United States, particularly in the southeast. Prolonged droughts and urban sprawl continue to fuel the “water wars”
between states such as Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. As Alabama alone has more than 120,700
km of streams and rivers—enough river kilometers to extend around the Earth three times—this issue has become something of a crisis in the area. Along with water shortages, declining water quality also
threatens the biodiversity of aquatic life in the region (Figure 1).
Science teachers are always looking for ways to demonstrate the relevance of science to students. By connecting science learning to important societal issues, teachers can motivate students to both enjoy and engage
in relevant science (Bennet, Lubben, and Hogarth 2007). To develop that connection, teachers can help students take an active role in authentic community-based science that goes beyond merely learning about the
science behind the issues. This article describes an approach to relevancy through an inquiry-based project
that connects high school biology, chemistry, and environmental science curriculum to the local environment
and the issue of water conservation and protection.
Water-monitoring programs
Many community-based programs—such as Alabama Water Watch, Georgia Adopt-A-Stream, and the
Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (Florida) (see “On the web” at the end of this article)—train and support citizen volunteers to collect, analyze, and report water-quality data for use by state agencies and other environmental groups for water protection. (Editor’s note: For more information on the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream
program, see “How Accurate Are Student-Collected Data?” by Fogleman and Curran, on p. 30 of this issue.)
These kinds of programs are typically conducted by citizens who are not career professionals and can include
teachers and their students. Some of our local high schools in Alexander City and surrounding areas participate in the Alabama Water Watch program. Through this program, teachers and students learn about and
work to protect their local waterways by becoming certified water monitors. As such, students learn how to
measure and report the ongoing health and condition of the water bodies in their area.
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The Science Teacher
Water-monitoring programs such as Alabama Water
Watch can help teachers address pertinent aspects of
their curriculum. For example, life science and chemistry
teachers can integrate water monitoring into their existing curriculum as a long-term project that is first introduced upon studying related scientific principles, such as
energy flow, populations in ecosystems, species diversity,
solubility properties, and pH, to name a few.
Participation in a water-monitoring program also
helps teachers incorporate many of the essential features
of inquiry into the classroom (NRC 2000). For example,
students can use their own collected water data as evidence in responding to questions about local water health.
Also, these data are reported to the program headquarters
or website and are used in compiling reports for state and
regional water use and protection plans. Water monitoring can be done monthly but should take
place at least two times per year during the most dramatic
seasonal changes affecting biotic and abiotic conditions in
the water. In addition, starting a water-monitoring project
is easy because local programs and agencies exist throughout
the country. (Note: Initiating a citizen monitoring program
at school or in a particular science class can seem daunting
for science teachers who are new to this community approach. Contacting citizen monitor groups in the school’s
local watershed is an excellent way to get started. Partnering
with an existing citizen group can add needed support and a
level of excitement and authenticity to community action.)
Chemical testing
Local programs such as Alabama Water Watch offer certification workshops in a variety of water-monitoring tests,
including chemical and biological monitoring. The typical
certification workshop is a daylong program, after which
teachers become certified in the specific monitoring technique. Registration information is required for a certified
teacher to officially become part of the water-monitoring
program and to report data. It is common for teachers to
become certified first and later supervise the collection
of water data with students, though students as young as
12 have become certified themselves. Teachers who become certified monitors can bring their students to a local
stream or water body to perform specific tests or assays.
FIGURE 1
Number of species in each grouping in
Alabama that also represent the number
1 ranking for most biodiversity in the
lower 48 states of the United States.
297 Fishes
28 Turtles
83 Crayfish
Boshung and Mayden 2004
180 Mussels
342 Caddisflies
FIGURE 2
Healthy ranges of measured chemical
parameters for fresh or brackish waters.
Chemical test
Temperature (°C)
Dissolved oxygen (ppm)
pH
Alkalinity and hardness (ppm)
Turbidity (JTU or NTU)
Optimal range
Below 32°C
At least 5.0 ppm
6.5–8.5
Varies based on geology
Low–medium
(Safety note: For safety purposes, students should rehearse
chemical test protocols with the appropriate eye and skin
protection before going out to the field [Texley,
Kwan, and Summers 2004]. All chemicals should
be disposed of properly and never allowed to enter
natural water systems.)
Chemical monitoring is done using customized, portable
test kits that measure temperature, pH, alkalinity, hardness,
dissolved oxygen, and turbidity. Chemical test protocols are
easy to follow and produce credible data for reporting to
state agencies and environmental groups. This testing also
provides an authentic context for learning about specific
chemical reactions and the importance of measuring particular chemical parameters for environmental health, such as
dissolved oxygen, water temperature, pH, and turbidity (see
“Addressing the Standards”). Examples of expected healthy
ranges of measurements for fresh or brackish waters are
listed in Figure 2.
Biological testing
Stream biological monitoring (as opposed to chemical
monitoring) is the primary method used to generate awareness and appreciation of aquatic life and stream ecosystems
in Alabama. Methods involve the use of nets or homemade
screens to collect benthic macroinvertebrates that live on or
in the stream substrate, which, depending on stream health,
could include crayfish, snails, or aquatic worms. All of the
creatures collected are sorted into three groups, depending
upon their pollution tolerance, and a simple biotic index is
calculated from the results (Figure 3, p. 28). Stream health
is classified as excellent, good, fair, or poor based on the
number of pollution-intolerant taxa found in the weighted
three groups; biotic indices of 17 or greater indicate acceptable stream health.
The collection procedure is rapid enough that most of
the organisms are returned to the stream alive after the
necessary information about the stream has been gathered. Biological assays require students to closely observe
the species of macroinvertebrates found, consider their
life cycle stages, and apply some level of classification
in the sorting process (see “Addressing the Standards”).
Students can prepare for the stream visit by learning
to identify the various macroinvertebrates they may
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FIGURE 3
Key used by Alabama Water Watch
monitors to assess the health of their
stream or creek.
questions about water quality in the greater watershed and
as they continue learning about the science behind observed
trends in the region (see “Addressing the Standards”). For
example, using data sources from different monitoring
points along one creek allowed an Alabama Water Watch
group to identify an intermittent point-source polluter—a
textile mill—in the watershed. Point-source pollution is
more easily identified because it is caused by an identifiable
polluter, such as a factory.
Student reaction
Before going on the trip to their local water body, students
are assigned to teams that are responsible for specific tasks
to be completed on site, with the majority assigned to
search for macroinvertebrates, which is the most laborintensive portion of the visit. When they return to school,
students tend to need guidance in interpreting their findings and linking them to the overall water health and the
scientific principles being studied.
Student reaction to the Alabama Water Watch program,
and others like it, is typically favorable. Students generally
appreciate learning about local resource issues, but even
more so, enjoy the hands-on participation these kinds of
programs encourage—including the visit to the local water
body, in which they measure water chemistry and collect
macroinvertebrates for assay.
Assessment
For authentic assessment purposes, students can generate classroom reports on their data and create follow-up
Alabama Water Watch
encounter and their given characteristics through simulated card games, in which images or sketches of the organisms and their characteristics are placed on cards for
identification and sorting. Teachers can make their own
cards with images of each species from the web.
Data reporting and analysis
Many community-based water-monitoring programs
such as Alabama Water Watch maintain online databases
so that water monitors can submit their chemical and
other sampling information via the internet. These data
are then used by state and local agencies as supplements
for classifying water bodies as impaired and in need of
restoration and protection (EPA 2008, Section 303 [d]).
Simple data entry procedures exist through passwordprotected sites. These web-based tools also allow water
monitors to search, sort, analyze, and graph summarized
data in a variety of ways (Figure 4). After inputting their
data, students can track trends in water quality and measure parameters over time using real-time graphing capabilities for their water body, as well as others reported. This
ability extends student inquiry and science relevancy even
further as students begin to use data to explore their own
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The Science Teacher
FIGURE 4
Alabama Water Watch: Online tools.
The Alabama Water Watch online database allows public
access to all data submitted. Variables such as dissolved oxygen
concentration and temperature can be graphed over time and
overlapping, as in this image. Students can analyze data over
time and look for correlations among different variables.
Alabama Water Watch
M a k i n g S c i e n ce R e l eva n t
inquiries that mirror those compiled by state agencies
on the health of their water body and greater watershed.
Another form of assessment and reporting could include
submissions to the local news media, which can make a
difference in helping to further protect local waterways
from pollution and degradation.
At one of our local high schools in Alexander City,
teams of students created and presented posters that
included drawings of their stream in the greater watershed, water-quality results from their data, and recommendations based on actual water tests and stream walk
surveys. Students also tied their scientific inquiry to
related scientific content through reports on their discovered macroinvertebrates, life histories, and the role
of indicator organisms in the stream. The team poster
and individual report each composed half of the student
grade on this project.
Conclusion
Water issues are coming to the forefront of communities
across the nation. How well we deal with these issues
largely depends upon how ecologically literate our students are today. A basic knowledge of the water cycle,
water chemistry, aquatic life, pollution biology, and environmental science should be a part of every student’s
experience so that we can prepare informed voters, community leaders, and policy makers.
The Alabama Water Watch program, along with
scores of similar programs nationwide, can help connect
the basic science that students learn to authentic inquiry
on important issues such as water protection. When students carry out meaningful inquiry with important and
relevant connections to their community, excitement and
interest in science is at its best. n
Charles Eick ([email protected]) is an associate professor in
science education at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama;
Bill Deutsch ([email protected]) is program director and
Jennifer Fuller ([email protected]) is education coordinator, both
at Alabama Water Watch in the Department of Fisheries and Allied
Aquacultures at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama; Fletcher
Scott ([email protected]) is a biology and environmental science
teacher at Benjamin Russell High School in Alexander City, Alabama.
References
Bennet, J., F. Lubben, and S. Hogarth. 2007. Bringing science to life:
A synthesis of the research evidence on the effects of contextbased and STS approaches to science teaching. Science Education
91(3): 347–370.
Boshung, H. T., and J. Mayden. 2004. Fishes of Alabama. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books.
National Research Council (NRC). 2000. Inquiry and the national
science education standards. Washington, DC: National Academy
Press.
National Research Council (NRC). 1996. National science education
standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Texley, J., T. Kwan, and J. Summers. 2004. Investigating safely. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2008. Federal Clean
Water Act. www.epa.gov/region5/water/cwa.htm
On the web
Local programs and resources supporting citizen water monitoring:
Alabama Water Watch: https://aww.auburn.edu
Georgia Adopt-A-Stream: www.georgiaadoptastream.org/home.html
Massachusetts Water Watch Partnership: www.umass.edu/tei/mwwp
Maryland Stream Waders: www.dnr.state.md.us/streams/mbss/mbss_
volun.html
Wisconsin’s Water Action Volunteers: http://clean-water.uwex.edu/wav
Relevant federal agencies:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: www.epa.gov
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: www.fws.gov
Natural Resources Conservation Service: www.nrcs.usda.gov
Addressing the Standards.
The following National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996) are addressed by this project:
Content Standard A, “Science as Inquiry” (p. 173)
Abilities to do scientific inquiry
Understandings about scientific inquiry
Content Standard B, “Physical Science” (p. 176)
Structure and properties of matter
Chemical reactions
Interactions of energy and matter
Content Standard C, “Life Science” (p. 181) Biological evolution
Interdependence of organisms
Matter, energy, and organization in living systems
Behavior of organisms
Content Standard F, “Science in Personal and Social
Perspectives” (p. 193)
Personal and community health
Population growth
Natural resources
Environmental quality
Natural and human-induced hazards
Science and technology in local, national, and global changes
Content Standard G, “History and Nature of Science”
(p. 200)
Nature of scientific knowledge
Historical perspectives
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