WebQuest

Environmental Chemistry: Water Pollution

A WebQuest for 11th Grade Chemistry

Curt Barford
Barf13@aol.com

An image of the Hudson River

Lesson Plan | Table of Contents | Reflective Statement

Introduction

All of us are familiar with the Hudson River. It has played an extremely important role in the growth and development of New York State. Unfortunately the river is not the same body of water that was once sailed by Henry Hudson on the Halfmoon. Years of industrialization and growth have lead to portions of the river becoming very polluted. You and your partner are new employees at the Albany Times Union who feel very strongly about the topic of Hudson River pollution. You feel that the topic of pollution in the Hudson River has not received enough attention in your paper. It is up to both of you to change this.

The Task

Task #1
Since you and your partner are new to the paper your editor does not take you seriously when you approach him about discussing the pollution in the Hudson River in "his" paper. Also, he is not very familiar with this topic and does not view it as an important topic for the public. It is up to you and your partner to provide him with the information to change his mind. You will gather the facts and design a PowerPoint presentation to be given to your editor in order to convince him that this is a topic the paper should be covering and that you are the men to do it.

Task #2
You did it, you convinced your editor to let you write the article! You and your partner run into a problem, however. While you both feel strongly about the topic of pollution in the Hudson, one of you is extremely eco-friendly and places all the blame with the industrial growth that has occurred along the river and the other member of the group grew up in a family where both parents worked for one of the companies being blamed and does not view this as a cut and dry matter. Luckily your editor allows you each to have your say in the paper. One member of the group will write an article about the pollution of the river from an eco-friendly perspective and the other will write an article from the perspective of someone more sympathetic to industry.

Task #3
You and your partner really can do it all for the paper. Your articles were such a success with the public that you have been asked to design a politcal cartoon focusing on the pollution of the Hudson River. This cartoon should in some way illustrate how pollution levels change as you move from the source of the Hudson River in the Adirondacks to its end in the Atlantic River.

The Process

Task 1:
Day 1

You will be allowed to choose your partner for this activity. Don't just choose one of your friends, but choose someone that you will be able to work with.
Before going too far, scan the requirements for Task 1.
In order to effectively convince your editor that your paper should be writing about water pollution you must gain the necessary background information. This includes the causes and sources of water pollution and the impact this pollution has on the surrounding area. Remember, you are trying to convince your editor to do an article in a local paper, so you should be sure to research the problem on both a broad and local scale. Local in this case is the pollution of the Hudson River.
Visit and take notes on the following sites to gain your background knowledge:

General Resources

Causes

Effects

Hudson River

These sites only serve as a starting point in your search. You can and SHOULD use other sites found in the course of your research.

Day 2

Today you will continue gathering the background knowledge for your presentation to your editor. You can go back to the sites above or, if finished with these, examine other resources.
Once you have finished gathering all the necessary background information you can begin putting together your PowerPoint presentation.
Guidelines for PowerPoint presentation:

You should have a Title Slide and a Reference Slide.
Your presentation should be at least 8 slides in length (not including the title or reference slides) and should cover the major causes and impacts of water pollution, both on a large and local scale.
You should make the PowerPoint presentation interesting. Use colors, images, and transitions.
You should reference the sites used for your presentation on a reference slide. You must reference all data, quotes, and information that is not common knowledge.
You will present your PowerPoint presentations on Day 4.

Day 3

If you have not already begun your PowerPoint presentation you should do so.
You have the entire class period to work on your presentation. Make good use of your time as your editor needs some convincing.
You will present next class.

Day 4

Today's the day!!! You are presenting your findings to your editor. Each pair will give a 5-7 minute presentation.
Remember, you are trying to Persuade your editor to allow you to write your article, so keep this in mind when presenting.
You are presenting your PowerPoint, so DO NOT simply read the slides. You should talk about the information that is found on the slides, but should not be reading directly from them.

Task 2:
Day 5

Your editor is letting you write your article, but you and your partner have very different perspectives on the topic of Hudson River pollution. One of you is very eco-friendly and the other is more sympathetic to industries. Your editor is allowing each of you to write an article defending your position.
Decide with your partner what position you will be defending.
You will be responsible for writing a 1.5-2 page article defending your position on Hudson River pollution and clean-up.
In order to write your article you will need to get the facts. You should visit and take notes on the following sites to get started.

Eco-Friendly

Defense of Industry

Remember, these links are just a starting point. You should view other online resources.
Hint: The defense of industry is probably a harder topic to write about. Don't try to say industry did nothing wrong. Instead, accept past guilt and focus on what is being done to fix the problem of pollution in the Hudson River.
Be sure to reference the websites used as the basis for your defense.
This article will be due at the end of Day 7.

Task 3:
Day 6

Your editor was so impressed with your work on your articles that he wants you and your partner to also develop a political cartoon on the topic of Hudson River pollution/clean-up for the paper.
For those of you that are not familiar with political cartoons click on the following links for some examples:

Your cartoon should in some way illustrate the difference between the clean Hudson River in the Adirondacks and the polluted Hudson River after passing through populated/industrialized areas in upstate New York and New York City.
To get ideas for images of the Hudson in various regions visit Lycos and search the images.
I know you aren't all artists, so do your best. Come up with an original representation of the topic, make it colorful/interesting, and do your best with the artistic aspects.
This task will be due at the end of Day 7.

Wrapping Up:
Day 7

This day will be your opportunity to wrap up any loose ends.
You should finish both your article from Task 2 and your cartoon from Task 3. Both of these activities are due at the end of class.
I hope you have enjoyed this activity and have gained a better understanding of how chemistry and the chemicals that have been developed using chemistry impact the area we live in.

Evaluation

	1 Point	3 Points	5 Points	Total Points
Task 1
Content Accuracy	Content is vague or wrong and is not referenced. Sutdents only discuss general OR local causes of pollution.	Content is accurate, but lacking references for support. Students vaguely discuss general and local causes/impacts of water pollution.	Content within the presentation is accurate and referenced. Students thoroughly covered major causes and impacts of water pollution, both in general and in the Hudson River.
Organization of PowerPoint Presenation	Presentation is unorganized and appears to have been hastily constructed.	Presentation is organized, but is generally bland, lacking color, images, or transitions.	Presentation is very neat and organized. Interesting colors, images, and transitions are utilized.
Presentation	Only one student presents OR Presentation in nothing more than reading the slides.	Both students participate, but they often read from the slides. Students do an adequate job of giving a persuasive presentation.	Both students participate in the presentation. They reference the content of the presenation, but are not reading it directly from the slides. Students do an excellent job of giving a persuasive presentation.
Task 2
Content Accuracy	Content of the article is false or no real researched content is present.	Some studied content is present and referenced. Overall the content is accurate, but some content is unnecessary and does not add to the position being taken in the article.	Content is thorough, accurate, and referenced. The content utilized is appropriately chosen for its relevance to the position being defended.
Stand Taken and Defended	Student poorly presents his/her stance. No supporting information is used and it is difficult to determine the position being defended.	Student does a good job of presenting his/her position. The use of some referenced information adds to the report. The intended stance is obvious, but there is some flip-flopping.	Student supports his/her position very well. Referenced data/information is provided to enhance and support the position taken. Student does not waiver from this position.
Quality of Writing	Piece is poorly written. Many spelling/grammar errors are present.	Piece is good, but some spelling and grammar errors detract from the writing.	Piece is extremely well written and easy to read. There are no/minimal errors in spelling and grammar.
Task 3
Point Made in Cartoon	No statement is made by the cartoon. Cartoon does not appear to be based on any facts or real images.	Students' cartoon is based on facts and images provided, but no real statement is made.	Students' cartoon made a point. Students used research and images as a guide to develop a cartoon with a statement.
Originality/Visual Appeal	Students put little effort into the carton. The idea is unoriginal and the execution is lacking. OR The cartoon is good, but only one student worked on the task.	Cartoon is orginal, but the presentation is lacking. The students appear to have put some effort into the cartoon. OR The cartoon is outstanding, but only one student worked on the task.	Cartoon is very original, neat, and colorful. It is obvious the students did their best with the artistic aspects of the task. Both students worked on the task.
Other
Use of Technology	Student often looking at websites unrelated to the WebQuest.	Made use of a few additional resources, but mainly used those provided. Rarely looking at sites not related to the task.	Student used the computer wisely. Did not feel limited to the sites provided and utilized sites found on his/her own.
Use of Time	Student often off task, wasting the time that was provided for the WebQuest.	Student rarely off-task. Student was focused on the activities most of the time.	Student on task throughout the WebQuest and made excellent use of the class time provided.
Total Points X 2 (out of 100)

Conclusion

By working through this WebQuest you should now see that chemistry is a much broader subject than you may have realized. The chemicals and compounds that were designed to benefit our lives can have a negative impact on the environment around us. The pollution of the Hudson River, for example, has a great impact on everyone living in our area.

At the same time, we cannot be too quick to judge and blame industries, such as General Electric, for all of the problems with pollution in the Hudson. While we have focused on an industrial perspective, don't forget that other members of our community , including the large population of farmers in upstate New York, can be responsible for nearly as much damage to the Hudson River as any industry. Regardless of the source of the pollution, you should now see that there are definite drawbacks to the chemical developments that have played such an important role in our modern lives.

Credits and References

The image of the Hudson River is courtesy of http://www.waterindustry.org/images

I would like to thank everyone that provided feedback on the development of this WebQuest. This includes both peers and family members who took the time to examine and critique my work. This has been a wonderful experience and I look forward to the implementation of this activity.

Last updated on December, 7 2007. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page