On the table in front of you are samples taken from a pond over the course of several years.
- Use the equipment provided (wide-range pH paper, pH test kits) to find the pH of each sample. Record your results.
- Use the computer to plot and label a bar graph of these data.
- Analyze the data and state any trends/patterns you see.
- Give a justifiable explanation as to what might be causing any changes in pond pH.
- Predict what effects these changes might have on plants and animals in the pond’s ecosystem.
- What things could be done to reverse these changes?
6 - 8
Big Ideas and Unifying Concepts
Physical Science Concept
Properties of Matter
Science in Personal and Societal Perspectives Concept
Populations, Resources and Environments
Compare and Contrast
Data Collection, Organization and Analysis
Graphs, Tables and Representation
Time Required for the Task
One 45-minute period
This inquiry task was given at the end of a unit examining streams and water quality. During the unit, we investigated the water quality of a local stream using (among other tests) a colorimetric test of pH. We used results of our tests and data from tests of previous years to learn to graph data using a spreadsheet program. Finally, we used wide-range pH paper to examine the pH of a variety of common liquids (cola, vinegar, milk, lye, etc.) and studied the effects of acid precipitation on lakes and streams.
What the Task Accomplishes
This task was originally designed to assess partial achievement of (Vermont) standards
related to appropriate data representation, graphing, skills using computers and conducting
pH testing and human resource demands on environmental systems. Students are asked in
this task to make predictions, observe trends/patterns revealed in the data and justify their
explanations and interpretations of data.
How the Student Will Investigate
Students first need to determine which of the two methods they will use to determine pH.
Either is acceptable and both were used previously in class. Next, students need to carefully
record their pH measurements for each year’s sample (eight or nine samples spanning from
about 1965 to 1995). Students then need to use a computer with a spreadsheet or other
graphing program with which they are already familiar. Next, students need to identify the
trend (rapid decrease followed by gradual increase) in the data. Finally, students need to
use prior learning about the causes and effects of acid precipitation to explain the observed
changes, state the effects on natural (plant and animal) systems, and list possible steps
(human activities) to ameliorate the effects.
Interdisciplinary Links and Extensions
Public environmental policy issues related to acid rain and public health are natural links between science and social studies. Subsequent student actions, such as public awareness campaigns, presentations to local select boards, and local stream cleanup days, could easily link to this unit of study.
Graphing and trend identification are already a part of the task. Investigation of the pH scale could provide a smooth introduction to powers of ten, exponents and logarithmic functions.
Teaching Tips and Guiding Questions
Be careful when working with the more acidic solutions. I require my students to wear
protective eyewear whenever performing pH tests. Also, monitor the pH of the solutions
as the tests are performed. I found that the pH “drifted” considerably while students were
working. I assumed this was due to students contaminating samples by transferring liquid
between samples on the tweezers used to hold the pH paper. (I also could not rule out
downright tampering! This is something which happens in the real world of science from time
to time and is worth discussing with students.) Students sometimes were unclear as to what
“state any trends/patterns you see...” meant. I prompted them by asking:
- What do you see the pH doing over the years? Can you describe it?
- Can you recall anything we have studied previously which would be similar to what you see here? Remember to first describe what you actually see, then interpret or give it meaning based on what you have learned. It is also a good idea to remind students to check their accuracy during data collection – either by verifying with lab partners or repeating tests to get the same (within experimental error) results.
Concepts to be Assessed
(Unifying concepts/big ideas and science concepts to be assessed using the Science Exemplars Rubric under the criterion: Science Concepts and Related Content).
- Science in Personal and Societal Perspective — Populations, Resources and
Environments: Students recognize that human activities have an impact on natural systems and that changing human behaviors can lessen the impact on ecosystems.
- Physical Science – Properties of Matter: Students use the terms pH, acid, base and alkaline appropriately and describe cause-effect relationships with some justification, using data and prior knowledge.
- Mathematics: Students make precise measurements and apply the concepts of compare
and contrast. Students collect, organize and analyze data and use graphs, tables and
Skills to be Developed
(Specific science process skills to be assessed using the Science Exemplars Rubric under the criteria: Scientific Procedures and Reasoning Strategies and Scientific Communication/Using Data).
- Scientific Method: Measuring pH, recording data, inputting and graphing data, interpreting trends patterns and assessing cause-effect relationships.
Links to Science (and other) Standards
- Scientific Method: Students describe, predict, investigate, analyze and explain phenomena.
- Scientific Theory: Students look for evidence that explains why things happen and modify explanations when new observations and data are obtained.
- Scientific Tools: Students use computers to organize, analyze and interpret data.
- Physical Science — Properties of Matter: Students observe that properties and changes of properties in matter (pH) can cause changes in ecosystems.
- Life Science: Students observe that human actions can cause changes in vegetation, ecosystems and/or entire landscapes and that resource demands can limit the growth of
populations in specific ecosystems.
- Mathematics: Students use graphing, appropriately represent and analyze data, and identify trends and patterns.
I prepared a station with eight or nine beakers of “pond water” for every five or six students. I
labeled the beakers with dates from about 1965 through 1996 - so as to mimic samples being
taken every four years or so. Starting with a pH of about 7 for 1965, I prepared solutions of decreasing pH (using dilute hydrochloric acid) to about pH 3 for 1988 and then increasing
to about pH 5 for the last sample. I provided wide-range pH paper and HACH company
pH indicator kits for each station. Computers with a spreadsheet program were also made
Students need to identify a trend (rapid decrease followed by gradual increase) in the
data and give a plausible (justifiable) reason for the observed changes, state the effects on
natural (plant and animal) systems and list possible steps/human activities to ameliorate the
effects. I expected students to stick with acid rain as the explanation for the data obtained;
however, other reasonable explanations would be acceptable – for example, that acidic waste
from a nearby landfill was leaching into the pond. Similarly, any reasonable suggestions for
amelioration of the problem – reducing emissions from coal-fired power plants and driving
less – would be acceptable.
|Task Specific Rubric/Benchmark Descriptors
Click on a level for student example.
The student is able to collect appropriate data but is unable to proceed further. The student draws (rather than using a computer) a bar graph that shows the data, but axes are unlabeled
in the representation. The trend the student identifies simply states that the pH values went down, not that they also fluctuated from 1982 – 1995.
The explanation lists several possible causes (pollution, farms and acid rain) but makes no attempt to explain the data, indicating that the student probably has little understanding of how each of these causes might affect the pH of the water. The stated cause-effect relationship (“it would kill them”), a sweeping generalization, indicates again that the student lacks any real understanding of how pH is linked to plant and animal life or of the varied effects possible. The student suggests treatments but does not explain how or why these treatments might be used to increase the pH levels.
The student is able to collect and plot the data correctly, appropriately using the computer and labeling the graph. The student is able to state some aspects of the data gathered but is unable to clearly articulate a trend or connection between the data. (“pH leveled out in the end. The water is very acidic in 1982.”) A partial and unclear explanation (“If a farmer used a different kind of fertilizer and it leaked into the pond”) does not show a cause-effect relationship and is not consistent with the available data.
The effects on plant and animal life that are described (“It wo uld make too much nutrients and the algae would grow rapidly and kill the animal life in the pond”) and the things listed that could be done to reverse these changes (“To stop the fertilizer and reduce the nutrients in the pond, I would put chlorine into the water to reduce the nutrients”) are both consonant with the explanation the student gives – even though not consistent with the data gathered. This indicates some understanding of the human impact and of pH but an inability to link data to the cause-effect reasoning.
|Practitioner||The computer-generated graph is an accurate, appropriately-labeled representation of the data. The trend is correctly identified. (“As the years get later Acidity gets greater but in 1995 Acidity is almost normal.”) The student correctly identifies a relationship between human activities and acid rain (“probably just started getting monitored in 1995 so something was done about it, but before that all that acid rain was going into this pond and there was no way to neutralize it.”), although the effect is somewhat overstated. (“All living things would probably die. At least the majority of them.”) The student gives a reasonable (if partially unrealistic) explanation of how the effects of acid rain can be reduced. (“Local industries that are burning combustion fossil fuels could either raise their smoke-stacks or cut down all together.”)|
|Expert||The computer-generated graph is an accurate, appropriate representation of data; pH measurements are more precise (e.g., 7.5 rather than 7, when appropriate). The trend is correctly identified. (“I see the pond water getting more and more acidic, until it has been treated with alkali to neutralize the effects.”) The student gives a detailed explanation of the relationship between human activities and acid rain (“...In 1995, someone has probably treated it, or eliminated some of the source of acid”) and clearly explains some of the interrelationships among pond organisms. (“When it gets more acidic, all life in the pond fails. Microscopic bugs die – then larger bugs die – fish feed on the bugs, so they die – until there is no life left in the pond. Plants just dry up and die.”) The student gives two possible and plausible solutions to the problem. (“You could treat the water with alkaline, to neutralize the acid. Or just eliminate the acid source.”)|