Lesson Overview (3 periods)
Students will learn about factors to consider when choosing between tap water or buying bottled water. Some social, economic and environmental costs of using bottled water compared to tap water will be analyzed using math problems. As well, the process of extracting water, manufacturing bottled water, distribution, consumption and disposal of empty bottles will be considered.
Connections to Environmental Education
Students will use math skills to analyze the resources used to supply bottled water using Canadian data. These math problems will be set in the context of learning about economic systems using bottled water as the product. Students will have the opportunity to recognize the need to incorporate and environmental perspective in decision-making models and appreciate that human life depends on the resources of a finite planet.
GRADE 8: MATHEMATICS, HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Curriculum Expectations
Grade 8 Math (2005) – Number Sense and Numeration
-Students will solve problems involving whole numbers, decimal numbers, fractions, and integers, using a variety of computational strategies.
-Students will solve multi-step problems arising from real-life contexts and involving whole numbers and decimal, using a variety of tools and strategies.
-Students will use estimation when solving problems involving operations with whole number, decimals, percents, integers and fractions, to help judge the reasonableness of a solution.
Grade 8 Math (2005) – Measurement
-Students will determine the relationships among units and measurable attributes, including the area of a circle and the volume of a cylinder.
-Students will solve problems that require conversions involving metric units of area, volume, and capacity.
Grade 8 Geography (2004) – Economic Systems
-Students will describe the characteristics of different types of economic systems and the factors that influence them, including economic relationships and levels of industrial development.
-Students will outline the fundamental questions that all economic systems must answer; what goods are produced; how are they produced; for whom are they produced; by whom are they produced; and how they are distributed.
-Students will describe the characteristics of different types of economic systems and explain why most countries, including Canada, have a mixed economy that includes features from more than one system.
-Students will use appropriate vocabulary to describe their inquiries and observations.
Science and Technology (2007) – Understanding Structures and Mechanisms: Systems in Action
-Students will assess the personal, social, and/or environmental impacts of a system, and evaluate improvements to a system and/or alternative ways of meeting the same needs.
Grade 8 Science and Technology (2007) – Understanding Earth and Space Systems: Water Systems
-Students will assess the impact of human activities and technologies on the sustainability of water resources.
Learning Goals
At the end of this lesson, students will know the economic, social and environmental costs of choosing bottled water over tap water. Students will understand the concept of sustainability of a product. Students will know how to use math skills to solve real world problems.
INSTRUCTIONAL COMPONENTS AND READINESS
Readiness
Know how to calculate the volume of a rectangular prism, solve word problems and draw a bar graph.
Know how humans acquire, manage and use natural resources. i.e. renewable and non-renewable resources.
Apply an understanding of sustainability to resource use, by knowing that sustainability requires using resources now in such a way that there is enough left for the future without damaging ecosystems.
Terminology
Economic system, economy, supply and demand, production, goods, services, consumer, market, distribution, manufacturing, command economy, market economy, natural resource, opinion, primary industry, renewable resource, sustainable
Variable, rectangular prism, formula, multi-step problem, volume, bar graph
Materials
BLM 1 – Jigsaw Activity
BLM 2 – Presentation Rubric
BLM 3 – Answer Key
BLM 4 – Teacher Guide
BLM 5 – Assessment of Learning Skills (Initiative) Checkbric
BLM 6 – Opinion Paragraph
BLM 7 – Opinion Paragraph Rubric
2 identical water jugs
Bottled water
Tap water
40 small paper cups
Overhead transparency
10 meter sticks
Graph paper
Chart paper
Calculators
Overhead projector
“The Story of Bottled Water” website www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-bottled-water/
TVO’s “Bottlegate” by Alex and Tyler Mifflin, the “Water Brothers” 27 minutes, ww3.tvo.org/video/174279/bottlegate
MINDS ON
Whole class and individually.
Start class with 2 identical water jugs labelled A and B. One jug contains tap water and the other jug contains bottled water. Students are asked, “Which sample is tap water?” Samples of each water are poured into small paper cups. Each student has a sip of both samples and then puts their name on an overhead transparency under Sample A or Sample B. Display the results on a projector. Ask each student to make a bar graph, graphing male and female for Sample A and then Sample B. Discuss whether the results show that students could or could not taste a difference in the water before disclosing which sample was tap water. Have the class propose reasons why people buy bottled water instead of using a refillable water bottle.
Post two large chart papers labelled, “Costs of Tap Water”, and “Costs of Bottled Water” and have the class provide ideas. Then show the online video, “The Story of Bottled Water” . After the video revisit the two large chart papers labelled, “Costs of Tap Water”, and “Costs of Bottled Water” and add more ideas. Do not try to get all costs listed yet as these charts will be revisited again. Ask students if they think bottled water is worth more than tap water?
ACTION!
Jigsaw for a class of 30.
Home teams of 5 students. Expert teams of 3 students. There will be 2 expert teams for each question. Using BLM1 – Jigsaw Activity have home team students complete Step 1 questions. Next the students solving each challenge move to the expert teams and complete Step 2 challenges on BLM 1. Solutions to each of the challenges must be developed by each team. It is suggested that each student show their own solution on a sheet of paper as well as having one large chart paper for each expert team that can be used during the presentation. Use BLM3 – Answer Key to check answers for each of the challenges. For Step 3, students return to their home teams for the presentation of the answers. Each home team should start with a different challenge so the chart paper solutions can easily be shared. After the presentations, revisit the 2 large charts with the costs of tap water vs. costs of bottled water to see if there are more points to add.
Action: Assessment
Assessment of learning. Learning skills: Initiative.
Use BLM 5 – Assessment of Learning Skills (Initiative) Checkbric to assess if the students actively participate in the math problem solving, and demonstrate a willingness to take risks.
Assessment as learning.
Students use BLM2 – Presentation Rubric to provide feedback to two presenters. The group should ensure that everyone gets feedback from two different students.
Action: Differentiated Instruction
Use the bonus question for any expert team that finishes early. Also, students that struggle with math should be assigned to challenge 1 as it is conceptually easier to solve.
CONSOLIDATION
Whole class. Individual.
The class watches the online video “Bottlegate”. Revisit the 2 large charts and make a final comparison of the costs of tap water versus bottled water. Now students apply their knowledge of economic systems by completing BLM 6 – Opinion Paragraph using vocabulary of their choice.
Consolidation: Assessment
Use BLM 7 – Writing Rubric to assess the opinion paragraph.
Consolidation: Assessment
Students needing support for paragraph writing should be given a shorter, simpler vocabulary list and asked to write only about one step of the water bottling process, perhaps just about resource extraction or manufacturing or consumption.