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What this lesson includes
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Real-World Example
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Career Profile
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Coding Tutorial
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Assessment
Overview Accordion
Learning Goals
- Define turbidity and explain its relationship to water quality.
- Describe how light interacts with water and suspended particles.
- Explain how technology can be used to monitor and address water pollution.
- Analyze and interpret turbidity data to draw conclusions about the quality of local water samples.
Preparation Accordion
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Materials
- Climate Action Kit
- micro:bit V2
- Computer with access to Microsoft MakeCode
- Clear containers (e.g., clear plastic cups or small jars)
- Water samples (e.g., tap water, water with baking soda)
- Optional: Found materials to customize meter designs (e.g., cardboard, craft materials)
- Optional: Filtration materials (e.g., coffee filters, cloth) for re-testing samples
Get to Know the Content
- Make sure you've completed our 'Getting Started with the Climate Action Kit' professional development series
- If it has been a while, review the kit components featured in this lesson:
- Review the lesson, particularly the following thinking routine from Project Zero (Harvard Graduate School of Education):
Activity Accordion
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Big Idea (20 minutes)
Students will:
- Visually explore differences in water clarity through a guided comparison.
- Discuss what might cause these differences and their potential implications.
Take Action (45 minutes)
Students will use the Climate Action Kit to build a NTU sensor (turbidity meter) to investigate water quality.
We've provided 3 ways students may build the project to support scaffolding and differentiation in your classroom: 'Use', 'Modify', and 'Create'.*
| Activity | Description |
|---|---|
| Use |
Students follow a tutorial to build their NTU sensor and then use it to measure the turbidity of two distinct water samples. Success CriteriaI can:
ResourcesTutorialFinal Code |
| Modify |
Students follow a tutorial to build their NTU sensor. Then, they will modify the starter code to classify water samples as "CLEAR" or "TURBID" based on their reading. Success CriteriaI can:
ResourcesTutorialFinal Code |
| Create |
Students work in small groups to design, build, and code their own turbidity meter. Success CriteriaI can build a turbidity meter with the Climate Action Kit that can:
ResourcesBlank Project |
*Irene Lee, Fred Martin, Jill Denner, Bob Coulter, Walter Allan, Jeri Erickson, Joyce Malyn-Smith, and Linda Werner. 2011. Computational thinking for youth in practice. Acm Inroads 2, 1 (2011), 32–37.
Assessment Accordion
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Use the following criteria to assess student learning. Students can:
Conversations
- Can students define turbidity and explain its relationship to water quality?
- Can students describe how light interacts with water and suspended particles? (Use, Modify, Create)
- Can students explain the different parts of their NTU sensor? (Use, Modify, Create)
- Can students explain the benefit of the added conditional statement? (Modify)
- Can students justify their design choices and explain how their unique meter addresses a specific water quality monitoring need? (Create)
Observations
- Do students methodically test and refine their turbidity meter? (Use, Modify, Create)
- Do students collaborate effectively in their groups (if applicable)? (Create)
- Do students make connections between their meter's function and real-world water quality monitoring? (Use, Modify, Create)
Products
- Students annotate their code to explain how it works. (Use, Modify, Create)
- Student meters effectively demonstrate an understanding of turbidity measurement and classification. (Use, Modify, Create)
- Student data analysis and conclusions about water samples are supported by evidence (e.g., recorded readings, classifications). (Use, Modify, Create)
Standards Accordion
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Next Generation Science Standards
Grade 6-8
MS-PS4-2 Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.
MS-ESS3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
Computer Science Teachers Association Standards
Grade 6-8
2-CS-02 Design projects that combine hardware and software components to collect and exchange data.
2-CS-03 Systematically identify and fix problems with computing devices and their components.
2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine programs using a range of test cases.
2-AP-19 Document programs in order to make them easier to follow, test, and debug.
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
Grade 6
6.EE.B.5 Understand solving an equation or inequality as a process of answering a question: which values from a specified set, if any, make the equation or inequality true? Use substitution to determine whether a given number in a specified set makes an equation or inequality true.
6.EE.B.6 Use variables to represent numbers and write expressions when solving a real-world or mathematical problem; understand that a variable can represent an unknown number, or, depending on the purpose at hand, any number in a specified set.
6.EE.B.8 Write an inequality of the form x > c or x < c to represent a constraint or condition in a real-world or mathematical problem. Recognize that inequalities of the form x > c or x < c have infinitely many solutions; represent solutions of such inequalities on number line diagrams.
6.SP.B.5.C Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context, such as by giving quantitative measures of center (median and/or mean) and variability (interquartile range and/or mean absolute deviation), as well as describing any overall pattern and any striking deviations from the overall pattern with reference to the context in which the data were gathered.
Grade 7
7.EE.B.4 Use variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical problem, and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems by reasoning about the quantities.
Common Career Technical Core Standards
STEM Cluster: Engineering & Technology Career Pathway
ST-ET 1.3 Use computer applications to solve problems by creating and using algorithms, and through simulation and modeling techniques.
ST-ET 2.1 Select and use information technology tools to collect, analyze, synthesize and display data to solve problems.
ST-ET 3.1 Use knowledge, techniques, skills and modern tools necessary for engineering practice.
ST-ET 3.2 Describe the elements of good engineering practice (e.g., understanding customer needs, planning requirements analysis, using appropriate engineering tools, prototyping, testing, evaluating and verifying).
ST-ET 3.4 Illustrate the ability to characterize a plan and identify the necessary engineering tools that will produce a technical solution when given a problem statement.
ST-ET 4.1 Explain why and how the contributions of great innovators are important to society.
ST-ET 4.2 Explain the elements and steps of the design process and tools or techniques that can be used for each step.
ST-ET 4.3 Describe design constraints, criteria, and trade-offs in regard to variety of conditions (e.g., technology, cost, safety, society, environment, time, human resources, manufacturability).
ST-ET 5.1 Apply the design process using appropriate modeling and prototyping, testing, verification and implementation techniques.
ST-ET 5.2 Demonstrate the ability to evaluate a design or product and improve the design using testing, modeling and research.
ST-ET 5.3 Demonstrate the ability to record and organize information and test data during design evaluation.
STEM Cluster: Science and Math Career Pathway
ST-SM 1.1 Apply science and mathematics concepts and principles to resolve plans, projects, processes, issues or problems through methods of inquiry.
ST-SM 1.2 Use the skills and abilities in science and mathematics to access, share, and use data to develop plans, processes, projects and solutions.
ST-SM 1.3 Use the skills and abilities in science and mathematics to integrate solutions related to technical or engineering activities using the content and concepts related to the situations.
ST-SM 1.4 Explain the role of modeling in science and engineering.
ST-SM 1.6 Communicate with others on inquiry or resolution of issues/problems in the global community.
ST-SM 2.1 Demonstrate the ability to recognize cause and effect when faced with assigned projects or issues.
ST-SM 2.9 Analyze change as a result of data differences and changing environmental values.
ST-SM 3.1 Evaluate the impact of science on society based on products and processes used in the real world.
ST-SM 3.2 Evaluate the impact of mathematics on society based on products and processes used in the real world.
ST-SM 3.3 Research how science and mathematics influence the professions and occupations supported by the STEM Career Cluster.
Information Technology Cluster: Programming & Software Development Career Pathway
IT-PRG 4.1 Employ tools in developing software applications.
IT-PRG 6.1 Explain programming language concepts.
IT-PRG 6.3 Demonstrate proficiency in developing an application using an appropriate programming language.