LESSON 3	Activity 2

Grades:

4th - 7th

Objective:

To investigate the causes of non-point source (NPS) pollution, its effects on the environment, and ways that this pollution may be prevented.

Method:

Some students will learn about the various types of non-point source pollution by acting out examples of each, while the other students try to figure out what type of NPS they represent, and how to prevent future pollution of this sort.

Materials:

A copy of Non-point Source Polluters stories.

Time:

Class Time: 30 minutes

Procedure:

"We use too many pesticides in this country -- a billion pounds a year. That's too many. It's put on the crops. It runs off into our rivers and lakes that become our drinking water."

- USEPA Administrator, Carol Browner

Intro: Non-point sources (NPS) of pollution are defined as sources dispersed over large areas of land that also discharge pollutants into the environment over a large area, like pesticides and acid rain. Water from precipitation falls to the ground and runs over soils following natural and human-made water courses. Pollution mixing with the water as it runs off and seeps from land areas is a direct result of how we use the land. Animal wastes, litter, oils and greases, chemical residue, and soils from construction sites, plowed fields, and stream banks all wash from the land into our streams, lakes, estuaries, and groundwater. The following activity will help students become familiar with some examples of non-point source pollution in their everyday lives. Students are generally surprised to find that they contribute to this environmental concern. Therefore, it is important to include in this lesson the fact that through some minor changes in their lifestyles, they can help to lessen many causes of NPS pollution.

1. Begin by dividing the class into groups of three or four. Explain that you will be giving each group a card with a different example of non-point source pollution. Each group will need to act out their pollution story for the rest of the class. When performing, the students are not allowed to speak but they may make noises to simulate their actions. Give the groups a private space in the room and time to discuss and rehearse their performances.

2. When everyone is ready, have the groups perform their interpretations. After each performance, have the class discuss the following items: What type of NPS pollution was being acted-out? Discuss who and what might be affected by this pollution. List ways each example of NPS pollution can be prevented.
   

Assessment:

1. What sources of NPS pollution are present in your watershed?
   
   

2. What forms of NPS pollution can be avoided?

3. How are NPS pollutants like the sand in an hour glass?
   

NYS Learning Standards:

Arts
Standard 1 - Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts: Theatre

English
Standard 3 - Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation: Speaking and Writing

Math, Science, and Technology
Standard 4 - Science: The Living Environment 7
Standard 7 - Interdisciplinary Problem Solving: Connections; Strategies

Source: This activity was adapted from Frost Valley YMCA's The Ways Of The Watersheds. Adapted from Nonpoint Source Pollution - Live! in Beneath the Shell. New Jersey DEPE. Office of Communications, CN 402. Trenton, NJ 08625.