Lesson 3 - People and natural environments
Learning intention
We are learning how people influence natural environments.
Success criteria
We can make a communication product that informs people on ways we can enhance the water quality in urban waterways.
Activities
Activity 1
A catchment story | Field of Mars EEC (2:00min) | Video transcript | YouTube
How does rain falling in urban areas affect waterways?
View A catchment story video that follows the journey water takes as it flows through an urban catchment.
Can you:
- identify the journey water takes from falling as rain to when it enters the ocean?
- identify the types of pollutants that were carried by water as it travelled through the urban catchment?
- identify where these pollutants came from?
Activity
- Watch the video a second time.
- Create your own catchment story video, comic strip or written story.
- What pollutants will you add?
Activity 2
Water quality testing in Buffalo Creek | Field of Mars EEC (2:45min) | Video transcript | YouTube
How can we measure water quality?
View the Water quality testing in Buffalo Creek video.
Activity
- Record the results from the video in the Water quality results table in Google docs.
- Select 'use template' and 'make a copy'.
- Explain why Buffalo Creek may have recorded these results.
- Make a prediction on what could happen to the results if there was a large rainstorm or during a drought.
- Do you think your local waterways would record similar results?
Activity 3
Litter in Buffalo Creek in the Field of Mars Reserve
How does poor water quality impact the natural environment?
- The Buffalo Creek water quality results show high levels of both chemical and physical water pollution. This can lead to:
- a decrease in aquatic biodiversity. Many fish, amphibians and aquatic invertebrates can not survive in polluted water.
- an increase in weeds along the bank that compete with our native plants for space and light. Native plants are important in providing habitat for native animals.
- an increased risk of toxic algal blooms that kill aquatic animals
- plastic pollution in our oceans.
Managing stormwater in Buffalo Creek | Field of Mars EEC (1:16min) | Video transcript | YouTube
How can we manage water pollution in urban areas?
View the Managing stormwater in Buffalo Creek video. It shows local council management strategies at the Field of Mars Reserve to improve the water quality of Buffalo Creek.
- Review the results from the Buffalo Creek water tests.
- How effective have the management strategies been?
Activity
- How might individuals contribute to the improvement of water in urban waterways?
- Create a message that will educate people about keeping our waterways clean. Select ONE of the following:
- create a poster
- make a stop motion animation.
Creating a poster | Field of Mars EEC (1:43min) | Video transcript | YouTube
Creating a stop motion animation | Field of Mars EEC (1:50min) | Video transcript | YouTube