No Water Off a Duck's Back Students take the role of wildlife biologists observing feathers when they are wet, dry or soaked in oil and giving oral descriptions of their observations. Students are encouraged to think about ordinary actions, such as pouring used oil or other contaminants down road sewers or household drains and how these could cause pollution which endangers wildlife habitats and damages ecosystems. In many countries people must travel far distances to obtain clean water. Students participate in a relay race to simulate the act of carrying water over difficult terrain and long distances. Likewise, water travels long distances through pipes to get to our homes.
Students use oral descriptions to pose questions, predict results and relay their observations.
They use oral descriptions to relay their observations and pose questions about the results of an oil spill. They also observe an actual technique of cleaning up the oil and discuss why prevention is a better strategy than remediation. Students participate in a race using buckets of water and pose questions and make observations to gain an understanding of the difference between Canadian communities in the early 1800s and 1990s life in their community. The pore spaces within, and the ability to conduct water of, earth materials are key factors in determining how groundwater moves below the surface of the ground. Students hypothesize about water flow in models which seem identical, but allow water to flow at different rates through their pore spaces.