Water catchment model
Focus
The aim of this lesson is for students to plan and create their own model of a water catchment to assist them in a presentation about water catchments.
Science
Science and Society
3.3 Students make prediction about the immediate impact of some applications of science on their community and environment, and consider possible pollution and public health effects.
Earth and Beyond
3.3 Students collect information that describes ways in which living things use the Earth and the sun as resources.
4.1 Students recognise and analyse some interactions (including the weather) between systems of Earth and beyond.
Life and Living
3.3 Students describe some interactions (including feeding relationships) between living things and between living and non-living parts of the environment.
SOSE
Systems, Resources and Power
SRP 3.1 Students make inferences about interactions between people and natural cycles, including the water cycle.
English
Notes to assist students presents models to the class.
Materials
Whatever is necessary for the students to complete their models.
Teaching considerations
Student presentations could focus on any of the following topics:
- any catchment
- the local catchment
- sustainable catchment practices
- unsustainable catchment practices.
The requirements for the presentation could be as open ended as you like. Requirements could include:
- the model of a water catchment
- oral explanation of what the model represents
- oral explanation of how water flows within the model catchment
- oral explanation about the elements within the model catchment, e.g. vegetation, human development
- information about water catchments.
You may wish to use this as homework or a classroom task.
Consider whether you want the students to complete a model individually or in a small group, bearing in mind whether you set it as a homework or classroom task.
If you are giving the students the choice to work in a group, reinforce what is expected from each partner working in a group.
Depending on the resources available to you at school, you may wish the students to bring most of the materials necessary for the construction of their model from home.
If you want the students to construct the models at school, organise access to materials so that students can use them without interruption or inconvenience to others, clean up after themselves and store materials and models for further construction.
Science processes
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SOSE processes
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Sequence
Time: open ended
Refer back to the demonstration of the catchment model made in class to remind students of how to construct a model.
Set guidelines as to what you expect from a student water catchment model including a time limit for completion.
When models are completed, students present them to the rest of the class.
Additional learning
Students can present models to others classes, display them in the foyer or present them to parents.
Gathering information about student learning
Sources of information could include:
- evaluation of the water catchment models.
Last reviewed 3 September 2010
Last updated 16 June 2008
