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The Clean Water Act: A Policy Solution

Learning Experience 4

Big Ideas

We all have a role to play in maintaining our health and the health of our waterways. Everything we do and everything we don’t do makes a difference.

 We can’t make new water so consider whose  role and responsibility it is to take care of the water we have, forever.

Summary

In response to the catastrophic environmental condition of our nation’s waterways during  the 1960’s, Congress established the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 and passed the Clean Water Act in 1972.

Engage

Start a class discussion about who takes care of our shared resources using the prompt:

We all have unique and important roles and responsibilities to help maintain our public health and the health of our waterways

Follow this with an  opportunity for student research looking at  the historic actions that have been done to meet the challenges that have faced our waterways during the 1960s up to the present.  A list and various links of suggested people and moments to include are provided in the SLIDE DECK to get you started. This can be done as a JIGSAW activity.

With the information they found, have the students make one big WATER ADVOCATES OVER TIME  to display in the classroom (you can keep adding to this as more discovery happens or add your students’ names to the present!)  Add particular events, legislation, the establishment of agencies to the timeline too.

Explore and Explain

First review with students how a bill becomes a law and introduce them to a brief history of the Clean Water Act. To help you, find informative links in the SLIDE DECK or in the MATERIALS tab. 

Elaborate

Encourage students to feel confident that environmental conditions have improved over time using various primary or data sources  for evidence — from fish census data over time  to interviews with elders. 

Explore how poetry and art are also used to connect emotionally with clean water and move 

Discuss the difference between “sink” and “source” to help them start thinking about what kind of difference they want to make? What is their role and responsibility? What action can they take?

End the Learning Experience, which is also the end of the Unit with a reflection of the Essential Question:

Can we create sustainable urban design solutions that work with the natural water cycle?

Compare their pre-post responses and reflect on their learning.

Extension

Assign additional research on environmental legislation and regulation.

Ask student to write to their Congressional Representative to express your view about the EPA and environmental regulations.

Teacher Support

Essential Question:

Can we create sustainable urban design solutions that work with the natural water cycle?

Guiding Questions:

Engage

What has already been done?

Explore and Explain

How did the Clean Water Act become Law?

Elaborate

What contribution do we want to make to ensure water quality in Philadelphia for ourselves and for future generations?

Students will be able to:

Identify the different groups that have taken action to save our waterways since the 60’s and make a timeline of the significant people and institutions and their actions.
Describe how a bill becomes law, and how that law can be enforced in order to make the case (in writing or verbally)  for the unique role that policy plays in improving our lives.
Articulate and plan an action they can take to contribute to ensuring water quality in Philadelphia for ourselves and for future generations, in order to write and sign a pledge to do so.

BASIC TERMS
Act noun
A written ordinance of Congress, or another legislative body

Congress noun
A national legislative body of a country

Enforce verb
To compel observance of a law

Federal adjective
Relating to the central government of the United States (Washington D.C.)

Legislation
noun
Laws, considered collectively

Regulation noun
A rule or order issued by an executive authority or regulatory agency of a government and having the force of law.

ADVANCED TERMS
Interstate adjective
Existing or carried on between states

Legislative adjective
Having the powers to make laws

Explore & Explain 

Attachment A: I’m Just a Bill….

Attachment B: History of the Clean Water Act

Elaborate

Beth Kephart Poems from Flow See Attachment E

NYC DEP Art and Poetry Student Contest examples

Poem Hunter

Identify the different types of people that have taken action to save our waterways since the 60’s and make a timeline of the significant people and institutions and their actions.

Describe how a bill becomes law, and how that law can be enforced in order to make the case (in writing or verbally) for the unique role that policy plays in improving our lives.

Articulate and plan an action they can take to contribute to ensuring water quality in Philadelphia for ourselves and for future generations, in order to write and sign a pledge to do so.

Can we create sustainable urban design solutions that work with the natural water cycle? Revisit this question at the end of the Unit and have students compare their pre-post responses and reflect on their learning.

PA STEELS Standards
3.4.6-8.H Design a solution to an environmental issue in which individuals and societies can engage as stewards of the environment.

Related Standards

ELA W.8.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence

EfS I.35 Strong Sense of Place – Demonstrate that they can effectively address more than one problem at a time while minimizing the creation of new problems.

EfS C.18 The Dynamics of Systems and Change – Take responsibility for the effect(s) of their actions on future generations.

Student Materials

Student Worksheet

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