Philadelphia became a manufacturing powerhouse in the mid- to late-19th century. Population exploded to meet the demands of this rapid industrialization. During this time, it seemed to make sense to use use the local rivers to dispose of waste — carried away with the flow.  When the natural waterways could no longer sustain the excessive dumping of waste without making people sick from the unsanitary conditions, a solution needed to be found.

Cities thrive when people live closely together to share in things they need or want. However, devising a system for getting  rid of waste (human and otherwise) produced in these densely populated areas is a challenge.   As the population in Philadelphia exploded during the industrial age,  the challenge of managing the city’s wastewater became more challenging.  The idea to use the flow of the natural stream flow to get rid of waste soon tested nature’s limits. Using the same river to dump waste that was also the  source of the city’s drinking water did not end well. As more and more unsanitary waste clogged the rivers, a public health crisis ensued. A solution to managing all this wastewater was needed.

Students will create a mural which will model a river, showing that what happens when land choices upstream impact those living downstream. The mural is created first in sections (or communities) then reunited as one long watershed . Thinking watershed wide helps all people connected to the same river– whether they are upstream, downstream or in between .  Note: A version of this was done in the Grade 3-5 Unit 2 in Learning Experience 2: Land and Water: A Delicate Balance.

Slides 3: Facilitate a brief discussion recalling elements of a watershed that were studied in previous learning experiences. If you need to review, rewatch Chesapeake Unscripted: What is a Watershed? or You Tube: What is a Watershed? from Unit 1 Water in Our World. The key takeaway is to recall prior knowledge that we all live in a watershed, upstream and downstream as the river flows.

Slide 4: Open up discussion with questions/prompts  provided on this slide to think about how the land along the river might be changed by the building of factories along its banks.

Slides 5-7: Students will create a mural model which consists of a long butcher paper panel, which you will divide into sections for small groups to ‘develop.’ The panels are then reconnected to model the full flow of the river.

Prepare ahead of time:

You will need to start with a long mural size sheet of butcher paper long enough that, when separated, small groups can work on their section around a table.

Before cutting the  butcher paper into sections, draw a river that runs from one end to the other. Make an arrow on each river section to make sure students know which direction the river is flowing. Now equally cut into the number of sections you need for your class to be able to work in small groups on a portion of the map.

Note: On the back of each section, label both ends of the section before handing them out.  This will help you to reconstruct the panel when each group has finished.

Before handing out their “plots” of land, explain to students that this is a two dimensional graphic model of a watershed. The water flows from upstream, the headwaters of the river, downstream.

Let students know that they can feel free to add tributaries to their watershed sections and add arrows to show the direction the water in these tributaries.  They can also draw or make a key to help explain their development to others.

As students start ‘developing’ their land, have them brainstorm what their community might need to thrive…have them think about where people will live, work, play, and where any businesses or factories should be located.

It is important for students to understand that the reason the land is being developed is due to the increase in population. As more people moved into the region, looking for jobs, the demand for housing, food, and other services increased. Land developers can be strategic in how they used the available spaces to make the most efficient use and provide for the growing population (but don’t have to be!)  Building factories along the river may be seen as an efficient way to both transport their goods, but also to provide the factory with energy or water needs and an easy place to dispose of their waste — was it really “away” ?.

Slide 7: Land Use Planning

Opening Questions:

Ask students what is important to them about what should be included on their land? How would you use your land?

Distribute the sheet of icons that represent different types of land use—

Review the icon categories with the students. What does each represent? As you define each category, ask students why a community may want that type of development in their area.  Have students give examples of each of the categories. Without going into detail, allow for both positive and negative points for the land development choices they will make.

Have students select the icons that represent what will be part of their community. You can choose to remind students that they need to decide the best use of their land, and to think strategically, and how to maximize resources or leave this to discuss after you see what choices they have made.

Students discuss (and debate amongst themselves) to come up with land development plans and strategies.

Slide 8: Ask them to consider:

How do the features of your natural watershed affect your land use and development choices? 

Now cut out the icons and glue them down

Reconnect the watershed map. Give students time to analyze the full map and identify any cause/effect consequences of their development decisions. Students can view how the decisions made in one section of the watershed impact the health of the system downstream

Slides 9-10: How do our choices and changes in one part of the watershed affect other parts of the watershed (natural and developed)?

Looking at the full watershed, ask:

• Where people are living – Are there nearby parks or other recreational areas for people to enjoy open and green spaces?
• Looking at the most downstream areas of the map of the river – what impact does the decisions made upstream have on the people living downstream?
• Did they consider all the land uses? Where is the manufacturing of goods located, where is food coming from?

How do choices and changes in YOUR part of the watershed affect OTHER PARTS of the watershed (natural and developed)?

What do you notice about the decisions that were made in OTHER PARTS of the watershed (upstream and downstream) that will impact YOUR section of the watershed?

What would you change?

We all live upstream and downstream from someone!

Deck Slide 11: Now that we know that we are all up and down stream from other communities and living systems upon which life in the watershed depends, should we have agreed upon rights (downstream) and responsibilities (upstream) that we all have in order to ensure the best water quality for ourselves, our neighbors, future generations and all living things? 

We will continue this exploration in our next lesson.