Issue Definition
Knowing now (Unit 2 and 3) what it takes to provide an accessible and appealing drinking water supply that is sourced locally from our Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, students will explore how we got to the present. Students will discover how much the natural water cycle together with our underground infrastructure plays a part in managing our water system, to move beyond the environmental impacts of our industrial past and federal policies in place today that help regulate the commons. Students have a role to play in managing and sustaining our water system into the future. LE 4.1 delves into the impact of building up the land with impervious surfaces whereas 4.2 and 4.3 examine the past attempts at solving drainage in a city of predominantly hard surfaces; 4.4 opens up students’ understanding of what we created collectively in terms of regulations and policies to protect the commons.
Outdoor Field Experience
In LE 3 and 4, students observe and analyze how rain water collects and travels in your schoolyard and surrounding streets. students explore the impact of excessive stormwater runoff. If you are able to travel to a streambank to observe streambank erosion do it. If you are not, go no further than your schoolyard and surrounding streets. Observe what happens when it rains.
Synthesis and Conclusion
Students use their observations and analysis to determine problem areas and begin to formulate solutions. Students can connect their observations to explore how their evidence impacts street flooding, sewer backups, and streambank erosion.
Environmental Action Project
LE 5 asks students to redesign their playground space to manage rainwater and stormwater runoff effectively while providing green space and play space.