'WATER' WE LOOKING FOR? USING WATER QUALITY TECHNIQUES IN A GK-12 CLASSROOM TO STUDY RIO GRANDE SALINIZATION AND EXPLORE THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

National science guidelines require students to be exposed to the scientific method and New Mexico state education guidelines require that these lessons incorporate state geology and hydrology. At the commencement of middle school, students often have yet to be exposed to the importance of water resources in their environment. Nowhere is this a more imperative cause for study than in the semi-arid desert of the Southwest, where surface water is a vital resource to the human and animal inhabitants. A hands-on experience can be used to teach students higher thinking skills and scientific inquiry, and the application of direct versus discovery teaching methods allows all students to participate in a scientific discovery of their surroundings.

As part of a research experience for teachers at the Sevilleta LTER, a range of hydrologic and hydrochemical field and laboratory techniques were explored for inclusion in curricular activities for science students. In conjunction with researchers from UNM, 130 6th grade students from Sarracino Middle School in Socorro, NM, will learn basic field techniques by visiting the Rio Grande and collecting field parameters (pH, conductivity and temperature) and water samples for major ion analysis. Students will be taught the definitions of these parameters in the classroom and hands-on activities used to reinforce the concepts (e.g. learning to read a pH scale). Students will visit two river sites and the data will be submitted for World Water Monitoring Day. The data will be recorded and bar graphed in the classroom to compare the sites. Students will be shown pictures and given data for sites from CO to TX to graph and compare to the sites in NM. Additionally, students will be introduced to basic chemistry to understand the water quality of the Rio Grande and how and why it is an important river in the community and surrounding regions.

Students will be given a pre- and post-evaluation questionnaire to qualify their understanding of the project. Students will also be assigned to teams to prepare a poster presentation on the data. Through this hands-on water unit they will understand the processes of scientific investigations and utilize differentiated instruction and learn skills of observing, experimenting, predicting and validating to think critically in this inquiry-based learning experience.