Activities: "Bon Voyage to Bad Boating Habits"

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For Grades 6 - 8

Bon Voyage to Bad Boating Habits (Full Article)(PDF) (2 pp, 1.5MB)

Bon Voyage to Bad Boating Habits (Activity Sheets)(PDF) (9 pp, 850K)

Exercises

Exercise I. When Does Water Burn?!?
Exercise II. Creating a Better Boating Commercial
Exercise III. MTBE Motives
Exercise IV. Exotic Invasive Stowaways
Exercise V. One in a Million

Objectives

Students will learn about common boating-related threats to waterways. They will learn about the problems created in waterways by recreational boaters and discuss ways boaters can change their behaviors to reduce their impact on waterways. Students will also learn about the history of water pollution through a study of the Cuyahoga River. They will create a commercial to raise awareness about boating-related pollution. Exercises will also help students explore the reliability of information on the Internet by comparing various articles on MTBE, a common gasoline additive that can contribute to water pollution, and expose students to the problems associated with unintentionally transporting invasive species in ballast water. An experiment that will help students visualize measurements parts per million is also included.

Time Required

Individual exercises are designed to be approximately 1/2 hour to 45 minutes long. The time to complete an exercise can be longer if the optional additional exercises are explored. Exercises I, II and V are well-suited for an in-class activity. Exercises III and IV are better suited for individual or small-group research and writing projects.

The time to complete an exercise can be longer if the optional links to related Web sites are explored for a deeper examination of the subject.

Curricular Standards and Skills

Natural Science

Civics

• The history of water pollution
• The media
• The Clean Water Act

Language Arts

Math

• Percents
• Fractions

Vocabulary

Web sites

Duke University News: EPA Head Calls Waning Interest Chief Threat

Editorial: The Fire Is Quenched (Post-Gazette article on the restored Cuyahoga River)

EPA's American Heritage Rivers-The Cuyahoga River (optional)

Cuyahoga River Research Report from Case Western Reserve University

The MTBE Resource [BROKEN]

U.S. Geological Survey MTBE Information:

• Note to the Reader
• MTBE and other volatile organic compounds — New findings and implications on the quality of source waters used for drinking-water supplies | PDF Version (2 pp, 48K)

Environmental Protection Agency MTBE Information

Ballast Water a Vehicle for Exotic Marine Species Invasions (Gulf of Maine Times)

Minnesota Sea Grant's Field Guide to Aquatic Exotic Plants and Animals

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Web page.

 

Middle Schools  |  Bon Voyage to Bad Boating Habits
Exercise I  |  Exercise II  |  Exercise III  |  Exercise IV  |  Exercise V

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