1. California State University, Sacramento
Implementing the NGSS through Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) and Aquaponics
Jenna Porter, PhD
Deidre Sessoms, PhD
California State University, Sacramento

2. Project WET (Water Education for Teachers)
Nonprofit water education program
Promotes awareness, knowledge and stewardship of water resources through K- 12 interdisciplinary activities.
Correlated to NGSS and Common Core
Website has electronic access to all lessons

4. DROP IN THE BUCKET ACTIVITY
PREDICT-
How much water is on Earth?
How much is potable (suitable for human consumption)?
ACTIVITY-
Record predictions, take notes, illustrate
T chart- Amt. on Earth vs. Potable

6. What are the main factors affecting water distribution on Earth?
Land forms
Vegetation
Proximity to large bodies of water
Weather /climate
Location
Geology
Geography
Drought/ Flooding
Contamination
WET Activities about access to clean water; sharing water; riparian rights; water contamination

7. Water Sustainability Who uses this water and for what?
USGS data- thermoelectric power accounts for largest percentage of US water withdrawals
Paradox- there’s lots of water on Earth but most is unusable. For some people it’s plentiful; for others its scarce
Project WET has strand on Water Resource Management
Social Justice Connection

8. Debrief Drop in the Bucket
Modifications
Ocean water freezes at lower temps; lower freezing pt. 28 degrees F vs. freshwater at 32 degrees F; ice is crystal

9. The Green Box Identify all the materials in the box
Use your senses to make observations, but do NOT taste the materials
Which materials in the box are essential for life? 4 of them.

10. Do all plants need soil to grow?
What is in the soil that plants absorb for growth?

11. How is matter cycled through this system?

12. How is matter cycled through this system? No soil

13. Propagation of fish and plants together in a closed system
Aquaponics
Propagation of fish and plants together in a closed system
Sustainable method of agriculture; uses 90% less water than traditional agriculture
Transfer of Energy; movement of matter
Pass the Energy

14. Emphasize the movement of matter
Fish waste (ammonia) is pumped with water through grow bed containing porous rocks (housing bacteria) which convert ammonia to nitrate, which serves as food for plants.
Why? Reduces amount of water needed to grow plants. Some lost to evaporation…

15. Sustainable Technology Optimization Research Center (STORC) at Sacramento State

16. What to feed the fish? Worms- used to decompose food waste from campus eateries, then fed to fish; they also make rich soil

17. Composting

21. 5th Grade Standards Alignment

22. High School Related NGSS
HS-LS1-5. Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy
HS-LS2-4. Use mathematical representations to support claims for the cycling of matter and flow of energy among organisms in an ecosystem
HS-ESS2-5. Plan and conduct an investigation of the properties of water and its effects on Earth materials and surface processes.
HS-ESS3-4. Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.*
HS-PS3-1. Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known.
HS-ETS1-3. Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.

23. Burbank Urban Garden (BUG)
Community Plant Sale

24. Leonardo da Vinci school- K-8- solar aquaponics system