1. 2nd Grade Water and Earth Materials in San Diego
I work for San Diego Coastkeeper, our job is to keep the ocean clean. Since the ocean is such a big place, it’s a really big job. We do lots of different things to keep the ocean clean and Project SWELL is one of the most important! Project SWELL are the lessons we teach students like you about what makes the ocean dirty and how we can all help.
Today we’re going to learn about watersheds, pollution, and we’re going to do a science experiement!
Download curriculum:
Click tab “TEACH ”
Click on PROJECTSWELLCURRICULUM
User name: sdunified
Password:teachswell
2nd grade
Contact: Sandra Lebron Education Manager | San Diego Coastkeeper®

2. A watershed is an area of land where the water flows to the same reservoir. A reservoir is just a place where water kind of sits in one place; it can be a pond, a lake, or in our case here in San Diego, the ocean. Water flows to the same reservoir because of the way the land is shaped. Water has two favorite directions. If I were to pile a bunch of water on my hand, what would happen? It would spread out and move down. Water does the same thing on land. So if we get a lot of rain or water from melting snow, it will follow the land moving down; down hill, down mountains, etc. Eventually that water will form a stream or a river and keep flowing down until it can really spread out, in a reservoir.
This picture is showing the land surrounding the San Diego River. If it were to rain on this land we see in the map, the rain would flow downhill to the San Diego River which would lead to the ocean.

3. Here is a view of the San Diego River from above
Here is a view of the San Diego River from above. You can see the mountains on one side of the San Diego Watershed and the ocean on the other. Hills and mountains make the boundaries of a watershed.
In this photo you can also see some of the other watersheds we have in San Diego county, there are 11 in total.
Picture San Diego River watershed.
Do you know what pollution is? Something that harms the environment.

4. San Diego Soil
Now as water moves through the watershed, it’s moving over land through soil. San Diego soil is much drier than other places. Here is some of the plants you might see if you were to go out toward the mountains in SD.
Introduction:
Graphic 2-1 Coastal Sage Scrub and Chaparral
Let’s study how water may move pollution as well as earth materials, like this soil from an ecosystem in San Diego known as Coastal Sage Scrub.
Lessons 1 and 2. Investigating an Unknown Soil Part I and II.
Purpose:
Students examine the soils found in San Diego River Watershed.
Background info:
There are two different types of shrub ecosystems.
Coastal Sage Scrub is dominated by shrubs that may lose their leaves during times of drought. The ecosystem can look very "brown" and leafless during drought (during summer). This type of ecosystem is found on dry slopes near the coast and may extend into inland valleys below 3000 feet.
Chaparral is dominated by shrubs that generally stay green year-round (even in times of drought). This type of ecosystem is found in areas further inland and at higher elevations

5. How do water and soil interact?
2nd Grade Water and Earth Materials in San Diego
How do water and soil interact?
Because water moves through and over the soil, we’re going to take a look at how water and soil interact. That’s the first step of our experiment.

6. 2nd Grade Water and Earth Materials in San Diego
How do water and soil interact?
What do you predict will happen?
What will happen to the water?
What will happen to the soil?
I’m going to give each group a basin, cup of soil, and empty container.
Your job is to pour the soil on one side of the basin to represent the mountains in our watershed. Then, prop that side of the bin up on the empty container so our mountains are raised higher than the other side of the watershed.
If the soil represents the mountains, what will be on the other side of the watershed? That’s right, the ocean.
Once the groups have set up their model, regain their attention.
What is missing from the watershed? Water. We are going to add water to the watershed, dripping it over the mountains like rain. Have students make predictions following the question prompts on the slide. Then distribute the water, have them add it to their model, and ask what predictions came true, what might have surprised them, etc.
Bring them back to the carpet.

7. Is water the only thing that moves through a watershed?
So we just completed the first part of the experiment. Was water the only thing that moved in your watershed model? Some of the soil moved too. This happens in real life as well, water is not the only thing that moves through a watershed, sometimes soil and other things move with the water.

8. What Do You See That Doesn’t Belong?
Sometimes things that don’t belong move through a watershed too. What are some ways these items might have gotten to where they are in the pictures?
When there’s something that makes the land, air, or water dirty because it doesn’t belong there, we call that pollution. Pollution can make its way to the ocean a lot of different ways.

9. There’s a lot of different things going on in this picture so I want you to take a minute and really look at it. Read what you can, look at all parts, make some observations. Then I want to hear something you observed. Whether it’s something you think is interesting or important or just something you see.
What do you notice?
Let students volunteer observations and comment/expand on each to highlight important things
This photo shows the number one way pollution gets to the ocean here in San Diego; not only can it move through the watershed (untreated runoff) it also moves through the stormdrain.
We have stormdrains because although the rain water will make its way to the ocean on its own through the watershed, sometimes it doesn’t move fast enough and our streets flood. So we have storm drains, big long pipes underground, to take water from the street to the ocean a little bit faster. As you can see, pollutants can get into the storm drain also.
So when it rains, it’s not safe to swim for three days after the rain because the water is so polluted.

10. What will happen when we add pollutants like…
2nd Grade Water and Earth Materials in San Diego
What will happen when we add pollutants like…
We’re going to go back to our experiment in a minute and add some pollutants.
Shredded paper can represent things like trash (doritos wrappers, plastic bottles, plastic bags, paper, cigarettes, etc.). Food Coloring can represent oil, gas, bacteria from pet waste.
All pollution should be added to the soil in your model, nothing should go into the water.
Each student can add some paper and 1 or 2 drops of food coloring. As you add pollutants to your soil, tell your group members what each item represents.

11. 2nd Grade Water and Earth Materials in San Diego
What do you predict will happen?
What will happen to the pollution?
What will happen to the water?
What will happen to the soil?
Once the pollution has been added, tell the students you are going to add more water to the watershed and have them make more predictions about what will happen.
After each group has added all their water, discuss what predictions actually occurred, whether anything surprising happened, etc.

12. 2nd Grade Water and Earth Materials in San Diego
How can you help stop pollution from getting into the ocean?
What can you do to keep the ocean clean?
We’ve talked about what a watershed is, what pollution is and how it can move through the watershed and pollute the ocean. What can you do to prevent pollution? How can you help stop pollution from getting into the ocean? How can you keep the ocean clean?

13. Solutions to Pollution
Some solutions!
Pick up trash when you see it.
Throw your trash away when you have it.
Recycle, but first, reduce and reuse!
Recycled materials art projects!
Posting signs to remind people not to litter (and telling your friends).
Creating less waste by using reusable bags and water bottles.

14. 2nd Grade Earth Science: Water and Earth Materials in San Diego
Post-Survey
1. When water goes down the storm drains in San Diego, what happens to that water? Choose the best answer.
a) The water is cleaned and then recycled.
b) The water is heated and then goes in the ocean.
c) The water is partly cleaned and then put in the ocean.
d) The water is not cleaned and then put in the ocean.
2. After it rains, why are beaches in San Diego unsafe for swimming?
a) Because it is acid rain is dangerous.
b) Because pollution goes into the ocean.
c) Because the water becomes too cold.
d) Because the water becomes too hot.
3. Name one thing that causes water pollution.
4. Using words and pictures, tell how pollution gets into water and what you can do to prevent it.