1. This research is supported in part by three grants from the National Science Foundation: Developing a research-based learning progression for the role of carbon in environmental systems (REC 0529636), the Center for Curriculum Materials in Science (ESI-0227557) and Long-term Ecological Research in Row- crop Agriculture (DEB 0423627. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. EVIRONMENTAL LITERACY ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY Center for Curriculum Materials in Science (CCMS ) A Learning Progression for Processes that Alter Water Quality in Socioecological Systems Water in Environmental Systems Substances in Water Learning Progression Framework Water Loop Diagram Methods Environmental Systems Dissolution Filtration Erosion Suspension Processes that Alter Water Composition Evaporation Condensation Precipitation Transpiration Ecosystem System Services: Fresh water for personal use and consumer products ProcessesStructure of Systems Human Actions: Change distribution and quality of fresh water Structure of Fresh Water Systems Atmospheric Water Surface Water Groundwater Living Systems Run-off Infiltration Processes that Move Water Human Social & Economic Systems Processes that Alter Water Composition Pollution Water Treatment Distillation Structure of Human Engineered Systems Water collection Water cleaning Water distribution Processes that Move Water Groundwater Pumping Water Diversions Level TitleCharacteristics MixingMoving &Separating Draw a picture of salt dissolved in water. Include molecules if you can. Could the following things get into well water by coming into the well with the water? If you live by the ocean, will your rain be salty? Explain why or why not. 5 Qualitative Model- Based Account Differentiates between suspensions & solutions Describes atomic molecular structures & motions Recognizes that water transports (or not) materials at multiple scales Does not consider quantitative variables in assessing water quality The molecules connect together while the Na + & Cl - are somewhat separated between the water molecules. (4+) Yes: Fertilizer, Salt, Bacteria. No: Mud/Dirt, Fish, Trash, Algae, Rocks, Leaves (Analysis: Substances in solution move into well. Substances in suspension do not –except for bacteria. Macroscopic items do not.) (4+): No because as the ocean water evaporates into the air it lets go of the salt particles because it is a gas now. 4 School Science Narratives Provides or repeats school stories or pictures Associates water quality with dissolved or suspended materials Describes properties of solutions & suspensions at macroscopic scale Attempts to conserve chemical substances Tries, but no always success in using atomic molecular scale The water breaks apart the Na + and Cl -. No because only the water evaporates by itself. The salt doesn’t evaporate with it. 3 Causal Sequences of Events Recognizes material is made of molecules & atoms, but does not use these terms to explain processes Tells a story about where water goes & includes a mechanism, but may not be appropriate mechanism Conserves matter for visible changes Associates water quality with non-specific materials (e.g., “chemicals”) The salt molecules spread out in the water. Yes: Mud/Dirt, Trash, Algae, Salt, Bacteria No: Fertilizer, Fish, Rocks, Leaves (Analysis: Most macroscopic things do not go into well – except for trash. Substances in suspension do go into well – e.g., mud, algae.) Yes, because when ocean water evaporates. it will have the salt with the water when it evaporates. 1 / 2 Events- Based & Human- Based Narratives Tells a story about water that focuses on visible or familiar parts & may include iconic representations Does not conserve matter (if you can’t see it, it doesn’t exist) Characterizes water quality in broad terms (e.g., good/bad) May talk about water in terms of human needs, agency or intentions I think it goes all the way to the bottom then brake up to little pieces then disappears. Yes: Mud/Dirt, Trash, Algae, Salt, Bacteria, Fertilizer, Fish, Rocks, Leaves (Analysis: Everything goes into well with water. Student may have iconic “Jack and Jill” idea of well.) Maybe, if it is a big storm, then yes. Beth A. Covitt, Kristin L. Gunckel, Hasan Abdel-Kareem, Rebecca Dudek, & Charles W. Anderson Michigan State University Beth A. Covitt, Kristin L. Gunckel, Hasan Abdel-Kareem, Rebecca Dudek, & Charles W. Anderson Michigan State University This poster addresses students’ understanding of how substances combine with and are separated from water. These processes occur in human engineered systems (e.g., water pollution, water treatment) and natural systems (e.g., filtration through wetlands, materials moving into solution in groundwater). Results presented from assessments given to grades 5-12 students show how they understand and try to keep track of substances that mix with, move with and are separated from water. Connecting scientific explanations of mixtures and solutions with real world water contexts is an important skill for making informed decisions about water quality issues. Trends and Implications Trends in students’ reasoning: Scale: Levels 1 & 2 students focus on macroscopic. Through increasing levels, students develop understanding that atoms & molecules exist, that they have properties, and that they interact in certain ways. At highest levels, students use atomic- molecular models (e.g., salt water) to explain macroscopic & large scale phenomena (e.g., why rain not salty near ocean). Chemical Identity: Levels 1 & 2 students often identify objects not substances (e.g., water pollution is “trash”). Through increasing levels students traverse through vague identification of substances mixing with water (e.g., “chemicals”), then common/popular chemical identification (e.g., “chlorine”), through identification that demonstrates atomic-molecular awareness (e.g., “Na +, Cl -, appropriate diagrammatic representations). Tracing Matter: For levels 1 & 2 students, matter that you cannot see no longer exists. Level 3 students begin to understand mixtures, but cannot differentiate movement of substances in solutions versus suspensions, or trace separation of substances through evaporation. Level 4 students demonstrate growing understanding of how substances in solutions and suspensions move within and between water systems. Implications of Trends: Currently, instruction about water in environmental systems often focuses on just water. In contrast, water education that supports environmental science literacy needs to actively integrate learning about water in environmental systems with learning about mixtures and solutions. The frameworks presented represent 3 years of iterative design-research in which we: Developed & revised a conceptual framework for what environmentally literate citizens should know about substances in water in coupled human-natural systems Developed, revised & administered elementary, middle school & high school assessments Developed & revised rubrics to analyze student responses We have identified learning performances, levels of achievement & progress variables that are: Conceptually coherent with respect to the scientific disciplines that they represent Compatible with current research on student learning Empirically validated Individual learning performances are actual performances of real students Upcoming analyses will validate levels of achievement for students across questions & examine frequencies of levels of responses across grade levels Future work will validate progress variables using pre-post teaching assessment results