Water on the Go! brings freshwater education into middle school classrooms throughout Michigan. Programs engage students in fun presentations and hands-on learning about water science and protecting the Great Lakes.
Sponsored Programs:
Consumer's Energy Water on the Go!
Water on the Go! programs are available to 6th-8th grade classrooms within the sponsorship area free of charge.
Each of these programs are developed using Next Generation Science Standards and are designed to challenge students to engineer solutions to real-world problems facing the Great Lakes through creating and testing prototypes. Each program includes two days of classroom instruction lead by our staff, as well as pre and post lesson materials for teacher use. All programs are offered completely free of charge, including materials.
These programs include the following:
- Watershed Pollution: Students work in groups to investigate the problem of stormwater runoff by designing and polluting a model community. Students then brainstorm and create a solution to improve water quality in their model communities through a hands-on, trial-and-error process. On day one students will design a community and investigate the problem. On day two students will be provided with a variety of materials to brainstorm and test solutions to their stormwater problems and compare their results.
- Michigan Invaders: Students work in groups to identify unique challenges in protecting Great Lakes ecosystems from watchlist invaders. Student teams will research invaders, brainstorming and building a prototype to combat the spread of the invasive species. On day one students will research and collect info on their invader, identify issues and brainstorm solutions. On day two students will be provided with a variety of materials to create and test their prototype and present their solutions to their class.
- Flood Barriers: Working in groups, students will identify the causes of flooding and create a solution to prevent localized flood damage. On day one students will investigate the causes of floods and be presented with a scenario and parameters to brainstorm a solution for. On day 2 students will build and test their solutions (flood barriers) and compare solutions with their classmates.
- Climate Change and Green Energy: Students will work in groups to identify the contributing factors of climate change and learn about clean energy alternatives. On day one students will learn about the impacts of climate change and participate in a graph-interpretation activity dealing with the effects of climate change. On day two students will work in groups to design a solution to reduce the impacts of climate change or create a new source of green energy.
- Groundwater Detectives: Students will learn about groundwater contamination, its causes, and impacts. Working in groups students will simulate testing different samples of soil from 6 locations of a textile factory. They then will determine which locations are the most polluted and therefore the greatest threat for groundwater contamination. Students will then brainstorm solutions to prevent the contamination and present it to the city in the simulation.
For program details and to schedule a sponsored program, or to contact us for timing and availability: James Bovee, Freshwater Education Coordinator.
