Link’s 7th grade participated in a number of activities on Wednesday, March 22nd to observe World Water Day after reading the novel, “A Long Walk to Water”, by Linda Sue Park. In the novel a young Sudanese girl has to walk miles each day to get water for her family. World Water Day is a United Nations International Day of Observation, begun in 1993 and designed to inspire people around to learn about water-related issues and to take action to make a difference. On this day, 7th grade students:
- Experienced a lab in water filtration with Matt Singer from ThorLabs. Students learned about how to get clean water and how the water cycle works. In groups they made “solar stills” from common materials to filter water and then, used a solar simulator to speed up evaporation. Their stills were weighed before and after to measure how much water evaporated.
- Led a science experiment with kindergarten and first grade scholars to determine what type of well is most efficient for pumping water – one pump or two. And where they worked with the little ones on coloring projects related to water.
- Engaged in an interactive program with guests from the Newark Water Coalition. Students learned about clean water as everyone’s right and, in groups, developed “ideal” waterways to get water to through the land. Each group presented their water landscape to their peers.
- Performed experiments around non-point source water pollution, where rainfall or snowmelt carries natural and man-made pollutants to rivers and oceans, and how it affects watersheds in Mrs. Kutch’s science class.
(Earlier in the month. students ran an obstacle course carrying water on their backs to see what it would feel like carrying water as the young girl in Ms. Park’s novel. Not as easy as it first looked! )
What a wonderful day of learning and leadership opportunies filled well by our 7th grade scholars!
