Rationale
After energy, the second major problem facing global society is the availability of clean water. In order to address this concern, intelligently and cooperatively, members of society must be well informed. In my opinion, scientists have an obligation to provide society with the most accurate data on issues of public concern. Science educators have a social responsibility to teach students and their parents about the impact of this relevant data on their lives. We cannot neglect even those students and parents, who invoke negative stereotypes because of their apathy and belligerence.
Although most students will not become scientists or engineers, they have inalienable rights which guarantee their pursuit of happiness. Along with these privileges comes the responsibility to participate in the democratic process. A functionally illiterate populace can be swayed by propaganda campaigns designed by irresponsible corporations, and delivered through various media enterprises by politicians backed with corporate financing.
One of the many challenges we face as science teachers is to help our students build understanding by doing. The National Science Education Standards suggest, for example, that students work as real scientists in the classroom. At the very least, all citizens must be able to read and comprehend science-based articles in the popular press or on the internet, in order to decipher and interpret politically charged rhetoric concerning science related issues. 4
My purpose for teaching this unit is to inspire students, colleagues, and members of the community to transcend divisive constructs preventing us from working together to improve our society. As a Chemistry and AP Environmental Science teacher at Open High School (OHS) in Richmond, Virginia, I have designed experiential learning activities for students to be the change they want to see on the planet, as Gandhi espoused. For example, two years ago (Summer 2008) I developed a curriculum unit that compelled my students to evaluate their plastic consumption.
Built on the premise of self-governance and a sense of community, OHS accepts students who represent a wide range of achievement potential. However, we expect all students to demonstrate commitment to service learning. The vast majority of our students are African-American (93%) and slightly more than half qualify for free and reduced lunch. Like most teenagers, they make many decisions based on conditioned responses. For instance, the majority of them consume tap water and bottled water without considering any potential risks. They probably have never investigated the quality of either source. Hence, I contend it is essential to facilitate a learning experience that empowers students to analyze the relative quality of drinking water in their community.
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