Lesson Plan: Discover Your Ecological Address

Purpose: To teach students about how much they do that affects the water in their river basin.

Grade Level: 7^th and 8^th

Objectives: Students will be more aware of their actions and how they affect the ecosystem.

Materials: Journal

Background: Read through the Water Facts, focusing on the nonpoint pollution sections.

Activity: Go to http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/basinwide/whichbasin.htm to determine what river basin you live in.

Print out a copy of the map of the river basin. On the map, draw a circle around the approximate area where your neighborhood is.

For one week, log anything you do that affects the ecology. This can be anything from throwing food into a garbage disposal, using the hose to wash paint off brushes, throwing stones or dirt into a puddle, or throwing things in sewer drains.

At the end of the week, note the actions that could severely impact the water quality.

In a paper or report, summarize what you did that week to impact your ecological address and explain how you might have chosen different alternatives and still maintained the same quality of life.

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