STEAM in Surinamese Education

How can we use science to teach pollution in the 4th grade elementary school?

Using various experiments to make the students aware of water pollution

Group members Cohort 1:

Priya Hiralal
Shiromenie Ramautar
Nishada Sewkaransing
Stacy Shaw

Project Mentor(s)
Padhu Seshaiyer

ABSTRACT

Suriname has many places with water pollution. Our aim in this project is to teach
children of the 4th grade elementary school how to recognize, experience, prevent
water pollution. As a group we decided to make this lesson very interesting, therefore
we chose to teach water pollution with science experiments, where the children could
learn faster this way, because children understand faster when they visualize the
process of something happen. We want to make children aware of the importance of
water for the human in this world at an early stage of their lives, for a better future,
clean and healthy atmosphere to live in.

This final project report is submitted in partial fulfillment of the

ICT for Education Bachelors Degree Program from the Advanced Teachers Training College and the
International Institute for Education and Development.
Paramaribo, Suriname
August XX, 2017
Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3
Project planning ........................................................................................................................................... 4
Our educational framework......................................................................................................................... 5
Hypothesis .................................................................................................................................................... 6
Milestones and timeline of our project ....................................................................................................... 7
Timeline..................................................................................................................................................... 7
The first experiment ..................................................................................................................................... 8
The second experiment ................................................................................................................................ 9
How water is polluted ............................................................................................................................... 9
The third experiment ................................................................................................................................. 10
How to prevent water pollution ............................................................................................................. 10
The project design ...................................................................................................................................... 11
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 12
Reflection.................................................................................................................................................... 13
The assessment plan of the project ........................................................................................................... 14
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................... 15
References .................................................................................................................................................. 16
Appendix..................................................................................................................................................... 17

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Introduction
Water pollution is the contamination of the water bodies e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans,
aquifers, and ground water https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_pollution . Water is
essential to life. It does not need to be spelled out. Yet water pollution is a very serious
problem in Suriname what we face every day. In this project, we will introduce some
water pollution problem to the 4th grade children at the elementary school. This project
is very important in Suriname, because we face water pollution every day, it is
necessary to teach the children how important water is for the human being every day.

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Project planning
In this project, we will make the children aware of water pollution of the elementary
school by doing various experiments and some knowledge of the water pollution how
you make water unhealthy for human beings. We will teach them also what the
consequences are with solutions about water pollution. We will also use ICT skills to
teach them about the concept. At the end of this lesson, we expect a short presentation
about water pollution in Suriname from each student of the fourth grade. This project will
make an impact in Suriname when we start to teach the children in the earlier stage of
their lives.

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Our educational framework

Figure 1. Educational Framework

This framework is optimal choice for this project, because in this project there will be
science experiment how to prevent water pollution in Suriname.

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Hypothesis
What we want to do -if we teach the students of the 4th grade of the elementary school
water pollution by doing science experiments.

What we think will happen - then they will understand how important water is for us by
doing science experiments, they will understand the concept better and will enjoy being
taught this way.

Why we think it will happen - because children always learn best by visual and doing
activities in the classroom, when we teach them about water pollution and its
importance by doing experiments with the whole class, they will learn faster and never
forget what they learn about water pollution.

What we need to execute this project are:

Students - in the 4th grade of the elementary school

Computer - for a couple of video's about water pollution
Our group members - for the teaching skills
Tools - for the experiments e.g. cup, petroleum jelly, food coloring etc.
Time - one and an hour to teach in the classroom

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Milestones and timeline of our project

The Lesson date The time The lesson

4-7-2017 10:30 - 12:00 General pollution with questions and answers

11-7-2017 09:00 - 10:30 Water pollution with questions and answers

18-7-2017 10:30 - 12:00 Science experiments with questions and answers

Table 1. Project Milestones and Timeline

Timeline

Figure 2. Project Timeline

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The first experiment
This experiment is a good activity to show students about pollution in different ways,
how they can see pollution.

The tools we need:

5 cups
A - Fill with tap water
B - Fill with bottled water
C - Fill with tap water and some food coloring
D - Fill again with tap water and add white vinegar or rubbing alcohol
E - Fill with stream or pond water

Pass out these cups in the classroom to look at them, smell them but do not taste them

Cup A - is filled with tap water, if you smell the water it has the chlorine odor, because
people put chlorine to kill germs and bacteria, it is unhealthy for the human.

Cup B - is filled with bottled water, this is processed as clean water and it is good for the
humans.

Cup C - is filled with tap water and colored, this means water of the stream has strange
colors it comes from natural sources e.g. leaves that make it look like tea , it has also
pollution .

Cup D - is filled with vinegar or rubbing alcohol and it looks visually clear it will look like
it is not polluted , but if you smell it smells a little bit odd , it comes from different natural
resources like chemicals in the water , air pollution .

Cup E - is filled with pond water, it may look cloudy and students may think it is polluted
what may be, but it is good for the humans if you test it.

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The second experiment
How water is polluted

Tools we need:
A bowl
3 cups
A can
Some garbage
Soap
Oil
Food coloring
sand

Step 1: we need a bowl with clean water

When a truck sometimes leak oil, all the oil gets into the river, pond, or stream
So we will put some oil into the clean water.

Step 2: put some garbage in the bowl for example, when you put garbage outside and
some animals tear your thrash, all the thrash flies into the river by the wind and water
gets polluted.

Step 3: pour soap water in the bowl e.g., when you wash your car and all the bubbly
water runs into the driveway and then to the sewer and finally in the river.

Step 4: pour some colored water in the bowl, which means that factory and farms
has run offs and make water polluted.

Step 5: put some sand in the bowl for pesticides as example

So now, we have a bowl with polluted water, what you cannot drink or use for your daily
house chores.

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The third experiment
How to prevent water pollution

Tools we need:
Water
Thrash catcher
Plastics
Oil

Step 1: we will use the same bowl as in second experiment with all the pollution
Step 2: we will show the students how to get clean water; we will use a trash catcher to
catch all the garbage out of the bowl, which means that everyone must clean their
surroundings and gutter to prevent pollution

Some tips how to prevent water pollution

Do not dump in our around river
Dispose of pesticides and chemicals properly
Do not pour fat and oil down the sink

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The project design

This project is to teach students of the elementary school about water pollution with
science experiments, so that the lesson become more interesting and enjoyable. As
group members, we are working on how to convince students to value water and how
important water is for the human being. In Suriname we see in every gutter some plastic
and garbage, we want to stop all this by teaching them.

The process
Our group members will work on different level of the lesson, so that one person has not
so much to do.
Stacy - will work on the experiments
Shiromenie - will work on the lesson plan
Priya - will work on the layout of the project
Nishada- will do activities in the classroom with the students and
Also give feedback and evaluate the project.

The execution
We will execute all the experiments together, and then do it in the classroom to show
about water pollution. This project is achievable in one month; in this one month, we will
teach them about pollution one day per week, in total 4 weeks lesson to understand the
concept very well. Every week we will teach a different kind of pollution and its
prevention.

The product
This is a lesson plan to teach water pollution by experimenting with science. At the end
of the month, we will be able to give test about the concept, the goal of this project is to
make students of the 4th grade level aware of the water problem what we face in
Suriname by experiments in science and the goal is achievable when the students
understand it.

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Conclusion
In this project, experiments will be used to teach water pollution in the 4th grade of the
elementary school. it is a group work where we use ICT technique and science
experiments to teach water pollution to the students , because water pollution is one of
the most talked issues in our land , thus it is better to teach them how important water is
for us, so we can prevent water pollution in the future.

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Reflection
The idea of teaching water pollution by doing various science experiments has worked
effectively on couple of students where we asked them how they liked the idea of
learning at this way , they were very excited and enthusiast. It is very challenging for us
to convince the principal and other teachers how effectively it will work in the classroom
when we start teaching like this, but some of the schools have not internet connection
so they are not ready to take the change. In the future, it is sure that they will work with
computers, internet and experiments to make the lesson interesting for the students
when they recommended for it. When we talk about the improvement, the project will
improve when we start working with a big group of students.

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The assessment plan of the project

Week objectives Assessment tool What will students do?

1 Teaching about Internet , computer , Search for pollution in

general pollution YouTube groups of 4.

2 Teaching about Internet, computer, Brainstorming in group

water pollution YouTube, Kahoot, cups, about consequences, result
and our first can, food coloring, vinegar of water pollution in
experiment or rubbing alcohol, bottled Suriname
How to recognize water, tap water, stream
pollution water.

3 The second A bowl , can, cups, soap, Every leader of the group
experiment, garbage, soil, oil, food has to come and do the
showing them how coloring experiment with
water get polluted explanation: what, how and
why?

4 The last Same bowl of dirty water Coming up with solutions

experiment, how as in the second and brainstorming in the
we can prevent experiment, garbage group, giving ideas about
water pollution in catcher how to prevent water
the future. pollution in Suriname.
Table 2. Project Assessment Plan

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Acknowledgements
Our Prof. Padhu, who helped us as mentor for our project title Using various science
experiments to teach water pollution in the 4th grade of the elementary school.
Our classmate or colleague Jerry M. helped us with idea of water pollution in Suriname.

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References

Bihari, S. (n.d.). Waterverontreiniging. Retrieved July 1, 2017, from

http://www.nimos.org/pdf/water/Waterverontreiniging.pdf
Nationaal Instituut voor Milieu en Ontwikkeling in Suriname (NIMOS). (n.d.). Verschillende
soorten watervervuiling. Retrieved July 1, 2017, from
http://www.nimos.org/smartcms/downloads/Verschillende%20soorten%20watervervuiling.pdf
Water pollution - Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved July 1, 2017, from
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_pollution

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Appendix
Appendix 1: how to recognize water pollution

Appendix 2: how water gets polluted

Appendix 3: how to prevent water pollution

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