Topic: Plants and Water Pollution

Essential Questions: How does water pollution affect living things? What happens to plants
when the ground water is polluted? Can human behavior affect water sources?
Primary Content Objectives:
Students will know: (facts/information)

All living things rely on water

Polluted water contaminates plants that humans and animals eat

Students will be able to do: (skills and behaviors)

Explain how polluted water can contaminate plants

Identify ways humans can reduce water waste

Grade 3 VA SOL:
Earth, Patterns Cycles, and Change
3.9 The student will investigate and understand the water cycle and its relationship to life on
Earth.
c) water is essential for living things; and
d) water supply and water conservation.
Resources
3.10 The student will investigate and understand that natural events and human influences can
affect the survival of species. Key concepts include:
a) the interdependency of plants and animals;
b) the effects of human activity on the quality of air, water, and habitat
Assessment:
The summative assessment will serve as the main determiner of student comprehension. If
students answer the questions listed on the handout, particularly making explicit connections
between the process of food coloring (representing the pollutant) moving up the celery stalk
(representing crops in general). The handout features answers in red text that indicate student
understanding.

The pre-assessment takes the form of preliminary class discussion about the relationship
between living things and water along with the consequences of water pollution. Students
must recognize that all living things rely on water and that water pollution could affect
plants in some way before experiment begins.
During the experiment, the teacher must circulate between groups asking questions and
monitoring comprehension as a form of formative assessment.
The summative assessment will take the form of the attached handout that asks students
to make observations and inferences based on the experiments results.

Materials and Resources:

Each group will need 1 clear plastic cup, 1 cup of tap water, 1 fresh celery stick with leaves, and
2-3 drops of red food coloring. Each student will need one Celery Experiment Questions
handout (see end of lesson plan) and a pencil plus color pencils to complete the handout. The
teacher will need a knife to fray the ends of the celery prior to experiment. Keep in mind that the
first part of the experiment will start in the morning and will be completed 5 hours later.
Key Vocabulary and Definitions:
Water pollution- contamination of water by harmful substances, which can affect living things
like plants, animals, and humans
Lesson Procedures:
1. Introduction and goal orientation:
Show class water pollution YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=QqNUTlY5foQ
Tell students. Today we will do an experiment with a partner about water pollution using
celery and food coloring. We will begin the experiment in the morning then collect results
at the end of the day.
2. Connecting to prior knowledge and experiences:
Ask students if they have ever seen trash in water sources like oceans, rivers, streams, or
lakes as shown in the video? Did they do anything? Where did this trash come from?
How might this water pollution affect living things?
What can humans do in order to decrease water pollution?
3. Tasks and activities:
In the front of the classroom model the Celery/Food Coloring experiment by adding 2-3
drops of food coloring to the cup of water. Explain to students that you will set a control
for the experiment by not adding any food coloring to a cup of water with one stalk of
celery. Instruct students to place their completed experiment on a predetermined table.
Assign students partners and deliver each duo their experiment kit containing one clear
plastic cup, 1 cup of tap water, fresh celery stick with leaves, and 2-3 drops of red food
coloring.

 Allow students to begin filling out the handout and complete their experiment.
Return to celery cups at the end of the day to finish handout.
4. Closure: After students finish experiment, share findings with the entire class. Review
handout by asking the class these questions:
Did anyones prediction come true?
What did they see in the center of the plant? On the leaves?
What do these findings mean for water and water pollution?
What should humans do to reduce water pollution?
Accommodations for individual differences:

Students that finish this experiment and complete the handout quickly, will be asked to do
an internet search to discover ways that they can reduce water pollution and list these
suggestions on the back of their handout.
The step-by-step directions will be posted on the board or front screen to remind students
of the steps required.
ELL with a WIDA score below 3 have the option of drawing pictures of the experiments
results and water pollution reduction suggestions rather than writing sentences.

Name:_______________________
Celery Experiment Questions

Please complete questions 1 & 2 before and 3-5 after the experiment.
1. Draw and color what the celery stalk looked like before the experiment.
Student draws green leafy celery stalk.

2. Draw and color your prediction. What will the celery stalk looked like after the
experiment?
Student draws celery stalk with red coloring in leaves and stem.

3. When you sliced off pieces from the celery stalk, what did you find?
Red food color within the veins of the celery plant
4. The food coloring is like pollution that gets into the water. If the food coloring moved all
the way up into the celery stalk, what would happen if there was pollution in the water
instead of food coloring?
The plant would be polluted by the water.
5. What does this tell you about polluted water?
Polluted water can get into our crops when they are grown using polluted water.
6. How can we change what we reduce water pollution?
Always throw trash in trashcans and recyclables in recycling bins. Clean trash out of local
waterways. Never throw trash in the toilet. Never put chemicals like cleaning sollutions in
sewers.