The Common Iowa - Iowa Adaptation document is a K-12 curriculum supplement that was written as part of the Iowa Project WET program under the Iowa Academy of Sciencehttps://scholarworks.uni.edu/k12_supplements/1003/thumbnail.jp

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University of Northern Iowa UNI ScholarWorks K-12 Curriculum Supplements 2003 Common Water - Iowa Adaptation Iowa Academy of Science Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/k12_supplements  Part of the Environmental Studies Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits you Recommended Citation Iowa Academy of Science, "Common Water - Iowa Adaptation" (2003). K-12 Curriculum Supplements. 1. https://scholarworks.uni.edu/k12_supplements/1 This Instructional Material is brought to you for free and open access by UNI ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in K-12 Curriculum Supplements by an authorized administrator of UNI ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact scholarworks@uni.edu. 1• Grade Level:MS• Subject Area:Environmental Science, History• Duration:Preparation time: 50 minutesActivity time: 50 minutes• Setting:Outdoors or an area with non-slippery floors such as cement.• Skills:Analyzing; Applying (problemsolving)• Charting the CourseSee Common Water p232 of theProject WET Activity andCurriculum Guide for Charting theCourse and the mechanics of thisactivity.• Vocabularyconservation, consumptive use,water qualityCommon Water-IowaAdaptationSee Common Water on page 232 of the Project WET Activity and Curriculum Guidefor the instructions to this activity.BackgroundIowa’s unique climate, geological history, vegetation and topography give our state adistinct water history.  The annual rainfall in Iowa helped develop prairies.  In turnIowa’s prairies created the richest agricultural soil in the world.  For the firsthomesteaders, crossing rivers and streams was a daunting task but those samewaterways served as their first trade route to places out of Iowa.  Iowa’s economy andculture has its roots in our historic water resources.Iowa was home to several Native American Tribes prior to European settlement. TheNative American tribes hunted, fished, gathered food and grew crops in Iowa.  TheNative Americans used rivers for navigation, as a source of drinking water and forother domestic uses.  Many Iowa rivers are still called by their Native American namesor English translations of Native American names.  For example, Mississippi stemsfrom the Algonquian language and means 'the great river'.European settlers moved into the state by following rivers and streams.  People andgoods were traveling up the Mississippi to Iowa in steamboats as early as 1830.  Thesesettlers would have had the same basic water concerns and uses as the NativeAmericans.  When Iowa became a state in 1846, there were over 75,000 settlers.  Mostof Iowa’s new residents had migrated from eastern states.  Families looked for a placeto settle that would meet all their needs, preferably with close available water and atleast a small stand of timber.  Houses were made of wood in the east and central partsof the state.  In the northwest, where timber was harder to come by, the first houseswere made of sod.  Mother nature was a blessing and a curse to pioneers.  The same climate that createdvast prairies and excellent farming conditions brought harsh winters, flood, droughtsand tornadoes.  Early Iowans had to deal with cholera and malaria, two water bornediseases.  Iowa settlement had no cultural majority, instead settlers came from avariety of European and African cultures.The Civil War began in 1861. Some Iowans were opposed to the war because theywere afraid that it would cut off river transportation and isolate Iowa.  Moreimportantly, cutting off river transportation at this time would have hurt Iowaeconomically.  Railroads became a dominant form of transportation in Iowa betweenstatehood and 1890.  The largest growth in the Iowa railroad systems came between1880 and 1890 when branch routes were built to connect Iowa communities.Automobiles came to Iowa in the early 1900’s and with them came the need for betterroads and bridges.Iowa’s first commercial radio station began broadcasting in 1921 and by 1939, 91% ofall Iowans owned a radio and 90% listened every day.  It wasn’t until 1949 that Iowagot its first commercial TV station.  As it became easier to move goods andcommunicate across long distances our reliance on river transportation dwindled.Communities in Iowa continued to grow while the number of farms stayed about thesame.For use with Common Water, p232 Project WET Activity and Curriculum Guide.Copyright 2003.  Iowa Project WET.2Common Water-Iowa AdaptationContinued...The 1960 census was an important one for Iowa.  For the first time, there were more citizens living in urban areas than inrural ones.  Agriculture remains Iowa’s number one business, however the number of people working on farms continues todecline.Use of pesticides, herbicides, industrial chemicals and fertilizers across the US grew heavily beginning in World War I.The technology to create such chemicals grew faster than knowledge about their long-term effects and legislation toregulate application.  The 1970’s and 80’s brought about national and state environmental laws to protect our waterresources.  The Federal Clean Water Act of 1972, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act of 1972 and theIowa Groundwater Act of 1987 added protection from pesticides, herbicides and industrial pollution.New technologies have effected every aspect of how we use and manage water in Iowa.  Two hundred years ago, a familymoving across Iowa would have had to ford rivers and streams; Today bridges and highways crisscross the state.  Todaydrought resistant corn and soybeans help insure farmers a good yield.  Cities plan where storm drainage water goes andcitizens have the opportunity to take an active role in the quality and quantity of water available to them through watershedcoalitions and programs like IOWATER and GLOBE.Procedure Adaptations• Warm UpNone.• The ActivityUse round scenarios, sponge distributions andinformation from the background section totailor this activity for use in Iowa classrooms.• Wrap UpNone.Assessment AdaptationsNone.ResourcesBetween Two Rivers: Iowa Year by Year, 1846-1996, by Allan Carpenter, Iowa StateUniversity Press; 3rd edition, 1997.State of Iowa Historical Building600 East LocustDes Moines, IA 50319-0290(515)281-5111http://www.iowahistory.org/IOWATERhttp://www.iowater.net/The GLOBE Programhttp://www.globe.govhttp://www.uni.edu/~iowawet/globeRound ScenariosThe following four rounds symbolize use of a common water source inIowa.Round One - 1846 Iowa the 29th StateThree students represent families moving into your watershed from easternstates.  After building homes, the families dig a community well from whichto draw water for all their needs.  Give each settler a 1/4th sized sponge torepresent his or her families water needs.Round Two - 1900 Turn of the CenturyMuch has changed in the last 54 years.  Before railroads, rivers were theonly efficient way to transport goods over long distances.  Now the railroadhas reached your community, taking your agricultural products to marketand bringing more people and goods. Your settlement has become a smalltown.  It has been less than 5 years since rural residents started getting postalservice.  The biggest news in town is about the ‘gasoline buggy’ that oneneighbor saw displayed at the Fairfield Fair last year.  Use the chart toassign sponges for this round.Round Three - 1960 Rural to UrbanEarly in the 1900’s education became mandatory for Iowa’s 7-14 year olds.Give one student a 1/2 sized sponge to represent your town’s school.  Addtwo more students as other service agencies.  The number of automobiles inIowa has grown from zero to over 600,00 and air transportation is nowavailable in the state.  Almost every home has a radio, but radios are aboutto get some competition.  Use the chart to assign sponges for this round.Round Four - TodayYour town has continued to grow as more and more residents move from thefarm into town.  Represent this by reducing the number of farmers to 2students.  Give another student a whole sized sponge to represent a newindustry in your area.  Give half the town residents 1/3 and half 1/4 sizedsponges to illustrate that some are using low flow shower heads and toilets.As students complete this round, have them think about how Iowa and ourwater resources have changed since settlement.3Common Water-Iowa AdaptationContinued...Sponge Distribution ChartRound One - 1846Iowa the 29th StateRound Two - 1900Turn of the CenturyRound Three - 1960Rural to UrbanRound Four - Today1/4 Sponge 3 homesteaders 3 town residents 1/2 of town residents1/3 Sponge 5 town residents rest of the class astown residents1/2 Sponge 5 farmers 1 factory1 school2 service agencies1 factory3 service agenciesWhole Sponge 5 farmers1 power company2 farmers1 power company1 industrySpecial Actions mark the waterline inthe well bucket with acrayonadd yellow food colorto the farmer’s bucket,blue to the residents,and red to the factory(two drops each)mark the waterline inthe well bucket with acrayonA class of 24 will require 14 full sized sponges.  Cut two into fourths, three into thirds and three into halves.  Leave sixsponges whole.  Teachers recommend large rectangular auto washing sponges, which cut easily with a craft knife.  For use with Common Water, p232 Project WET Activity and Curriculum Guide.Copyright 2003.  Iowa Project WET.

Common Water - Iowa Adaptation

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Common Water - Iowa Adaptation

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