Activity to begin discussion on water quality, civic responsibility and pollution

1. STREAMLINE SHUFFLE
Keywords/Tags: water quality, point source pollution, non-point source pollution, civic
responsibility
Skill level: Intermediate (6-8th grade; Youth Ages 11-13)
Learner Outcomes:
1. Understand that we all contribute to and are responsible for the water quality in the
watershed(s) we live, work, and play in
2. Increase our opportunities to educate others on water quality in your community
Life Skills:
Head/Thinking: Critical Thinking and Learning to Learn
Heart/Relating: Communication and
Heart/Caring: Sharing
Hands/Giving: Responsible Citizenship
Health/Being: Self-Responsibility
National Educational Standards: 4B/M8*, 4B/M11bc*, 4C/M7, 6E/M5, 11A/M2, 11A/M3
Florida State Educational Standards:
Success Indicator: Participants will be able to identify a local issue and design a plan to educate
the community.
Time Needed: 30 minutes
Materials List:
One index card per student
Pencils, crayons, or makers
The development of the Florida 4-H2O Ambassadors Curriculum was funded by the University
of Florida Extension Enhancement Grant. Principal Investigator was Dr. Amy Shober with
assistance from Charlotte, Hillsborough, Bay, and Jackson Counties in the pilot. 2011-2012.

2. STREAMLINE SHUFFLE
Lead In Question(s) or Statement: This activity is used to guide youth in understanding how
we all contribute to pollution in a watershed.
Introduction: Everything we do in our watershed affects the soil, water, air, plants, and animals.
Whether land is used for agricultural, recreational or residential activities, it is important that
surface and groundwater within the watershed not be polluted as a result of these activities.
Residents within a watershed are often unaware of the potential to pollute water with every day
activities.
Wading In (Do the Experience):
1. Give each student an index card and a pencil, crayons, or makers.
2. Tell students that the card represents a piece of property that they have been given. Each
piece of property has a stream running through it.
3. Instruct students to draw what they would like on their property (such as buildings, barns,
houses, roads, etc.). They may include anything; however, they must include a stream.
Their drawing should be a plan view (aerial). Give students 5 minutes for this activity.
4. After 5 minutes, collect the cards and stack them up. “Shuffle” the deck, then deal the
cards out in a line, so that the stream runs through the line of cards.
5. Have the students look “upstream” and “downstream” from their property and comment
on what they see affecting their property. Words like water quality, point and non-point
source pollution and civic responsibility may emerge in the discussion. Ask questions
about the different properties and what affect might it have on the stream.
The development of the Florida 4-H2O Ambassadors Curriculum was funded by the University
of Florida Extension Enhancement Grant. Principal Investigator was Dr. Amy Shober with
assistance from Charlotte, Hillsborough, Bay, and Jackson Counties in the pilot. 2011-2012.

3. STREAMLINE SHUFFLE
TALKING IT OVER:
Share:
1. How did you decide what you would put on your property?
2. Was this activity easy to do? Or did you take some time to decide.
3. Did any of you consult others in the class about what they were putting down?
Reflect:
1. We all had choices in the development of our property. Did anyone think about water
pollution and minimizing the land use affects?
2. As you look at our watershed, are there some areas of great concern for the quality of
water? Where and what is the concern?
3. Can you identify a BMP for your property?
Generalize:
1. Thinking about how we ALL are a part of a problem that is all around us - can you give
another example where everyone's input will enhance the solution to meet the goal? In
your family, school, activities? (e.g., Parents want a baseball park in vacant land next to a
church, senior living center and a corner store. Looking at the needs of all involved and
taking their concerns as a whole to compromise a decision for the whole and not a few.)
Apply:
1. What are some other examples where visual examples help in the planning and of solving
a problem or issue?
The development of the Florida 4-H2O Ambassadors Curriculum was funded by the University
of Florida Extension Enhancement Grant. Principal Investigator was Dr. Amy Shober with
assistance from Charlotte, Hillsborough, Bay, and Jackson Counties in the pilot. 2011-2012.