Teacher Portal
Watersheds
Investigation 1
Investigation 1
Watersheds
Phase 1 – Defined Understanding
Student Guide
Download and Distribute
Access Teacher Guide
Student Guide with answers
Teacher PreLab
Prepare for the Experiment
Phase 2 – Dynamic Understanding
► Investigation One Summary – Water Velocity and Discharge
In Investigation One, you explored the abiotic factors of water velocity and discharge that affect watersheds. During this Investigation, you:
1. Created a model of the headwaters of a watershed.
2. Tested the effect of water flowing at a slow, medium, and high velocity on discharge.
3. Calculated discharge using the following formula:
Discharge = Volume(ml) / Time(s)
► Investigation One Summary – Learning Goals
Through these experiments, you concluded that:
1. Water velocity is the distance water travels per time. Discharge is the volume of water that flows into an area per time. As water velocity increases, discharge increases. Increases in water velocity and discharge from headwaters of a watershed may lead to flooding downstream.
Concept Slides
Launch and Discuss
Mathematics Concepts in This Investigation
- velocity in mm/s
- discharge in ml/s or m3/s
- volume in mL
- data table
- calculating discharge
- division
- time in seconds
- distance in mm
- decimals to nearest hundredth
- line graph
- patterns/trends
- (in)direct relationships
- skip counting by 0.1 and 10
- least to greatest
- problem solving