Summer Institutes

Summary

The Institute was designed to expose rural high school teachers to the basics of water, wastewater, and solid waste technologies and their impact on village health. Presented during the course was a set of 20 instructional activities developed as part of the NSF project. This is not a complete curriculum, but rather a collection of activities that can be incorporated into existing biology, chemistry, natural science, or health course. The activities are supported by a kit containing equipment and supplies needed for each activity. Participants played the part of students and practiced the activities, participated in field trips, and discussed the most effective strategies in the use of the materials. At the end of the workshop, kits were available on loan for participants willing to adopt the materials.

Activities

• Mind Mapping Water
• Drinking Water Survey
• Properties of Water
• What's in Wastewater?
• Mold Garden
• Landfill Model
• Packaging
• Field Trip - Stream Assessment
• Surface Contamination
• Bacterial Water Quality
• Concentration/Dilution
• Disinfection
• Mapping Your Watershed
• Hydrologic Cycle in A Bottle
• Watershed Model
• Groundwater Model
• Epidemiology
• Water Treatment
• Water and Wastewater Math
• Water Reckoning Game
• Field Trip to Wastewater Plant

Activity Manual and Kits

Instructional Activities for Community Sanitation; Water, Wastewater, Solid Waste & Personal Hygiene

The Alaska Training/Technical Assistance Center (ATTAC) at the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) in Sitka with assistance from NSF has developed a manual of 28 activities designed to help meet the needs of high school science teachers in rural Alaska. The activities in this collection include step-by-step directions for preparation and presentation.

The activities are designed for rural schools and focus on village sanitation topics such as water resources, drinking water, human and household liquid waste (wastewater), solid waste (household garbage and trash), and personal hygiene. The units are designed for high school (grades 9 - 12) science classes. The activities do not constitute a curriculum but rather should be used to supplement regular science classes. Several of the Alaska Contents Standards in Science, Math and Health can be addressed with these activities.

Many of the activities use simple laboratory equipment and supplies normally found in high school science labs or that are available from local sources. Where unique equipment or unusual supplies are required, sources are listed. Most of these unique and unusual items are available in a “kit” which has been developed with assistance from NSF, USEPA and ATTAC. The kit contains items such as pH meters, reference books, videos, posters and a variety of test kits. Kits have been developed and are available on a loan basis. For more information or to receive a manual or kit please contact ATTAC.

To view and download individual activities from the manual click here.

Paula Jackson traveled the state of Alaska promoting the UAS Environmental Technology Program and tutored enrolled students. She visited rural village schools and taught activities from the manual and kit.