Groundwater Lab
Kim Hannula
, Fort Lewis College
Summary
This lab uses "ant farm" groundwater models to demonstrate groundwater flow and the behavior of wells. The lab is organized so that students have to predict the behavior of the model before observing it.
Context
Audience:
Introductory physical geology, introductory earth systems science, interdisciplinary upper level general education courses dealing with water issues.
Skills and concepts that students must have mastered:
Ideally, students should have read the textbook discussion of groundwater.
How the activity is situated in the course:
One out of eleven independent lab projects. Although it works best when it coincides with discussion of groundwater in lecture, it also can work when lab and lecture get out of sync.
Goals
Content/concepts goals for this activity:
Groundwater flow, behavior of wells when pumped, groundwater contamination.
Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity:
Critical evaluation of preconceived notions, comparing results of tests with hypotheses.
Other skills goals for this activity:
Working in groups.
Description of the activity/assignment
Students use analog models to explore the behavior of groundwater. Students calculate porosity of analog materials (cups of marbles and beads), and then observe groundwater flow using food coloring as a dye tracer. They explore the effects of pumping wells and contaminating groundwater through a leaky landfill. One portion of the model allows students to observe the behavior of an artesian aquifer.
Determining whether students have met the goals
Answers are graded based on whether they 1) are consistent with students' observations, and 2) whether they make sense. Students are marked down for proposing tests that involve making the same observations that they were supposed to explain.
More information about assessment tools and techniques.Download teaching materials and tips
- Activity Description/Assignment (Microsoft Word 60kB Apr30 08)
Other Materials
Supporting references/URLs
http://www.uwsp.edu/stuorg/awra/h2omodel.html: where to buy the analog materials.
