This document summarizes a STEM lesson on water pollution conducted by the 14th Primary School of Rethymno in Greece. The students in the B'3 class were assigned a mission by WEAF to check the river Platanias for water pollution. Following the scientific method, the students made hypotheses about potential water pollution in the river, suggested solutions, and planned an investigation. They visited the river to take water samples and test the color, smell, texture and filtered the water. After analyzing their results, the students concluded their findings and sent a letter back to WEAF.

1. STEM Lesson:
Water
PollutionSchool: 14th Primary School of
Rethymno
Students: B’3 class
Teacher: Theodora Batsi
Date: 13-15 November 2017

2. STEM Lesson: Water
Pollution
School: 14th Primary School of
Rethymno
Students: B’3 class
Teacher: Theodora Batsi
Date: 13-15 November 2017

3. A message bottle was found
ashore by our teacher. It was from
WEAF assigning us a mission…
…To check our river, Platanias,
for water pollution!

4. In order to be able to respond properly to our
mission, our teacher told us that we should act
as scientists and researchers. Therefore we
used the scientific method.

5. The first step of our “journey”
was already evolving.

6. We started the discussion about water
pollution, making hypothesis about the
quality of water of Platanias river and the
reasons that might have caused its
hypothetical water pollution. We watched
the ppt about water pollution, which was
created by Ms Manolia – a university
student visiting our class.
Click here for the
Pollution ppt

7. The second step was
to suggest solutions.
We brainstormed
ideas. And we chose
the best
.

8. Then we planned a
way to investigate
our hypothesis –
that the river of
Platanias is
polluted.
The students suggested to visit the river, to take
water samples, and check its colour, smell,
texture, and finally to filter it (with coffee filter
and cotton), since the kids are too young to
understand more scientific analysis of the water
synthesis.

9. The fourth step was to follow our plan
and test it out!

10. The second day was the day of the
realization of our plan.
Click on the photo to watch a short video about it.

11. Of course we had prepared one more
experiment we didn’t do, because the
circumstances were not suitable. We had
fishing nets with us (as Mr Tsigris, the science
teachers’ trainer from the ΕΚΦΕ
Αργυρούπολης suggested), to place them on
the surface of the running waters, and
depending on the insects trapped, we would
find out the kind of pollution there is – if any.
But the part of the river that was within reach,
didn’t have fast running waters. So we decided
to omit this experiment.

12. Click to
download

Finally, after writing down our conclusions in our
observation leaflet (the last page of the ANNEX-
accessible by clicking the picture above ), we
wrote a letter back to WEAF, informing him
about our findings.

13. Thank you for reading!