Overview: Through a simulation activity, children will apply cause and effect relationships to water pollution in a stream. They will also recognize varied uses of water and the importance of clean water in our daily lives. By using the book, A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry, a true story describing the deterioration of the Nashua River and its subsequent revitalization, students can see the real world applications of this activity. The original Fred the Fish activity, from which this was adapted, was published in Water, Stones, & Fossil Bones and was written by Karen Lind, National Science Teachers Association, 1991, ISBN 087355101X.

Booklink: A River Ran Wild, by Lynne Cherry, Harcourt Brace & Company, 1992. ISBN 0-15-200542-0

Science Activity Link: While accompanying Fred the Fish as he travels down stream, children will be participants in the simulation of a stream becoming polluted. As the simulation plays out, different items are added to Fred's water habitat to represent various pollutants. The pollutants come from numerous real-life sources ("cause"), resulting it an increasingly polluted environment for Fred ("effect").

Objective: Children will identify cause and effect relationships pertaining to water pollution. They will also explore means of preventing the problems before they occur, solutions to the problems that water pollutants pose to the river, and organisms that depend upon the river for survival.

Science Processes and Content: Processes-observing, communicating, predicting, inferring, making models. Content-food chains, habitats, chemistry, erosion, decomposition, waste-water treatment, hazardous wastes, recycling, water cycle, etc.

National Science Education Standards: Unifying Concepts and Processes, (1) Science as Inquiry, (2) Physical Science, (3) Life Science, (4) Earth Science, (6) Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

Materials: (and procedures for setting up the simulation)

Script: This will vary for the age of the children and teacher preference.

Variations:

	Enlarged copy of each part of the script, laminated to card stock, for students reading the script. It helps to highlight the reading part in one color and the doing part in another.
	A copy for each child, which allows them to follow along as the simulation takes place.
	For children below third grade or with limited reading ability, I suggest that either read the script for them, or present it through story telling.

Fred and his water habitat:

Materials:

	Light colored sponge.
	Thin, permanent marker to draw a face on Fred
	Thin fishing line
	Needle with a large eye
	Weight, either a washer or small lead sinker work well
	Pencil (with flat sides) or a tongue depressor, longer than the mouth of the container
	Tape
	Clear gallon jar or container
	Water
	Paper towels

Procedures:

	Cut a small fish shape from the sponge. Draw a face for Fred
	Cut a piece of fishing line approximately 60 cm long. (This will depend on the size of your container.)
	Thread the line onto the needle and draw the line through the fish shape. The line should stick out below the belly of the fish, as well as above the fish.
	Fill the container with water, allowing some space at the top. Tie the weight to the line below the fish.
	Tie the line above the fish to the middle pencil or tongue depressor. You will need to adjust the line so Fred is suspended in the middle of the container.

FRED AND HIS HABITAT ARE NOW READY!!!


"Pollutants":

	Long-handled spoon or stick to stir the contents
	T3 plastic spoons
	Two sets of Index cards, numbered 2-9, One set folded so they will stand in front of the pollutants, the other set for 8 children who will add that pollutant to the container
	Garden soil - "eroded soil" (Script card 2)
	Powdered milk - "fertilizer" (Script card 3)
	Cooking oil - "car oil" (Script card 4)
	Rock salt - "road salt" (Script card 5)
	Small pieces of foil, plastic wrap, paper, etc. - "trash" (Script card 6)
	Liquid laundry detergent - "factory stuff" (Script card 7)
	Red food coloring - "sewage" (Script card 8)
	Green food coloring - "hazardous waste" (Script card 9)

Set-up:

	Arrange the "pollutants" beside Fred's habitat.
	Put the corresponding numbered index cards in front of the containers.
	Put plastic spoons in the soil (#2), fertilizer (#3), and road salt (#4).
	Have paper towels nearby for possible messes!

Additional Materials: all optional

	Fred pictures
	Word bubbles
	Response sheets
	Comic strip blanks

Procedure:
The teacher will introduce the activity by introducing Fred. This can be done in various ways, much of which depends on the age of the students. A possible introduction might read: "Students, I would like you to meet a little friend of mine named Fred. Fred is a fish who spent most of his life in a clean, mountain lake, until one day he decided to venture from his lake, downstream. He's lucky, and so are you, because he lived to share his adventure with you. Are you ready to hear about his adventure?"

Distribute the script cards, and the index cards to students. Due to the fact that some words may be difficult for students with limited reading ability, be cautious when distributing the script cards. Script card #10 can be optional. If it is used, resulting discussion can include what the children think happens to Fred, what Fred should do, and how the described environmental problems can affect humans.

Begin reading the script cards and adding the pollutants to Fred's habitat. Pick some students to read the cards and others to add the "pollutants." The question, "HOW IS FRED?" should be used to initiate class discussion after each pollutant is introduced to Fred's habitat.

CARE SHOULD BE TAKEN WHEN DISCARDING THE WATER USED IN THIS ACTIVITY. THE CONTENTS SHOULD BE POURED THROUGH A STRAINER SO THE SOLID MATERIALS AND OIL DO NOT CLOG THE DRAIN.

NOTE: Only the background of the teacher and the age of the students limit possible discussions during this activity. If the teacher is not well versed on environmental issues, he/she may wish to further investigate each of the various scenarios presented in this activity.

The book, A River Ran Wild, can be used to introduce or as a closure to this activity. My personal recommendation is that it be used as a closure, in that the book attaches reality through the revitalization of the Nashua River to the simulation. Not only COULD Fred's adventure take place, but it HAS!!!

EXTENSIONS:
1. Students can color and cut out Fred. In the word bubble, they can write what they think Fred might say after surviving his adventure.

2. The children can make a comic strip representing Fred's adventure.

3. A wall mural of Fred's adventure can be made for the classroom.

4. A homemade filter, using sand and charcoal, can be made to filter the water. This demonstrates how water is purified naturally as it passes through the soil.

Related Books:
Water, Water Everywhere by Mark J Rauzon and Cynthia Overbeck Bix, Sierra Club Books for Children, 1994. ISBN 0-87156-383-5
Come Back, Salmon by Molly Cone, Sierra Club Books, 1992. ISBN 0-87156-489-0
River Story by Meredith Hooper, Candlewick Press, 2000. ISBN 0-7636-0792-4
Water Dance by Thomas Locker, Harcourt Brace & Company, 1997. ISBN 0-15-201284-2