Water Consumption Gets The Royal Flush

Diane Econom
deconom@cris.com

TITLE QUESTION:
What is the frequency of flushes and the amount of water used for flushing by families and what factors influence the amount of water used?

DESCRIPTION:
Students measure home toilet volume and family water consumption via toilets for one week. They will then manipulate the data on graphs, charts, spreadsheets, etc. to discover how much water is being used in different areas by families of varying sizes, lifestyles and regions. It is recommended that you have your students do Bill Lee's MMM Project first, but it's not required. (You can contact Bill at billl@metnet.mt.gov for more information.)

GOALS:
to learn to collect, share and collaborate data
to communicate data gained to others by way of telecomputing
to create various graphs on the computer
to analyze and define graph possibilities
to incorporate terms into student knowledge
to draw their own conclusions as to what factors determine the amount of water consumed
to nurture an appreciation of water consumption..."What can I do to make a difference?"

INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION:
Families vary greatly in the amount of water they consume from day to day, family to family, and area to area. How many people are there in the family? Is their time in the home limited? Do they water their lawn? Do they shower every day? There are so many factors! It is estimated that 75% of family water consumption happens in the bathroom. Between the sink, the shower, and the toilet, the only one that is easily measurable and possibly the most accurate to measure is the toilet. Most toilets use five gallons per flush.

Students need to see for themselves how much water they consume in general, and search for ways to conserve water. The insights they might have in finding ways to conserve natural resources may be real solutions that can be used by us all. Their observation skills will develop during this time, discovering the variables in water consumption for themselves. Their manipulation of the data while creating graphs, charts, spreadsheets, etc., will help them to make discoveries.

PRE-WEEK ONE: Explain Data Collection
WEEK ONE: Data Collection
WEEK TWO: Data Sharing (send, receive, begin recording)
WEEK THREE: Record Data in data bases and put into spread- sheets. Analyze mean, median, and mode.
WEEK FOUR: Make all types of graphs possible on the computer (discovery-based act)
WEEK FIVE:Time for graphs to travel through the mail.
WEEK SIX: Analyze graphs, discuss pros and cons of each graph, identify "best graphs for analyzing data" predict which information types would fit with which graph, and you may trade graphs with cooperating schools for advice on graph improvements from other students.
WEEK SEVEN: Share information with cooperating schools, and compare and discuss water consumption

HINTS:
1) Weeks Four, Five and Six might be done within one week.
2) Only the data collected within your class are used in discussing mean, median, and mode. The data compiled from all of the schools is used to make the graphs.
3) Weeks four and six require computer time. Reserve the computer lab in your school for those times. During week three, I use one computer with an LCD projector.

MATERIALS:
1) pencils
2) Computer with modem and telecommunications software
3) Word processing/spreadsheet/data base software available to all students

TEACHER KNOWLEDGE NEEDED:
1) You need to be familiar with spreadsheets and be able to instruct your students in their uses and capabilities.
2) You need to know how to "build" the graph types listed.

DEADLINES:
Jan. 30 - APPLICATIONS DUE to deconom@cris.com
Jan. 31 - give students data collection sheets
Feb. 14 - DATA SHEET FOR EACH SCHOOL due to deconom@cris.com
Feb. 21 - you will have received data from other schools
Mar. 3 - you have already mailed graphs to your partner schools by this date
Mar. 14 - you have already e-mailed your graph revision suggestions to your cooperating schools by this date
Mar.24 - you have mailed graphs and suggestions to Diane Econom by this date and have completed the activity.

PROCEDURE:
Pre-Week One- January 31- Data Collection Preparations
****PREP- Make copies of the data collection sheets, enough sheets to put one in each of the bathrooms in each student's home, usually your student size times two. The sheets are located near the end of this document.

1) Pass out data collection sheets, one for each bathroom in their home. "Post this worksheet in your bathroom at home. Ask everyone in your home to make a chicken scratch each time they flush the toilet next to the appropriate day. (Temporary visitors in your home do not need to record their flushes.) You will count your chicken scratchings per day and complete a grand total on the Monday of the following week....not to worry now."

2) Have students fill in their name, number of people in the home using the toilet, and the COMPLETE dates of the data collection week. (Feb. 3-7, Mon-Fri)

3) Make a list of focus questions about water consumption in toilet usage. Do the students have any theories about the different factors and the possible differences that might be present-by region, by family size, by ...what can they come up with? Make a list to be looked at again at the on-set of week four.
*Save the list or post it in the classroom.*

4) Some time in the next week the students will need to measure their toilet size. The directions for this are on the bottom of the data collection sheet.

*RIGHT AROUND THIS TIME, YOU WILL RECEIVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL WITH WHICH YOU WILL TRADE GRAPHS

Week One: Data Collection Feb. 3-7
Each student is in charge of their family's data collection Monday-Friday. Friday-remind students to bring their data collection sheets to class on Monday.

Week Two: Data Recording Second week Feb. 10-14
Monday
1) Students count their chicken scratches for each day, marking them near the end of each row. Multiply the number of flushes times the number of gallons their toilet uses for that day. Complete a grand total for the week at the bottom of the sheet and multiply it times their toilet consumption size as well.

2) Have your students complete a class sheet with the same information for both your entire class and each of your students. (Sheet found below.) Students send collected data to host school- deconom@cris.com by Friday.

Week Three: Record and Analyze Feb. 17-21
Students put the class data into spreadsheets. Discuss mean, median, and mode. (Manipulate spreadsheets.) This activity is with the help of YOUR STUDENTS' data ONLY. You will receive the total data collected from all of the schools by Friday to be used by your students during week four. Watch your E-mail!

Week Four: Make Graphs Feb. 24-28(A busy week!)
****Whip out those focus questions you've been saving since "week one #3."

With the help of the focus questions, students can create their own...

• divided bar graphs
• circle graphs
• stem and leaf plots
• frequency tables
• histograms
• box and whisker graphs

This part is student directed. What graphs can they make on the computer? Which can't they effectively make? How should they be done? This part is full of individual choices. See if your students can make at least one of each type of graph manipulating and utilizing the data TO ANSWER YOUR "FOCUS QUESTIONS."
*This is a key component; mindlessly plugging data into a graphing format will not allow students the luxury of having an actual CONCLUSION when they finish.
*Be sure that students adequately label ALL PARTS of their graphs.
*Be sure your students SAVE their graphs on a disk!

*on March 3 send out/receive graphs to/from your partner school..

Week Five: Time for graphs to mail March 3-7

Week Six: Discuss the Graphs March 10-14. On March 10, have students write a three paragraph letter to their partner from the cooperating school. In paragraph one, have your students describe the graph they see. In paragraph two, they are to compliment the graph's creator on the graph's strong points. In paragraph three, your student is to tactfully give suggestions on how to improve his/her graph. (Send these messages to your partner school by the end of the week.)

LATER THAT WEEK discuss with your class...
Which graphs fit best with which sets of data?
How does one decide which is best?
Reverse it: Which sets of data go best with which graph?
How does one decide that? What criteria? Make lists/charts.
What were the most common problems in creating graphs?

Week Seven: Discuss Water Consumption. March 17-21
Monday/Tuesday Give the students the letters from their partners at your cooperating school. Give them time to rethink their graphs, make improvements, and print out.

LATER DISCUSSION:
What do the graphs tell us about toilet water consumption?
What factors seem to contributing factors? Manipulate the data to find possible connections.
Students present their findings within our group and beyond to cooperating schools.

Please send a copy of each graph to:
Diane Econom
Denton School
PO Box 1048
Denton, MT 59430

My questions to all of you who facilitated:
How could I enhance the collaboration?... the projects?
What would be a creative culminating activity? Are there any other ideas that could be added to enhance these activities? What kind of time frame did you actually use, especially for weeks 4, 5, and 6. What were some of the "light bulbs" that you had the pleasure of seeing go on? Thank you in advance for your thoughts and participation.

***********************************************************
DATA COLLECTION SHEET COPIED FOR EACH STUDENT

"How many times each day does your family flush the toilet? ...not including temporary guests."

Name __________________________________


These data are being collected between ____________ and
____________ (dates).

Number of people residing in your home who use the toilet ___________

Directions: Make a chicken scratch every time you flush the toilet.

           Chicken Scratches           Tally     Gallons

MONDAY _____________________________ ________x5= ________

TUESDAY ____________________________ ________x5= ________

WEDNESDAY ___________________________ _______x5= ________

THURSDAY ____________________________ _______x5= ________

FRIDAY_____________________________ _______x5= ________
Total number of flushes_______ x ______ tank size in gallons

= ______gallons used by my toilet during one week.

Thank you for helping out with this telecurricular activity. Our study of water consumption in the home, combined with our in depth look at mean, median, mode, and several types of graphing will help us to make many exciting discoveries. Again, thank you for your help!
***********************************************************

Measure the water in your toilet by...
1) Turning off the water supply to the toilet.
2) Notice exactly where the water level is in both the tank and the bowl.
3) Flush the toilet. All should be empty.
4) Fill the tank and bowl to their regular levels with water from the sink or tub. BE SURE TO MEASURE THE WATER with a gallon bucket or whatever works.
5) Make a note of the amount on your data collection sheets.

I assumed that the toilets would all hold about 5 gallons. You can change the data collection sheets. Erase my x5's on the right side and bottom if necessary.

************************************************************

DATA SHEET FOR EACH SCHOOL TO SEND TO:
deconom@cris.com *by February 14, 1997*

Participating Facilitator : _________________________

School: __________________________________

E-mail Address: __________________________________

Student Flushes/Gallons

Names Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Total

Class _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ ______

John Doe 15/75 8/40 12/60 9/45 7/35 51/255

________ _____ _____ _____ ____ _____ ______

Use as much room as you need for the rest. Be sure to hit "Enter" after each line so that our data will be lined up after it is sent. You can shorten any last names so that there is enough room.