Water for People and the Planet is a high school curriculum unit developed to help students understand where our water comes from and where it goes. This inquiry unit focuses on the connections between groundwater and watershed systems. Lessons are designed for students in general-level science courses who typically have limited interest in learning science. Lessons are intended to help students connect big ideas in science to their own lives and see the relevance and importance of learning science. For example, the unit includes an exploration of a groundwater pollution case in Battle Creek, Michigan, which contaminated the municipal groundwater supply. Lessons use a general approach that 1) establishes a problem/purpose, 2) develops a model and provides experiences using the model, 3) provides data for finding patterns, 4) allows students to develop explanations, 5) and applies learning to new situations. Student materials support student small group cooperation, conversations, and co-construction of understanding. Teacher materials provide embedded assessment scaffolds to help teachers assess how well students are progressing towards the learning goals and suggestions for what to do next in helping students revise their initial ideas about important concepts.

The curriculum unit was enacted by two teachers, one each in an urban and a suburban high school in the spring, 2005. Pre and post assessments show that students increased their understanding of groundwater systems and the connections between groundwater systems and the engineered system. Students also increased their understanding of the engineered system, including where water comes from (groundwater and surface water supplies) and where it goes (water treatment options). Assessment results also show that students struggled with understanding watersheds and the connections between surface water and groundwater systems. Interviews with the participating teachers reveal that the teachers were enthusiastic about the inquiry and modeling activities, but used the student small-group conversation scaffolds and embedded assessment features to a limited degree.