Introduction
Welcome to English webquest..
you will find several activities for all English skills ( reading - writing- listening- speaking)
Task
see this video which will help you in the next steps
read the artical and answer the following questions
Water Pollution
The leading types of water pollution in the U.S.
In a one-inch rainstorm every acre receives 27,000 gallons of water. Where does it all go? Into streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, and the ground. Along its path water picks up pollutants from the air and ground, carrying those pollutants to waterways. A 2000 survey by the US EPA found that 40% of rivers and 45% of lakes in the United States are considered too polluted for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life.
The source of the major pollutants in our waterways can be broken up into five categories: Sediment, Chemicals, Oxygen Depleting Nutrients, Metals, and Biological Pollution.
It seems like dirt in the water would not be a problem, but sediment can clog gills, reduce visibility for fish, reduce photosynthesis of aquatic plants, and increase the temperature of water by absorbing more sunlight. These changes can have devastating effects on aquatic ecosystems. According to a 1992 EPA report sediment is the leading cause of surface water pollution. It is important for us to stop erosion of soil and place buffers between open ground and waterways to limit this type of pollution.
Chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, vehicle fluids, and industrial waste often do not break down easily and can spend a long time in the environment effecting the health of many organisms. Some chemicals also have the nasty tendency to “bioaccumulate,” meaning that things high on the food chain can have very dangerous levels of pollutants in them. By reducing the amount of chemicals we use, and by being sure to properly dispose of waste, we help keep water clean.
Household cleaners, lawn fertilizer, and runoff from farms contribute huge amounts of nutrients to our nation’s waterways. The result of the additional nutrients is increased plant growth and algae blooms. While increased growth sounds good, the resulting plants shade and cool the water. When the plants die decomposers use up all the oxygen in the water leaving none for other aquatic organisms. The result is a “dead-zone” where very little life can survive. A lot of people don't know how much the cleaners and chemicals they use effects life in the water. Help out by teaching others about nutrient pollution, and be sure to use less chemicals at home yourself.
Metals like arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury come from industry, electrical generation, mining, and vehicle use and improperly disposed of waste. The majority of these find their way into the atmosphere and come down with rain. Some metals are picked up by runoff. Either way they pollute rivers, lakes, and seas. Some metals are dangerous to health, and like some chemicals, can bioaccumulate. We can all use less energy and buy fewer things. This ensures that less material is discarded near water where it will pollute. If we all do our part there will be less metal in the water, and a healthier aquatic environment.
Biological pollution includes pathogens (viruses, bacteria and protozoa) and invasive or non-native species. Biologic pollutants have the potential for severely harming native aquatic life, and even human health. Just because a plant or animal can be found in a geographic area does not mean that the species has always lived there. A lot of animals have been introduced to waterways for sport or beauty. This can harm native wildlife that may exist nowhere else on the planet. Plants are often introduced by accident on the underside of a boat, or by putting plants from aquariums into streams. By keeping native wildlife healthy by not introducing invasive species you are helping keep water clean.
Reducing the pollution in our waterways is vitally important for the health of the aquatic ecosystems that support all life. We can all do our part by making positive choices when it comes to buffers, waste and recycling, our homes and gardens, our energy, and how we move things around.
http://www.chewonki.org/cleanwater/water_pollution.asp
the questions are :
Q1: What are the five categories that article mention?
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Q2: What is the meaning of bioaccumulate?
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Q3: what Biological pollution includes?
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Q4: Put (T) or (F) for the following:
1- Reducing the pollution is important for the health of the aquatic ecosystems. (……..)
2- Keeping native wildlife healthy by introducing invasive species. (…….)
3- We can all use less energy and buy fewer things. (…….)
4- People know how much the cleaners and chemicals they use effects life in the
water. (…….)
Evaluation
| Topic | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Expression and Volume | Reads with varied volume and expression. The reader sounds like they are talking to a friend with their voice matching the interpretation of the passage. | Reads with volume and expression. However, sometimes the reader slips into expressionless reading and does not sound like they are talking to a friend. | Reads in a quiet voice. The reading sounds natural in part of the text, but the reader does not always sound like they are talking to a friend. | Reads in a quiet voice as if to get words out. The reading does not sound natural like talking to a friend. |
| Phrasing | Reads with good phrasing; adhering to punctuation, stress and intonation. | Reads with a mixture of run-ons, mid sentence pauses for breath, and some choppiness. There is reasonable stress and intonation. | Reads in two or three word phrases, not adhering to punctuation, stress and intonation. | Reads word-by-word in a monotone voice. |
| Smoothness | Reads smoothly with some breaks, but selfcorrects with difficult words and/ or sentence structures. | Reads with occasional breaks in rhythm. The reader has difficulty with specific words and/or sentence structures. | Reads with extended pauses or hesitations. The reader has many “rough spots.” | Frequently hesitates while reading, sounds out words, and repeats words or phrases. The reader makes multiple attempts to read the same passage |
Conclusion
You should be able to do all the task activites and I will give extra point for whom take a good grade
Teacher Page
the point of this webquest to help students imrove their four skills in English Language