Grade 5 Students Dive Into Water Conservation with Consumption Project

Lower School’s grade 5 students are getting their hands wet in a home water consumption project, a unique science class experiment led by science teacher David Beshk. The project is designed to help students understand the significance of water conservation, especially in a region like Southern California, where water scarcity is a growing challenge.

Over the last few weeks, students were tracking their personal water usage at home. Armed with simple tools, they calculated usage from their showers, bathroom faucets, and kitchen sinks documenting the amount of water each activity consumes. The project aims to raise awareness about how individual behaviors contribute to overall water consumption.

The home water consumption project is a long-term activity with many facets. The multi-layer project includes months of lessons, engineering assignments, and collaboration for students to gain the comprehensive understanding of the complex relationships between the physical geography of California, the water cycle, and the engineering required to deliver Southern California the fresh water required to support millions of people. 

Students are provided an opportunity to reflect on their individual contributions to the environment and how their actions connect to larger ecological systems. Mr. Beshk remarks, “My hope is that by the end of the unit, students will have developed a deeper sense of their role within the water cycle and the greater global community through their use and discharge of waste water back into the Pacific Ocean.”

The unit touches on all elements of STEAM learning—science, technology, engineering, art, and math—and gives students the opportunity to see first-hand the impact of their daily habits. With Southern California's reliance on water from sources like the Sierra Nevadas and Lake Havasu, students are learning about the unique challenges of providing water to millions of residents in the region. By exploring their own water usage, they gain insight into how they can do their part to conserve water.

Through this hands-on approach, students also learned how to reduce their water footprint. “I hope through the gathering and analysis of personal data, each student can develop a personalized plan to be more efficient with their water usage while sharing what they’ve learned with friends and family.” said Mr. Beshk.