This lesson contains multiple taking informed action options. One is directly related to the Solution Plan Project; the other two are not necessarily connected, though completing them would still help your students progress towards completing the project. If you are treating this lesson as a stand-alone entity (rather than teaching it along with other lessons in the Protecting Nebraska Waters curriculum), or if your students are not completing the Solution Plan Project, you should choose Option 1 or Option 2. If your students are completing the Solution Plan Project, you could choose any (or all) of the options. In making your decision, you should also keep in mind how much time you want to dedicate to this assessment, as well as which option is the most natural “next step” in your students’ learning, regardless of whether or not they are completing the Solution Plan Project. 

In this activity, the students will use the water quality data they collected (and the maps they created) to take some action towards solving any problems they uncovered. 

1. Small group discussion: Organize the students into small groups and have them brainstorm possible solutions to any water quality problems they have uncovered. What can they do with the data they collected (and the maps they made)? 

2. Class discussion: Bring the class together and have the students share the ideas they came up with. Discuss the pros and cons of each option. Finally, have the students vote to choose which course of action they want to take (you may need to look into the practical concerns for each of the options before allowing them to vote). 

If your students struggle to come up with any feasible ideas, share the following sample options: 

• Report your data to an interested party (e.g. a relevant local organization, the Natural Resource District Office, etc.). 
• Put up an informational plaque near the body of water. 
• Launch an awareness campaign on and/or offline.

3. Taking Action: Once the students have chosen which course of action they want to take to address local water quality issues, have them work together to carry out their plan. Split up the work among individual students or small groups. For example…

• If your students want to report their data to an interested party, they can all create different parts of the presentation (e.g. speech, visual aides, handouts, etc.). 
• If they  want to put up an informational plaque on site, they can create different designs and vote to decide which one they will use. 
• If they want to launch an awareness campaign, they can create different elements of the campaign (posters, pamphlets, YouTube videos, social media posts, etc.) 

4. Quick write: Have your students write a paragraph or two about the following prompt: 

Reflect on the civic action we just took as a class and answer the following question: How can maps make a difference? 

In this activity, the students will collect data for the express purpose of comparing it to the water quality data they collected earlier on in the lesson. 

1. Small group discussion: Split the class into small groups and have them discuss the following prompt: 

Is there any data you wish we had to compare to the water quality data we already collected? Brainstorm as many ideas as you can. 

2. Class discussion: Bring the class together for a discussion about the ideas they came up with. By the end of the conversation, they need to decide what data they want to collect for the purpose of comparing it to the data they already collected. 

If your students struggle to come up with any feasible ideas, share the following sample options: 

• The students could distribute a survey in different locations throughout the local area, corresponding to different bodies of water. The survey would be about how much the people in that part of town care about water quality. In the end, the students could investigate whether the number of concerned citizens correlates with the amount of contamination in the nearest body of water. 
• The students could return to their chosen body of water to make observations about the wildlife in different spots throughout the site (namely, the spots where water quality samples were taken). Then, they could investigate the relationship between wildlife behaviors and water quality issues. 
• The students could choose a different body of water and do in-depth water testing at that site. Then, they could compare their two sets of water quality data. 

3. Data collection: Have the students work together to collect their data, either separately outside of class or together during the school day. 

4. Creating a map: Have the students create a map that features both the water quality data they collected earlier on in the lesson and the data they just collected for the purpose of studying correlations. 

5. Short answer essay: Have the students write a short answer essay (a few paragraphs) about their correlation maps. They should explain the relationship between the two sets of data (positive, negative, or no correlation), and make an educated guess related to causation, if applicable. 

6. Class discussion: Bring the class together for a discussion about the following prompts:

• What is the relationship between our two sets of data?
• What is the best way to show this relationship via a map?
• How could we use our correlation map? Who might we share it with, and for what purpose?

7. Taking action: Have the students share their data with someone according to the plan they developed during their discussion. 

Give your students time to reflect on what they learned in this lesson and what it has to do with their Solution Plan Project. Have them write a short answer essay (1-3 paragraphs) about how they will use their new knowledge and skills to help them complete the project. 

In this lesson, the students collected data at a local body of water. By analyzing that data, they defined the water quality problem they are trying to solve. Later, they can use their data to convince others that this problem deserves their attention (i.e. that they should take civic action). The maps they created will help them visualize their data whenever they are presenting their ideas to an audience. Finally, having a better understanding of the problem should help the students come up with more effective and realistic solutions.