Advanced Down the Drain Lab

Grades: 8-12
Duration: 90 minutes

Available Times: 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on school field trip operating days

*Start and end times may be flexible. Please speak to the Group Reservations specialist when booking.
Concepts/Skills: Negotiating trade offs, criteria, constraints, environmental impact, problem solving, engineering design process

 

Students will become civil engineers and environmental technicians working to protect our waterways by designing different types of storm drain grates to keep trash out of the Bay’s watershed. Students discover how water systems function and how to use science and their own ideas to protect Earth’s natural resources.

Lab Guide

Design a robust learning experience by selecting resources from this guide that fit the needs of your students. Reinforce learning before, after and even during your visit by diving deeper into some of the science and engineering concepts.

Lab Related Activities

Lessons marked with an orange gear icon address engineering within the Next Generation Science Standards.

Career Exploration Mosaic

Grades 6-12

Students will create a mosaic that represents their current selves and future career aspirations, then explore careers and opportunities that align with their interests and goals.

Lesson: 75 minutes

Careers in Sustainability

Grades 4-12

Review these career profiles to get a snapshot of the variety of professions that support environmental issues.

Activity: 15+ minutes

Planet Protectors

Grades 3-12

Students work together to create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) which educates others about protecting our planet.

Lesson: 120 minutes

Connecting with Climate

Grades 6-12

Explore how to problem-solve when approaching large-scale, multidimensional issues like climate change.

Lesson: 90 minutes

Irrigation Situation

Grades 3-5

Use the design process to create a hillside garden irrigation system that maximizes water efficiency.

Lesson: 90 minutes
Unit: 150 minutes

Drain or Dispose?

Grades 3-12

Review these tips for what can and cannot go down the drain. Play a quick game: Pick something on the list. Should you drain or dispose? 

Activity: 15+ minutes

Advanced Down the Drain Lab

Exhibit Connections

Make connections between learning from the lab and the exhibits and programs found in The Tech Interactive’s galleries. For more exhibit connections, see the Lab Guide above.

  • Solve for Earth

    Solve for Earth creates a space where we can discuss as a community how to live sustainably and reduce the impacts of climate change. Solve for Earth looks at the whole picture: where we live, what we eat, how we move and more. Through this exhibition, we hope to inspire positive action at a community level.

    Learn More

  • The H2O Show

    In The H2O Show quiz, students can compete to gather points based on their water knowledge and walk away with an ocean of water knowledge — and bragging rights!

  • Sea Level Rise and Sea Level Rise Future Solutions

    An in-depth look at future sea level rise and how it will impact different areas around the world. Then move to the interactive Future Solutions exhibit area, where students can imagine and draw ways to help protect areas from sea level rise.

Standards Connections

Next Generation Science Standards  
Grades Engineering Design
 Earth and Space Science Disciplinary Core Ideas Crosscutting Concepts Science and Engineering Practices
6-8 MS-ETS1-1 MS-ETS1-2 MS-ETS1-3 MS-ETS1-4 MS-ESS3-3 MS-ESS3-4 ESS3.C ESS3.D ETS1.A ETS1,B ETS1.C Structure and Function
Science is a Human Endeavor		 1, 4
9-12 HS-ETS1-1 HS-ETS1-2 HS-ETS1-3 HS-ESS3-4 ESS3.C ETS1.A ETS1.B ETS1.C Influence of Engineering, Technology, and Science on Society and the Natural World 1, 2, 3, 4, 6