Big Ideas | Page 31

Key Concepts • We require water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, sanitation, firefighting, landscape irrigation, agriculture, manufacturing, and other purposes. • We use power in some form or another every day: for heating and cooling, lighting, cooking, electronics, transportation, and industrial processes. • The water we use, as well as the water that runs off of streets, becomes wastewater. Most wastewater must be cleaned before it is safe to release into the environment. Standards Connections Next Generation Science Standards SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PRACTICES SAMPLE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT, GRADES 3–5 Planning and Carrying Record all the ways you use water and power during the school day or within a 24-hour period, including while playing or sleeping. Out Investigations Consider how much water is used for household toilets, showers, and faucets, and calculate the approximate amount of daily water used at home. (New toilets use 1.28 gallons or less per flush, while older toilets can use as much as 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush. Standard showerheads use 2.5 gallons per minute, and a bathroom faucet generally runs at 2 gallons per minute.) Brainstorm ways to reduce water usage. Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking BIG IDEAS | Grades 3–5 | SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION 31