Project Grade 4 Social Studies & Civics
The Pentowan Rain Ready Plan: A Storm Water Project
A four-session grade 4 project where teams pick three runoff actions for one flooded block in a fictional town, stay inside a grant budget, and present to the town board.
Objectives
- Students will explain why a paved block sends more rain to the storm drain.
- Students will choose three runoff actions for a block and keep the plan inside a set budget.
- Students will write a flyer that explains the plan to neighbors.
Vocabulary
- Storm drain
- A storm drain is the grate at the edge of a street that swallows rainwater and sends it through pipes to the nearest creek or river. That water is usually not treated, so only rain belongs down the drain.
- Rain garden
- A rain garden is a shallow planted dip in the ground that catches rain running off a roof or driveway and lets it soak slowly into the soil. Its deep-rooted plants help clean the water.
- Rain barrel
- A rain barrel is a container that catches rainwater from a roof downspout so it can be used later to water plants. It saves drinking water and keeps some runoff out of the storm drains.
Also: runoff, town board
Teacher overview
The driving question is how one block in the fictional town of Pentowan can slow the rain enough to stop the corner from flooding, and teams answer it with a funded plan the town board can vote on. Each team picks three actions from a set of six, stays inside a grant, and turns in a plan poster, a neighbor flyer, and a short presentation. Session 1 should settle where a storm drain goes, since it is widely taken to lead to the treatment plant. In most towns the storm drain runs straight to the nearest creek without treatment, which is why the plan is about keeping rain out of the drain rather than about treating what arrives.
Project Brief
Driving question: How can one block in Pentowan slow the rain so the corner stops flooding?
Pentowan is a fictional town. Cobbler Street floods after every big rain. Water stands a foot deep at the corner. The block has 12 homes. Most of the block is roof, driveway, or street, so rain runs off fast. It all reaches one storm drain, and that drain fills up.
The Pentowan town board has grant money for one block. The board asked your class for a plan. Your team is a planning team.
Your team must follow these rules.
- Pick three of the six actions below. Pick three different kinds.
- Keep your plan at or under the grant of $6,000.
- Show every action you picked on the block map.
- Write a one-page flyer for the neighbors.
- Present your plan to the town board in three minutes.
Here are the six actions and what each one costs in this fictional town.
- Rain barrel at a downspout, $80 each. Holds roof water and lets it out slowly.
- Rain garden in a front yard, $900 each. A low, planted dip where water soaks in.
- Shade tree, $250 each. Roots and leaves take in rain.
- Gravel strip where pavement used to be, $600 each. Rain soaks through instead of running off.
- Storm drain marker, $15 each. A metal tag that reminds people the drain goes to the creek.
- Downspout turned onto the lawn, $60 each. Sends roof water to grass instead of the driveway.
You will turn in three things. The first is your plan poster with the block map. The second is your neighbor flyer. The third is your three-minute presentation to the town board, which your classmates will play.
Milestones
- Session 1 (Find out why the block floods): Look at the block map. Color every part where rain cannot soak in. Count those parts. Write two sentences telling why the corner floods. Output: a colored block map and two sentences.
- Session 2 (Build the plan and the budget): Pick three kinds of actions. Decide how many of each. Add up the cost and check that it fits the grant. Output: a budget sheet that adds up correctly.
- Session 3 (Draw the poster and write the flyer): Put every action on the block map in the right place. Write the neighbor flyer. Tell what each action does and what neighbors should expect. Output: a plan poster and a flyer draft.
- Session 4 (Present to the board): Give your three-minute presentation. Say what the block problem is, what you picked, and what it costs. Answer two questions from the board. Output: the presentation and the final flyer.
From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.
Rubric
| Criterion | Emerging | Developing | Proficient | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan and the three action kinds | Fewer than three kinds chosen, or choices are not shown on the map | Three kinds chosen but placement on the map is unclear | Three different kinds chosen and each is placed sensibly on the block map | Three different kinds chosen, placed sensibly, and the team explains why each fits that spot on the block |
| Budget | Costs are not added, or the plan is far over the grant | Costs are added with errors, or the plan is slightly over the grant | Costs are added correctly and the plan fits within the grant | Costs are added correctly, the plan fits the grant, and the team explains what it would drop first if the grant shrank |
| Neighbor flyer | Flyer is missing or does not explain any action | Flyer names the actions but does not say what they do | Flyer explains what each chosen action does and what neighbors should expect | Flyer explains each action clearly, groups the information under headings, and answers one worry a neighbor is likely to raise |
| Presentation to the board | Presentation is not delivered, or the problem is never stated | Presentation states the problem but skips the plan or the cost | Presentation states the problem, the plan, and the cost within three minutes | Presentation covers all three within the time, and the team answers both board questions using the poster |
Differentiation
Support
Give these teams a budget sheet with the six action costs already listed and three blank rows to fill, so the arithmetic is entering and adding rather than copying. Provide the block map with the pavement already shaded, and give a flyer template with three headings, which are what happens now, what we will do, and what you will see.
Extension
Ask a team to write a second version of the plan for half the grant money and to explain in two sentences which action it kept and why. The team can also add a short paragraph on who would take care of the rain garden and the trees after the first year, and what would happen if nobody did.
ELL supports
Pre-teach storm drain, runoff, rain garden, and rain barrel with a picture card and a hand motion for each. Let the flyer be written in short labeled sections instead of paragraphs, and offer the frame "This action helps because ___." for each of the three chosen actions.
Extensions
Take the class outside, keeping students on the sidewalk, to find the nearest storm drain and follow the slope of the pavement to see where the water would go, then check the town or utility website to learn where that drain empties. Students can add a real map of the school block to their poster and mark one place where an action from the project would fit.