Modeling water movement through soils 

Learning Bundle Overview

This mini-unit (or learning bundle) introduces students to the phenomenon of Rain on Snow flooding events to teach the standard HS-ESS 2-5. Students will explore real occurrences of these flooding events, will engage with online simulations, and will plan an investigation while hearing from research scientists who work in the fields of Earth Science and Land Resources and Environmental Sciences. Students will explore resources from the USGS and will design an investigation using soil columns. This experiment models water movement under saturated conditions with a constant height of water in the soil column. The final activities will be teacher- and student- designed to address interest and might include mechanical or chemical investigations.  

NGSS Standard HS-ESS2-5: Students who demonstrate understanding can: HS-ESS2-5. Plan and conduct an investigation of the properties of water and its effects on Earth materials and surface processes.

Lesson list 

Title 

Approximate time 

Engage activity: Exploring extreme flood events 

30 min 

Exploration 1: Investigating the relationship between snow melt and stream flow 

150 min  

Exploration 2: Investigating the process by which water moves into streams 

150 min 

Explain: Constructing an explanation for extreme flooding in Yellowstone 2021 

100 min 

*optional Elaborate: Investigating water quality  

- Could have students design labs to explore how water quality varies due to the presence of fertilizer or contaminants in the soil, or how substrate properties influence water quality. Students could even choose to design a method to model soil horizons or surface run-off using the lab set-up.  

100 min 

Activity Breakdown

Teacher overview

This is an introductory lesson to engage students in the overarching phenomenon by introducing relevant real-world events. Feel free to utilize your own resources and data if your local area has experienced this phenomenon.  

 

Teacher does 

Student does 

10 minutes 

Presents either the video or a gallery walk of images.  

Responds to what they see through Noticing and Wondering 

5 minutes 

Guides a group discussion 

Adds to group discussion 

10 minutes  

Shows the graph of stream flow 

Responds to what they see through Noticing and Wondering 

5 minutes

Guides a group discussion 

Begins a Claim Evidence Reasoning 

Teacher overview

The first half of this exploration introduces students to factors related to stream flow using materials from USGS. In the second half of this exploration, students will begin to explore models of how water transfers from snow in mountains to running water in streams.  

 

Teacher does 

Student does 

45 minutes + (May require extra time)  

Presents the “From Snow to Flow” activity and directs students to complete the 3 sub-parts  

Engages in the “Snow to Flow” activity 

5 minutes 

Guides a group discussion 

- Ask students about responses to the student questions. Highlight key terms such as Soil Saturation, Snow Water Equivalent, Melt Timing, Streamflow, Permeability, and Sublimation 

- Ask students if they think they can find the nearest SNOTEL to your location (the link is in section 2 “measuring snowpack”), you can also encourage them to check out the stream gauge monitoring in that section as well.   

Adds to group discussion 

10 minutes  

Shows the CODAP SageModeler tool and walks through the example from the Bridger Mountains near Bozeman *if technology isn’t available, this activity can be done on paper.  

Discussion points:

- Student document question 7 asks students where a hypothetical box called “SWE (snow water equivalent)” would be placed. These “boxes” are just representations of a concept in the model. It would be appropriate to place it anywhere near the snow box, and students could argue that they should rename the snow box. It should be connected to the rain box and to the box labeled water from the Bridger Mountain range.  

- Student document question 8 asks students if there are any factors missing from this example model, and there are many correct answers. Students might point out that there is no explicit mention of permeability or time of year. Try to ensure that the missing “permeability” is discussed as this leads into the lab. 

Responds to what they see and follows along on the example from Bozeman 

50 minutes

Facilitates students creating a local version of the SageModeler for local snow melt.  

Student models should contain these components:

- A box/object representing SWE

- A box/object representing stream flow 

- A box/object representing soil/land that water travels through (relates to permeability) 

Begins a Sage Modeler model  

 

Teacher Overview

This exploration introduces a method to quantify the mechanics of water movement through soil. Students can use their knowledge of the hydrologic cycle to manipulate the column to represent various precipitation events. To learn more about the science that explains the calculations in these soil column labs, watch this video by Montana State University students working on this research. 

 

Exploration 2: Investigating the process by which water moves into streams (2-3 days)

 

 

Teacher does 

Student does 

45 minutes + (May require extra time)  

Sets up the column for experimentation 

Engages in the first activity measuring the amount of water that passes through 

5 minutes 

Guides a group discussion 

Adds to group discussion 

50 minutes 

Facilitates students creating a local version of the SageModeler for local snow melt 

Begins a SageModeler model 

 

 

Teacher Overview

In this explanation activity, students explain why extreme flooding events occur and use that information to determine whether their school is susceptible flooding events (you can also have groups explore different areas within your region, like a housing development or hospital or athletic field). To make this determination, the students should explain the likelihood of a rain-on-snow event occurring in your local area. To grade these explanations, we have provided a sample rubric based on the ESS 2-5 standard, but feel free to use your own grading system. If possible, please scan these explanations and send them to the research team.

 

Teacher does 

Student does 

5 minutes 

Determines which “explanation” (see the following pages) students will complete and prints out the corresponding student worksheet.  

N/A 

5 minutes 

Describes the scenario/explanation and hands out student sheets.  

Asks clarifying questions about the scenario 

30-50 minutes  

Helps students in answering questions regarding the explanation, encourages students to use the student packet and additional research websites.  

Completes the explanation using the information from the Yellowstone flooding incident and either local data or the scenario.   

Sample Rubric 

Advanced 

4 

Student incorporates multiple pieces of evidence from more than 1 source in explanation, identifies the phenomenon correctly including a clear connection between cause and effect, and is able to connect the real-world data to the lab. 

Proficient 

3 

Student incorporates evidence from only 1 source in explanation, identifies the phenomenon correctly, and is able to connect the real-world data to the lab. 

Approaching proficiency 

2 

Students identify the phenomenon correctly but may struggle with identifying a clear cause and effect or does not support with sufficient evidence 

Emerging 

1 

Student is beginning to accurately describe the phenomenon, but struggles in identifying a clear cause and effect and providing evidence to support claims.  

Explanation activity 

We would like you to describe to your school administration whether your school is susceptible to extreme flooding due to rain on snow events. In your determination, you should include data from at least the spring of 2022 from local Snotel and/or rain gauges using the links in your student work packet.  

Please explain to your administrators how rain-on-snow events cause extreme flooding. To do this, please explain what happened in June 2022 in Yellowstone. Then, describe whether your school or local region is susceptible to these types of floods by considering your proximity to local water sources and the factors that are relevant to your region. You should also include data from the lab activity and additional information from the readings in the packet.  

Column in Action

Materials List
Required/Recommended* Item Quantity Vendor
Required Ring stand w/ base 1 Amazon
Required Uniform column 1 Amazon
Required Stopper for column 1 Amazon
Required Plastic bottle for water addition to bottle 1 Amazon
Required Funnel 1 or 2 Amazon
Required Tubing (1/4” outer diameter, 1/8” inner diameter) 3ft length Amazon
Required Silicone for sealant leaks 1 Amazon
Required Plastic collection container for column 1 Amazon
Required Plastic collection container for overflow/excess water (large) 1 Amazon
Required Cable tie (two needed each for column and bottle feed device) 8 Amazon
Required Water container / pitcher for water addition (valve ideal to control water flow) 1 Amazon
Required

Graduated plastic beaker (200mL, 300mL, 500mL)

 1 Amazon
Required

Substrate (course gravel, sand, plastic / glass beads)

 1 Amazon
Required

Top loading balance

 1 Amazon
Required

Tape

 1 Amazon
Required

Tape Measure

 1 Amazon
Recommended

Timer / stopwatch

 1 Amazon
Recommended

Cloth

 1 Amazon
Recommended

Paper towel / mat for water drip

 1 Amazon

*You likely already have some of these items in your classroom. These are our suggestions if you would like to purchase more materials.