Where did the water go?
Faculty Mentor
Kathryn Baldwin
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
4-14-2026 11:30 AM
End Date
4-14-2026 1:30 PM
Location
PUB NCR
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Education
Abstract
This project aims to create an engaging and developmentally appropriate investigative unit for an elementary (grades K-5) classroom based on a local environmental problem, declining groundwater levels in Eastern Washington. The Spokane River is what serves as the phenomenon for this investigation. Elementary students will investigate why the river's water level drops in the summer compared to other seasons. They will use current research along with their own observation to build evidence-based reasoning to answer a driving question. The unit is anchored by a driving question that guides student learning and is supported by a series of secondary questions that help to bring structure to this investigation. Students will gather evidence through hands-on labs, historical comparisons, and analysis of local data sources. These data sources include Spokane Riverkeepers, Avista, and the U.S. Geological Survey. A key end goal of this project is to provide teachers with a ready‑to‑use investigative unit—something that is currently limited. While many resources address water conservation broadly, few offer a locally grounded, phenomenon‑based sequence. This project aims to fill that gap by offering teachers a complete, classroom‑ready unit that is inquiry‑driven, standards‑aligned, and rooted in the lived environmental realities of Eastern Washington.
Recommended Citation
Huttenmaier, Ashlynn, "Where did the water go?" (2026). 2026 Symposium. 7.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2026/ps_2026/p2_2026/7
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Where did the water go?
PUB NCR
This project aims to create an engaging and developmentally appropriate investigative unit for an elementary (grades K-5) classroom based on a local environmental problem, declining groundwater levels in Eastern Washington. The Spokane River is what serves as the phenomenon for this investigation. Elementary students will investigate why the river's water level drops in the summer compared to other seasons. They will use current research along with their own observation to build evidence-based reasoning to answer a driving question. The unit is anchored by a driving question that guides student learning and is supported by a series of secondary questions that help to bring structure to this investigation. Students will gather evidence through hands-on labs, historical comparisons, and analysis of local data sources. These data sources include Spokane Riverkeepers, Avista, and the U.S. Geological Survey. A key end goal of this project is to provide teachers with a ready‑to‑use investigative unit—something that is currently limited. While many resources address water conservation broadly, few offer a locally grounded, phenomenon‑based sequence. This project aims to fill that gap by offering teachers a complete, classroom‑ready unit that is inquiry‑driven, standards‑aligned, and rooted in the lived environmental realities of Eastern Washington.
