Georgia S3L2

S3L2 is a Georgia science standard. These are the elements under it.

• S3L2.a

  Ask questions to collect information and create records of sources and effects of pollution on the plants and animals.

• S3L2.b

  Explore, research, and communicate solutions, such as conservation of resources and recycling of materials, to protect plants and animals.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students gather facts from short texts, images, maps, or observations. They identify how pollution changes habitats and affects living things. They compare sources and explain their findings with evidence.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

Students can classify a pollution example and trace a clear cause and effect chain. They use source details to explain effects on plants, animals, people, water, soil, or air. They can suggest a realistic response and explain their reasoning.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may think pollution means only litter, or that it is always visible or easy to smell. They may confuse a pollution source with its effect, such as naming a factory instead of dirty air. Some assume one cleanup removes every harmful substance or fully restores a habitat.

04

How to Assess It

Give students a fact card stating that motor oil in a stream can coat feathers and reduce oxygen in water. Ask them to name the pollution type and explain two effects using facts from the card.

1. 01

   Build a model watershed in a tray, sprinkle cocoa and paper scraps on it, spray rain, and observe where pollutants travel.

2. 02

   Ask students to write: Which harms a pond more, one large spill or small daily runoff, and what evidence supports your claim?

3. 03

   Play a card sort where teams match pollution sources to air, land, or water effects, then defend one difficult match.

4. 04

   Conduct a schoolyard litter audit, map where trash collects, and write one recommendation for the principal supported by evidence.

• SKE2

  Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to describe the physical attributes of earth materials (soil, rocks, water, and air).

• S2E3

  Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about how weather, plants, animals, and humans cause changes to the environment.

• S6E6

  Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the uses and conservation of various natural resources and how they impact the Earth.