Senior High School

Earth Science
Module 5:
Human Activities That Affect Water
and Soil Resources

AIRs - LM
LU_Earth Science_Module5
EARTH SCIENCE
Module 5: Human Activities That Affect Water and Soil Resources
Second Edition, 2021

Copyright © 2021
La Union Schools Division
Region I

All rights reserved. No part of this module may be reproduced in any form without written
permission from the copyright owners.

Development Team of the Module

Author: Maree Lyne J. Rodriguez

Editor: SDO La Union, Learning Resource Quality Assurance Team
Content Reviewer: Lani
Gatchalian Language Reviewer:
Agnes Bucsit Illustrator: Ernesto
F. Ramos Jr.
Design and Layout: Mariza R. Mapalo

Management Team:

Atty. Donato D. Balderas Jr.

Schools Division Superintendent
Vivian Luz S. Pagatpatan, Ph D
Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
German E. Flora, Ph D, CID Chief
Virgilio C. Boado, Ph D, EPS in Charge of LRMS
Rominel S. Sobremonte, Ed D, EPS in Charge of
Science Michael Jason D. Morales, PDO II
Claire P. Toluyen, Librarian II

Printed in the Philippines by:

Department of Education – SDO La Union

Office Address: Flores St. Catagen, San Fernando City, La Union
Telefax: 072 – 205 – 0046
Email Address: [email protected]
 Senior High School

Earth Science
Module 5: Human Activities that
Affect Water and Soil Resources
Introductory Message
This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear
learners, can continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities,
questions, directions, exercises, and discussions are carefully stated for you
to understand each lesson.

Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you
step-by-step as you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.

Pre-tests are provided to measure your prior knowledge on lessons in

each SLM. This will tell you if you need to proceed on completing this
module or if you need to ask your facilitator or your teacher’s assistance for
better understanding of the lesson. At the end of each module, you need to
answer the post-test to self-check your learning. Answer keys are provided
for each activity and test. We trust that you will be honest in using these.

In addition to the material in the main text, Notes to the Teacher are
also provided to our facilitators and parents for strategies and reminders on
how they can best help you on your home-based learning.

Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on
any part of this SLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the
exercises and tests. And read the instructions carefully before performing
each task.

If you have any questions in using this SLM or any difficulty in

answering the tasks in this module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher
or facilitator.

Thank you.
 Target

Water is one of the most important substance on earth. All plants and animals
must have water to survive. If there is no water, there would be no life on earth.
Water is important to us because the human body itself made up of 60% of water.
We cannot survive without water. In like manner, soil supports life on Earth—
including your own. It sustains the growth of plants, which in turn provide nutrition
for animals. Therefore, soil supplies us with nearly all the food we eat. Many other
items, such as medicine, clothing, lumber, paper, among others, come from plants
and trees. The air is also purified by plants. Soil acts as a filter for water as it runs
through the ground and into larger bodies of water. Ultimately, soil shelters a variety
of living things, from microscopic one-celled organisms to small mammals. It even
provides you with the materials you need to build your own home.
Throughout the world, there is an increasing pressure in Earth’s water
resources and soil resources. This is mainly due to how human activities have sped
up and caused climate change and variations in natural conditions. This module
will provide you with information and activities that will help you understand how
different activities affect the quality and availability of water for human use.
Additionally, this module contains the lessons you will need to identify human
activities that affect the quality and quantity of soil.
The module is divided into two lessons, namely:
 Lesson 1 – Human Activities That Affect Water Resources
 Lesson 2 – Human Activities That Affect Soil Resources
After going through this module, you are expected to:
1. Explain how different activities affect the quality and availability of
water for human use (S11ES-Ig-16)
a. Identify human activities that affect the quality and availability
of water for human use.
b. Discuss how the human activities affect the quality and
availability of water for human use
2. Identify human activities, such as farming, construction of structures,
and waste disposal, that affect the quality and quantity of soil (S11ES-
Ih-17).

LU_Earth Science_Module5
 Pre - Test

True or False.
Directions: Read each statement below carefully. Write TRUE if the
statement is correct. Otherwise write FALSE if the statement is incorrect.
Write your answer on the space provided before each number.

1. Water is one of the most important substance on Earth.

2. Soil is renewable.
3. Pesticides runoff can be another result of improper agricultural.
4. Air emissions causes major changes that affect natural
pathways of water resources.
5. Organic waste can be thrown in the ground.
6. Pastures controls deal with sediment losses.
7. Land conversion involves the transformation of forests,
wetlands, and agricultural lands into commercial or industrial
develop lands.
8. Bedrock is made of the rock such as granite, basalt, quartzite,
limestones.
9. Only a tiny fraction of the Earth’s water is usable by humans.
10. Soil conservation efforts are usually aimed at reducing the
rates of mechanical and chemical weathering.
11. Soil acts as a living filter to clean water before it moves into a
aquifer.
12. Improper management of animal’s waste, soil and fertilizers
results in nutrient loading.
13. Transportation infrastructure causes major changes that can
affect natural pathways of water resources.
14. Plastic can be decomposed.
15. It takes much longer to clean up polluted water than any
forms of pollution.
 Lesson Human Activities That Affect Water
1 Resources

Jumpstart

Activity 1: Read Me! Understand Me!

Directions: Read the poetry below. Answer the questions that will
follow.

“Water Quality”
Slam Poetry Entry by kbear1995

Rivers and oceans The water gets murky,

And lakes all around, It's dangerous to drink,
Just search one of them Look at the water
And trash can be found. That comes out of your sink.
Water gets worse Health is affected
As time passes on, In hazardous zones,
Just keep on polluting Creatures are left
And your drinks will be In nothing but bones.
gone.
Water won't clear
That one little bag 'Til we take good care,
Doesn't seem like a lot, Keep the Earth healthy,
But it all adds up It won't kill you; I swear.
Into one giant pot.
Recycle that bottle,
Toxins release into Pick up that old can,
Fast running waters, If we all work together
It enters the oceans It could be a good plan.
And hurts all the otters.
Questions:

1. Discuss the message that the writer of the poem wants to give.

World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing

attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the
sustainable management of freshwater resources. This Day is an
opportunity to learn more about water related issues, be inspired to tell
others and take action to make a difference. Water is an essential building
block of life. It is more than just essential to quench thirst or protect health;
water is vital for creating jobs and supporting economic, social, and human
development.

“A water crisis is a global crisis. Without sustainable access to water, we

will be unable to achieve goals such as quality education or the development
of more prosperous, fairer societies. History has demonstrated this. In China
and in the Middle East, for example, the major rivers (the Yangtze, Nile and
Euphrates) made the first great agrarian and urban civilizations possible.
Given the urgency of the situation, the coming decade needs to be one of
action.”
— Audrey Azoulay, Director-General, on the occasion of World Water Day
2020

4
LU_Earth Science_Module5
 Discover

HUMAN ACTIVITIES as a SOURCE of POLLUTANTS AND WATER

QUALITY PROBLEMS
1. Land Conversion involves the transformation of forests, wetlands, and
agricultural lands into commercial or industrial developed lands.
The health of the rivers, lakes, and wetlands can be directly
related to the type of land cover and associated land use in their
watersheds. Pristine waters are associated with mainly undisturbed
forested watersheds. The level of impact on water quality becomes
higher as land uses intensify through the spectrum of agriculture, timber
harvesting, housing, industry, and roads.

2. Runoff from Developed Lands occurs when precipitation “runs off”

impervious surfaces (rooftops, parking lots, drives ways, etc.,) rather than
infiltrating into the soil. As it travels along the land surface, the runoff
increases in velocity and volume, picking up a wide variety of pollutants
such as sediment, pathogens, and debris. These pollutants are delivered
either directly or indirectly into rivers, lakes and ponds and other bodies
of water.
a. Construction sites - The removal of vegetation during the
construction phase, which increases the chance for erosion and
mobilization of particulate-bound phosphorus during runoff
events.
b. Industrial sites - Certain industries, by the feature of their
business (e.g., fertilizer manufacturers, paper manufacturers),
import nutrients for use in production and as a result run the risk
of discharging nutrients in excess of that which might be expected
from undeveloped lands. Many industries also require large areas
of impervious surface for warehouses, parking lots and access
roads that contribute to excess hydrology and thus increased
landside and in-channel sediment production.

3. Agricultural Activities – Improper management of animal waste, soil and

fertilizers results in nutrient loading to surface waters and ground waters
and is the major source of agricultural nonpoint source pollution. Pesticide
runoff can be another result of improper agricultural activities.
 a. Farmsteads: Farm production
areas represent the daily
workspace where animals,
feed, manure, and fertilizers
are stored and therefore is also
a location of concentrated
nutrients.

b. Pastures: These areas are

often severely overgrazed with www.publicdomainpic.net
uncontrolled access to surface
water. These areas are
particularly susceptible to higher
erosion and increased
phosphorus runoff

4. Forestry Management Practices - Timber harvesting has the potential to

alter streamflow, sediment, nutrients and
water temperature. Sediment is the
principal pollutant associated with forest
management activities Sediment
originating from the construction and use
of logging roads and skid trails generally
exceeds that from all other forestry
activities

5. Dams and hydropower generation

www.publicdomainpic.net structures change the depth and slope of a
stream significantly alter the size and quantity of bed sediments and how
they are moved, sorted, and distributed along both the cross-section and
profile of the channel.

6. Transportation Infrastructure causes

major changes that can affect natural
pathways of water resources. This also
affects drainage systems which has the
potential to contaminate both surface and
groundwater systems.

7. Air Emissions - Power plants, industrial

manufacturing, and motor vehicles are all www.publicdomainpic.net
sources of air emissions that can adversely impact water quality. The
 compounds in these air emissions fall to the earth in either dry form
(such as gas and particles) or wet form (such as rain, snow, and fog).
Prevailing winds transport the compounds, sometimes hundreds of
miles, across state and national borders

8. Climate Change and Surface Waters - There is general consensus among

the scientific community that changing climatic conditions are the result
of increased levels of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere
over the last century – much of which are due to anthropogenic sources
including industrial processes, combustion of fossil fuels, and land use
changes. It is also recognized that climate change can affect air and water
temperatures and precipitation patterns, which will cause alterations to
water quality, hydrology and water availability, resulting in impacts to
ecological integrity, and human infrastructure
 Explore

How Can Human Actions Seriously Affect Water Resources?

1. How are aquatic ecosystems threatened by sediment in water?

 Sediments can occur in water bodies naturally, but they are also
produced in large amounts as a result of land-use change and
agriculture.
 Activities such as farming, clearing forests, building roads, and
mining can put too much soil and particulate matter in rivers. This
sediment can harm plants and animals by carrying toxic chemicals
into the water, smothering fish eggs and small organisms used by
fish as food, raising water temperature, and reducing the amount of
sunlight penetrating the water.
 Sediment can also reduce the capacity of reservoirs and make it
difficult for ships to navigate in waterways. It can also damage
equipment used in water supply installations and hydroelectric
plants, thus increasing their maintenance costs.

2. How can different kinds of pollution affect water resources?

 Wastes that people dispose of can pollute the air, the land, and water
resources. They affect the quality of rainwater and of water resources
both above and below ground, and damage natural systems.
 The causes of freshwater pollution are varied and include industrial
wastes, sewage, runoff from farmland, cities, and factory effluents, and
the build-up of sediment.
 Emissions from factories and vehicles are released into the air. They
can travel long distances before falling to the ground, for instance in
the form of acid rain. The emissions create acidic conditions that
damage ecosystems, including forests and lakes. The pollution that
passes directly into water from factories and cities can be reduced
through treatment at source before it is discharged. It is harder to
reduce the varied forms of pollution that are carried indirectly, by
runoff, from a number of widely spread non-point sources, into
freshwater and the sea.
 Only a small percentage of chemicals are regulated, and concern is
growing about contamination by unregulated chemicals. A variety of
pharmaceutical products, such as painkillers and antibiotics, are
 having an impact on water resources above and below ground.
Conventional water treatment does not work for many of them.
 In general, it takes much longer to clean up polluted water bodies than
for pollution to occur in the first place, and there is thus a need to focus
on protecting water resources. In many cases, clean-up takes more
than 10 years. Although underground water is less easily polluted than
water above ground, cleaning it once it is polluted takes longer and is
more difficult and expensive. Ways are being found to assess where and
how underground water is most vulnerable to pollution. The findings
are important in cases where aquifers supply drinking water, and where
natural ecosystems depend on them.
 Sewage and runoff from farms, farmlands and gardens can contain
nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, that cause excessive
aquatic plant growth, and this in turn has a range of damaging
ecological effects.

3. What are the consequences of excessive water withdrawal?

 Around the world certain lakes, rivers and inland seas are in the
process of drying up because too much water is being drawn from
them or from their tributaries. Groundwater, too, is used faster than
it is replenished, as is clear from a growing number of reports
documenting sharp drops in aquifer levels. In many cases, drought
periods have compounded this well-documented trend.
 The Niger, the Nile, the Ganges, the Tigris, the Euphrates, the
Yangtze, the Colorado, and the Rio Grande are just some of the
major rivers suffering substantial reductions in flow. Numerous
lakes and inlands seas are shrinking dramatically in many
geographic regions. The Aral Sea and Lake Chad have decreased
dramatically in size over the last few decades.
 These problems persist though their causes have been evident for
quite some time. Foremost are the very inefficient ways in which
water is supplied to farms and cities, deforestation, and the failure
to properly manage and control the withdrawal of water, and to think
of more economic ways to use water.
 The threat to groundwater is not as obvious as that to lakes and
rivers. There is less visual evidence and the effects of withdrawing
too much groundwater take longer to recognize. In the last half-
century, pumping from aquifers increased globally. But often the
benefits—bigger harvests for example—were short-lived, ultimately
resulting in lower water tables, drilling of deeper wells, and,
sometimes, even the depletion of the groundwater source.
4 How is climate change affecting water resources?
 One type of water resource that has been clearly affected by climate
change is glaciers. Scientists have long observed that land and
mountain glaciers are shrinking, and this trend has accelerated
considerably in recent years. For example, it has been predicted that
most glaciers in Tibet could melt by 2100. And while it was initially
thought that the water released could benefit China’s arid north and
west, it now appears that the additional runoff evaporates long
before it reaches drought-stricken farmers downstream.
Arnell (2004) also assessed predicted impacts of both population and
climate on water-stressed regions, based on population growth scenarios
and climate change models. He concludes, “Climate change increases water
resources stresses … where runoff decreases, including around the
Mediterranean, in parts of Europe, central and southern America, and
southern Africa. In other water-stressed parts of the world – particularly in
southern and eastern Asia – climate change increases runoff, but this may not
be very beneficial in practice because increases tend to come during the wet
season and extra water may not be available during the dry season.”

Activity 2: TABLE COMPLETION

1. Make a list of what and how different activities affect the quality and
availability of water for human use

HUMAN ACTIVITIES EFFECT

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1
LU_Earth Science_Module5
 Deepen

Activity 3: It Starts With Me

Directions: Create a VLOG that shows water conservation practices. Identify
five (5) concrete actions that would advocate conserving water. The
video needs to be a maximum of 5 minutes long. Ensure that there is
an introduction at the beginning and credits at the end where all the
digital materials (i.e., music, songs, images) that you included have
been duly acknowledged and cited. Please refer to the rubric.

Rubric

Criteria Outstanding (4) Satisfactory (3) Developing (2) Beginning (1)

Shows advocacy Shows advocacy Shows advocacy on Shows advocacy

on water on water water conservation on water
Content conservation very conservation adequately. With 3 conservation
satisfactorily. satisfactorily. With concrete examples. unsatisfactorily.
With 5 concrete 4 concrete With 2 concrete
examples. examples. examples.

The output reflects The output reflects The output reflects The output reflects
deliberate, careful adequate planning. minimal planning. insufficient
Planning and and thorough It is educational It has weak planning. It is
Organization planning. It has a and the educational value hard to follow and
strong educational information is and some lack educational
value. The presented in a information is value.
information is logical order. presented
presented in an illogically.
interesting and
logical fashion.

Shows originality Shows Shows some Shows no

and innovation in resourcefulness in resourcefulness in originality and
Creativity activities and activities and some activities lacks creativity in
output done. output done. and output done. activities and
output.

Material is highly Material provides Some parts of the Material is vague

stimulating and reader or audience material are about the proper
Impact immediately with substantial confusing thus course of action to
mobilizes the reason to take weakening the take. Impact is
reader or audience action. Impact is impact of the low.
to initiate action. sufficient. message on the
Impact is high. reader.

Timeliness Performance Task Performance Task Performance Task Performance Task

is passed before is passed on the is passed one day is passed two or
deadline. deadline. after the deadline. more days after
the deadline.
 Lesson Human Activities That Affect Soil
2 Resources

Jumpstart

Activity 4: 4PICS1WORD
Directions: Identify each display of four pictures linked by one word.
You should be able to write the correct word from a set of box
given below the pictures.

www.publicdomainpictures.net
N L L S I D
R T O
Dirt. Soil. Land. Earth.

No matter how we call it, it makes up the outermost solid layer of our
planet.
We build on it.
We plant in it.
We get materials from it.

www.publicdomainpic.net
Fig. 2 Loam soil, also called black earth
Soil is the solid material on the Earth’s surface that comes from
broken down rocks, organic matter such as decayed animal and plant life,
water and air through the interaction of biological activities and weather
with the primary geologic formation. Bedrock is continually broken down,
dissolved and converted into soil, however the process happens so slowly so
we usually never notice it.
Although soil appear lifeless and static, soil is actually a dynamic
mixture which is teeming with life. A small amount of soil in a temperate
climate can have billions of organisms ranging from one – celled bacteria and
fungi to higher living forms, i.e. earthworms and insects.
Soil is a naturally occurring mixture of mineral and organic ingredients with
a definite form, structure, and composition. The exact composition of soil
changes from one location to another. The following is the average
composition by volume of the major soil ingredients:
 45% inorganic minerals (clay, silt, gravel, stones)
 25% water (the amount varies depending on the precipitation and the
water-holding capacity of the soil)
 25% air (important for living organisms)
 5% organic matter or humus
 Discover

Soil Profile

There are different types of soil, each with

its own set of characteristics. Dig down
deep into any soil, and you’ll see that it is
ma de of layers, or horizons (O, A, E, B, C,
R). Together they form a soil profile. Each
profile tells a story about the life of a soil.
The horizons are:
O – (Humus or Organic) It is mostly
organic matter such as decomposing
leaves. The O horizon is thin in some soils,
thick in others, and not present at all in
others.
A - (Topsoil) It is a mixture of minerals
with organic matter incorporated where Fig.3 Soil Profile
plants and other organisms live.
E – (Eluviated) It is composed of clay, minerals, and organic matter, leaving
a concentration of sand and silt particles of quartz or other resistant materials
and often found in older soils and forest soils.
B – (Subsoil) It is rich in minerals that moved down from the A or E horizons.
C – (Parent material) The deposit at Earth’s surface from which the soil
developed.
R – (Bedrock) Made of mass of rock such as granite, basalt, quartzite,
limestone or sandstone that forms the parent material for some soils – if the
bedrock is close enough to the surface to weather. This is not soil and is
located under the C horizon.

Soil Uses
1. Soil serves as media for growth of all kinds of plants.
2. Soil adjusts the atmosphere by emitting and absorbing gases and dust.
3. Soil provides habitat for living organims.
4. Soil absorbs, holds, releases, changes, and purifies most of the water
in terrestrial systems.
5. Soil processes recycled nutrients, including carbon, so that living
things can use them over and over again.
6. Soil serves as materials for construction of infrastructures.
7. Soils act as a living filter to clean water before it moves into an aquifer.
 Explore

Human Activities That Affect Soil Quality and Quantity.

The way people utilize land can

change the levels of nutrients and add
pollutants in soil. Any activity that
exposes land to wind and rain can lead
to soil loss. Soil is a non-renewable
resource that once it is eroded it is not
renewed. Soil erosion is the permanent
alteration of the chief characteristics of
soil that could make it lose its fertility,
pH, color, humus content or structure.
Soil erosion happens naturally by wind
or harsh climatic surroundings but
some human activities Fig. 4 Deforestation in the Philippines
https://businessmirror.com.ph
cause even more
damage than nature itself.

1. Agricultural Depletion - Farming can degrade the topsoil and lead to an

increase in erosion. To plant a field, a farmer must first till the soil,
breaking it up and loosening it so the new plants can take root. Once the
plants are harvested, the loose soil remains and wind or rain can easily
wash it away. Farmers boost the growth of their crops by adding nutrients
to soil in the form of organic or artificial fertilizers. However, some
fertilizers hinder natural microorganisms from creating nutrients to
replace the ones lost during farming. Fertilizers become potential
pollutants when they run off to nearby bodies of water or when they seep
into ground water.

2. Overgrazing Animals - Grazing animals are animals that live on large

areas of grassland. Overgrazing destroys natural vegetation and causes
the soil to wash or blow away more easily. In many dry regions of the
world, overgrazing and the clearing of land for farming have led to
desertification. It is the expansion of desert conditions in areas where
the natural plant cover has been destroyed.

3. Deforestation - Deforestation is another practice that can greatly increase

the rate of erosion in a region. One of the most important barriers to
 erosion is plant life, as long-lived trees and other species put down roots
that literally help hold the soil together. Logging kills these plants, and
even if the operation plants new trees to replace the old ones, the younger
plants require years to put down the kind of root system that once
protected the soil. Timber companies utilize a variety of different
techniques, such as partial clearing and replanting, to prevent soil
degradation and erosion in their work zones.

4. Mining operations are major contributors to erosion, especially on a local

level. Many mining techniques involve shifting large amounts of earth,
such as strip mining or mountaintop removal. By exposing rocks and
minerals to the air and to rainwater, these forms of mining speed up the
rate of chemical weathering. In mining operations that expose sulfide
minerals, the increased chemical weathering causes a type of pollution
known as acid drainage. Abandoned mines can fill with rainwater. Sulfide
minerals react with the air and the water to produce sulfuric acid. Then
the acid water drains from the mines, polluting the soil in surrounding
areas.

5. Development and Expansion - Urban and suburban development can also

exacerbate erosion, especially if the developers ignore the natural state of
the land. Construction of a building often begins by clearing the area of
any plants or other natural defenses against soil erosion. In addition, some
landscapers replace natural ground cover with plant species unsuited to
the climate, and these plants may not be as effective at preventing erosion.
To make roads, houses, shopping malls, and other buildings, people need
to dig up the soil. Some of the soil at construction sites washes or blows
away because its protective plant cover has been removed. The soil that is
washed or blown away ends up in nearby low lying areas, in rivers and
streams, or in downstream lakes or reservoirs.

6. Recreational activities, like driving vehicles off-road or hiking -

Humans also cause erosion when hiking and riding off-road vehicles. An
even greater amount of erosion occurs when people drive off-road vehicles
over an area. Bare spots eventually develops on spaces frequented by
humans. No plants can grow here and erosion becomes a serious problem
in these areas.
 Deepen

Activity 5: Evaluative Reading

Directions: Read the essay below and take down key notes.

“In the Pursuit of Personal Gain”

Written by Arlance Garcia
“The population problem has no technical solution: it requires a
fundamental extension in morality.” This statement was lifted from the
Tragedy of the Commons written by Garett Hardin. The tragedy of the
commons is a very real economic issue where individuals tend to exploit
shared resources so the demand greatly outweighs supply, and the resource
becomes unavailable for the whole. Business magnates, company owners,
the wealthy and privileged make a lot of their money by using if not abusing
their resources of people and environment.
We have seen this time and again.
There are familiar and infamous examples of this in our country. One
such example is when Typhoon Sendong hit the Mindanao Region. It was
dubbed the “World’s Worst Storm” in 2011. Iligan and Cagayan De Oro
sustained heart wrenching and devasting losses of both human lives and
properties. When the storm ravaged the region, the after effects of illegal
logging and mining worsened the impact. Logs were seen floating and rolling
down barren mountain sides. Typhoon Sendong washed away villages. It left
1,257 dead, 6,071 injured, and 182 missing across 13 provinces in the
Philippines. Tropical cyclone Sendong affected more than a million people
and destroyed or damaged 51,757 houses and property damages reach to an
estimated value of 1,000,000,000 Php.
Another example is Philex's Padcal mine, the biggest mining disaster of
the Philippines. On August 1, 2012, a massive mining spill causing the release
of 20.6 million tons of toxic tailings into water bodies, occurred at the Philex
Padcal mine, located in Benguet province. In terms of volume, the spill was
ten times larger than the unprecedented 1996 Marcopper mine disaster.
While the Padcal spill contained less toxic material per ton of tailings, the
much larger volume heavily contaminated the region. The Balog Creek,
previously categorized as class A river, as well as the downstream Agno River
were both heavily polluted after the spill, badly affecting the environment,
agricultural lands and local communities whose livelihood were based on the
proper functioning of the river. Elevated heavy metal levels included zinc,
arsenic and copper, the latter being 4.5 times higher than the allowed level.
Complaints over diseases in downstream communities increased. People
had to stop fishing, and later on, fish catch was reported to be reduced
significantly, while some people reported to have seen mutant fishes. Other
NGOs described the rivers to be biologically dead.
These are but a few examples of how the greed of a few inconvenience
and greatly affect a larger number of people. Sadly, in a lot of cases, nature is
an oft bruised and battered victim too.

Activity 5.1: I Am Making My Stand!

Directions: Create a Poster – Slogan that would embody your viewpoint on

the examples of Human Activities which have caused massive
damage not only to properties but to the environment itself. The
slogan should have 10 – 20 words. It can be in either Iloko,
Filipino or English. Write a short explanation of your drawing on
a separate piece of paper. Criteria will be provided below.
Poster - Slogan Rubrics
Rubrics 5 4 3 2
Content The slogan is The slogan is The slogan is The slogan
satisfactorily well worded acceptably lacks
well worded and coveys worded and construction
and coveys substance. coveys some and coveys little
great substance. substance.
substance.
Creativity Poster is Poster is Poster is Poster reflects
exceptionally creative & a creative & some some degree of
creative. A lot of good amount of thought was creativity.
thought & effort thought was put into
was put into it. put into it. decorating it.
Originality Exceptional use Good use of Acceptable use Slight use of
of new ideas & new ideas & of new ideas & new ideas &
originality to originality to originality to originality to
create poster – create poster – create poster – create poster –
slogan. slogan. slogan. slogan.
Neatness The output is The output is The output is The output is
extremely neat satisfactorily acceptably neat neat and has a
and free from neat and free and has few erasures.
erasures. from erasures. minimal
erasures.

Activity 5.2: Where do I Stand?

Directions: Share your thoughts about the article you have read and
the Poster – Slogan that you have crafted in response. Write
your reflection using not less than 200 words. Use additional
sheets of paper as necessary.
Reflection Rubrics

Category 4 3 2 1
Content Written Written Written Response lacks
response response response any
addresses addresses essay addresses comprehension
essay question acceptably essay question of the essay
very question very acceptably. question.
satisfactorily. satisfactorily.
Organization Response is Response is Response is Response is
& well organized organized and fairly organized disorganized
Development and developed developed with and developed, and
of Ideas with general presenting underdeveloped,
appropriate supporting ideas generalizations providing little
support to provided without or no relevant
make meaning (reasons/general adequate support.
clear. examples). support. .
Grammar, Response is Response has 3 Response has Response has 6
Usage, and free from any or less errors. 4-5 errors. or more errors.
Mechanics errors.
200 words YES NO

Gauge

MULTIPLE CHOICE.
Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer and write your answer on
the space provided before each number.

1. What refers to the transformation of forests, wetlands, and

agricultural lands into commercial or industrial developed lands?
A. Land conversion B. Runoff from developed lands
C. Agricultural activities D. Transportation infrastructure

2. Which of the following contributes water pollution?

A. Construction sites B. Industrial sites
C. Agricultural activities D. All of the above

3. How are aquatic ecosystems threatened by sediments in water?

A. Sediments increases the capacity of reservoirs and make it
easier to ships to navigate in waterways
B. It helps the equipment used in water supply installations
C. Sediments harm plants and animals by carrying toxic materials
into the water
D. Increases the amount of sunlight penetrating the water

2
LU_Earth Science_Module5
 4. Which of the following human actions affect water resources?
A. Sedimentation B. Urban growth
C. Pollution D. All of the above

5. How can different kinds of pollution affect water resources?

A. They increase the quality of rainwater and of water resources both
above and below ground
B. Improve natural resources
C. Emissions create acidic conditions that damages ecosystems
D. Sewage and runoff from farms, farmlands and gardens can contain
nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous repair ecological
affects

6. Which of the following is potential source of groundwater pollution?

A. Disposal sites B. Septic tanks
C. Pesticides and fertilizers D. All of the above

7. What aspect of farming causes soil pollution?

A. Pesticides B. Both A and B
C. Commercial Fertilizers D. None of the above

8. What refers to the loss of the ability of land to function sustainably

in an ecosystem?
A. Soil Conservation B. Soil Quality
C. Soil Erosion D. Soil Degradation

9. Which recreational activity contributes to soil erosion?

A. Off - roading B. Boating
C. Tree – planting projects D. Picnics

10. What happens when water carries of soil and rocks during storms
or strong rains?
A. Desertification B. Soil Erosion
C. Soil Damage D. Soil Conservation

11. What is the expansion of desert conditions in areas where the

natural plant cover has been destroyed?
A. Soil Damage B. Soil Erosion
C. Desertification D. Soil Conservation
 12. What is referred to as consumption of vegetation by livestock or
wildlife to the point where the grass cover is depleted, leaving bare,
unprotected patches of soil?
A. Pasture B. Herding
C. Feeding D. Overgrazing

13. Which among the following items is considered a soil pollutant?

A. Collected cans B. fruit and vegetable peels
C. Mine waste D. Leaves and twigs

14. Which of these items are biodegradable?

A. Collected cans B. Used baby diapers
C. Mine tailings D. Leaves and twigs

15. Which layer of soil is composed mainly of decaying matter?

A. Humus B. Topsoil
C. Bedrock D. Subsoil
 Answer Key

Pretest Activity 1: Read Me! Understand Me! Gauge

Differentiated answers.

Activity 2: Table Completion

Differentiated answers.

Activity 3: It Starts With Me

Differentiated answers.

Activity 4: 4Pics1Word
SOIL

Activity 5: Evaluative Reading

Differentiated answers.

Activity 5.1: I Am Making My Stand

Differentiated answers.

Activity 5.2: Where Do I stand?

Differentiated answers.

23

LU_Earth Science_Module5
References
Printed Materials

Garcia, Arlance Sandra Marie M. Earth Science:Grade 11/12 Module 10

Week 5 – 6, First Edition, 2020, La Union Schools Division,
Region 1
Licuanan, Patricia B. Ph.D., (Commission on Higher Education, 2016), 154-156

Olivar II, Jose Tolentino, Rodolfo, Raymond, Cabria, Hillel: Earth Science
(Philippines: Phoenix Publishing House Inc. 2016), 120 – 135

Petersen, James, Robert Gabler, Dorothy Sack, Mike Seeds, Dana

Backman, Donald Hyndman, Davin Hyndman: Earth and Life
Science. 14th ed. (Philippines: Rex Bookstore, 2016), 229 – 254

Rodriguez, Maree Lyne J. Earth Science:Grade 11/12 Module 9 Week 4 –

5, First Edition, 2020, La Union Schools Division, Region 1

Website

AP Environmental Science: Water Resources

https://www.varsitytutors.com/ap_environmental_science-
help/introductory-concepts-and-earth-science/water-
resources?page=2

Encyclopedia Britannica:
https://www.britannica.com/science/ocean
https://climatechange.ucdavis.edu/climate-change-
definitions/difference-between-glacier-and-ice-shelf/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com

https://usgs.gov>science; https://www.otsuka.co.jp)

https://sciencing.com/3-major-ocean-zones-22658.html

License: GNU-FDL http://en.wikipedia.org/wki/Earth

NASA Climate Kids: , last updates June 18th, 2020NationalGeographic:
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/surfacewat
er/#:~:text=Surface%20water%20is%20a%20key%20componen t
%20to%20the%20hydrologic%20cycle.&text=Surface%20water
%20is%20any%20body,wetlands%2C%20reservoirs%2C%20an
d%20creeks.&text=Water%20that%20seeps%20deep%20into,c
an%20feed%20into%20each%20other.
National Geographic:
 https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/lake/

National Ocean Service:

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/light_travel.html, last
updated 04/09/2020

National Ocean Service:

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/thermocline.html,
updated 11/13/19

Ocean Temperature:
https://archive.bigelow.org/shipmates/temperature.html

Windows to the Universe:

https://www.windows2universe.org/earth/polar/cryosphere_g
lacier1.html

Wonderopolis: https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/can-you-drink-water-
from-a-stream, 2014-2020
 For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

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