Overall objective: to increase the students understanding of the nonpoint pollution of Long Island Sound as apart of the human impact on the sound.
Lesson #1 Small fieldtrips on a weekly basis to a site off of route 80 on the Quinnipiac Basin.
Equipment:
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Rubber boots, protective gloves, plastic garbage bags, map of the area with a superimposed grid, clipboard, camera
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Objectives:
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The students will walk the shore and collect litter in the shallows and on the shore.
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The students will number each piece of litter.
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The students will mark with the litter number where they found the litter on the map.
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The students will date the map.
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The students will identify the litter as to material, paper hamburger wrapper, plastic straw, metal soda can, etc.
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The students will identify the source of the litter as nearly as possible, MacDonald’s hamburger wrapper, wood scraps from a construction site, rubber tire tread from Interstate 91, etc.
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The above objectives, even though they take place in a swamp, are part of the Big Six steps to research. By locating, picking up, and recording information on the litter, the students are in fact doing step 5 of the Big Six, Location and Access of Information.
On going discussions to identify the litter and speculation as to where it came from and how it got there will take place. Useful comments will be recorded, and any mystery objects will be brought to science class for further identification. Pictures will be taken of each expedition. On some trips a video camera will be used.
Lesson #2 Make a pictograph of the litter collected on weekly field trips to the Quinnipiac Basin.
Equipment:
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grid maps and field notes on the litter collected on weekly fieldtrips
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graph paper
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computer program with graphic capabilities
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Objectives:
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Students will look at samples of pictographs.
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Students will categorize the litter by material, organic, plastic, paper, metal, etc.
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Students will total the number of items in each category.
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Students will draw a picture to represent each category.
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Students will decide how many items will be represented by each picture.
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Students will make a legend to explain the pictograph.
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Students will divide the number for each picture into the number of items in each category to find out how many pictures each category will have.
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Students will set up the pictograph with categories going up the left-hand side of the graph and numbers of items extending along the bottom of the graph.
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At least one group of students will put their graph on the computer and print it out.
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Students will draw conclusions on what kind of litter predominates in this area.
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Students will brainstorm for ideas to eliminate the litter.
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Another pictograph can be made by changing the categories to places of origin. K-Mart, MacDonalds, Burger King and Dunkin Donuts all have shops in the vicinity. A student delegation could present a pictograph of their findings to the managers of these business establishments along with a letter of praise for the store with the least amount of litter.
The above lesson uses the Big Six tasks 4 Use of Information and 5 Synthesis. When they categorize the litter, the students used the information by imposing logical criteria on a pile of trash. When they use this organized data in pictographs they synthesize their data to make a point about nonpoint pollution in Long Island Sound. First they show that it exists in their neighborhood. By categorizing the litter by source, they identify the culprits. Then they act on this knowledge by going to the sources to prevent further pollution.
Lesson #3 Make a percent graph of the litter collected on weekly trips to the Quinnipiac Basin.
Equipment:
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grid maps and field notes collected on fieldtrips to the Quinnipiac River Basin
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compass
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protractor
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colored pencils or magic markers
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The above lesson will closely resemble the previous lesson on making a pictograph. The categorizing will be the same. However, the mathematics involved in determining percentages of each category will be different. The students will divide the total number of litter pieces into the total number of pieces for each category to arrive at a percentage. For example if the total number of litter is 141 and the total number of plastic pieces is 47, divide 47 by 141 to get .33. Plastic then is 33% of the total litter problem.
A pie graph is a circle of 360 degrees. The student will draw a circle using a compass and draw a diameter through the midpoint of the circle. The students will figure out that 33% or one third of 360 is 120. Divide 3 into 360. They will then count off 120 degrees using a protractor which is placed on the diameter. This slice of the circle will then be colored and labeled plastics. The students will repeat this process for the other categories of litter.
This graph can be used on the students’ posters which will be displayed and explained at the culminating activity, the town meeting.
Lesson #4 Make a line graph of litter collected during weekly field trips to the Quinnipiac River Basin.
Equipment:
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grid maps and field notes of litter collected on fieldtrips to the Quinnipiac River Basin.
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graph paper
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Objectives:
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Students learn how to transform grid maps and field notes into a line graph which fluctuations in the number of pieces of litter collected on a weekly basis over a month.
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Students observe samples of line graphs.
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Students set up a line graph . The number of pieces of litter run up the left-hand side of the graph and the dates on which the litter was collected will extend along the bottom of the grid.
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Students will tally the number of pieces of litter for each day and place a dot on the graph paper for each total and day.
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Students will draw lines to connect the dots. Fluctuations in the litter count will then become clear.
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Students will speculate what events might cause the litter to increase and decrease. For example weather, holidays (Halloween), sales, construction all could influence the amount of litter generated and strewn around the Quinnipiac Basin.
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The line graph shows littering over time. After the initial litter collection and clean up, subsequent collections should be less if only because they represent a week’s worth of litter as opposed to a year’s worth of litter. The real purpose of the graph would be to compare these weeks. If the amount of litter gradually decreases, it may be due to the fact that people are hesitant to litter in pristine places. The students may wish to post a sign saying that the area is maintained be the students of BRAMS to further discourage littering. This line graph could also be used on the group posters on nonpoint pollution. The graph could be presented at the town meeting.
Like the pictographs and the percentage graphs, the line graph exercise is a part of the Big Six approach to research. Task 4 Using Information and task 5 Synthesis both come into play.
It is quite possible that no one class of students will be so interested in graphing information that they will tolerate three such lessons in a row on the subject. Since this unit is a group learning exercise the different groups may use different graphs to illustrate the outcomes of their research questions. So a different lesson on graphing may be presented to each small research group.
Lesson #5 Evaluate a collaborative group learning project on nonpoint pollution in Long Island Sound.
Objectives:
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The student will evaluate the group’s poster presentation.
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The student will evaluate the group’s poster.
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The student will evaluate the group’s written speech.
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The student will evaluate the research.
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The student will evaluate the process of researching.
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The student will evaluate the process of working with a group.
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The student will evaluate his or her individual contribution to the group effort.
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