Matthew D. Cacopardo
Food Webs and the Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals
It would be beneficial to introduce Heavy Metals at this time. Have students look around their house and neighborhood and make a list of all the products that are made of metal. It may be a good idea to review the metals on the periodic chart.
Once students have compiled a list the teacher should begin to talk about pollutants in the environment. These pollutants are a product of the Industrial Revolution. The teacher should tie in the relationship of New Haven as a heavily industrialized city during this period and the use of the harbor as an industrial dumping ground. A trip to the New Haven Colony Historical Society can be planned. A slide show can be scheduled to see how New Haven was a prominent port during the Industrial revolution. The museum is at 114 Whitney Avenue New Haven, CT, around the corner from the Peabody Museum of Natural History. The telephone number is 203-562-4183. A scavenger hunt can be assigned to locate the various factories found on the Quinnipiac, and Mill rivers and New Haven Harbor.
