Matthew D. Cacopardo
Scientific Inquiry and Literacy
Students will use New Haven harbor to conduct ecological research. By accessing information about the harbor generated by government agencies and local scientists students will search for and assess the relevance and credibility of scientific information found in various print and electronic forms. This information will be used to describe pollution levels found throughout in the sediment of the harbor. Students will then predict the environmental quality of the harbor with a hypothesis. Collecting biological, chemical and geological data at four locations within the harbor will test this prediction. Students will then analyze and interpret the data with a written conclusion.
Scientific Numeracy
This unit includes the ability to use mathematical operations and procedures to calculate, analyze and present scientific data and ideas. Students will calculate species richness, species evenness and a diversity index to determine the overall heath to the selected sampling sites found in New Haven harbor.
