Water. Merriam-Webster defines water as "the liquid that descends from the clouds as rain, forms streams, lakes, and seas, and is a major constituent of all living matter and that when pure is an odorless, tasteless, very slightly compressible liquid oxide of hydrogen H
2
O which appears bluish in thick layers, freezes at 0° C and boils at 100° C, has a maximum density at 4° C and a high specific heat, and is a poor conductor of electricity and a good solvent." Middle school students might instead define water as something "wet" that they use to: wash their hands, rehydrate with on the basketball court, and cool off with on a hot summer day.
Growing up outside of Cleveland, OH I spent a great deal of time exploring and enjoying the freshwater of Lake Erie. Many of my fondest childhood memories include Lake Erie, as this shallow Great Lake provides transportation, employment, food, and recreation to residents and visitors of Northeast Ohio. When I moved to Connecticut almost two years ago I was so excited to once again be close to water. One of the selling points of New Haven for me was the fact that is sits along an estuary, the Long Island Sound. However, I must admit, over the past two years I have learned little about this brackish water supply. I have also discovered by probing my students with questions about the Long Island Sound, that they too know little about this rich natural resource.
In order to create transformational change, teachers need to impact all areas of their students' lives, from academic growth to communication skills and character building. Creating a curriculum unit focused on asking questions in biology, allows for a combination of these skills. Academically, students can gain a deeper understanding of how biologists ask questions. This unit also focuses on creating a sense of community and understanding about the local area around New Haven, as the Long Island Sound is right in our backyard. And finally, this unit provides students with the knowledge and skills they need to become responsible citizens who are curious about the world around them and capable of making informed decisions about social and ethical issues relating to pollution, organisms, and the environment as a whole.
The New Haven 7
th
and 8
th
Grade General Science Curriculums focus heavily on inquiry skills and the biological sciences. The 7
th
grade curriculum includes units on properties of matter, chemical properties, cells, genetics and reproduction, life systems (musculo-skeletal and biochemical), and microbes. By beginning the year with a curriculum unit on "The Scientific Method Goes for a Swim in the Long Island Sound" students can refer their inquiry skills and gain confidence in their first ever class devoted completely to science. The 6
th
grade science content cover ecosystem populations and water pollution, a subject tested on in the 8
th
Grade Science CMT. Over the past two years I have discovered that very little science is actually being taught until students reach 7
th
and 8
th
grade. Students are supposed to come in with skills and knowledge that are just not present. This unit can be used to quickly elevate students where they need to be. This unit covers abiotic and biotic factors, food webs, invasive species, and both natural and man-made pollution to the Long Island Sound. It also allows for a smooth transition into the first 7
th
grade science unit on Properties of Matter, as much of the pollutants to the Long Island Sound (phosphorus, sulfur, lead, nitrogen) can be found on the Periodic Table of Elements. In addition to background knowledge, this unit also includes activities that will allow students to continue to make connections to the Long Island Sound throughout the course of the school year. Some possible concepts to make connections to include density, chemical properties of pollutants, types of unicellular organisms (algae), plant cells, characteristics of a living thing, comparing and contrasting organ systems of different animals in food chains, levels of biological organization, effects of bacteria on other organisms, and erosion and runoff.
Overall, this unit addresses inquiry skills and allows for application of biological content. The focus of this unit is not only to introduce students to the scientific method, but also to give them the tools necessary to state a problem, develop a hypothesis, design an experiment, collect data, analyze trends, and draw conclusions. This is accomplished through the lens of ecology and centers around experience in the field with a class trip to the Long Island Sound. Students need to make the connection of how using the scientific method is a logical and procedural way to go about solving problems in the ecological field. The famous biologist Charles Darwin and his trip to the Galapagos Islands serve as the perfect backdrop for this unit. The big idea students should take away from this unit ties to the following statement: the scientific method is a process used to answer questions about the natural world. This unit encourages students to ask questions about the Long Island Sound through the help of a classroom fieldtrip that gives students a chance to explore and inquire about their local community. This curriculum unit can also serve as a springboard for the New Haven Science Fair. Through participation in this event, students can practice proposing questions, evaluating their thinking, and defending their conclusions, just like other famous biologists that came before them!
