I have decided to incorporate all of best parts of these methods. My unit design starts by taking something that happens that is unexpected about the New Haven watershed, (unsafe for swimming signs, brown water in the sound, Man-o-war jellyfish in the sound in 2006). I will then give the students a formative assessment probe with a handful of explanations for the phenomena, and see which one they agree with. It will be centered on a new haven watershed problem (PBL). We will then discuss their choices in class (Engage), give their anecdotes in a class discussion, and start asking questions. We will then use QFT to hone the questions for background research (Explore). Students will evaluate credibility of sources, synthesize information, and share their findings with the class (Explain). We will then compare our research to our questions, and see if they are all answered. Any that are not answered, or any pieces that don’t have explanations, we will try to see if we can measure something about the river to answer those questions. We will then plan out our procedures for those measurements, research how to take and analyze those measurements, and develop a method of data organization (Elaborate). Students will write conclusions from our data, based on the trends, outliers, procedural problems, human errors and systemic errors (Evaluate). Then they will decide what to do with this new knowledge. They have to actually try to solve the problem by community engagement, political action, or engineering a design.
Lessons
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Re-evaluate & Model: Students will have to re-evaluate their original assessment of the water samples from day Students will be assigned one sample to explain, and have to draw pictures of what is in the water sample, and explain how it got there, whether it is good or bad, high or low, and justify.
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Stream walk field trip: We will walk from a drinking water source to a tidal estuary, along a river in our city. Start: Lake Whitney, just above Eli Whitney Museum, down Whitney Ave, past the dam and plunge pool, along the river, to the canoe launch on Orange St. May combine with sampling, if time permits. Students will take photos, and notes, and write questions.
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Tour of a local facility: either a wastewater or drinking water treatment plant. Students will have to bring a list of questions from their research, and their question lists.
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Water Conservation Seminar: Students will be introduced to rain barrels, swales, rain gardens, rooftop gardens, and many ways to conserve water in their home. Combination of stations and lecture.
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Water Testing Lab: Students will look at their water samples under a microscope, to identify macroinvertebrates, larvae, insects, and algae. Students will compile the field testing with their microscope observations, and compare to data from regional water authority testing at the same site. Enrichment & extension: students can plate samples and try to grow coliform bacteria. Students will hand in conclusions, data and error analysis. Students will be allowed to test and observe original samples (though because they have sat, some test may no longer be valid).
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Sampling Field Trip: students will be taking samples from a local stream or river, in a location that is low in coliform bacteria, away from a sewer overflow site. Students will use LaMotte water quality testing in the field to do dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, pH, temp, and salinity testing.
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Students will then be told what the other activities in the unit will be, and will be given a list of topics and projects they would like to choose from. They will have to choose one project, or design their own by the end of the unit. They should also choose a new topic they are curious about to do further research about.
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Mini-report: students are expected to share out what they found out, and explain if their new knowledge changes what they originally thought was in the water samples.
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Research: Students will have library time to do background research on their river. They are expected to find one problem, one proposed solution for the river they chose. They should also try to answer at least 5 of their own questions.
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Question modifying: Students can modify or add to their question list. Then they will go through QFT to hone their questions down into research and experiment questions. They will choose one river to research from the new haven watershed.
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Reading: Students will read an article about a local watershed, probably the Mill River since there are local newspaper articles readily available about the Mill River Plan.
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Questions: Students will write questions about the different bodies of water and what they observe about the samples, and what others used as justifications for their choices.
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Formative Assessment Probe: I will have them complete a formative assessment probe trying to explain what is in the water. It will have several points of view (POV), all with common misconceptions but one. Students will have to choose which POV they think is correct. The class will be polled, and students will be asked if they would like to share who they voted for and why. Students will purposefully not be told which is correct. The purpose is to get them to reflect and change their own thinking based on the data they take in the unit. Metacognition is the most effective way to build logical scientific reasoning and capacity.
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Phenomena: Show students samples of water from various bodies of water in new haven, including drinking water from their tap, Lake Whitney, Long Island Sound, West River, Quinnipiac River, and Mill River. Ask the students to make observations of each sample then to attempt to label each sample with where it is from and justify their choices.
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Environmental Justice Project: Students will pick one thing they can do to improve the quality of the water in New Haven. Any water: drinking, waste, ground, streams, rivers, lakes. They need to actually get involved, go to a meeting, make a poster, plant a rain garden, volunteer at a clean-up. They then need to Instagram or tweet their contribution. Selfies encouraged. Lastly, share their experience in a written reflection, optional share out in a circle in class.
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Possible Activities for a Classroom Lesson or Student Project:
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Plant new rain gardens
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Maintain existing community rain gardens
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Plant trees and plants in the riparian zones
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Volunteer to help the NH park service on cleanup days
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Cleanup after homeless encampments
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Cleanup after dogs
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Publicize and attend the west river water festival in July
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Monitor the measurements of the river
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Art installations that highlight watershed problems
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Public Relations campaign on social media to raise awareness
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Attend and speak up at a city council meeting.
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Write a letter to the editor of a local paper concerning CSOs
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Start a phone call campaign or a letter writing campaign to a political representative
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Write a letter to NOAA, NASA, the EPA, or the NSF asking them not to cut funding to programs for watersheds and watershed educational outreach.