Strategies
This unit is written for fourth grade students who live within the city limits of Richmond. In Richmond, many people like to vacation at "the Rivah". This term is not specific to any one river. It could mean the Rappahannock, the Pamunkey, or the Mattaponi to name a few. Some of my students are fortunate enough to travel to "the Rivah" or to Virginia Beach. However, others rarely escape the sweltering pavement of their Richmond neighborhood in the summertime. The experiences that my students bring to the classroom vary greatly. The unit I write, "Teaching Principles of Ecology Through the Study of an Ecosystem" will not only teach my students about the watershed, but also will develop young stewards of the bay. The unit will be designed to create a meaningful watershed experience. A meaningful watershed experience (MWE) has numerous components by definition. Some of the ones that stand out to me are that it is taught over an extended period of time, will include an outdoor experience, and will include an action project. This unit will focus on the Chesapeake, but could be adapted to fit any watershed.
This unit will be integrated with the fourth grade social studies curriculum and will also have art, math and language arts components. It will begin with a geography lesson introducing the students to the five regions of Virginia. The bordering states and bodies of water will be identified. Next, the main rivers beginning in the Blue Ridge Mountains and emptying into the Chesapeake Bay will be identified. The students will create a watershed model based on a map of Virginia. I am choosing to make the model as opposed to borrowing an Enviroscape® from the Department of Environmental Quality because the students will not only learn more, but will also remember more by constructing it. The students will learn how to read a topography map and how to properly scale the model. The map will be constructed using different colors of wax. Throughout the construction of the model, the students will learn the topography of each region. Then, the model will be used to examine the effects of pollution. One strategy that I will use to explore the effects of pollution comes from Project Wet®. The students will have to identify the agriculture, residential and commercial areas around the state. As they do, I will sprinkle different colors of Kool-Aid to represent different kinds of pollutants. Then a spray bottle will be used to spray water on the model. By using this strategy, the students will be able to see that even the pollutants in the Valley and Ridge Region enter waterways and collect in the Chesapeake Bay. The students will also see how the different areas are polluting the bay. By using different colors of Kool-Aid, the result is the same as mixing the wrong combination of paints, a brownish color that resembles mud.
The students will understand how land use has changed over time and will draw conclusions about the effect human impact has on the watershed. The strategy to teach this concept will be comparing and contrasting satellite images in small groups. The images will show the same location, but at different points in time. The students will also share their pictures and their observations. Then, the class will come together and draw conclusions about land and chemical use and its effects on the bay.
As we begin to learn specifically about the bay and the ecosystem of the bay, I will use a series of demonstrations to capture the students' attention. These will take about ten minutes and will teach the student an important aspect in a visual hands-on way. One will demonstrate how an elodea, an aquatic plant, produces oxygen in water. Another one will demonstrate how oysters filter water. I will use two containers with the same amount of bay water. I will place an oyster in one container and the students will observe the changes in the water throughout the day. The third demonstration will show how different levels of salinity can cause currents, which stir up the sediment on the bottom of the bay. This will make the water cloudy and will lead to a discussion about water clarity and how it affects the sea grasses.
Once the students understand how a watershed works, the next area of focus will be ecosystems. By understanding both of these concepts, the students will be able to examine the impact pollution and global warming have on the Chesapeake Bay. The students will be asked to write a persuasive essay to convince others to care for our great natural resource, the Chesapeake Bay. Prior to drafting these essays, the class will brainstorm a list of ideas. Using a graphic organizer, we can sort the information into pros and cons. This strategy will not only help the students to organize their thoughts, but also to guide and model for the students who need more support.
Another strategy will be to write the Chesapeake Bay version of A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry. This children's book explores the history, destruction and restoration of the Nashua watershed (Massachusetts). This strategy will evoke higher level thinking skills and develop writing skills as the students synthesize the information they have learned.
The final phase of the unit will be to work on two action projects. First, the students will stencil storm drains in the neighborhood surrounding the school. The message will let residents know that whatever enters the storm drain goes to the Chesapeake Bay. The second action project will be to plant native plants at Reedy Creek. This will help to prevent erosion into the James River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. These will be done much later in the year. The rationale for the delay is weather and also time. In order to stencil the storm drains the students need to write to the city to get permission. The students will also have to notify the residents of the project. This project is planned for the spring when the weather is warmer, which should be more conducive to painting. Through these projects, the students will understand that even children can make a difference and help save their local watershed.
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