THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL
THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL MOUNT ARLINGTON STUDENTS ANALYZE THE MUSCONETCONG WATERSHED
With words like infiltration, DO2, impervious, runoff, indicator organisms, riparian buffer, and watershed, Grade 5 students at Mount Arlington School completed a field stream and watershed analysis study at Memorial Park in June. Using the District’s Enrichment for All model, the program was developed as interdisciplinary unit by Team Respect. The program connects the students with research, field work, data collection, data analysis, and writing skills by using the lake community as a resource.
Sara Farris succinctly summarized the experience: “It was a day full of fun even though we were still learning so much! I learned about different types of invertebrates found in streams.” Madelyn Svenningsen enjoyed “the part where we walked in the river and moved rocks so we could capture (and then release) invertebrates for water quality testing by looking at indicator organisms. We found Class 1 and 2 indicator organisms (crayfish and the larvae of dragonflies and caddishflies) which means the stream is healthy.” Nicole Frey commented, “I thought it was really cool. I saw how fast the current moved and I made a field map.” Sydney Ostolaza calculated the extremes of the stream data set and adds, “The velocities ranged from 0.28 ft/sec to 1.85 ft/sec depending on the path the ball travelled in the streambed. We also observed a decrease in the stream flow when students entered the stream upstream to do their testing.” Mila Teodorescu added “I learned how important it is to check your cars to make sure the oil is not leaking into surface runoff that could reach the lake.” First the students received classroom instruction by scientists from the Musconetcong Watershed Association and by Grade 7 student mentor Marcus Roldan who presents background information on the geology and hydrology of the region. Roldan has also posted his research presentation on the Mount Arlington Historical Society website: https://sites.google.com/site/mapshistoricalsocietyproject/home . This website also provides a variety of information about the community and includes historical photographs and postcards of Lake Hopatcong many of which came from the state’s digital library records. After the classroom activity, students participate in the field study which includes sample collection of macro-invertebrates to identify indicator organisms, a study of the stream’s velocity with time and distance measurements, and a site mapping activity. Using the data student then applying their math skills for calculations and graphs. Not only does the program bring meaning to the students’ understanding of math and science but it offers students the opportunity for building team skills as the students coordinate the data collection activities. Students learn about how humans impact a watershed and see how choices they make now and in the future can affect the lake quality. They learn the importance of maintaining a riparian buffer along streams and tributaries. They grasp an understanding of the impact of fertilizers and pesticides that might be used by businesses and homeowners. They see how important it is to maintain a properly working septic or the value of sewers over septic tanks and septic fields. Next year the students’ field data will be used for their study of statistics in their Grade 6 Math class. Under the Common Core Math Standards, Grade 6 students now have to create box-and-whisker plots and calculate mean standard deviation; using real data brings meaning to the calculations. This unit of study was developed to meet the Next Generation Science Standards which combines science with math applications as well as reading and writing activities. Students also explore career options and learn about to the subfields of life science and earth science: ecology, hydrology, geology, and limnology.
With words like infiltration, DO2, impervious, runoff, indicator organisms, riparian buffer, and watershed, Grade 5 students at Mount Arlington School completed a field stream and watershed analysis study at Memorial Park in June. Using the District’s Enrichment for All model, the program was developed as interdisciplinary unit by Team Respect. The program connects the students with research, field work, data collection, data analysis, and writing skills by using the lake community as a resource.
Sara Farris succinctly summarized the experience: “It was a day full of fun even though we were still learning so much! I learned about different types of invertebrates found in streams.” Madelyn Svenningsen enjoyed “the part where we walked in the river and moved rocks so we could capture (and then release) invertebrates for water quality testing by looking at indicator organisms. We found Class 1 and 2 indicator organisms (crayfish and the larvae of dragonflies and caddishflies) which means the stream is healthy.” Nicole Frey commented, “I thought it was really cool. I saw how fast the current moved and I made a field map.” Sydney Ostolaza calculated the extremes of the stream data set and adds, “The velocities ranged from 0.28 ft/sec to 1.85 ft/sec depending on the path the ball travelled in the streambed. We also observed a decrease in the stream flow when students entered the stream upstream to do their testing.” Mila Teodorescu added “I learned how important it is to check your cars to make sure the oil is not leaking into surface runoff that could reach the lake.” First the students received classroom instruction by scientists from the Musconetcong Watershed Association and by Grade 7 student mentor Marcus Roldan who presents background information on the geology and hydrology of the region. Roldan has also posted his research presentation on the Mount Arlington Historical Society website: https://sites.google.com/site/mapshistoricalsocietyproject/home . This website also provides a variety of information about the community and includes historical photographs and postcards of Lake Hopatcong many of which came from the state’s digital library records. After the classroom activity, students participate in the field study which includes sample collection of macro-invertebrates to identify indicator organisms, a study of the stream’s velocity with time and distance measurements, and a site mapping activity. Using the data student then applying their math skills for calculations and graphs. Not only does the program bring meaning to the students’ understanding of math and science but it offers students the opportunity for building team skills as the students coordinate the data collection activities. Students learn about how humans impact a watershed and see how choices they make now and in the future can affect the lake quality. They learn the importance of maintaining a riparian buffer along streams and tributaries. They grasp an understanding of the impact of fertilizers and pesticides that might be used by businesses and homeowners. They see how important it is to maintain a properly working septic or the value of sewers over septic tanks and septic fields. Next year the students’ field data will be used for their study of statistics in their Grade 6 Math class. Under the Common Core Math Standards, Grade 6 students now have to create box-and-whisker plots and calculate mean standard deviation; using real data brings meaning to the calculations. This unit of study was developed to meet the Next Generation Science Standards which combines science with math applications as well as reading and writing activities. Students also explore career options and learn about to the subfields of life science and earth science: ecology, hydrology, geology, and limnology.
