Subject
Objective
Description/What to do in the classroom
Things to consider/science behind it
Number of TryScience.org features used
Titles of TryScience.org features
Materials Used
Results of student feedback and teacher assessment of activity
Attachments

Subject
8th Science Hydrology

Objective
Exploring the physics of paddling and clean water quality of the recreational Hydrosphere we enjoy in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Science Standards: (List as applicable)
North Carolina 8th Grade competency goals.
Competency Goal 4: The learner will build an understanding of motion and forces.
Objective 4.03: Analyze simple machines for mechanical advantage and efficiency.

Competency Goal 1: The learner will build an understanding of the hydrosphere. Objective 1.02: Analyze hydrosphere data over time to predict the health of a water system. Objective 1.04: Assess human impact on water quality.

Description/What to do in the classroom
Students are introduced to hydrology by visiting a local river each week for a period of at least 6 weeks. They make general observations about the river environment and they collect water samples to look at water quality indicators including turbidity. Students will visit the Academy of Natural Sciences' educational supplement "From Sky to Sea," discovered by using the TryScience website search engine in Field Trips. Background information on the importance of water on earth will be explored including water cycle basics to exploration of water environments from watershed to estuaries. The hands-on turbidity activity from the TryScience Experiment menu will allow students to observe the effect of varying degrees of sediment loading. Students will then use computer technology to compose a spreadsheet and graphs of the data and to evaluate their data.

Building on local recreation interests that students may have developed during the local river visits, students will explore physics concepts of work and force in evaluating paddling lever action. The kayak activity in the TryScience website Adventure menu is used in reinforcing classroom concepts of work and simple machines.

Things to consider/science behind it
Students in our poor rural mountain community often do not view themselves as capable of pursuing advanced studies in science-related careers. To encourage these students to study hydrology in the classroom, we use their pride and interest in their local river. The 8th Grade Science classes visit the nearby river each week in late summer/early fall and late winter/early spring. The students either walk or we take a bus (if handicap considerations must be taken into account). Students begin by making observations about the natural environment surrounding the river and considering the source, destination, and use of the river. This descriptive exercise is brought to a close by allowing students to write a story, poem, or draw a picture of their local river environment (diverse learner expression). Hand-on sampling at the river quickly follows in-class instruction and demonstration of sampling techniques. Students may not sample in the rain, but a trip may be taken to the river pavilion to observe the cloudiness of the river as a result of the sediment imput from the rain (if rain has been occurring overnight).

The area we live in is well known for the recreational adventures such as kayaking and mountain biking. Unfortunately, there exists a gap between the tourists taking advantage of these opportunities and the local population that simply observes their activities. The TryScience Adventure activity allows an opportunity to use what the students see in their own backyard on a daily basis to help explain classroom concepts of physics. It may de-mystify kayaking and encourage an interest in an activity so readily available to them!

Curriculum topics
Earth Science - Hydrology and man's impact on water quality.
Physics - Work and the lever action/principle of simple machines.

Integration of TryScience.org features
This unit introduces background information on hydrology by having students go to an Academy of Sciences website that was provided by the TryScience search engine in Field Trips. To supplement the actual hands-on river sampling, students will look at the TryScience Experiment menu in Earth Sciences and conduct the turbidity activity. The kayak interactive activity from the TryScience Adventure menu will allow students a fun way of looking at the lever action of paddling.

Number of TryScience.org features used
0-5

Titles of TryScience.org features
Experiments: Earth Sciences, Turbidity
Field Trips: Search Engine, water education, Academy of Sciences ? Educational Supplement ? From Sky to Sea
Adventure: Extreme Science, Kayaking Challenge, Levers Training and Competition

Materials Used
The Activity bus is provided by the county school system. Sampling equipment/kits and chemicals have been purchased through grant applications. The North Carolina Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) provided training in the use of the equipment.

Computers are available to the students on a bi-weekly basis in the Media Center of our school. During this time students can look up and participate in the web information/activities provided by the Academy of Natural Sciences website "From Sky to Sea." They will be encouraged to explore other hydrology related Field Trip sites for more information. The computers will also be used to construct the spreadsheet/graphs and for student conclusions. We also have use of the Smart-Board or Star-Board in introducing the Adventure activity, and instructing students in spreadsheet/graphing skills.

The experiment provided by TryScience for turbidity will be conducted in the classroom and introduced with the Star-Board from the website. Students will provide jars.

Results of student feedback and teacher assessment of activity
My students and I are always looking for interractive web activities that tie into the subject area. We looked in on the TryScience website and tried a few of the Extreme Adventure activities. We were more intersted in the kayak challenge as it tied into our semester long theme of Hydrology. When we tried to use the activity on the teacher computer, we kept getting kicked off. When we tried on the Media center computers, we had a lot more luck. Several of the teachers here are paddlers. They commented that a duffeck or a pivot turn is the correct term for the brace used by TryScience. A brace for a paddler is a way to stay upright. The sweep training demonstrates a reverse sweep and was confusing taking it into training runs or competition.