 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Use this Interactive Module to Teach about the Chesapeake Bay
Using data in the classroom presents excellent opportunities for educators. A classroom of students excitedly sets out in canoes from the shores of the Potomac River. For weeks, they have been using the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System (CBIBS) website to study the Chesapeake Bay and the scientific voyages of Captain John Smith in their classroom. Now it is time for them to paddle those same waters along the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. Offshore, they find the NOAA buoy that serves as a trail marker. They are eager to call into the buoy to get the real-time data for their data sheets and to hear the historical information for that site.
During their field experience, the students will take water quality measurements and make observations about what they see – bay grasses, crabs, jellyfish, blue heron, and more. Back in the classroom, the students will enter this information in their scientific journals and on the CBIBS website and compare it to other student data from around the Bay.
Once a dream to teachers and researchers, this scenario will become a reality this summer. The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office in partnership with NOAA's National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS), teachers across the nation, is currently working to create a place-based curriculum about the Chesapeake Bay. This curriculum will use data from NOAA CBIBS, the NERRS System-wide Monitoring Program (SWMP), the National Weather Service, and local monitoring systems from state resource agencies and universities.
In the Chesapeake Bay Module, students (in grades 8-12) investigate the Chesapeake Bay, examine the dynamics of the Bay—how it changes on daily, tidal, and seasonal cycles—and then conduct their own investigations into living shorelines. Exploring maps and accessing real, often current data, students look at the terrain of the Bay and its watershed, investigate changes in salinity, temperature, pH, and other abiotic factors, and consider how these affect and cause changes in the life and habitats of the Bay.
The Module consists of three activities:
- Activity 1: About the Chesapeake Bay
- Activity 2: How Does Chesapeake Bay Change on Seasonal, Daily, and Tidal Cycles?
- Activity 3: Researching Rockfish
The activities, which are all Web-based , feature interactive use of data gathered by buoys and other instruments in and around Chesapeake Bay. The data, which are constantly being updated, are presented in the form of maps, graphs, and animations. Dynamically generated worksheets (and answer keys) take full advantage of the authentic, ever-changing nature of the data and the flexibility of the interactive tools, while providing the structure, guidance, and assessment options important to classroom implementation.
Overall Learning Goals
Students learn about:
1. How salinity, nutrients, and biological productivity of Chesapeake Bay vary on seasonal, daily, and tidal scales;
2. How these variations (cycles) relate to the physical structure and habitats of Chesapeake Bay; and
3. How weather events can impact the normal cycles.
Students develop skills related to:
4. Inquiry — asking relevant questions, designing investigations, analysing data, and drawing conclusions;
5. Technology — using computers, the Internet, and relevant software to access and use data; and
6. Visualizations — working effectively with maps, graphs, and animations to support their investigations.
Last Updated on: 07-13-2008
|
|
|
|
|