About the Modules
It is our pleasure to introduce the High School Estuaries 101 Curriculum. Focusing on estuaries, the curriculum modules feature hands-on learning, experiments, field work and data explorations.
The Estuaries 101 Curriculum is comprised of four two-three week modules on estuaries. Each Module tells the estuary story through one of three perspectives — through Earth, life, or physical science. With these emphases on specific domains, each Module will appeal to different teachers, to be used together or separately.
Earth Science Module
Students investigate landforms and features associated with estuaries, tides and salinity in estuaries, watersheds and their relationship to the dynamic changes that occur in estuaries due to drainage and runoff, and how hurricanes can affect estuaries.
Life Science Module
Students investigate the range of conditions that selected animal and plant species need to survive in an estuary, model estuaries, consider algae blooms in estuaries, study how nutrients cycle through an estuary, suggest recommendations for reducing nutrient inputs to estuary waters, and investigate the incredible biodiversity that exists in estuarine environments.
Physical Science Module
Students investigate water quality parameters to study the nature of, and the cyclical changes inherent in, the chemistry of estuarine water, learn about dissolved oxygen and its effects on life, with a focus on the chemistry, model a pollution spill that occurred at Bangs Lake (a tidal lake within the Grand Bay NERR), and study the actual spill and how it changed water quality parameters in the estuary. |