Protecting Wetlands

Planning—Protecting Wetlands

Summary: Plants living in the ocean have a tremendous role to play in carbon storage, and salt marshes are particularly good at storing carbon because the plants decompose so slowly. This topic guide focuses on the role marine wetlands play in carbon sequestration. Students visit a local wetland to better understand what ecological services it may provide, and then share the information with others who can help prioritize wetlands protection and restoration efforts.

Concepts to teach:

Goals:

  1. Through photosynthesis, plants take in and store carbon dioxide from the air
  2. Salt marshes store a lot of carbon because the organic material is slow to decompose
  3. Wetlands provide a variety of ecosystem services, including sequestering carbon

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • 5-LS1-1. Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.

Specific Objectives
Students will be able to:

  1. Describe the role marine wetlands play in storing carbon
  2. Describe the many other ecological services provided by wetlands

Activity Links and Resources:

Assessment:

  • Students create and share with others presentations that describe the role a local wetland has in sequestering excess carbon from the atmosphere. Examples of presentations may include a poster, a theatrical interpretation of the carbon cycle, a slide presentation, video, PSA, etc.
/by
,

Quests: Find the treasures in coastal communities

Oregon Coast Quests is a place-based education program at Oregon Sea Grant that uses clue-directed hunts to get people outside exploring their communities.  All that is needed to go on a self-guided Quest is a pencil, a set of directions, and a sense of adventure!  Follow the directions, collect the clues, and find the hidden Quest box.  Sign the guest book, stamp your page to prove you made it, and then re-hide the box for the next person to discover.  Currently, there are 26 active Quests in Lincoln, Coos and Benton counties, and the directions can be found in The Oregon Coast Quests Book, 2013-2014 Edition (available for $10 at Powell’s Books and local retailers).  Nearly 6000 logs have been made in hidden boxes since 2007.

Questing is fun and educational for adults and children, residents and tourists, families and school groups, and other curious free-choice learners.    Some Quests focus on natural history, and lead along estuarine, sandy beach or coastal forest trails.  On other Quests, you might explore a downtown historic district, a pioneer cemetery, a working waterfront, or a fish hatchery.  Many Quests were made by park rangers, naturalists or educators, but 10 Quests were made by youth in school or afterschool programs.

Visit the Oregon Coast Quests website (http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/visitor/oregon-coast-quests) to learn more about the location and focus of each available Quest, locate a bookseller, learn about Quest-building workshops, download Sample Quests, and to obtain tips for Questing with school groups.

/by

Real Time Data

Human Impacts—Real Time Data

Summary: How is water quality inland related to water quality located downstream? Real time or near-real-time data collected by scientists and remote sensing equipment are available to view online.  In this focus area, students access some of these tools to answer questions about water quality.

Concepts to teach: Water quality, real time data, inquiry, downstream

Goals: Students access and interpret water quality data in the classroom using the internet and remote sensing tools. They use the data to answer questions about how water quality inland influences water quality downstream.

Standards:
S.06.3S.1, S.06.3S.2, S06.3S.3
S.07.3S.1, S.07.3S.2, 7.3S.3

S.08.3S.1, S.08.3S.2

Specific Objectives:

  1. Gain experience working with real time data.
  2. Address/answer a water quality inquiry using real time data.
  3. Explain how inland and coastal water quality is connected.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Monitoring Estuarine Water Quality—From the NOAA Data in the Classroom Curriculum
    • Lessons 1-4 show how to read real time water quality data in an Atlantic system
    • Lesson 5 invites students to ask a question about local water quality and look for data to support or disprove a hypothesis. For example, track turbidity and temperature at South Slough Winchester Arm over one year and explain how inland rivers may be influencing seasonal trends.
  • NANOOS—Collect and interpret real time water quality data from ocean observing buoys. Some buoys are located well up the Columbia River, so students are able to conduct an inquiry to compare and contrast aquatic, estuarine and ocean water quality data.
    • Rhythms of Our Coastal Waters interactive online exhibit leads students through real-time data collection and assessment in Yaquina Bay, Newport.
  • Compare StreamWebs data from different sites in the watershed and throughout Oregon.

Assessment:

  • Students prepare a scientific lab report that describes the procedures and outcome of their investigation using real-time data.
/by

Real Time Data

Human Impacts—Real Time Data

Summary: How is water quality inland related to water quality located downstream? Much real time or near-real-time data collected by scientists and remote sensing equipment are posted online. In this focus area, students access some of these tools to answer questions about water quality.

Concepts to teach: Water quality, real time data, inquiry, downstream

Goals: Students access and interpret water quality data in the classroom using the internet and remote sensing tools. They use the data to answer questions about how water quality inland influences water quality in Oregon’s aquatic, estuarine and marine ecosystems.

Standards:
H.3S.1, H.3S.2, H.3S.3

Specific Objectives:

  1. Gain experience working with real time data.
  2. Address/answer a water quality inquiry using real time data.
  3. Explain how inland and coastal water quality is connected.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • NOAA Estuary Education – Focusing on estuaries, these curriculum modules feature hands-on learning, experiments, field work and data explorations.
  • NANOOS—Collect and interpret real time water quality data from ocean observing buoys. Some buoys are located well up the Columbia River, so students are able to conduct an inquiry to compare and contrast aquatic, estuarine and ocean water quality data.
    • Rhythms of Our Coastal Waters interactive online exhibit leads students through real-time data collection and assessment in Yaquina Bay, Newport.
  • Surfrider’s Blue Water Task Force website—Search for near-real-time data of bacterial counts on beaches.
  • Oregon Beach Monitoring Program—Search this DEQ site for fecal bacteria (enterococcus) counts for selected coastal recreation waters in Oregon.
  • Compare StreamWebs data from different sites in the watershed and throughout Oregon.
  • Using Real-time Data—This guide from Oregon Sea Grant contains links to a host of internet sites that have real-time information that will enhance tradition classroom lessons. With these resources your students can use real-time data to investigate earth systems.

Assessment:

  • Students prepare a scientific lab report that describes the procedures and outcome of their investigation using real-time data.
/by

Recipe for an Ocean

Coastal Ecology—Recipe for an Ocean

Summary: This activity will inspire students to brainstorm the components that make up an ocean community and introduce them to the concepts of food chains, energy transfer and food webs. The second part of the activity, designed for older students, challenges them to create a food web in relation to the habitat each animal lives in to further the lesson between interconnectedness of the living community and habitats in the system. This activity is most effective when used after a field experience or at the end of an ocean unit.

Concepts to teach: Food chains and webs, community interactions, interconnectedness

Goals: Students will understand the relationships among living things and between living things and their marine environment.

Standards:
3.2L.1, 4.2L.1, 5.2L.1, 6.2L.2

Specific Objectives:

  1. Students will be able to define the parts of and create a food chain from a list of organisms.
  2. Students will be able to define the parts of and create a food web from a list of organisms and food chains.
  3. Students will be able to describe the interdependence of a marine community in relationship to the organisms themselves and those living in different ecosystems.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Summary of Recipe for an Ocean from the Oregon Coast Aquarium
  • The Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport has a variety of onsite lab classes, outreach programs, and lesson plans for Grades 3-5, including:
    • What’s for Lunch? (Gr. 1-3)—Introduction to marine food chains
    • Feeding Frenzy (Gr. 4-5)—Complex marine food webs that include humans
    • Fins, Flippers and Flukes (Gr. 4-5)—Marine mammal adaptations and ecological roles

Assessment:

  • Included in the Recipe for the Ocean lesson.
/by

Recipe for an Ocean

Coastal Ecology—Recipe for an Ocean

Summary: This activity will inspire students to brainstorm the components that make up an ocean community and introduce them to the concepts of food chains, energy transfer and food webs. The second part of the activity, designed for older students, challenges them to create a food web in relation to the habitat each animal lives in to further the lesson between interconnectedness of the living community and habitats in the system. This activity is most effective when used after a field experience or at the end of an ocean unit.

Concepts to teach: Food chains and webs, community interactions, interconnectedness

Goals: Students will understand the relationships among living things and between living things and their marine environment.

Standards:
6.2L.2, 7.2L.2, 8.2P.2

Specific Objectives:

  1. Students will be able to define the parts of and create a food chain from a list of organisms.
  2. Students will be able to define the parts of and create a food web from a list of organisms and food chains.
  3. Students will be able to describe the interdependence of a marine community in relationship to the organisms themselves and those living in different ecosystems.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Summary of Recipe for an Ocean from the Oregon Coast Aquarium
  • The Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport has a variety of onsite lab classes, outreach programs, and lesson plans for Grades 6-8, including:
    • Go with the Flow —Explore biotic and abiotic factors that affect the physical distribution of organisms in tidepool communities.

Assessment:

  • Included in the Recipe for an Ocean lesson.
/by

Reduce Emissions

Mitigation—Reduce Emissions

Summary: We know what factors are contributing to a change in our global climate and ocean, so what can students, parents, and schools do to help? There are personal actions everyone can take to help reduce the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases that go into the atmosphere. This topic guide empowers students to take action and make a difference.

Concepts to teach:

Crosscutting Concepts Disciplinary Core Ideas Science Practices
Systems and System Models ESS3.C – Human Impacts on Earth Systems Constructing explanations and designing solutions; Obtaining, evaluating and communicating information

Goals:

  1. Reducing carbon emissions will make a difference to the rate and impact of climate change
  2. There are personal actions everyone can take to help reduce the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases that go into the atmosphere

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • 5-ESS3-1.Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Describe how reducing greenhouse gas emissions will reduce the rate and impacts of climate change
  2. Identify and evaluate behaviors that reduce the amount of carbon humans put into the atmosphere

Activity Links and Resources:

  • The bathtub model shows that turning off the tap is an important component to solving the problem of excess greenhouse gases.
  • How does your behavior affect the carbon balance? Calculate your impact:
  • Ideas for reducing your impact on a personal level
  • Ideas for reducing your school’s impact

Assessment:

  • Quantitatively assess the impact of a behavior change
  • Share successful changes with others
/by

Reduce Emissions

Mitigation—Reduce Emissions

Summary: We know what factors are contributing to a change in our global climate and ocean, so what can students, parents, and schools do to help? There are actions that individuals and communities can take to help reduce the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases that go into the atmosphere. This topic guide empowers students to take action and make a difference.

Concepts to teach:

Crosscutting Concepts Disciplinary Core Ideas Science Practices
Cause and Effect ESS3.C – Human Impacts on Earth Systems Constructing explanations and designing solutions

Goals:

  1. Reducing carbon emissions will make a difference to the rate and impact of climate change
  2. There are personal actions everyone can take to help reduce the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases that go into the atmosphere

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • MS-ESS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Describe how reducing greenhouse gas emissions will reduce the rate and impacts of climate change
  2. Identify and evaluate behaviors that reduce the amount of carbon humans put into the atmosphere

Activity Links and Resources:

  • The bathtub model shows that turning off the tap is an important component to solving the problem of excess greenhouse gases.
  • How does your behavior affect the carbon balance? Calculate your impact:
  • Ideas for reducing your impact on a personal level
  • Ideas for reducing your school’s impact

Assessment:

  • Quantitatively assess the impact of a behavior change
  • Share successful changes with others
/by
,

Reduce Emissions

Mitigation—Reduce Emissions

Summary: Global climate change is caused by the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that come from human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels. An important solution to the problem of global climate change is for humans to significantly reduce the amount of carbon we emit into the atmosphere. In this topic guide, students examine the potential effects that reducing carbon emissions will have on affect atmospheric CO2 levels, and examine industrial-scale behavioral changes and technologies that can help communities reduce carbon emissions. See the middle school module for personal actions everyone can take.

Concepts to teach:

Crosscutting Concepts Disciplinary Core Ideas Science Practices
Stability and Change ESS3.C – Human Impacts on Earth Systems
ETS1.B – Developing Possible Solutions		 Developing and Using Models,Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Goals:

  1. Although the effects of climate change are already underway, reducing carbon emissions will make a difference to the rate and impact of climate change
  2. There exist both promising large-scale mechanisms within different sectors that could lead to a reduction in carbon emissions (urban planning, transportation, economic markets, etc)

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • HS-ESS2-4. Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems result in changes in climate.
  • HS-ESS3-4. Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Interpret graphs and readings to describe the impact of reducing carbon emissions.
  2. Describe and evaluate a solution that aims to reduce the amount of carbon that human activities put into the atmosphere.

Activity Links and Resources:

Assessment:

  • Carbon Reduction Strategies Exploration Sheet from the Environmental Initiative at Lehigh University is designed to be completed after reading about Carbon Reduction Strategies.
  • Students conduct a literature search to prepare a report on a carbon reduction strategy that is being implemented or considered at the community, industrial or national level. Share findings with peers, and discuss student recommendations.
    • What are the costs and benefits to the proposed strategies?
    • Would students recommend one or more of the proposed strategies?
  • Discuss whether carbon trading is an effective mechanism for reducing carbon emissions. How would changing rules of the game influence the degree to which polluters are motivated to reduce their carbon emissions?
  • Students identify and evaluate one potentially viable local strategy to reduce emissions and present research and recommendations to the community.
/by

Riparian Areas

Coastal Ecology—Riparian Areas

Summary: Much of the health of the total watershed depends on the health of the uplands and riparian areas. In the activities below, students collect and interpret data from classroom models or through field investigations to discover how physical parameters of riparian areas may affect adjacent aquatic environments.

Concepts to teach: Riparian, interconnectedness, habitat

Goals: Students practice scientific inquiry and data collection to determine relationships between riparian and aquatic environments.

Standards:
6.1P.1, 6.3S.1, 6.3S.2, 7.3S.1, 7.3S.2, 8.3S.1, 8.3S.2

Specific Objectives: Students will:

  1. Conduct a classroom experiment to determine the effect of solar radiation and shade on aquatic environments.
  2. Conduct a field investigation to search for patterns between the physical characteristics of riparian areas and adjacent streams.
  3. Describe the influence riparian zones have on aquatic environments.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • The 550-page Stream Scene curriculum is available in .pdf format on the ODFW website, and covers a variety of watershed topics.
    • The chapter Riparian Areas contains several lessons that focus on watershed health, including:
      • Made in the shade, p. 179—Students demonstrate the effect of solar radiation and the role vegetation plays in keeping streams cool.
  • Salmon Watch curriculum—Lessons in Unit 2 cover field trip planning and implementation, including:
    • Introduction to Riparian Areas 2.24 – 2.34—Use this background information, data tables and graphs to see how physical parameters of streams relate to the presence or absence of aquatic macroinvertebrates and fish.
    • Riparian and Aquatic Area Survey 2.43-2.53—Protocol to explore the riparian area of a stream and identify and discuss differences in the components of the observed riparian area.

Assessment:

  • Honoring our Rivers—The Honoring Our Rivers student anthology project showcases Oregon student writing and artwork focused on rivers and watersheds. From poetry to prose and fiction, from illustration to photography, students from across the state submit their work to a juried-review process and finalists appear before the public in an annual anthology and at exhibits, events and readings hosted by Honoring Our Rivers.
    • Address a local watershed issue in a piece submitted to Honoring our Rivers.
/by