Planning—Shoreline Structure

Summary: How do different types of shoreline react to flooding and sea level rise? In this topic guide, students learn about various “hard” and “soft” features of coastal shorelines and how wetlands can help control flooding. As a field experience, students examine characteristics of a shoreline and predict its resiliency to sea level rise. Students identify natural and engineered solutions that help shoreline structures stay resilient.

Concepts to teach:

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

Goals:

1. Shoreline features vary in different places along coastlines, and are differentially impacted by sea level rise and storm surges.
2. Soft shorelines absorb wave energy and water, and hard shorelines reflect or redirect wave energy and water.
3. Coastal wetlands can help protect communities from damaging sea level rise and storm surges.
4. Engineered shorelines can positively or negatively affect coastal resiliency.

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. Read and create maps to describe the shoreline features of a coastal area.
2. Describe how different shoreline structures might respond to flooding and sea level rise.
3. Identify the ecological services wetlands provide to control flooding and erosion.

Activity Links and Resources:

• Activity: Shoreline Survey field experience—Look at National ESI Shoreline database maps for a study site. Visit the site with students to survey and map hard and soft features of the coastal shoreline and compare it to the ESI maps. Based on the shoreline structures, ask students to forecast the impacts that rising sea level might have on the area.
  • National ESI Shoreline (Environmental Sensitivity Index) maps
  • Example Field Experience at Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, OR
    • National ESI Shoreline screenshot for Yaquina Bay
    • Hatfield Marine Science Center Nature Trail mapping worksheet—Walk the HMSC Estuary Nature Trail and draw on the map different symbols and colors to indicate shoreline features. Create a key to the symbols and colors
    • Example of a completed map
• Activity: Wetlands and their ecological services—in this Lesson 1.3 of the Bringing Wetlands to Market curriculum, students learn about the different types of wetlands and their ecological roles, and they identify one or more local wetlands.
• The role of wetlands in coastal flooding
  • RISE Webstory 5: The Flood Next Time—Video (5:40) Converting salt ponds back to original wetlands could help a small community near San Francisco survive flooding from sea level rise
• Reading
  • Shoreline Armoring: Pros and Cons—From NOAA’s State of the Coast website
  • Living Shorelines—This NOAA website shows how natural bank stabilization techniques are implemented to restore shorelines.
  • Coastal habitats shield people and property from sea level rise and storms
    • E. Rauer, 2013. Stanford News Service article. The best defense against catastrophic storms: Mother Nature, say Stanford researchers
    • W. Koch, 2013. USA Today article Dunes, reefs protect US coasts from climate change.
    • Original source article: Arkema, K.K. et. al., 2013—Nature Climate Change
  • Komar, P.D. and Allan, J.C., 2010. USGS article “Design with Nature” strategies for shore protection—The construction of a cobble berm and artificial berm and artificial dune in an Oregon State Park

Assessment:

• Map the hard and soft shoreline features of a coastal area. How many different shoreline types are there? Which features are natural and which are human-made? Is there evidence of existing coastal erosion or flooding?
• HMSC has a problem with erosion which is encroaching on the walking path and threatening buildings. Ask students to suggest potential solutions for engineering a shoreline that would help address the erosion problem. Photos
• Create a PSA about the role wetlands play to control flooding and erosion.

Coastal Habitats & Species—Squid Dissection

Summary: Students will dissect a squid, learn about squid anatomy and adaptations, and then compare their dissected specimen to an octopus.

Concepts to teach: Squid anatomy and adaptations, Compare and Contrast

Goals: Students will investigate and discuss internal and external squid anatomy. Some features of the squid will be compared to similar features on an octopus.

Standards:
4.2L.1, 5.2L.1

Specific Objectives:

1. Observe the external and internal anatomy of a cephalopod
2. Compare and contrast tentacle designs of a squid and the arms of an octopus.
3. Write your name in squid ink!
4. Examine the squid’s eye.

Activity Links and Resources:

• Squid Dissection: From Pen to Ink  from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County “Seamobile Guide 2001”, pages 36-42.
• Squid background material from Hatfield Marine Science Center
• Don’t want to lead a squid dissection in your own classroom? Oregon Sea Grant offers a 1-hour Squid Dissection Lab class at Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.
• Background information on the Humboldt Squid from the Gilly Lab at Standford University
  • Multimedia links about squid
  • Kids and Squids PDF—Humboldt squid dissection guide for educators from the Hopkins Marine Station, NOAA NMFS Santa Cruz
  • NOAA news article from 2009: NOAA Scientists Catch Rare Giant Squid

Assessment:

• Worksheet included in the LaRosa dissection lesson plan.

Coastal Habitats & Species—Squid Dissection

Summary: Students will dissect a squid, learn about squid anatomy and adaptations, and then compare their dissected specimen to an octopus. Students relate the phenotypic traits they observe to the process of biological evolution.

Concepts to teach: Squid anatomy and adaptations, comparative anatomy, evolution, natural selection

Goals: Students will investigate and discuss internal and external squid anatomy. Some features of the squid will be compared to similar features on an octopus.

Standards:
H.2L.4

Specific Objectives:

1. Observe the external and internal anatomy of a cephalopod
2. Identify adaptations that allow this organisms to survive in a marine ecosystem
3. Identify organs and structures associated with major body systems

Activity Links and Resources:

• Squid Dissection: From Pen to Ink COSEE adaptation from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
• Summary of Squid Dissection from Liz LaRosa
• Squid background material from Hatfield Marine Science Center
  • Don’t want to lead a squid dissection in your own classroom? Oregon Sea Grant offers a 1-hour Squid Dissection Lab class at Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.
• Background information on the Humboldt Squid from the Gilly Lab at Standford University
  • Multimedia links about squid
  • Kids and Squids PDF—Humboldt squid dissection guide for educators from the Hopkins Marine Station, NOAA NMFS Santa Cruz

• Information about Giant Squid from the Smithsonian’s Ocean Portal website
• NOAA news article from 2009: NOAA Scientists Catch Rare Giant Squid

Assessment:

• Student worksheets included the COSEE and LaRosa guides.
• Students research a particular squid characteristic (for example, large eye size) and prepare a referenced report that uses scientific evidence to describe how this trait may have evolved.

Stewardship—Storm Drain Marking

Summary: Many people erroneously believe storm drains connect to sewer treatment systems. But in most communities, whatever enters the drains is discharged directly into a neighboring body of water (lake, river or bay) without benefit of treatment. In this activity, students mark storm drains to warn citizens not to dump polluting materials.

Concepts to teach: Storm drain, pollution, public awareness

Goals: Students take what they have learned about nonpoint source pollution and storm drain routes and devise an action plan that will improve the health of the ecosystem. They mark storm drains to increase public awareness of watershed pollution concerns.

Standards:
SS.08.GE.07

Specific Objectives:

1. Identify unmarked local storm drains and determine where the waters end up.
2. Obtain marking materials and work with local officials to gain permission to mark storm drains.
3. Stencil/mark storm drains and document the activity through written articles and photos for the local media.

Activity Links and Resources:

• Use Stormwater Pathways topic guide to learn about local stormdrains and their routes.
• Remember to get permission from the city BEFORE marking storm drains.
• The Storm Drain Marking how-to video from Clark County, Washington explains what is needed to embark on a storm drain marking project. Ask your local county about the procedures, materials, and programs available in your area. Some areas may have programs tailored to student groups.
• Oregon Surfrider often holds storm drain marking events.
• Portland has more than 55,000 storm drains that can be located using a searchable map
• Students document the activity through reports, photographs, and video and share the information with the local media.

Assessment:

• Students present information to local officials explaining the need and rationale for storm drain marking.
• Students document their storm drain marking activity through reports, photographs and video, and share the information with the local media.

Place—Stormwater Pathways

Summary: Where does rainwater go after it hits the ground? In this topic guide, students find out where stormwater around their school or other local area goes, and what environmental contaminants might get picked up along the way.

Concepts to teach: Stormwater, storm drains, sewer system

Goals: Students work with storm drain maps to ground-truth their location and function, and determine pathways for stormwater in the local area. They also identify potential pollutants that could contaminate stormwater.

Standards:
HS.3S.1, HS.4D.5
SS.HS.GE.04, SS.HS.GE.07

Specific Objectives:

1. Use storm drain map to determine where local storm water ends up.
2. Identify potential sources of stormwater contaminants in a local area.

Activity Links and Resources:

• Contact your local city planning department or soil and water conservation districts for maps of storm drains around the schoolyard. Remember to ask them for a KEY to go along with the map! Examples:
  • Example of a storm drain map near Taft Elementary School in Lincoln City, Oregon. This map was obtained from the Planning Department.
  • Stormwater tours in the Portland area, provided by the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services
  • Clean Water Services in Washington County has maps, tours, and links to local resources
• Discuss the function of stormdrains and the underlying engineering principles that allow them to function effectively. Invite a city engineer to the classroom for further information and discussion.
• Trace the route stormwater takes from the schoolyard to its outflow site. Discuss how and the extent to which the stormwater may reach aquatic and marine ecosystems.
• Take the maps outside and locate the drains, their contents, and the direction stormwater (if any) is running inside the drain. Survey the area round storm drains for potential contaminants to stormwater, including: sediment, sewage, oil, nutrients, toxins, etc.
  • Note any discrepancies between the maps and student direct observations, and if necessary, report problems to the city or other authorities
  • Remove debris that may be clogging storm drains or gutters.
  • Visit the drains in dry and wet weather conditions.
• Survey the area round storm drains for potential contaminants to stormwater, including: sediment, sewage, oil, nutrients, toxins, etc.
• Create a Quest that traces the pathways stormwater takes when it falls on and around your school. Example: Taft Stormwater Quest

Assessment:

• Probe: Rain on the Parking Lot—The purpose of this OCEP probe is to elicit students’ ideas about how rainwater interacts with impervious surfaces.
• On a map, trace the route stormwater takes from the schoolyard to its outflow site, and then determine the ways in which the outflow is connected to larger bodies of water and the ocean.