CHESAPEAKE CONNECTIONS:

Interdisciplinary Chesapeake Bay Study Unit

 

Stream Team Cleanup

Colonial Herb Garden

Planting a new "Forest" Oak

Labelling Storm Drains

Description of the Unit:

Our 8th grade team has been planning a unit about the Chesapeake Bay. Throughout the year, content teachers have connected the Chesapeake into the curriculum (for example: human-environment interaction, Native Americans and the bay, colonial life in the bay area; the Bay community, geology of the bay.....) As a culminating activity we planned a seven day unit on the Chesapeake.

Purpose and Focus:

We changed our focus from just the problems facing the Chesapeake to Appreciating and Valuing the Bay and our role in the Chesapeake Bay's watershed. The idea for the focus came from a presentation on Wildlife Experiences by a speaker from the Maryland Dept. of Parks. We provided our students with many opportunities to experience the beauty and bounty of the Chesapeake. Opportunities included visits to Smith Island, Fox Island, and Bishop's Head; Stream Team Activities; videos about life in the Bay; visits to web sites; and literature links. Through these activities, students gained an appreciation of the Chesapeake.

Organization:

The interdisciplinary unit was designed as a Student Service Learning Project. We organized our unit into PREPARATION, ACTION, AND REFLECTION PHASES. Our original unit was revamped to include activities in each of these phases.

PREPARATION ACTIVITIES

Objectives:

Materials: SEE MATERIALS LISTED WITH EACH ACTIVITY

Activities:

  • Overview of our Student Service Learning project with follow-up lessons throughout the week via our school's television news broadcast.

  • "Squall Line" - In order to raise student's awareness and to pique an interest in studying the Chesapeake, staff members took on the roles of environmental violators- recreational fisherman, homeowners, commercial fishermen, farmers, and developers- and victimized critters of the bay - menhaden, SAV's, blue crab, duck, and terrapin - in a talk-show format.
    MATERIALS: cooperative staff members, costumes
    OUTCOMES: group discussion of the issues raised by "Squall Line"

  • Finding Your Watershed Address - Based on the lessons from the Choices and Challenges Unit from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Students identified the location of the school and our nearest stream. They then traced the root to the bay. We asked students to identify features on the various maps and to compare them to other maps.
    MATERIALS: variety of maps - county, state, bay maps, navigational, satellite; string; markers; tape
    OUTCOMES: Students complete "What is Your Watershed Address" activities; locate themselves on a watershed map; and trace the closest tributary (in this case CLIVUS CREEK) to the bay. In addition, students will begin to discuss the impact of actions of each individual in the watershed.

  • Pretest - Students complete a pre-test about general information related to the bay.
    MATERIALS: pretest

  • Critter Research - Based on "The Wishes of Fishes" in the CBF Catch of the Bay. We modified our lesson to include many more animals including water fowl and mammals. Groups will write an informative article about their critters and create a picture or diagram for use on the web page.
    MATERIALS: folders with research articles about 25 - 30 different animals in the bay (collected by Stream Team members and staff prior to our unit from electronic sources and trade books and periodicals) ; art supplies and chart paper for animal posters
    OUTCOMES: Students gained an appreciation for the variety of animals in the bay and for how the animals form links in the food web. Students completed research information about their animal. Groups compiled research information on a large poster/chart about their group's animal.

  • Chesapeake Bay Community Role Playing - Selected students researched the lives and attitudes of watermen, commercial fishermen, recreational fishermen, environmental scientists, and legislatures. These students role played the parts that they had researched and presented the information during a panel discussion. Other students were given the opportunity to question the "players" to gain further insight into the point of view of each individual.
    MATERIALS: research information about the "players" including INTERNET sites such as the Maryland Sea Grant and trade books such as Working the Chesapeake by Jacoby, This was Chesapeake Bay by Burgess, Chesapeake Legacy: Tools and Traditions by Chowning, and Chesapeake Waters by Davison et al.
    OUTCOMES: Students were able to identify the varying points of view about the resources of the bay. Students used their insights in order to play the simulation game called "Net Results" in the Choices and Challenges curriculum.

  • Environmental Workshops - All students were given an opportunity to hear about different environmental issues and to explore their roles. Guest speakers share special environmental programs and projects as well as tips for greener living.
    GUEST SPEAKERS: Our speakers included
    • Joe Keyser (environmental educator) from Montgomery County Government Department of Environmental Protection;
    • Montgomery County Government (grasscycling) master composter,
    • Dan Innomoratto and raised garden expert,
    • Pharr Adams from Brookside Gardens, and
    • a speaker from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Laura Burrell.
    (For 1998-99 we have a new contact from the Maryland Natural Resources Department who can speak about Riparian Buffers and who could possibly work with students on an action project.)

    ACTION PROJECTS

    Objectives: To choose a meaningful task to complete in order to make a difference in the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

    Materials: SEE MATERIALS LISTED WITH EACH ACTIVITY

    Procedure:Students will choose a project to complete to clean-up the environment, make the surrounding environment more bay-friendly, or to educate others about the Chesapeake Bay.

    Possible Activities:

    • stream clean-up
    • school grounds clean-up
    • storm drain painting
    • mulching
    • planting a garden - native plants and colonial herb garden
    • creating environmental awareness posters
    • creating murals
    • creating and producing public service videos about the bay
    • separating worms from worm castings
    • tree planting
    • building bird houses, bird feeders, and bat boxes (in conjunction with TECH ED)

    OUTCOMES: All students participated in an activity that directly relates to the health of the Chesapeake Bay's watershed. At the end of the action day we had painted four storm drains, planted a native plant garden and an herb garden, mulched much of the school ground plantings, cleaned the stream, created posters and murals, produced two public service announcements, and picked up trash on the school grounds.

    REFLECTION

    Objective: Students will articulate how the unit on the bay and their action projects impacted the environment of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and changed their thinking. In addition, students will respond to the unit through written, musical, or artistic avenues.

    Materials: art supplies, photographs, music

    Possible Outcomes:

    1. personal plan for future action in the environment - "I plan to............ This will help the Chesapeake Bay because................."
    2. journal entries about experiences and feelings
    3. personal letters to government officials expressing thoughts, information and feelings
    4. murals
    5. poetry
    6. writing songs or raps

    Evaluation

    Individual Assessment Activities

    All students maintained a folder of assignments and activities completed during the unit. Folders were collected at the end of the unit and the results were put on a database for all team teachers to use in assessing student performance for the 4th marking period. The following items were in the folder:
    1. Pre and post tests on information about the bay and the watershed
    2. Water Use survey*
    3. Use of the Chesapeake Bay survey*
    4. Toxins in the Home survey*
    5. Bay Animal Research Notes

    In addition, students were given a grade for participation each day. Students were successful if they cooperated in groups, attended to group presentations, and completed tasks assigned (such as written assignments, gardening, stream clean-up, group discussions, etc).

    Group Assessment Activities

    Students had the opportunity to complete projects in cooperative groups. The following were completed:
    1. Graphs based on the survey* information and statistical data about information relevant to the Bay (eg oyster harvests, SAV's.....)
    2. Poster based on the bay animal research

    Timeline for the Chesapeake Bay Unit

    Day One

    • Overview of student service learning
    • "Squall Line" skit
    • Watershed Address - with video "The Great Chesapeake Bay Challenge"
    • Simulation Games - crab and waterman, food chain, SAV-SAV-shrimp, moth and bat

    Day Two

    • Video Tape - "Chesapeake: Living off the Land" (with Walter Cronkite) or "Chesapeake Borne"
    • Critter research (selected students to research "players" in the fisheries - watermen, recreational fishermen, commercial fishermen, environmental scientist, legislator)
    • Shad Row - display of animal research
    • Simulation Games or circle games about Bay Animals

    Day Three

    • Who Am I? Watershed animal or not?
    • Panel discussion with "players" from the fisheries based on student research from Day Two or with real "players" if available

    Day Four

    • Graphs based on survey results - Toxins in home, water use, general use survey and other numerical data based on the bay - oyster harvest, SAV's
      Groups produce small graphs for display as well as various types of graphs
    • Guest speaker from Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Topic "Bay Savers" including history of the bay
    • Model of Blue Plains Waste Water Treatment Plant???

    Day Five

    • Video - "Electronic School Bus (MCPS) Smith Island" Part 1 or 2
    • Simulation Game - Fisheries Game (The "BEAN" game)
    • Kick-off for our Day of Action - Joe Keyser to motivate students
    • Students plan and choose activities for our Day of Action

    Day Six

    Putting our learning into action - service activities

    Day Seven

    Opportunities for reflection

    Community Connections

     

    This site is created and maintained by Holly Geddes.
    Last updated on March 21, 2003

    Bay Studies Coordinator: Jay Foster