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Place-Based Project Ideas: Water Cycle, Rock Cycle, Weather Place-based education involves students with local culture, ecology, landscapes, opportunities, and experiences so they can connect science concepts they are learning to something that they know already, and to something that matters to them. Research shows that place based education helps students learn, invites students to become active citizens, transforms school culture, and connects schools with the community*. These project ideas are included to get teachers and students thinking about ways to make science education relevant to the place they live. This is only a starting place; the list is certainly not exhaustive, and teachers are invited to continue adding, sharing and building the list. These ideas were developed with the Yukon Flats School District in mind. Other districts using the Yukon Flats curriculum resource should adapt the list of ideas to fit their own district and region. *Place-based Education Evaluation Collaborative. 2010. The Benefits of Place-based Education: A Report from the Place-based Education Evaluation Collaborative (Second Edition). Retrieved 5/16/11 from http://tinyurl.com/PEECBrochure. Project Idea: Water Cycles and Water Quality What are some examples of questions students can investigate, and projects students can do, related to the water cycle? Changes in local watershed Disappearing lakes Erosion Stream bank evaluation How much water do you use? Where does the water come from in your community and where does it go? What systems are in place to make your community water safe? How could access to safe water be improved in your community? Water pollution Do a chemical analysis of rain (snow) water Try growing plants with recycled gray water or using it in other ways Observe a local water body and report your data to IceWatch USA http://www.natureabounds.org/IceWatch_USA.html Sediment in water and how it affects salmon Investigate flood hazards for your community Possible Resources: Water Science for Schools http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/ EPA Water for Kids Page http://water.epa.gov/learn/kids/waterkids/waterforkids.cfm Water Quality Monitoring http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/education/kids/watermonitoring/ Project WET http://www.projectwet.org/ USGS Alaska Science Center Water Resources Office http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/water/index.php Surf your watershed – Alaska http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/state.cfm?statepostal=AK Connections to other units and concepts: Year 1 Properties of Matter, Water and Ice, Environmental Pollution, Year 2 Life Science Interdependence Project Idea: Weather What are some examples of questions students can investigate, and projects students can do, related to weather? Investigate traditional weather knowledge Build a weather station Experiment with wind chill - how does the wind speed affect the rate of cooling? How does air temperature affect the water content of snow? Measure snow depth and report the data to cryosphere researchers at “Snowtweets” http://snowcore.uwaterloo.ca/snowtweets/ Learn to read and understand weather maps and weather symbols Find out about weather balloons used in Alaska What is ice fog and how does it form? How do weather conditions affect flight safety? (icing, winds, etc.) How does terrain affect weather? Study wind patterns to determine if wind generation is feasible for your area? Possible Resources: WebWeather for Kids http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/ Dan Satterfield’s Weather Page http://www.wildwildweather.com/ Weather page from Scholastic http://www.teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/ Online Meteorology Guide http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/%28Gh%29/guides/mtr/home.rxml Connections to other units and concepts: Year 1 Physical Science, Properties of Matter (water, ice, snow), Year 3 Physical science (Energy), Year 2 Life Science Interdependence (physical environment) Project Idea: Local Minerals and Soils What are some examples of questions students can investigate, and projects students can do, related to the rock cycle? Permafrost monitoring – how does the active layer change during the year, and over many years. Soil surveys – what types of soils are present around the school? What does vegetation tell you about soil? Observe local rocks to form a hypothesis about the type of rock that breaks down fastest from freezing and thawing, then test your hypothesis. How were rocks and minerals used in traditional culture? How do the characteristics of local soils affect construction projects in your village, such as roads, house foundations, and large buildings? What do engineers need to know about rocks and soils in order to choose the best site for a project? Why hasn’t there been large-scale mining in the Yukon Flats region? Are valuable minerals present? Possible Resources: Geologic Map of Yukon Flats Region - download a description that goes with the map here: pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1304/YF_text.pdf Geology of the Yukon gold district, Alaska - Google Books Result American Geological Institute – Soil Investigations for Kids http://earthsci.org/education/investigations/ies/Soils/Soil.htm Rocks for Kids - information about rocks and rock collecting http://www.rocksforkids.com/RFK/TableofContents.html USGS Schoolyard Geology Site http://education.usgs.gov/schoolyard/index.html GeoMysteries http://www.childrensmuseum.org/geomysteries/fieldtrips.html Soil and Water Conservation Service UAF Scientist Dr. Kenji Yoshikawa uaf.edu/permafrost Connections to other units and concepts: Year 1 Physical Science, Properties of Matter (minerals, soils) Year 3 Physical science (Energy) , Year 2 Life Science Interdependence (physical environment), Year 2 Earth Science (Forces That Shape the Earth)
