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Grade Level: 9-12
Academic Areas: Math, Science, Interdisciplinary
Duration of service: Year-Long
Character Virtues: Caring, Responsibility
Service Areas: Environmental
Service Learning Project:
In partnership with community-based organizations, students will
design and conduct an extensive water quality monitoring project
on a degraded body of water in their community in order to assess
the degree of degradation and develop recommendations for improvement.
Students will identify and contact various stakeholders and invite
them to a community outreach meeting to assist in the identification
of a degraded body of water to research. Students will conduct
a windshield survey of the chosen body of water to field document
uses, issues and threats to the area, and pinpoint monitoring
sites. Students will then develop a study design. The study design
will be tailored to meet the identified issues and threats and
may include water quality testing, benthic macroinvertebrate assessments,
fish surveys, and habitat assessment. Students will receive training
in monitoring techniques through partnerships with community-based
organizations, such as County Environmental Management Councils
(EMC) and not-for-profit environmental/watershed organizations.
Monitoring time and frequency will depend on resources available
and study design. Students will also receive training in and utilize
GIT – Geographic Information Technologies (Global Positioning
System, GPS, and Geographic Information System software, GIS)
– for the purpose of storing, managing, and presenting data.
In addition, students will utilize power point technology to develop
a presentation of the results of their study and recommendations
for body of water improvements at a public meeting attended by
public officials, environment/watershed organizations, and concerned
citizens.
Goals and Objectives
Academic
Learning Goal: Students will learn to identify a waterbody in
need of attention and design a monitoring project to address water
and habitat quality assessment and possible reclamation
Standard: MST STANDARD 1
Learning Goal: Students will learn to utilize appropriate technologies
[water quality instrumentation and Geographic Information Technologies
(GIT), and Power Point] to assess the body of water, manage data,
and present results.
Standard: MST STANDARD 5
Service
Community need: Degraded water and habitat quality of a local
body of water (reduction in value of best uses of body of water
as determined by NYS DEC).
Possible Community Partners: County Environmental Management Council
and Soil and Water Conservation District, Town Conservation Advisory
Commission, Environmental/Watershed Organizations, NYS Department
of Environmental Conservation , US Environmental Protection Agency
Objective: To assess water and habitat quality of a local body
of water through monitoring in order to identify targeted needs
for improvement.
Objective: To produce a presentation and report to communicate
the results of the research project and possible solutions to
local authorities.
Character
Virtue: Caring
Objective: Students will develop interest in and regard for improving
water quality to enhance the environment for both human and non-human
benefit.
Virtue: Responsibility
Objective: Students will become self-reliant in executing their
task/role(s) through a sustained commitment over the course of
the project.
Key Activities
Key Planning Activities
1. Students will organize a community stakeholders outreach meeting
to identify a priority body of water in need of monitoring/study.
Stakeholders might include local government agencies, environmental/watershed
organizations, local businesses and concerned citizens.
2. Students will receive training in water quality monitoring
and Geographic Information Technologies-GIT (including GPS –Global
Positioning System- and GIS software – Geographic Information
Systems) through partnerships with resource organizations such
as environmental/watershed organizations, local government agencies,
community colleges, and universities.
Key Service Activities
1. In partnership with community resource partners, students
will design and conduct a water quality monitoring project tailored
to be relevant to the issues and threats of the specific body
of water studied. Selected water quality parameters will be measured
using instrumentation students have been trained to use effectively
and accurately. Assessment of benthic macroinvertebrates and habitat
protocols will be conducted if necessary.
2. Students will utilize Digital Photography and GIT (GPS and
GIS) to store and manage project data, map all relevant attributes
of the study area, and create a map or maps for public presentation
of research.
Key Reflection Activities
1. (oral) At the conclusion of the service activities, students
will study and discuss how paintings by the Hudson River School
painters reflect an early sense of respect and caring for the
environment. They will then connect these images to their own
feelings about the difference they have made in their local environment
(caring and responsibility).
2. (written) Students will write about an aspect of the research
project that was significant to them…Why it was significant?...What
role did they have in its success or failure?...How did it make
them feel?...What new awareness or skills have they developed?
(caring and responsibility)
3. (performance) As a team, students and community partners will
produce and present a power point presentation, including GIS
maps, graphs and tables, digital photos and text, at a public
meeting with local decision makers (town, village, county or state).
(responsibility)
Demonstration Activity
Upon completion of each phase of the project, there will be an
after-school recognition ceremony for sharing and processing of
information and reciprocal recognition of each team member’s
contribution to the project. Upon completion of the project, students
will present their data at a public meeting or environmental conference
and team members will receive recognition certificates from community
organization partners. Parents and community members will be invited
to attend.
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