It's Our River! Erosion and Water Quality Impact Us All
Help me give my students the tools they need to learn about the Mississippi River with a stream table, sand, and sediment tubes to learn about erosion, and water testing supplies so they can investigate water quality.
Can you imagine a middle school science classroom without labs? I can't! Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find the funding to create amazing lab experiences for my students. I teach in a very low income middle school, and often times, the funding that I do have goes towards basics for my students, such as pencils, paper, and notebooks.
Every child deserves to have an engaging, enthralling experience in their science classroom.
I believe that my students are capable of becoming incredible problem solvers, and it is my mission to ensnare the imaginations of as many future scientists as I can. Some of my students face great personal struggles, and it can be difficult to engage them. We love anything interactive and experimental!
My Project
While most of my students live less than a mile from the Mississippi River, not very many have had the opportunity to explore it. We spend almost a full quarter learning about our local water source, and what makes the Mississippi River so special. I love teaching them about the unique ecology of the Mississippi River, and seeing them come to class on Mondays excited to tell me about all of the herons and pelicans they've spotted.
The river belongs to all of us, and I want my students to know as much as possible about water pollution, so they will feel capable of understanding, enjoying, and protecting this beautiful natural resource.
My students love learning about problems such as stormwater runoff and agricultural pollution, and are full of ideas and solutions. We will use the stream tables and sand to model and recreate erosion, and test out different methods of controlling erosion and flooding. We will also use The Sedimentator to model erosion and the way sediment settles in a river. We will use the dissolved oxygen detector, pH strips, and nitrate strips to test the water quality of our local rivers and streams.
I cannot wait to see what the future holds with so many wonderful environmental scientists. Please help me get them started!
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