Is The Coast Clear

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Is The Coast Clear? A WebQuest for 6th Grade
Science in the State of Rhode Island
Designed By Julie
Benson    Based on a template from San Diego
State Universitys The WebQuest Page
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Introduction This lesson was developed as
part of the elementary science methods course at
Roger Williams University, located in Bristol,
Rhode Island. It was designed as an extension
activity to a lesson based on the book, Flush!
Treating Wastewater by Karen Mueller Coombs after
discovering that many of the treatment facilities
discharge their water directly into Narragansett
Bay with harmful elements still remaining. This
is important because the Bay is the spawning
ground, nursery, and habitat for more that 60
species of fish and shellfish, more than 200 bird
species, and many marine mammals such as seals,
dolphins, and sea turtles. In addition, it is a
recreational playground for people who live here
and the 12 million people who visit each year to
swim, fish, and boat. Unfortunately, due
to human pollution, many important marine species
have declined dramatically, including winter
flounder, scallops, lobster, cod and tautog, and
only one-tenth of the eel grass that used to grow
remains. However, compared to thirty years
ago, the Bay has improved greatly. With more
laws and regulations, pollution from wastewater
treatment facilities has reduced the pollution by
more than 60, and toxins in wastewater have been
reduced by more than 90 . Nonetheless, the
question remains Are we doing enough to keep
the coast clear? In a radio program, students
will answer this question.
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Learners This lesson was designed for
students in a six grade science class in the
state of Rhode Island. It is recommended that
the students be read the book Flush! Treating
Wastewater by Karen Mueller Coombs first so they
understand the impact of human activity to the
environment. The following is the information
students should also have prior to this lesson.
It is from the Benchmarks for Science Literacy ,
Chapter 15, The Research Base. 5.  THE LIVING
ENVIRONMENT 5e Flow of Matter and
Energy Nutrition Some students of all ages hold
misconceptions about plant nutrition (Bell
Brook, 1984 Roth Anderson, 1987 Anderson et
al., 1990). They think plants get their food from
the environment rather than manufacturing it
internally, and that food for plants is taken in
from the outside. These misconceptions are
particularly resistant to change (Anderson et
al., 1990). Even after traditional instruction,
students have difficulty accepting that plants
make food from water and air, and that this is
their only source of food. Understanding that the
food made by plants is very different from other
nutrients such as water or minerals is a
prerequisite for understanding the distinction
between plants as producers and animals as
consumers (Roth Anderson, 1987 Anderson et
al., 1990). The students will most likely
be confused that nitrogen acts like a food,
causing the algae to grow, yet plants do not use
food. They make their own. To clear this
misconception, it would be most helpful to
explain that nitrogen is not a food but an
element, sometimes present in water. In
addition, it is also a good idea to explain that
plants depend on nitrogen--in small quantities.
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• Curriculum Standards
• National Science Education Standards
• Life Science
• CONTENT STANDARD C POPULATIONS AND ECOSYSTEMS
• As a result of this activity in grades 5-8, all
  students should develop understanding of
• The number of organisms an ecosystem can support
  depends on the resources available and abiotic
  factors, such as quantity of light and water,
  range of temperatures, and soil composition.
  Given adequate biotic and abiotic resources and
  no disease or predators, populations (including
  humans) increase at rapid rates. Lack of
  resources and other factors, such as predation
  and climate, limit the growth of populations in
  specific niches in the ecosystem.
• Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
• CONTENT STANDARD F
• As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all
  students should develop understanding of
• NATURAL HAZARDS
• Human activities also can induce hazards through
  resource acquisition, urban growth, land-use
  decisions, and waste disposal. Such activities
  can accelerate many natural changes.

Tautog
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Curriculum Standards

• Science Netlinks Benchmarks
• 5. The Living Environment Grades 6-8
• D. Interdependence of Life
• By the end of 8th grade, students should know
  that
• In all environments freshwater, marine, forest,
  desert, grassland, mountain, and others organisms
  with similar needs may compete with one another
  for resources, including food, space, water, air,
  and shelter.
• English Language Arts Standards McRel
• Standard 4 Writing Level   III  
  Grade  6-8
• Gathers and uses information for research
  purposes
• Standard 7. Reading  Level   III   Grade  6-8
• Uses reading skills and strategies to understand
  and interpret a variety of informational texts
•   Summarizes and paraphrases information in
  texts   
•    
• Standard 8. Uses listening and speaking
  strategies for different purposes  Level   III  
  Grade  6-8  
•   Plays a variety of roles in group
  discussions    

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Process Overview In teams of four, the
students will take on the role of a scientist,
environmentalist, governor, and concerned radio
show host, to learn about Narragansett Bays
coastal ecosystem. By discovering why the Bay is
an important resource, the quality of the Bays
water, and what is being done currently to keep
the Bay clean, each team will be able to evaluate
whether or not enough is being done to protect
this valuable resource. In a radio program the
teams will prepare a message to the people of
Rhode Island to answer this important question.
Teacher preparation You will need to listen
the radio program regarding the state of the Bay
so that you are familiar with the task. In
addition, you will need to examine the websites
so that you will know the major concepts
associated with the coastal ecosystem. Lastly,
you will need to secure enough computers, tape
recorders, and blank tapes for each of the
groups. Organizing the students You will
need to assign the students to groups of four.
You can have the students count off numbers 1-4.,
with all the 1s can becoming a group and so
forth. The students themselves can decide what
role they wish to be within the group, but they
each need to take a different role. The radio
show host is responsible for being the director
and will need to introduce the others, ask
pertinent questions, and conclude the program by
stating whether or not enough is being done to
keep the Bay clean. The scientist is responsible
for explaining how human activity affects the Bay
causing organisms to compete for resources
(oxygen), the environmentalist for explaining
what is currently being done, and the governor
for explaining the reasons why the Bay is such a
valuable resource. Each student, within the
group, is to be assessed individually although
they will also be graded on their team
participation. Remind the students to be
respectful, helpful, and polite to each
other. Time requirements It will be
necessary to provide the students one science
period (60 minutes) for Internet research. To
share information and to complete their radio
program, the students will need one additional
class period (60 minutes). Allow an additional 20
minutes to share the programs with the class.
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Process Continued

• Student Instructions
• Radio Show Host- Your job is to become familiar
  with Rhode Island maps and the coastal
• ecosystem vocabulary. Discover where the sewer
  treatment facilities are located in our state and
  
• notice where these facilities discharge their
  treated water. Next, look at the map of
  Narragansett
• Bay so that you are familiar with the names of
  the individual rivers and bays. You may want to
  print
• these to refer to later. Finally, learn the
  definitions of a watershed, estuary, and a
  combined sewer
• overflow. Since your job is similar to a
  discussion leader, you will also need to prepare
  questions
• for the others and talk with your team to
  conclude whether or not enough is being done to
  keep the
• Bay clean.
• sewer treatment facilities
• Narragansett Bay
  .
• What is a watershed?
• What is an estuary?
• What is a Combined Sewer Overflow?
• If you find another term you are unfamiliar with,
  click here for a helpful glossary.
• The Governor- Your job is to discover the
  importance of keeping our Bay clean. Use these

Common sea star
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Process Continued

• The URI Scientist- Your job is to uncover the
  effects of pollution on the Bay. Be sure to
  include
• information about human activities which are
  hazardous to the environment. Most importantly,
  make
• sure you understand how pollution can cause
  different organisms in the ecosystem compete for
• resources such as oxygen so you can include this
  in your radio program.
• The Bay's past
• Estuarine Science-oxygen
• Pollution Today
• Rhode Island fish kill
• Harmful algal blooms.
• The Environmentalist- Your job is to learn about
  what is currently being done to improve the
• water conditions in the Bay. You may be
  surprised by some of the projects that are
  currently
• underway.
• The Narragansett Bay Commission
• EMPACT
• Save The Bay
• The Department of Environmental Management

Harbor Seals in Narragansett Bay
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Process Continued

• Day 2. Putting It All Together
• Now that you have each done your research,
  you can each share your notes with
• each other. Decide as a group if you think
  enough is being done to keep the Bay
• clean. In your radio program make sure that
  you
• introduce the topic and the team members, pose
  questions, and conclude whether enough is being
  done to keep the Bay clean (host).
• explain why the Bay is an important resource
  (governor).
• explain some of the human hazards and how
  pollution can cause organisms of the ecosystem to
  compete for the resource of oxygen (scientist).
• Explain what is currently being done to improve
  the water condition of the Bay's
  (environmentalist).
• As a class, we will listen to each of the radio
  programs. Good luck!

This is a picture of sea lettuce, an algae, which
grows when there is too much nitrogen in the
water.
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• Resources Needed
• To implement this lesson, the following resources
  are necessary
• Computers with Internet access and media player
  (ideally one for each student).
• Tape recorders ( enough for each group of four to
  have their own).
• Blank tapes for the tape recorders, and
  batteries, or electrical outlets.
• Book Resources
• The book, Flush! Treating Wastewater by Karen
  Mueller Coombs is an excellent
• resource for learning about the wastewater
  treatment facilities role in keeping our
• waters clean.
• Human Resources
• Although one teacher will be able to manage this
  lesson alone, it would be helpful to
• ask for interested parents to assist the students
  during the research and program
• recording stages.
• Websites
• sewer treatment facilities
• Narragansett Bay
• What is a watershed?
  
• What is an estuary?
• What is a Combined Sewer Overflow?

This is one of the Save The Bays boats used for
field trips.
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Resources Needed

• Websites continued.
• The Narragansett Bay Commission
• EMPACT
• Save The Bay
• The Department of Environmental Management
• graphic organizer
• Radio Program on Narragansett Bay

This is a picture of a fish kill that happened in
Rhode Island in 2003. It was the main topic of
the radio program.
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Evaluation
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Evaluation (continued)
11-12A 9-10B 7-8C 5-6D 3-4F
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Conclusion There are many reasons why it is
important for students to learn about Rhode
Islands coastal ecosystem. Most important, it is
critical for students to be aware of how human
activity can negatively affect our environment so
that we can all advocate for better laws and
regulations. By educating students now about the
importance of this matter, the Bay stands a
better chance of being cared for in the future.
Many organizations throughout our state have
a serious interest in protecting the Bay and
therefore offer many opportunities in and out of
the classroom. There are learning materials for
teachers, specially trained educators available
to visit schools, classroom eelgrass growing
programs, and field trips for exploring the Bay.
If you are interesting in more information about
any of these programs, use the link below.
Save The Bay's
Education Programs
This is Save The Bays Boat, The ALLETTA MORRIS ,
which is one of the boats used for field trips.
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Credits References The following resources are
credited with helping me create this
lesson Introduction Information was provided
by Save The Bay membership brochure
2006 Pictures RI ocean beach People on the
shore RI beach Seals Sea Lettuce Save The Bay M/V
Swift RI fish kill Eelgrass Save The Bay
boat Common sea star Purple sea
urchin Tautog Harbor seal Websites The
Narragansett Bay Commission Save The Bay RI
Department of Environmental Management Office Of
Marine Programs URI

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Harbor Seal
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Credits References

• Sounds
• Microsoft Power Point
• Graphic Organizer
• graphic organizer
• Books
• Flush! Treating Wastewater by Karen Mueller
  Coombs
• The template for this web quest was provided by
  The San Diego State
• University Web Quest Page. Click below for the
  latest version
• Web Quest Page.
• Thank you!

Purple sea urchin
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