Fall SAVY 2016 (Day 2) – Where’s the Beach?
Happy 2nd Week!
This week in our “Where’s the Beach?” class, we drew pictures of the beach system, labeling the system components. Students discussed the implications of dysfunctional beach systems, such as the story of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse which had to be moved in 1999 due to the threat of erosion. We learned that many beaches have similar problems, including the fictional “Dunesville”.
For the remainder of our sessions, students will be acting as members of the Dunesville City Council. Their job is to make scientifically-based regulations that will allow for a children’s camp to be built, but still satisfy the long term needs of the town. We will approach the problem at hand using scientific processes and reasoning skills. With that in mind, we considered what we already know, and what we need to learn in order to make sound regulations.
For some of our students, the best of part of this session was the work we did at our centers. One hands-on center was designed for exploration into the issues with building on sand. Another center modeled the erosion process with sand and waves before and after building a model jetty to slow down the erosion. Lastly, students visited the research center to mine for information from a selection of related books and articles. We moved on to look at a map of the United States to identify the many states with coastlines and shores to protect. We finished our class with a discussion using Paul’s Elements of Reasoning to identify our stakeholders and consider their various perspectives on the problem at hand.
You can help support your child’s learning this week by discussing why beach communities are so concerned about coastlines that they decide to make rules about building. Next week, we will conduct several experiments that will help us to figure out what makes the land change along the beachfront, and what part humans and nature play in that process. I’m looking forward to it!
Mrs. Wendy Buchanan
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