“ IN EARLY
OCTOBER, MY STUDENTS,
PRINCIPAL AND I HEADED TO MORNINGSIDE PARK IN TORONTO WHERE WE WOULD ASSESS AND EVALUATE THE CONDITION OF THE STREAM IN THE HIGHLAND CREEK WATERSHED. THERE, WE MET WITH SOME INCREDIBLE PEOPLE FROM ECOSPARK. THEY LED US TO A STREAM WHERE WE HAD A DISCUSSION AND LEARNED MORE ABOUT OUR LOCAL WATERSHED.”
GRADE 8 QUESTIONS ABOUT WATER ON EARTH…
Where does the water we use at home come from?
Where does our waste go when we flush?
How does the water get cleaned? How can water make people sick? How do we know if it is safe to drink?
MAKING WAVES “Great,” I thought, “we have the questions
to get us started, but how will I get my stu- dents outside?” I considered a neighbour- hood walk to Milliken Park to explore the water there, but how could I possibly do this on my own with just a limited supply of pH strips and make it meaningful? I decided that I would have to look into booking a stream study, but with whom and where? I hit a bump in the road. Literally a few days later, my principal,
William Parish, shared information with staff during a meeting. He mentioned an or- ganization called EcoSpark and asked if any of us were interested in conducting a stream study through their Changing Currents Pro- gram. I was. This was exactly what I had been looking for. A few days later, I received some material
to cover before the trip. I taught my students about Benthic Macro-invertebrates (BMIs), what they looked like, and how we were go- ing to collect and identify them. I won’t lie… my students were disgusted by the bugs they saw and heard about, but I assured them that it would be an amazing experience to learn about these bugs in nature. In early October, my students, principal and I headed to Morningside Park in To-
ronto where we would assess and evaluate the condition of the stream in the Highland Creek watershed. There, we met with some incredible people from EcoSpark. They led us to a stream where we had a discussion and learned more about our local watershed. The next thing you know, a third of my students were in waders, shuffling the earth beneath their feet and using nets to collect BMIs. They performed chemical and physical
tests on water samples from the stream, test- ing for turbidity, temperature, acidity and dissolved oxygen levels. This got the conver- sation going and refocused our inquiry onto the plant and animal life supported by the watershed (especially after seeing a couple of salmon jump out of the water). Experiential and place-based learning gave my students a true understanding of watersheds. I was pleasantly surprised that the biggest
problem I experienced that day was getting my students out of the water and out of wad- ers. Many even chose to spend their break just sitting in the stream or skipping stones with the principal. How incredible to see them appreciating nature! After our stream study, more questions
were raised and students investigated causes of pollution and solutions for maintaining clean water in our communities. That got them thinking more about local water issues. We discussed the importance of initiatives like the Yellow Fish Road Program, which raises awareness about pollutants entering local water bodies through storm drains. We talked as a class about how raising awareness can make a difference to the way we treat our water systems and what we could do to affect positive change.
E ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ FEDERATION OF ONTARIO 35
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
