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Land and Water
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Students model and explore the
interactions between land and water.
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SHOE Home
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Land and Water is a key earth science
unit, linking weather, geology, environmental science, and landscape
engineering. Since each small student group works with its own stream
table, the explorations are full, intense, and immediate. Through the
sequence of activities, students gain not only working knowledge, but
confidence in their ability to plan and conduct investigations,
predict results, and make conclusions.
The major activities in the unit
include
- Modeling the water cycle and producing
rain.
- Analyzing soil components and investigating
their interactions with water.
- Running water through a stream table to
observe changes in land.
- Varying the slope, water flow, and land
formations in stream tables and observing the results.
- Collecting runoff and comparing samples
from different stream table configurations.
- Creating and labeling "aerial" maps of the
stream patterns produced.
- Designing and building dams in their stream
tables and observing their effects.
- Planting a portion of a stream table with
seeds and observing the effects of ground cover on runoff and
erosion.
- Designing and building a model landscape
with a homesite, predicting the flow and effects of water within
it, and testing the predictions.
Through related reading selections in the unit,
students learn about glaciers, some innovative ways used to collect
water in dry regions, an experimental flood designed to restore some
natural features along the Colorado River, and a classic example of
architecture in harmony with landscape-Fallingwater, a home designed
by Frank Lloyd Wright. A special feature of the unit is a series of
photo cards of natural scenes that illustrate concepts the students
are learning through their work with model landscapes.
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