Audience

We can accommodate up to 100 middle school students at one time.

Schedule (total 5 contact-hours over 2 days)

Day 1 - SoundWaters visits your school:

• One 30-minute (per class) presentation and discussion of how and why it is important to measure the water quality of our coastal surface waters. A review of what chemical factors affect Long Island Sound. Introduction to water quality monitoring equipment. Hands-on watershed activity.

Day 2 - Your Classroom visits SoundWaters at Cove Island Park for a 4.5-hour Field Trip:

• One 1-hour Canoe Trip (on Holly Pond at Cove Island Park) Basic canoe paddling and water sampling. First hand observation of the influence of the Sound and the Noroton River on the water quality of Holly Pond.
• One 1-hour Long Island Sound Water Quality Measurement Lesson (inside at SoundWaters Lab). Hands-on opportunity to use water quality monitoring equipment in the laboratory. Review of factors that influence the quality of the waters of the Long Island Sound watershed.
• One 1-hour Rocky Intertidal Zone study. Hands on study of ecosystems, invasive species and their effect on the ecosystems.
• One 1-hour Plankton study. Hands-on investigation of the food chain, animal’s roles in the food chain and how energy moves upwards in the food chain.

CT Core Science Framework Fit

SoundWaters Coastal Explorers Program targets multiple CT Core Science Curriculum Framework Content Standards. Specifically, SoundWaters science enrichment curriculum is designed to encourage scientific inquiry, literacy and numeracy at appropriate developmental levels.

The Canoeing and water quality testing and analysis focuses on Standard 6.4 Explain the role of septic and sewage systems on the quality of surface and ground water and explain how human activity may impact water resources in CT, such as ponds, rivers, and the LIS ecosystem. 

The Plankton and Invasive Species stations focus on 6.2 Describe how abiotic factors, such as temperature, water and sunlight, affect the ability of plants to create their own food through photosynthesis, explain how populations are affected by predator-prey relationships, and describe common food webs in different CT ecosystems. 

Over the course of the Coastal Explorers Program, students are called-upon to develop aspects of the following Expected Performances for the state’s Grades 6-8 Cluster:

C INQ.5 Use appropriate tools and techniques to make observations and gather data.

C INQ.6 Use mathematical operations to analyze and interpret data.

C INQ.8 Draw conclusions and identify sources of error.

C INQ.9 Provide explanations to investigated problems or questions.

C INQ.10 Communicate about science in different formats, using relevant science vocabulary, supporting evidence and clear logic.

6.2 - An ecosystem is composed of all the populations that are living in a certain space and physical factors in which they interact.

 Populations in ecosystems are affected by biotic factors such as other populations, and abiotic factors such as soil and water supply.

 Populations in an ecosystem can be categorized as producers, consumers and decomposers of organic matter

C-4 Describe how abiotic factors, such as temperature, water and sunlight, affect the ability of plants to create their own food through photosynthesis.

C-5 Explain how populations are affected by predator prey relationships

C-6 Describe common food webs in different Connecticut ecosystems.

6.4 - Water moving across and through the earth materials, carries with it products of human activities.

Most precipitation that falls Connecticut eventually reaches Long Island Sound.

 C-11Explain how human activity may impact water resources in ct, such as ponds, rivers and the long island ecosystem.

Field trips happen rain or shine, giving educators opportunities to relate the weather to the ecosystem. Canoe trips are rescheduled if the weather presents potentially unsafe conditions.

For more information please contact: Alisha Mullet (203)-406-3312