MWEE Project Tara Butterhof

I.

Organizing Question - Has the construction of the new school

building impacted the health of Moores Branch Creek?
II.
Supporting Questions
1. How far is Moores Branch from Pikesville High School?
2. How healthy is Moores Branch Creek?
3. How is stream health assessed?
4. What is a watershed?
5. Explain the path water takes as it travels from Moores Branch Creek to the
Chesapeake Bay.
6. Describe the major ecological concerns facing the Chesapeake Bay.
7. Explain how changes in the health of Moores Branch could impact the health of
the Chesapeake Bay.
8. Has the health of Moores Branch been assessed in the past?
9. What ecological concerns do construction projects present?
10. What guidelines/laws does Maryland have for regulating environmental impacts
on construction sites?
11. What factors impact the speed of soil erosion?
12. How far is soil able to travel due to erosion?
13. What erosion control measures do construction companies use on their sites?
III.

Research Methods Students will keep a notebook that incorporates each

research activity and where they will reflect on the learning they have gained.

Research Method
Students will analyze a model of a watershed
(from the environmental science curriculum). In
their notebooks they will explain the similarities
between the model and an actual watershed.
They will suggest alternative materials that could
be used in place of those designated by the
curriculum and what they might represent.
Students will use
http://www.stroudcenter.org/mmw/mini/ to
simulate the differences in runoff due to various
types of land cover. In their research notebooks,
they will evaluate the impacts of high and low
density residential development, commercial
development and open grassland on the amount
of runoff produced.
Students will be asked to develop a list of issues
that might arise due to varying levels of runoff.
Internet research- Students will work with a
partner to research the impacts and causes of
erosion, water quality assessment, and

Supporting questions to be addressed

4

4,9,11

1,2,3,4,5-10, 12

Chesapeake Bay health and determine the path

water takes from Moores Branch into the Bay.
They will find previous water quality assessments
of local streams in order to determine a baseline
for comparing the impacts of the construction.
(http://www.dnr.state.md.us/irc/docs/0000777
3.pdf This document has results of Baltimore
County stream assessments but it is a bit out of
date. There are other stream assessments of
various tributaries near the Moores Branch that
the students may have to use to extrapolate the
health of their local stream.
Schoolyard tour to look for evidence of erosion.
9
Students will use the information they have
acquired from their research and go into the
schoolyard to assess the current state of erosion.
They will make observations of the construction
site and how it has impacted the landscape and
integrity of the soil. Students will draw a diagram
of the schoolyard making note of the locations of
concern.
Students will complete this simulation:
11
http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/
science/virtual_labs/ES08/ES08.html to
determine the factors impacting erosion.
The manager of the school construction project
9, 10, 13
will be a guest speaker in class. He will explain
the measures they have taken to secure the soil
and provide expert knowledge on county and
state guidelines for sediment control measures on
construction sites. Students will be given time to
ask their own questions.
All research will be compiled in their notebooks for this project.

IV. Outdoor Learning Experience

Experience
Desired outcome
Students will
Students will identify areas in which erosion may be occurring and
tour the
analyze how the schoolyard has been impacted by the construction
schoolyard.
project.
Initial stream
In an ideal scenario, this would be a long term project in which students
assessment of would be able to assess stream health at the start of the school year and
Moores
then again at the end of the year (while the construction has been

Branch

ongoing).
Students will walk to the Moores Branch tributary behind Pikesville
High School. The students will fill out the form here created by the
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
(http://www.dnr.state.md.us/cin/explorerestoreschoolshed/pdfs/Stude
ntDataSheet.pdf).
Students will bring the baseline assessment of the stream that they
gathered from their research. They will assess the impacts of the
construction at the beginning of the school year and then later on in the
year.
The class will be broken up into groups of 3 (The same groups they have
worked with on various aspects of the project). Each group will be
responsible for gathering stream data and sharing it with the class. Each
group should bring their lab notebooks, pen or pencil, a kick seine, a
bucket with a Vernier temperature and conductivity probes, turbidity
tube, LaMotte chemical test kits, white board, dry erase marker, ice cube
tray and shower curtain)
At the site, each group will be directed to choose a location for their
testing. They should be sure to spread out so their testing does not
disturb another groups territory.
Each group will fill in the data about their location and the weather.
Smart phones can be used to determine the GPS location of the stream
site and the air temperature.
One student will be asked to use the turbidity tube to determine the
turbidity of the water. This will be done first because as the students get
in the water to perform the other tests, they will disrupt the sediment
and detritus on the bottom and make the water more cloudy than it was
naturally. This student will share their results with the class.
Students will work in their groups to assess the stream habitat and fill in
that area of the form. They will be encouraged to take pictures as well so
they can reference them for comparison on the second visit to the
stream later in the year.
Students will then perform the chemical tests (The class will have
received an overview of how to perform each test so excess time is not
taken from the field experience). Each group should perform each test 3
times to rule out any outlying data that might change the groups
analysis of the stream.
Each group will write their data on the white board they brought out
with them. The marker boards will be held so the other groups can view

their results. The significance of the data and any deviations from the
baseline data will be discussed.
Students will then be shown how to use a kick seine and then each group
will work to collect macro invertebrates from their section of the stream.
The stream assessment worksheet directs them to sample 20 times in
various locations. Due to time constraints, groups will probably not have
the time for that but they should sample several locations. The students
in each groups should use the macro invertebrate key to determine what
species of organisms theyve found and count the number of each.
Groups should be gathered together to discuss the macro invertebrates
found and the significance of the findings. One group should list out the
various species they found for the others. Any groups who discovered
species not previously mentioned should share this with the class to
compile and complete list. Students will fill out the macro invertebrates
section of the worksheet and determine the water quality rating based
on the numbers of sensitive and tolerant species present.
If time provides, students should discuss, with their group mates, the
overall health of the stream. This can also be discussed back in the
classroom.

Final stream
assessment of
Moores
Branch
V.

Discussion will revolve around the following questions:

What factors contributed to your final health rating of the
stream?
What evidence of human impacts did you observe?
Students will be able to see any changes in stream health that have
occurred over the course of the year. They will follow the same
procedure and complete the same tests.

Synthesis and Conclusions/Student Products - Students will

collaborate with their lab groups to create presentation of their finding from
throughout the school year. They may develop a trifold presentation, Prezi, or
video.
Focus points for the product:
The initial research on Moores Branch, the Chesapeake Bay, and
how watersheds work.
A transcript of their interview with the construction project
manager and explanation of their understanding of the impacts of
construction on erosion.
Pictures and explanations of soil erosion control devices and their
benefits.

VI.

VII.

Maps and graphs to explain the Chesapeake Bay watershed and

trends in pollution in recent years.
Each student will individually produce the following:
o The data they have collected from the stream studies and the
conclusions they have drawn from their research. This
should be compiled in a formal lab report.
o Their answer to the organizing question with multiple points
(gathered from the project) to back it up.

Student Action
a. Students will propose realistic actions that they can take to reduce the
impact of the construction. These will be taken to the principal and
construction supervisor to ask for permission for implementing these
measures. Ex. Spreading straw or other cover on large areas of exposed
soil, planting grass on exposed soil, etc.
b. Students will travel to Pikeville Middle School to explain the project and
present their findings to science classes and teachers. The goal is to create
awareness of issues and human impacts on the Chesapeake Bay
Watershed. This may also reinforce concepts they have been learning and
give them something to look forward to as move towards high school.
Authentic forum for presenting findings- Students will present their
MWEE projects at a Pikesville High School PTSA meeting. Each lab group will
personally invite at least 5 people to attend the meeting to hear about their
research (these will include parents, employers, teachers). Each group would
explain one aspect of the project (the research, interview, stream study, etc.)
and then they would present their physical products. Each groups would also
offer solutions to be presented to the administration or give some
expectations they have for their presentation to the middle school audience.

VIII. Connections to Standards:

Standard
Student product alignment
BCPS Indicator 6.4.3: The student
Steam study data and analysis of the
will examine land use and its effect on soil impact of construction on stream quality.
quality.

Next Generation Science StandardHSEvaluate or refine a

ESS3technological solution that
4.
reduces impacts of human
activities on natural
systems.* [Clarification
Statement: Examples of data
on the impacts of human
activities could include the
quantities and types of
pollutants released, changes to
biomass and species diversity,
or areal changes in land
surface use (such as for urban
development, agriculture and
livestock, or surface mining).
Examples for limiting future
impacts could range from local
efforts (such as reducing,
reusing, and recycling
resources) to large-scale
geoengineering design
solutions (such as altering
global temperatures by making
large changes to the
atmosphere or ocean).]

Proposed action to be taken as a result of

the collected research and evidence.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.11-12.3
Follow precisely a complex multistep
procedure when carrying out
experiments, taking measurements, or
performing technical tasks; analyze the
specific results based on explanations in
the text.

Steam study data and analysis of the

impact of construction on stream quality.

MARYLAND ENVIRONMENTAL
LITERACY STANDARDS STANDARD 1
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES The student
will investigate and analyze
environmental issues ranging from local
to global perspectives and develop and
implement a local action project that
protects, sustains, or enhances the
natural environment.

Proposed action to be taken as a result of

the collected research and evidence.