Last week our 4th grade students had their first canoeing trip of the year. The boys did a phenomenal job and the trip was a huge success. This was the first time many of them had paddled a boat, or at least been in complete control of a boat, and they all had a chance to gain some valuable experience. The trip had two main objectives. The first was to learn how to safely and confidently paddle a canoe and the second was to learn that there's "stuff" in the water... things we might not even be able to see with the naked eye... and that those things affect the health of the water and, most importantly, they are measurable.
Before collecting data, the students each had a chance to paddle the front (bow) and back (stern) of the canoe while one person served as duffer (sits in the middle of the canoe). They completed a series of paddling exercises and once we all felt comfortable in our skills we headed off to collect data. The lab was devised so that each canoe of three students had a separate role at each collection site. One role, Team Gadgets, collected temperature, pH, and GPS data using electronic sensors and units. Team Turbidity used a Secchi disk to measure the turbidity of the water (think haziness, or cloudiness of the water) and made predictions on what might have caused the turbidity in this lake (things like sediment, phytoplankton, or decaying leaves). Team Oxygen measured the amount of dissolved oxygen at each testing location. Each student was able to perform all three roles on the trip and we will compile our data this week in science class and start ti unpack what it all means.
Thanks to Tom Cordes and Neil Rackers for supporting the trip with their time and energy!
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