Water: A Portfolio of Student Learning

Rain & SlideIn this picture, we are doing a experiment that shows what happens when rain, rains on the mountains. It slides down to a lake or pond or river.Pull! In this picture, we are pulling up the sails. It was fun but hard work.Drink & PeeAs you can see, this is a skit. In this skit, an elephant was drinking some water and then it pee it out. Swim & PlayIn this picture,  my class(including me)  are cooling off at the  river.We were  having fun  and the water was  really cold.  I also steped on some rocks, fell on some...so if you was to go swimming/playing therewatch out!Fun at a parkWater course went to central park and played in the water. It was a blast. The boys and girls were having a water fight with water bottles.Pipes & PipesI learned a lot about the pipes and the water going through. I guess it was a bad day for me because i got a tan. Well,i guess it was a good day because we got the blue hard hats.Clean up.....This was not what i wanted to do.....but it had to be done.                                                                                                                    Puppet making!Here is a picture of Pro Jo's group making our puppets. It was one of my favorite part of going to black rock forest. Turtle catchingIn this picture we were getting the turtle traps ready so we can catch some. We have to put some bait inside. The bait was tuna, cat fish.Magnet ballsIn this picture we were donig an experiment. The magnet marble one islike water because water sticks togther unlike the glass marble.Measuring Trout!It was really fun because we got to see how long the trout was. i have a trout that was 9cm and 8.5 cm. Big Bugs?We were shaking and kicking these Macro Invertebrate into this yellow net. i found tons of "big bugs" we were able to see it with our naked eye. 

This day we went on a trip to Qeens to visit this processing plant forgarbage. We also took a visit to new town creek. The dirtiest creek in the world.

Construction Site-On this day we learned how most people in NYC get their water threw  the water pipes  and how it traveled to the certain  pipes and tunnels.We also learned what would happen if one of the pipes burst with all of the gas in it,if this happened then all of that part of NYC would explode.

Not DONE YET DONT GRADE PLEASDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

     Here we were doing the molecular dance!  From this I learned how molecules work and how they move when they are freezing or when they are becoming a gas. It is interesting to learn how something so microscopic and yet they can do so much and move so fast.

We tested pool water and I learned how to test for the acidity better by learning this. We also learned

   We found different macro-invertibrates and we got to identify them. With this project I learned what different types of macro-invertibrates could live in the water. I also learned that if a river or body of water has a high amount of macro-invertibrates then the water is healthier becuase more species live in that water. If it has a low number of macro-invertibrates or of different species then the water is not so healthty.

Each pod created a skit about water. With this I learned a lot of different things. It was also hilarious!

                                   My Water Scrapbook

In this picture we are working with magenetic marbles that is representing the water molecules. What we are doing here is showing how the magnetic marbles only stick to the magnetic board. This lesson here is showing how water can stick to certain things like it won't stick to wax paper but it would stick to a glass plate.

This picture is showing the people who went to the Croton Aqueduct swimming in the Croton Aqueduct. Not everybody got wet but the people who did enjoyed it. The water was one of the cleanest water we played in. the Aqueduct had rocks underneath so were not able to take off our shoes unless we are sitting on a rock and getting our feet wet.

This picture is showing Hannah, a student from banard, helping us collect water from the Hudson River to search for a bacteria called enterococci. This bacteria can be found in wter and can cause diseases. Hannah is a student from Banard college who is studying enterococci.

This picture is showing the girls, in the water course, posing under the sprinklers in the Water Park at Central Park. Every one got wet here(except the teachers) and everyone was happy because it was the dayof the heat wave.

This picture is showing an activity we did when we went aboard a boatcalled The Pioneer. This activity was showing how all the waste and nasty material us humans create gets into the bodies of water surrounding us when there is a storm or when it rains. Some of those nasty material were: dog poop(chocolate sprinkles), oil that leak from cars(soy sauce), and candy wrappers(salt).

This picture is showing another activity we did on the Pioneer. This activity was about us learning about the marine animals that were in the water that we sailed on. We saw a hermit crab, which had a small snail attached to its shell, a blue crab, which we released back into the water, a clam, and a small clam.

This picture is showing us hgetting wet in battery park. There was also a snad slide that was really long. The sprinklers were all different sizes from big to small to medium. It was really fum and really short.

This picture was taken when we were at the construction site. Construction workers were talking to us about the water main pipe that they were going to buil. Also they were talking to us about the different pipes underground and what they had to watch out for.

In this picture we are in Black Rock Forest making puppets for our puppet show. We took newspaper and made it into the structure we wanted it to be. After that we took newspaper and put it into paper mashae and put that over the newspaper structure. Then we took paper bags and put that in paper mashae and put it on the puppet structure. Finally, when the paper mashae dried, we painted our puppets. Everyone's puppet was different. Even Prof. Hill's puppets.

This picture is showing a group preforming their skits about water. These skits were done on the porch at the cabin that we stayed in at Black Rock Forest.The skits had to be related to what we have done in our classes and in our experiments we have done.

This picture is showing some kids splashing in the pond to catch macro-invertebrates.We wanted to know if the water quality was good by seeing how many critters there are in the water.

This picture is sjowing some student taking some invertebrates and putting them in water so we could count them. Our goal was to get at least 100 of them because 100 meant that the water quality was very good and that certain animals could live there.

Water Molecules

From this experience,I learned that water molecules are cohesive. Cohesive means that they stick to each other. I also learned that some liquids are not cohesive but adhesive,which means that the molecules stick to each other and other liquids.

Acidic or Basic?

When we tested the pH of the pool water,we learned the scale of acidity,neutral, and base of the water which was 0-7 for acidity,7 for neutral(water and it is drinkable) and 7-14 for base. Acid means that the compounds have a sour taste and they react with bases and metals. Base is a compound that has a bitter taste and they react to acids.

Croton Dam and Aqueduct

At the Croton Dam,I learned that NYC gets 10% of it's water from here. The other 90% comes from the Catskills/Delaware Watershed. I also learned that the water from here travels to NYC for about 22 hours daily.

Waste,Waste,Waste

While we were sailing on a boat,one of the sailors created a model that helped us understand how water can be contaminated by the people surronding the body of water nearby and their vehicules/houses. This helped us understand that we have to be careful to not waste liquids so they won't contaminate our water supply.

Sewers and Pipes in the City

Here,the water course took a trip downtown to a construction site. I learned that the contruction workers had to work together with the people around the block because they want the job to be done and for the people to get water to use.

A Topographic Map

At Black Rock Forest,we learned about topographic maps and that they show you the shape of the land that it is representing. Also,it shows how tall the land is and how steep the land is.

Salamander in the Forest

On the second day at Black Rock Forest,we went to explore around the forest and we found a red salamander. We learned that the salamander wasn't used to it was in because it lives in moist places and the leaves weren't moist enough to survive in.We decided to take the salamander close to the water because we didn't want to let the salamander die.

Testing pH

While we were at Black Rock Forest,we tested the pH of the water from the pond and the reservoir nearby.We found out that the reservoir had a pH that was close to 7,which is okay because then it means that the water is safe to consume.

Trout Release

The water course took trout from the basement of our lodge so we could release them out of the tanks so they could get used to the environment that other trout are living in.We learned how to differ a male from a female.

Going Camping

Our pod,Evaporation Sensation,went camping on a Wednesday and we hiked all the way to the stonehouse,where a lot of people say they get scared.We had to set up our tents in a safe spot and we had to share a tent with a partner.

The Campfire

Here Evaporation Sensation's pod(Prof.Hill Pod)had a campfire in the stonehouse because it was raining outside and we were going to eat here.Here we learned a little about the history of the stonehouse and we learned how to work together so we could keep warm and have a good meal for dinner.

Water Skits

Here,each pod created a skit to show the importance of water.We learned how to create a play applying all of the spheres;Atmosphere,Geosphere,and Biosphere.Our pod created 1 song and 1 rap so we could send a message to people about water in our world and we practiced representing a water molecule.

I learn in this picture the sewers sanitize waste water that we have use already. It just dosn't clean the water it also pollutes the water.

I learned that the fresh that we get is from the Croton Dam. Also that the croton aqueduct starts at the croton dam as well.

I learn that the Croton Dam water travels al the way to Central park reserovoir.

This land used to be own by African American and also people that came from ireland.

This is showing the water molecules that water has and they are  2 hydron and one oxygen.

This trouts that are being release are fry trout since they are tiny and they swim to the surface to look for food.

The fish that are bigger then these are called fingerling which mean that they are the adult fish.

The croton dam was made supose  to be made  buy a guy who goes by the name John B. Jervis.

Some jails for the women in the old days were way smaller then this one on the picture.

There are seven reivers in Black rock mountain and six of them are reservoir.

We living organism under water that look just like incects and some where shape like spiders other like small worm.

i learn that you can actually drink urine since it's  pH.

 1. Water Dance

Here we had to hold our arms out at about 105 degrees to mode water molecules.  Then we had to connect to different people at this angle.  Directed by Professor Hill and Professor Stillman.

2. Testing Pool Water with Joanna

In this picture lifeguard Joanna is testing pool water with a pH kit.  Joanna was showing us how to tell wether or not the pool water was good or not so good.  She also showed us how to test the chlorine.

3. Testing pH Levels

Here we are in the park at 110th st. testing the pH levels of the water.  We were using the probes that did and didn't hook up into the computer.  We were trying to see wether or not the pond was neutral or close to neutral.

4. Croton Aqueduct

Here we are at the croton aqueduct.  We were looking at where the water is when it travels through the aqueduct.  They told us that there are sometimes bats there.

5. Enterococci 

At this moment of time we were looking at how many enterococci there were before and after a rainstorm.  We did this with professor Hill's friend Hannah.  We were told to count how many there were in each jar.

6. Sprinklers

In this picture they are playing in h2o.  I was not there so I do not know much about this trip.

7. Wildlife

Here we were on a sailboat learning about water maps, making diagrams, and the wildlife in New York harbor.  In this particular picture a kid is holding a clam.  There were also hermit crabs.

8. Sprinklers

In this picture we were playing in some sprinklers in battery park.  We were only there because we had time to kill.  While we were there we enjoyed our selves.

9. Making a watershed

We were down by battery park learning about watersheds.  We got to see a slide show about them and then make our own.  A watershed is an area of land where water flows off the land into a lake, river, or stream.

10. Sewage system

Here we were on a field trip to the sewage system.  We basically saw the outside only because weren't allowed to go inside.  They made this a law after 9/11. 

11. Fulton Street

Here we are at a construction site.  They were teaching us the different jobs of the construction team and how they build.  They also told us that the gas pipe is the first thing you turn off.

12. Black Rock Forest

Here we were doing a lot of things.  My favorite part was seeing these teeny tiny turtles.  What we were doing is seeing how many turtles there are.  So what we did was we measured them, saw their sex and look to see if they were new finds. 

Learning about the physical/chemical properties of water

Here we learned the physical and chemical properties of water such as cohesion, adhesion, pH, polarity, molecules, etc. In this picture we modeled a water molecule, ethanol molecule, and a hexane molucule using magnetic and wooden beads.

Croton Aqueduct

We went to the Croton Aqueduct in Westchester and learned about where and how people from the 1600s' in New York got their water. We learned that back then they did not have the healthy, clean water most people have in New York today.They built an aqueduct to have healthy, clean water.

Enterococci

In  this picture we were looking at entococci. Enterococci is a germ in the water that indicates there are other germs in the water. We got  enterococci from the Hudson River.

New Town Creek

Here we learned  more about the sewage system. We learned about where our wastes ends up using examples with plastic bottles.

Fulton Street Water Main Dig

Here we learned about all of the pipes in New York City. We learned about the water pipe, gas, pipe, electrical wires, and high voltage areas. We also learned about how the community was affected by the construction.

Black Rock Forest

At Black Rock Forest we went camping. We learned how to set up a tent, where to put you tent, what to look out for, and what you should do while camping.

BRF: Macro Invertebrates

Here we learned about macro invertebrates. Macro invertebrates are insects with bones in its body that are visible with the naked eye. We were catching macro invertebrates to count them and if their are a certain amount of macro invertebrates that means that the water is either excellent, good, fair, or poor. Some names of the macro invertebrates are crayfish, stone fly, may fly, and aquatic worms.

BRF: Making puppets

Here we made puppets to make a  public announcement (PSA) about water.  Making our PSA  was very messy and fun!

BRF: Turtles

Here we made traps to catch painted turtles. We did this so that we could tell if the water was healthy. To do this we would see if we caught many turtles,babies, different genders of turtles, and healthy turtles. This would help us determine  if the water is healthy.

BRF: Water Skits

In Black Rock Forest we had to make a little skit with our pod group about water. When the pods presented theirs it was very enjoyable to watch.

BRF: Create your own experiment

Each pod was divided into three project groups, Atmosphere, Biosphere, and Geosphere. The project groups created an experiment based on water. The Biosphere groups had to make do an experiment if you mixed water and urine together if it will change the pH of the water. 

BRF: Green Building Design Tour

Here we saw all of the things that were good for the environment. The toilets there could not be flushed, instead our waste goes into a container and they keep our waste so that it could decompose and turn into soil. This saves a lot of water!

THis photo is when water course was learning about aqueducts and dams by actually visitin one in Croton. In between the learning expirence we enjoyed water that is 10% of NYC's water source(that must make you want to drink more water).

This image shows when we were learning about se cretures in the NY harbor,whie sailing.we were able to hold hermit crabs,a clam,and see a blue crab.

we were having fun after edu. we had learned about enterocookie