Stream of Consciousness

Grade Level: 9-12

Academic Areas: Science, Technology

Duration of service: 1 – 2 months

Character Virtues: Caring, Civic virtue and Citizenship

Technology: GIS, GPS

Service Areas: Environmental

Service Learning Project:

Students will spend approximately 1 week of class time learning how to operate GPS/GIS technology. They will learn how to use a GPS unit and how to make maps with the GIS program. Then they will spend approximately 2 weeks learning about stream stability and ecology. This will include lessons on erosion, deposition, precipitation and stream vegetation. The students will choose a stream along a major flood plane. They will walk along the stream with a GPS unit and mark major erosion sites and deposition sites that could potentially cause damage during high water levels. They will bring this data back to the lab and create a map with GIS by downloading orthophotos, stream data, elevation data etc… from GIS clearinghouse websites. (This could also be done for them and be ready for them to input the data they collect from the GPS.) This information will be given to town officials and used to evaluate where stream stability measures need to be taken.

Goals and Objectives

Academic

Learning Goal: To learn about how erosion, deposition, precipitation and vegetation

influence stream stability.

Standard: Mathematics, Science and Technology 4 - Science.

Learning Goal: To learn how to create a scientific study that may prevent future losses

from flooding.

Standard: Mathematics, Science and Technology 5 - Technology.

Service

Community need targeted for improvement: Instability and improper flood control of

local streams in Ulster County, New York.

Possible Community Partners: The Ulster County Environmental Management Council

Objective: To provide local officials with a map of major sites of erosion and deposition

of local streams so they will want to consider reinforcing the stream bank.

Objective: Open the eyes of students to the needs of the environment and give them the

tools to make a difference.

Technology

Learning Goal: To learn how to operate a GPS unit and apply its uses to a project.

Objective: Students will record points along local streams.

Learning Goal: To learn to how to use Arc View GIS.

Objective: To create a map of erosion and deposition areas along local streams in Ulster

County.

Character

Virtue: Citizenship

Objective: To serve the community by helping to protect people from the impacts of

flooding and insure a healthy and stable stream.

Virtue: Caring

Objective: To show compassion to the community as well as the environment by helping

to prevent unnecessary suffering due to flooding.

Key Activities

Key Planning Activities

1. Teachers will gain permission from owners whose property borders the targeted streams as well as environmental officials to conduct the study.
2. Teachers will train the students to use the GPS and GIS technology in order to complete the service project.

Key Service Activities

1. Students will collect data points with the GPS unit.
2. Students will input the data into the base map that they created with GIS.
3. Students will use their knowledge of vegetation and stream composition to identify possible trouble points on their maps.
4. Students will bring all the elements together in a finished product to submit to local officials.

Key Reflection Activities

1. Students will present their finished product to local officials. (performance, civic virtue and citizenship)

2. Students will hold a group discussion of what they’ve learned and accomplished through this project. (oral, caring and civic virtue)

3. Students will keep a journal throughout the project in which they continually write reflections. (written, caring)

Celebration Activity

Students will host a “Map it Out” party at which they display their newly developed map to parents, friends and community members. Parents and community members will be invited to the “Map it Out” party.