Learning Goals
Students will be able to formulate an investigable question about how local soil-water interactions contribute to frequent flooding in their town.
Students will be able to plan and conduct a safe, controlled mud-ball investigation measuring infiltration, erosion, stability, and runoff in soil collected around the school.
Students will be able to analyze quantitative and qualitative soil-test data to identify patterns, anomalies, and limitations related to infiltration, erosion, stability, and runoff.
Students will be able to construct an evidence-based systems explanation of how changes to soil, vegetation, drainage, or other surface conditions can create feedbacks among the geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and human systems.
Students will be able to evaluate how flooding and proposed responses may affect soil, water, land, and community infrastructure as natural resources.
Students will be able to communicate and revise a warranted claim about why the town floods frequently by integrating investigation evidence, team reasoning, and feedback from the ward office, geological survey company, and exhibition audience.
Products
Local Soil and Flood Investigation Notebook
Each student documents question development, safe mud-ball methods, raw data, observations, visual analysis, anomalies, limitations, a systems explanation, and an independently reasoned claim about local flooding. The notebook also records partner and peer feedback and explains how that evidence prompted revisions.
Community Flood and Soil Investigation Exhibition
Teams synthesize members’ evidence into a site map, data displays, Earth-systems model, investigation report, and public presentation explaining local flood causes and resource impacts while recommending practical next steps. Teams present to students, parents, teachers, the ward office, and a geological survey company, address conflicting or anomalous findings, respond to questions, and reflect on audience feedback.
No rubric has been generated yet.