Beatrice Taylor
University of Texas at Tyler
TX

A Pond Investigation

Tue, Apr 23, 2019 9:40 PM
A Pond Investigation

This article is about a group of teachers who decided to find out about a pond that was behind their elementary school. Students and teachers wanted to know, "What lives in the pond? Could it be polluted?" The 5-8 teachers decided to investigate and share their findings with the K-4 teachers. A $2000 grant was received and a professional development session was planned. Teachers learned about and mapped their school's watershed. They compared their pond with two other near by ponds. The teachers learned to do water monitoring, which included taking the water temperature and water chemistry. How to get students involved? It was decided that each grade would be responsible for one test from each of the ponds so they could compare data. They included a rain gauge, temperature, and pH. They also set up a control and experimental aquariums. Finally, a Powerpoint presentation was developed so students could share their findings. This article shows that something as simple as a pond can get the entire school involved in common activities. Students can write and learn new vocabulary in English, make calculations in math, learn the history of the area around the pond in social studies, and make observations, hypotheses, and collect data in science. One school's experience is another school's challenge!