Lesson Title It’s Time to Save the Bay!

(Science in the Community)

Teacher Catharina Grabe
Grade Level High School Biology (I am not specifying a specific grade level
because many high school biology courses include students from
multiple grade levels)
Approximate Length 90 minutes
of Lesson
Target Next Generation Science Standards:
1.) HS-LS2-7. Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for
reducing the impacts of human activities on the
environment and
biodiversity.

Virginia Standards of Learning:

BIO.8 The student will investigate and understand dynamic
equilibria within populations, communities, and ecosystems.
Key concepts include
2.) d) the effects of natural events and human activities on
ecosystems; and
3.) e) analysis of the flora, fauna, and microorganisms of
Virginia ecosystems.

Related Next Generation Science Standards:

4.) HS-LS2-6. Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning
Standards that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain
relatively
consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable
conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new
ecosystem.

Virginia Standards of Learning:

BIO.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of
scientific reasoning, logic, and the nature of science by
planning and conducting investigations in which
5.) e) conclusions are formed based on recorded quantitative
and qualitative data;
6.) i) appropriate technology including computers, graphing
calculators, and probeware, is used for gathering and
analyzing data, communicating results, modeling concepts,
and simulating experimental conditions;
7.) j) research utilizes scientific literature;

Objectives (also Through analyzing scientific literature, the student will be able to
provide the associated design a viable plan to reduce the impact of human activities on
standard) the Chesapeake Bay. The students will communicate their plans
 using informative pamphlets (Standards 1 and 7).
By reading through scientific research literature, the student will
be able to explain in a written paragraph how natural events and
human activities have altered the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem
(Standards 2, 3, 4, and 7).
The students will be able to use an interactive map to explain
correctly how the densities of bay grasses have changed over the
last 20 to 30 years (Standards 5 and 6).

What can we do to reduce the impact of human activities on the

Chesapeake Bay? (Standard 1).
How have natural events and human activities altered the
Essential Questions
Chesapeake bay ecosystem? (Standards 2, 3, and 4).
(also provide the
How can we use interactive maps to analyze changes in the
associated standard)
Chesapeake bay ecosystem overtime? (Standards 5 and 6).
What can we learn from scientific literature regarding the effect
of human activities on the Chesapeake Bay? (Standard 7).
The students will work in a group of four students to create a
pamphlet that encourages their community members to
participate in the Save the Bay Day event. In the pamphlet, the
students will analyze one specific issue from a list of issues
concerning the Chesapeake Bay. The teacher will grade these
items to determine if the students have met the objectives for the
Post-Assessment
lesson. The students will also submit their responses to the Bay
(also provide the
Grass Analysis Questions. These questions will demonstrate if
associated objective)
the students are able to use interactive maps to analyze data. In
this manner, the post-assessments assess all of the lesson’s
objectives.

I normally conduct pretests several days before conducting the

related lesson. I do this because I use pretest data to adjust my
lessons in order to address any misconceptions that the students
have regarding the material. Prior to completing this lesson, the
students will brainstorm answers regarding the questions below
(in bold). By analyzing the students’ responses, I will be able to
Pre-Assessment (also
assess the students’ understanding of the objectives related to
provide the associated
this lesson.
objective)
What can we do to reduce the impact of human activities on
the Chesapeake Bay? (Standard 1).
How have natural events and human activities altered the
Chesapeake bay ecosystem? (Standards 2, 3, and 4).
How can we use interactive maps to analyze changes in the
Chesapeake bay ecosystem overtime? (Standards 5 and 6).
What can we learn from scientific literature regarding the
 effect of human activities on the Chesapeake Bay? (Standard
7).

Materials • Laptops with Internet Access (Each student needs to

work on a computer in this lesson. Thus, the students need
access to 24 computers.)
• Computer Projection System
• The video Bay 101: Fish Kills from the Chesapeake Bay
Program (2012b) website:
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/issues/issue/nutrients
• The interactive map on the Chesapeake Bay Program
(2012a) website. The URL for this map is:
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/visualization/baygrasses/#8/38.1
00/-76.187?year=1984&compare=2013&chart=temp
• 24 handouts with directions regarding the pamphlet
project
Technology Lesson The students will use a digital interactive map to explain
correctly how the densities of bay grasses have changed over the
last 20 to 30 years.
Scientific Inquiry
Lesson
Engage (2 minutes). 1.) Students will view the video Bay 101: Fish Kills
from the Chesapeake Bay Program (2012b) website:
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/issues/issue/nutrients

The video illustrates how human activities can cause devastating

effects within ecosystems. The video will spark the students’
interest regarding the topic of saving the Chesapeake Bay.
Procedur
2.) (5 minutes). After the students watch the video, the teacher
e
will ask the students to answer the following question: “Have
you ever witnessed a devastating event, such as the fish kill
shown in this video, that demonstrates how humans have
impacted Chesapeake Bay?” The students might respond by
stating that they have seen trash and dead fish along the Bay
shore. The teacher will encourage the students to share their
experiences regarding the effect of human activities on the
Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
Explore 1.) (20 minutes). Next, the students will use a digital interactive
map to explain how the densities of bay grasses have
 changed over the last 20 to 30 years.
• This students will use the interactive map on the
Chesapeake Bay Program (2012a) website to analyze the
changes in Bay grass density from 1984 to 2013. The URL for
this map is:
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/visualization/baygrasses/#8/38.
100/-76.187?year=1984&compare=2013&chart=temp
• The students will use the map to answer the following
questions. The students will work in groups of four students to
answer the questions. The questions will be displayed on the
projection screen. Each student must write the answers on a
sheet of paper to submit at the end of class.

Bay Grass Analysis Questions

How has the density of Bay grasses changed from 1984 to 2013?

On the map, what do the light green regions represent? What do

the dark green regions represent?

Identify three areas of the Chesapeake Bay watershed that

experienced drastic changes in Bay grass density over the last 20
to 30 years:

Click on several of the yellow markers to learn about important

changes regarding Bay grass density. Identify the significant
changes that have occurred in three of the regions marked with
yellow markers.

Click on several different regions on the map to learn more about

the specific species of bay grasses that are found in those
regions. Name the species of Bay grasses that are found in three
different regions on the map.
Explain 1. (10 minutes). The teacher will introduce information
regarding the nature and history of science by conducting
the following discussion with students.
• The teacher will introduce the discussion with the
following question: How did the activity that you just
completed represent characteristics of the nature of science?
One of the students might respond by saying that the map
provided data that people can use to find out what is
happening to the Bay grasses.
• The teacher can respond by saying that the interactive
map represents characteristics of the nature of science
because it demonstrates how scientists can use data from
observation and experimentation to explain a natural
phenomenon, such as changes regarding Bay grasses.
• Next the teacher will ask the students to answer the
following question: How can you use science to identify a
possible cause of the changes in the Bay grasses? One of the
students might respond by saying that he could use the
scientific method to design an experiment regarding the Bay
grasses.

• The teacher will respond by asking the student the

following question: Do you have to use the scientific method
to make a valid conclusion about the cause of the changes in
Bay grass density? One of the students might say: “Yes, we
have always been taught to use a specific scientific method
when we are in the science class.”

• The teacher will answer with the following response:

There are actually many different ways to gain scientific
knowledge. In school, teachers often provide information
regarding one scientific method. However, there are actually
many different methods that scientists use to gain scientific
knowledge. These methods have certain factors in common,
but they are not the same. For example, you do not have to
conduct a controlled experiment in order to make a valid
scientific conclusion. Scientists have made valid conclusions
about the natural world based on observation rather than
experimentation. For example, Charles Darwin used the
observations that he made when he was traveling around the
world on the HMS Beagle to construct his theory of
evolution.

2. (5 minutes). The teacher will introduce the next activity

with the following statement: Clean the Bay Day is an
important community event in Hampton Roads. Every
year, thousands of individuals join together to clean up
litter surrounding the Bay (Chesapeake Bay foundation,
2014).

• According to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (2014):

“Since 1989, Clean the Bay Day has engaged approximately
134,000 volunteers who have removed more than 6.1 million
pounds of debris from nearly 6,500 miles of shoreline”
(“Clean the Bay Day,” para. 5).
• Today, you will begin creating pamphlets to encourage
your community to participate in the Clean the Bay Day.
After I grade your pamphlets, you will have an opportunity
to distribute copies of your pamphlets to the students in your
 school.
• In addition, I will mail copies of the pamphlets to our
mayor's office. By mailing the pamphlets to a local
government official, we can encourage our government to
support initiatives to protect the health of the Chesapeake
Bay.
• You will have 20 minutes to work on your pamphlet
today. Tomorrow, I will also give you 60 minutes of class
time to work on the pamphlets. You do not need to finish
your pamphlets today. However, you must finish your
pamphlets by the end of tomorrow’s class period. Thus, I
recommend that you use your time wisely.

3. The teacher will provide the students with a handout that

contains the following directions:

You will work in a group of four students to create a pamphlet

that encourages your community to participate in the Save the
Bay Day event. In your pamphlet, you must analyze one specific
issue from the list below, which is titled Issues Concerning the
Chesapeake Bay. Work with your group members to select one
topic from the list. Your pamphlet must address the following
questions. You will answer the questions within the context of
the one topic that you selected from the list. In your pamphlet
you must include information from at least one scientific
journal.

1.) How have natural events and human activities disrupted the
health of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem?

2.) What steps should communities take to improve the health of

the Chesapeake Bay?

These are very broad questions. Therefore, you should answer

these questions within the context of the one topic that you
selected. For example, if you selected agriculture from the list,
you will investigate the influence of agriculture on the
Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.

Issues Concerning the Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay Program (2012c) identified the following

issues regarding the Chesapeake Bay. Chesapeake Bay Program
(2012c) website contains information regarding each of the
following topics:
 1. Agriculture
2. Air pollution
3. Bay grasses
4. Blue crabs
5. Chemical contaminants
6. Climate change
7. Conowingo dam
8. Forests
9. Groundwater
10. Invasive species
11. Menhaden
12. Nutrients
13. Oysters
14. Population growth
15. Rivers and streams
16. Sediment
17. Shad
18. Storm water runoff
19. Striped Bass
20. Wastewater
21. Wetlands

4. (10 minutes). After providing the students with the

directions for their pamphlets, the teacher will model
should students how to use the Google Scholar search
engine (https://scholar.google.com) to find scientific
literature that is related to their topics.
a. The teacher will demonstrate how to use search
engines appropriately and efficiently. For
example, the teacher will show the students how
to select appropriate search terms.
b. The teacher will also show the students how to
evaluate the validity of information. For example,
the teacher will explain why scientific articles
from peer-reviewed journals contain much more
reliable information compared to blogs and wikis.
5. (20 minutes). The students will spend 20 minutes
conducting research and creating drafts of their
pamphlets.

Elaborate 1. (15 minutes). The students will conduct a discussion

activity to find out how the various issues regarding the
Chesapeake Bay are related to one another. Each group
of students will discuss their topic with three other
groups in the class. Three of the groups will remain
seated while the other three groups rotate around the
 room. After five minutes of discussion, the teacher will
instruct the groups to rotate. The groups will center their
discussion around the following prompt:

In five minutes, write down as many connections as possible

between your topic and the other group’s topic. The two
groups that identify the most connections between their
topics will get a piece of candy from the candy jar.

2. At the beginning of the next class period, one student

from each group will present the connections that their
group made in the discussion activity. Each group will
identify the largest number of connections that they made
with another group. Students from the two groups that
identified the most connections between their topics will
receive candy from the candy jar.

Evaluate After the students complete their pamphlets, the teacher will
grade the pamphlets to see if the students have met the objectives
for the lesson. The students will also submit their responses to
the Bay Grass Analysis Questions. These questions will
demonstrate if the students are able to use interactive maps to
analyze data.
Explicit Incorporation In the Explain portion of the lesson, the teacher discusses how
of Nature of Science interactive maps can represent characteristics of the nature of
science because these maps allow scientists to use data from
observation and experimentation to explain a natural
phenomenon. In the Explain portion of the lesson, the teacher
also discusses how the nature of science relates to investigations
regarding the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
Explicit Incorporation In the Explain portion of the lesson, the teacher explains how
of History of Science Charles Darwin used the observations that he made when he was
traveling around the world on the HMS Beagle to construct his
theory of evolution. The teacher also discusses the history of the
Clean the Bay Day event.

Modifications to To meet the needs of English Language Learners (ELL), I will

Meet Individual provide these students with infographics and concept maps
Student Needs regarding the issues concerning the Chesapeake Bay. Since
infographics use images to explain concepts, ELL students might
gain a better understanding of the lesson topic by examining
these items.

A student who has Down syndrome is enrolled in my class. The

student has moderate intellectual disabilities. This student will
work with a teacher’s aide to complete the activities. The student
 will complete an adjusted version of the lesson. For example, the
student will not be required to include information from science
journals in his pamphlet. Instead, the student will focus on
researching materials that are appropriate for his reading level.

To meet the needs of gifted students, I will provide the students

with an opportunity to write a letter to the mayor regarding their
concerns about the Chesapeake Bay. I will mail the students’
letters to the mayor along with the class’s pamphlets.

Safety The teacher will discuss responsible use of the Internet to

conduct research. The Internet contains information that can be
harmful to children. Thus, the teacher will demonstrate how to
use search engines appropriately and efficiently. For example,
the teacher will show the students how to select appropriate
search terms.

References Chesapeake Bay Foundation. (2014). Clean the Bay Day.

Retrieved from http://www.cbf.org/events/clean-the-bay-day

Chesapeake Bay Program. (2012a). Chesapeake Bay

grasses. Retrieved from
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/visualization/baygrasses/#8
/38.100/-76.187?year=1984&compare=2013&chart=temp

Chesapeake Bay Program. (2012b, June 15). Fish kills [Video

file]. Retrieved from
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/issues/issue/nutrients

Chesapeake Bay Program. (2012c). Learn the issues. Retrieved

from http://www.chesapeakebay.net/issues

Teacher Reflections To analyze the effect of the lesson on student learning, I will
on Lesson evaluate the changes in the students’ understanding of the
material based on the pretests and posttests. I will use the
pretests to identify any misconceptions that the students might
have about the material. I will address these misconceptions
during the lesson. If 80% of the students do not demonstrate
mastery of the objectives with regards to the posttest, then I will
allocate additional class time to remediate the concepts that the
students struggled the most to understand.