Statistics, Rivers, and Bugs! Oh My!

Target Audience

 

The target audience of this project is high-school students who have completed Algebra 1 and 2 and have a basic knowledge of science. The students will learn and perform statistics-based inquiries and will need a basic understanding of the scientific process.

 

Project Description

 

This project involves collection and analysis of the insect groups Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera. Students will evaluate, based on a widely used biomonitoring test, the water quality of Austin rivers. After analysis, they will analyze the surrounding areas of the rivers and make conclusions as to the reasons of the water quality.

 

Driving Question

 

Which River in Austin is the cleanest?

 

Overall Goals of Project

 

There will be four primary goals in this project:

• Make students more aware of environmental issues surrounding development
• Introduce the students to the tools used by ecologists and biologists to evaluate the impact of humans on the environment
• Introduce students to the diversity of an aquatic ecosystem
• Introduce students to the uses of statistics

Project Objectives

 

Students will be able to:

• identify possible environmental problems associated with construction and development
• interpret statistical data concerning human effects on the creek ecosystem
• perform basic statistical analysis tests

Rationale

 

One thing still noticeably absent from the background of the Austin skyline that has become so prevalent in other major Texas cities such as Dallas and Houston, as well as national cities such as Los Angeles , is the lack of a haze cloud. The pollution that is so prevalent in those cities has not yet made its true effects felt on Austin, but if anything that means that Austin needs to take more measures to ensure that the air in the city stays relatively clean and pollution free.

 

While the air is still relatively clean, the water has been seeing the effects of pollution for some time now.  The water of Lake Travis , Lake Austin , and Town Lake has become increasingly murky, and action must be taken to prevent these great bodies of water from becoming places Austin families and residents can no longer enjoy. 

 

Organizations do exist which seek preserve the cleanliness of the Austin bodies of water such as Save Our Springs and the Austin Youth River Watch, but there is a large gap between the high school students of Austin and these organizations. One goal of this project is to help students realize just how serious the problem of pollution is and to help them see, as the future leaders of Austin and of our country, that they can do something about it. This project will provide them an opportunity to report their findings and to help figure out solutions for the sake of maintaining the cleanliness of the beautiful bodies of water in Austin .

 

Standards Addressed

 

Statistics Standards:

(2)  Algebraic thinking and symbolic reasoning. Symbolic reasoning plays a critical role in algebra; symbols provide powerful ways to represent mathematical situations and to express generalizations. Students study algebraic concepts and the relationships among them to better understand the structure of algebra.

(A1)    

(A)  describe independent and dependent quantities in functional relationships;

(B)  gather and record data and use data sets to determine functional relationships between quantities;

(A2)

(D)    collect and organize data, make and interpret scatterplots (including recognizing positive, negative, or no correlation for data approximating linear situations), and model, predict, and make decisions and critical judgments in problem situations.

 

Entomology Standards

§112.44. Environmental Systems.

(c)  Knowledge and skills.              

(4)  Science concepts. The student knows the relationships of biotic and abiotic factors within habitats, ecosystems, and biomes. The student is expected to:

(A)  identify indigenous plants and animals, assess their role within an ecosystem, and compare them to plants and animals in other ecosystems and biomes;

(B)  make observations and compile data about fluctuations in abiotic cycles and evaluate the effects of abiotic factors on local ecosystems and biomes;

(C)  evaluate the impact of human activity such as methods of pest control, hydroponics, organic gardening, or farming on ecosystems;

(D)  predict how the introduction, removal, or reintroduction of an organism may alter the food chain and affect existing populations; and

(E)  predict changes that may occur in an ecosystem if biodiversity is increased or reduced.

(5)  Science concepts. The student knows the interrelationships among the resources within the local environmental system. The student is expected to:

(A)  summarize methods of land use and management;

(B)  identify source, use, quality, and conservation of water;

(C)  document the use and conservation of both renewable and non-renewable resources;

(D)  identify renewable and non-renewable resources that must come from outside an ecosystem such as food, water, lumber, and energy;

(E)  analyze and evaluate the economic significance and interdependence of components of the environmental system; and

(F)  evaluate the impact of human activity and technology on land fertility and aquatic viability.

(6)  Science concepts. The student knows the sources and flow of energy through an environmental system. The student is expected to:

(A)  summarize forms and sources of energy;

(B)  explain the flow of energy in an ecosystem;

(C)  investigate and explain the effects of energy transformations within an ecosystem; and

(D)  investigate and identify energy interactions in an ecosystem.

 

National Standards (NCTM, NTSA)

Understandings About Science and Technology

• Scientists in different disciplines ask different questions, use different methods of investigation, and accept different types of evidence to support their explanations. Many scientific investigations require the contributions of individuals from different disciplines, including engineering. New disciplines of science, such as geophysics and biochemistry often emerge at the interface of two older disciplines

• Science often advances with the introduction of new technologies. Solving technological problems often results in new scientific knowledge. New technologies often extend the current levels of scientific understanding and introduce new areas of research

Interdependence of Organisms

• Organisms both cooperate and compete in ecosystems. The interrelationships and interdependencies of these organisms may generate ecosystems that are stable for hundreds or thousands of years

• Living organisms have the capacity to produce populations of infinite size, but environments and resources are finite. This fundamental tension has profound effects on the interactions between organisms

• Human beings live within the world's ecosystems. Increasingly, humans modify ecosystems as a result of population growth, technology, and consumption. Human destruction of habitats through direct harvesting, pollution, atmospheric changes, and other factors is threatening current global stability, and if not addressed, ecosystems will be irreversibly affected

National Technology Standards

1. Routinely and efficiently use online information resources to meet needs for collaboration, research, publications, communications, and productivity.

2. Select and apply technology tools for research, information analysis, problem solving, and decision-making in content learning.

3. Investigate and apply expert systems, intelligent agents, and simulations in real-world situations.

4. Collaborate with peers, experts, and others to contribute to a content-related knowledge base by using technology to compile, synthesize, produce, and disseminate information, models, and other creative works.  

 

Description of formative and summative assessments, including description of final product

 

Empty Outlines

This classroom assessment technique is quite simply an empty outline. I will provide the students with a statistical analysis problem and an empty outline with blank spaces to fill in on the procedures taken and results gathered. The purpose of this assessment technique is to garner information on student’s understanding of procedures and results discussed in previous class time.

 

Content, Form, and Function

This assessment technique is similar to “Empty Outlines.” It asks “What, How, and Why” of a procedure. The student’s understanding will be assessed in both statistics and entomology with this technique. For statistics, the student will be presented with an example of data, test applied, results gathered, and conclusions drawn. They will then be asked “What, How, and Why.” What data is being analyzed? How is this type of data analyzed? Why is the test performed appropriate/inappropriate for this data? For entomology, the students will be presented with an insect of extreme body type. The students will be asked “What, Why, and How.” What environment will you find this insect in? How do you come to that conclusion? Why would this body plan be appropriate for that environment?

 

Approximate Analogies

This is a very simply assessment but it reveals much about a student’s understanding. The student will be given the first portion of an analogy and will be required to finish it.

 

Problem Recognition Techniques

As the title states, for this assessment, student will be given an incorrectly applied statistical test and will be required to identify the problem, explain why it is inappropriate, and conduct the correct test. Similarly, for entomology, a student will be presented with an insect and a collection site. The student will be required to explain why that collection is not correct and how they came to that conclusion.

 

Final Project Presentation Rubric

 

		Group	Student
Data	Is the data properly presented and explained?	30	30
Conclusions	Are the conclusions logical and well explained?	30	30
Organization	Is the group/student prepared? Are papers neat, in order? Does presentation flow in a logical thought patter?	10	10
Presentation	Voice, clarity, creativity Do all students have equal speaking time?	10	10
Understanding	Does group/student understand conclusions and results?	10	10
Community Service	Is it viable? Is it worthwhile?	10	10

 

Individual Student

 

Insect Identification	Is the insect properly identified?	Each individual specie Genus: 2 pts. species: 1 pt
Bottling Technique	Is the specie properly bottled?	Each specie 1 pt.
Labeling Technique	(Location, date, Genus, specie, detected) Properly labeled?	Each specie 1 pt.
Field  Journal	Creative? Neat? Informative? Proper entries?	10 pts.