Monday, January 28, 2008

What is on at the Urrbrae Wetland?

What is on at the Urrbrae Wetland?

There is something for everyone at the Urrbrae Wetland. There are activities for every age group and interesting options in every learning area from the Arts to Science and Language to Mathematics.

So if you work within education or community organisations from the early years to The University of the “New Age”, you can benefit from a visit to the Urrbrae Wetland. Some of the themes we can develop together are described below.

If you are interested in any of these themes, or others we might create, please contact me, Phil Coles at the Urrbrae Wetland via

Phone and Fax (same number) 82726010. If I am unavailable, please wait patiently for a delayed message from me and leave all the details you can think of concerning your call or your possible visit.

Mobile: 0403 447 064. email phil.coles@urrbraehs.sa.edu.au

Mail address: Phil Coles Urrbrae Wetland, Urrbrae High School, 505 Fullarton Road Netherby 5062.

NOTE: The Urrbrae Wetland is partly self funded and a fee of $3 per student is charged for all students except those attending Urrbrae High.

STAFF AND FACULTY MEETINGS:

You can book in for an after school T&D session at the Urrbrae Wetland any time from 3 to 6 p.m. depending on your arrival and required departure time.

I am also able to visit your school (from 3.30 to 5 p.m.) for T & D sessions to discuss options in all learning areas.

SCIENCE: SEE LAST PAGES


MATHEMATICS, SOCIETY & ENVIRONMENT.

Biodiversity :

Take samples from the many diverse habitats which exist at the Wetland and then use the microscopes and guide keys to identify the life forms which you will find using the Wetland equipment. Use the documents available at the Wetland to determine its health. Take these ideas home and find another wetland nearest to your school or home. Investigate this as well.

Create your own Wetland Zoo.

The Water Cycle.

Sounds pretty boring? NOT AT THE URRBRAE WETLAND!

Bring your class to explore ideas that you may not have thought of before. We can ask questions like “What are clouds made of?”, “How do raindrops fall out of clouds?”, “Cane we get rain when there are no clouds?” “What does a rain water drop hit fist when it reaches the Earths’ surface?” “Where do the rain drops go after they hit the surface?” or finally “Is all water recycled water, even rain water?”

These concepts can be adapted to suit most age groups from year 1 to tertiary levels.

Wetland functions:

What is the ‘quality of the water’ in the Wetland? Is it as good as tap water? Carry out tests of the water to compare water quality from inlet to outlet or at different depths or in different habitats. Create hypotheses stating your belief before you arrive at the Wetland.

What is the use of a swamp? :

Were swamps in South Australia before European settlement? Where were there swamps before European settlement? Prepare a map of where they might have been. Are you ‘Shreking’ by living in a swamp area today?


Habitats:

How many types of habitat might exist at the Wetland? Record the names of the habitats you think of. Describe what we mean by ‘habitat’ and how one might be different to another.

What would it be like living in one of these habitats? If you were to shift one habitat to another at the Wetland how might you have to change your body structure and the way you lived your life (i.e. how would you have to change your behaviours?)

Making ‘clean’ water from ‘dirty’ water: How can you ‘clean’, dirty water?

Carry out a real experiment to see if you can ‘clean water’. Materials are supplied at the Wetlands to do this practical.

Saving ‘clean’ water: What can you and I do?:

Investigate and actually do the obvious things to save ‘clean water’. Create an experiment to determine which of the easily captured ‘clean’ waters are the cleanest by doing water quality tests and then using math to see if your experiment proved anything.

Using Mathematics to get it right! Make accurate conclusions (i.e.) “The Truth!”:

Use mathematical principles to get it right! Mathematical statistics actually work! For most people this sounds unimportant. However without Mathematics nothing in Science can be proven absolutely 100% right! It is worth checking whether it is the maths that matters!

Mud, Mud, Glorious MUD: What is happening in the mud?:

The events which happen in the mud at the bottom of the wetland are truly remarkable.

Investigate the importance of bacteria which help to cleanse the water.

Is all water, old water?

We can trace where water goes and where it comes from.

Real time, original experimentation by asking the ‘BIG’ questions. Challenge your students via a visit to the Urrbrae Wetland.

Its time that we all created some real experiments with hypotheses, methods, data management, analyses, conclusions etc.

The Urrbrae Wetland can offer a range of tests which can assist students to test their hypotheses. These experiments can be managed by a wide range of student ages from primary to secondary to tertiary! See some of the suggestions at the end of this letter.

THE ARTS. VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS, MEDIA, DESIGN.

Bring your students along to the Urrbrae Wetland to paint, to draw, to sculpt, to explore the use of different media.

Or interpret the ‘quality of life’ under the water or walking on water

Observe the territorial nature of creatures. Create models and research the lives of some of your creature models.

Create and create some more music of just play your pieces outside under trees, in the scrub or ♪under the boardwalk♫. Make new music during composition

Develop themes of ‘serenity’, ‘chaos’ ‘cover’, ‘cleansing’

Create a media presentation based on themes like ‘advertising’, ‘save water’, ‘there is only one water’, ‘it happened at the swamp’,

Base the script of a play or an event and then perform the play, no sets needed as they are naturally everywhere.


ENGLISH AND L.O.T.E.

Discover another side of your students by exposing them to a new ‘classroom’ environment at the Urrbrae Wetland. Check out what a difference it makes to be here and not there!

Write an advert, a story, perform a modified ‘Romeo and Juliet’ under water or on the surface or amongst the reeds or in the surrounding hides in trees and shrubs.

Write an advertisement which promotes a visit to a wetland in Japanese, French or any other studied language

Create poetry, “The Billabong”, ‘Shrek 16’, ‘Habitat’

A drama, a story ‘smoke on the water’ or ‘in the mist of a fog’.

Research whether or not wetland development and understanding is occurring in other countries. Translate some of the details.

Develop different writing styles using a variety of introductions like

‘My life in a swamp’: ‘Why bother with it all?’: ‘If you knew more you would -----’: ‘Is it as dirty as they say it is? I reckon -------’:

“There’s a troll in my swamp”, ‘Life’, ‘Survivor’, ‘The Great Water Race’

Develop a theme based on specific words like ‘contemplation’, ‘water space’, ‘biosphere’, in any language!


Design experiments with an hypothesis.

1. Dissolved solids and salinity.

a) How does the concentration of dissolved solids (salinity) change from one pond to

another?

If there is a change offer some explanation as to the reasons for the changes.

How, why and when do they change?

Research the physics of the ability of water to dissolve soluble compounds.

b) How is the concentration of dissolved solids affected by temperature?

2. Maximum depths of wetland water.

a) Should there be a maximum depth of the Urrbrae and other wetlands?

Relate this maximum to oxygen production, light penetration, survival of wetlands as water cleaning options.

Create an experiment which uses statistical analysis to analyse your data.

b) What is the effect of the depth of water on ultra violet radiation?

c) What is the effect of ultra violet radiation on bacteria?

3. Effect of tannins.

a) What is the effect of tannins on light penetration in a wetland? Measure the intensity of light penetration in pond water using different concentrations of tannin effected water. Design a process for tannin removal. Research why it is important to understand the significance of light penetration into wetland and all other water supplies.

Create an experiment which uses statistical analysis to analyse your data.

b) Does the concentration of tannins dissolved from eucalypt leaves have any effect on the growth of flora and fauna

4. Dissolved oxygen.

a) How do water temperature changes effect dissolved oxygen levels and any other parameters.

What is the physics of the instruments?

Use the physics of the dissolving process to explain how oxygen molecules can dissolve in water.

Research the physics of the ability of water to dissolve soluble compounds.

Research why it is important to maintain the levels of dissolved oxygen in wetland water.

Create an experiment which uses statistical analysis to analyse your data.

b) What is the relationship between dissolved oxygen and the amount of organic matter?

c) What is the relationship between time of day and dissolved oxygen concentration?

5. Turbidity.

a) What is its effect of turbidity on light (UV) penetration?

Relate your research to the importance of light penetration on the survival of wetlands as water cleansing systems.

Research which wavelengths of light have maximum bacterial damage effects.

What is the physics of turbidity?

Create an experiment which uses statistical analysis to analyse your data.

b) What is the relationship between turbidity and temperature?

6. Evaporation

a) Determine the rate of evaporation in the main pond.

Research how water can evaporate at temperatures less than 100 OC

Create an experiment which uses statistical analysis to analyse your data.

b) What is the relationship between the rate of evaporation and dissolved solids?

7. The physics of all testing equipment i.e. data logging temperature probes, dissolved

oxygen probe, salinity and pH meters.

Salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity,

Select one or more of these tests using the available probe equipment and research how they work to indicate the concentrations of various parameters?

If you have other probe technology at your school you are welcome to use it at the Urrbrae Wetland.

8. Biological Oxygen Demand (B.O.D.)

a) Does leaf fall have a significant influence on water quality?”

Design an experiment which compares the metabolism of different types of leaf litter using

biological oxygen demand tests.

Create an experiment which uses statistical analysis to analyse your data.

b) What is the relationship between various types of organic matter and BOD?

9. Sediments and aquifers. Using storm water

Research how we can use storm water safely.

10. Cleaning dirty water

Design an experiment which compares different methods of cleaning water.

Create an experiment which uses statistical analysis to analyse your data.

11. Respiration

Where does it occur, why, how and when?

12. Exploring habitat parameters.

What habitat is the coolest to live in? What effect does this have on the species of

organisms which inhabit these places?

Which habitat has the lowest light penetration? What effect does this have on the species of

organisms which inhabit these places?

Create an experiment which uses statistical analysis to analyse your data.

13. Temperature

Is there a correlation between water temperature and the concentrations of oxygen, salinity,

nitrates, and phosphates?

Create an experiment which uses statistical analysis to analyse your data.

14. What is ‘good water’, what is ‘bad’?

a) Compare what you consider to be ‘good and ‘bad’’ water

Create an experiment which uses statistical analysis to analyse your data.

b) What is the relationship between the variety of macro invertebrates and the habitats existing in the wetland?

c) Compare the quality of water from different sources.

15. What is the effect of different leaf litter on the growth of flora and fauna?

Do the leaves of eucalypts (pine tree or other species) have any effect on the growth of mosquitoes (or other creatures)?

16. pH

What is the relationship of different sources of nutrients on the pH of the water?

17. I welcome any other suggested original experimental ideas you may think of.

Please note duty of care.

As we all know, classroom teachers have ‘in loco parentis’ responsibility while they are teaching. Therefore all teaching staff must be directly involved in supervising all of the activities while at the Urrbrae Wetland.

e.g. when students are

  • collecting samples
  • touring the water’s edge and on the jetty / boardwalk
  • other events involving the use of the pond areas.
  • designated hygiene procedures, e.g. washing hands, first aid.
  • designated safety measures related to entering the pond water in any craft or activity. E.g. the fitting and wearing of any water based attire or water craft safety.
  • preparation and education of students is essential prior to arriving at the Urrbrae Wetland.

Please contact me with suggestions.

IT IS A 'MUST GO TO' EXCURSION AT THE URRBRAE WETLAND

Regards

Phil Coles Urrbrae Wetland Manager