North Bay Education Foundation is partnering with Delaware River Waterfront Corporation, Natural Lands Trust, and Science Leadership Academy Middle School to facilitate student directed environmental investigations and action projects on the Delaware Riverfront. Students will achieve academic standards in Language Arts, Math and Science while engaging in inquiry based authentic scientific investigations of environmental issues.
The program will focus on three guiding questions:
- How do your choices affect your future?
- How do your choices affect you community?
- And how do your choices affect the environment?
Student will investigate local environmental issues leading to action projects to improve the issues identified. Teacher professional development is a critical part of sustainable integration of inquiry based environmental education into the classroom and curriculum.
5th Grade students will investigate how living organisms are connected and dependent on other organisms and abiotic factors in aquatic ecosystems. Students will investigate water quality locally and regionally. Students will use engaging data collection practices as part of their investigation to assess the Delaware River along Pier 68 as well as the Schuylkill River near Fairmount Water Works. Students will make observations at both sites comparing the riparian buffer, water quality, and development of local parks to attract the public to the area. Students will create action projects at the Delaware River to enhance the attractiveness of the park to the public while also improving the riparian buffer and river corridor from the Pier 70 area all the way to Pier 53.
