ACLC Loon Curriculum - Science on the Fly
ATTENTION STUDENTS AND TEACHERS!
Discover More About Loon Migration and Environmental Conservation!
Science on the Fly! is for YOU!
Science on the Fly! is an exciting curriculum designed for middle and high school students who want to discover more about loons, the ecological impact of airborne pollutants, scientific research, and environmental conservation. Science on the Fly! includes two interactive modules for exploration:
- Loon Migration – Linking People and the Environment
- The Ecological Impacts of Pollution – Conservation Through the Lives of Adirondack Loons
Scientific inquiry learned through the Loon Migration unit of Science on the Fly! promotes student centered, open-ended explorations into the dynamics of freshwater aquatic environments. This unit expands upon BRI’s Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation’s Loon Scientists Program, in which students learn about loon natural history and conservation concerns affecting wildlife populations and habitats. The Ecological Impacts of Pollution unit of Science on the Fly! provides high school students with inspiring experiential learning opportunities in the field of conservation through designing and conducting an environmental service learning project in their local communities.
Students participating in Science on the Fly! explore the fascinating worlds of science and environmental conservation by following the loon migration and mercury contamination research conducted by BRI’s Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation and its collaborators. Through these investigations, students also gain a better understanding of the links between people, the environment, and its wild inhabitants, such as the common loon. Science on the Fly! enablesstudents and teachers around the world to engage in the fascinating fields of scientific discovery and conservation led by the common loonsof the Adirondack Park, a six million acre mosaic of public and private lands in upstate New York.
BRI’s Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation invites all who are interested in learning about loons, aquatic ecosystems, or the steps involved in conducting scientific research and environmental conservation to explore www.scienceonthefly.org. Visitors to the Loon Migration unit of the Science on the Fly! website advance through the steps of the scientific process, discovering intriguing facts about loon natural history and aquatic habitats as they develop and test hypotheses that guide them to conclusions resulting from their research. Through exploring The Ecological Impacts of Pollution section of the website one can find out about the causes and environmental impacts of mercury pollution and acid deposition, two critical ecological contaminants; efforts to control these pollutants; and what can be done in one’s own homes or communities to better protect the environment and wildlife.
Bring Science on the Fly! to YOUR Class Today!
Scientific inquiry begins with a true interest in how or why something works, which is often generated from the student’s own experiences. The topic should be meaningful to the student. It starts with a question, and leads to an investigation of possible answers to that question. Scientific inquiry also provides a solid foundation for experiential learning that actively engages students in environmental community service as part of their academic curriculum.
The design of the study or environmental service learning project develops critical thinking skills and may result in a “trial and error” approach that needs time to be tried and tested. Imagination should be encouraged to enable students to build on their background knowledge by exploring different resources and making connections to their previous understanding. The ability of the student to communicate the results of the inquiry or service project, and to construct meaning from the analysis of the results is just as important as the data that is collected. Presenting data in imaginative and fun ways will also develop multiple other intelligence skills.
As a teacher, you are essential to successful science inquiry in the classroom and environmental service student projects in your community. By providing your students with the ability to control their explorations, you serve as the mentor or facilitator to the active investigation and conservation efforts. The rewards can be immeasurable – the empowerment of the students, and, in return, the true development of student scientists and conservationists.
The Science on the Fly! curriculum is a free teacher’s resource that includes two modules:
Unit #1: “Loon Migration: Linking People and the Environment”: This unit of Science on the Fly! enables middle-school students to explore the scientific process and the fascinating world of aquatic ecosystems. The charismatic common loon is used as an educational tool to lead students through the steps involved in conducting research and interpreting the results of the data collected. Scientific inquiry learned through the Loon Migration module of "Science on the Fly!" promotes student centered, open-ended explorations into the dynamics of freshwater aquatic environments.
Unit #2: “The Ecological Impacts of Pollution - Conservation Through the Lives of Adirondack Loons”: This interactive unit ofScience on the Fly! is designed for high-school students, the “next generation” responsible for caring for our environment. It builds on the scientific inquiry skills and knowledge that students learned in the “Loon Migration” unit to provide them with a comprehensive overview of the environmental impacts of two airborne pollutants: mercury and acid deposition. This unit uses our Adirondack loon mercury research to guide participants through an improved understanding of these significant conservation concerns, including:
- The chemistry of airborne contaminants, and the interactions of the resulting chemicals in soils and aquatic habitats;
- The impact of environmental pollution to aquatic ecosystems, wildlife, and humans;
- Regional, national, and global efforts to decrease airborne pollutants; and
- Conservation efforts people can do in their own houses and communities.
The Mercury and Acid Rain unit provides a variety of resources for participants to design and implement an Environmental Service Learning Project in the area where they live, thus inspiring students to become actively involved in conservation in their owncommunities.
Science on the Fly! Teacher’s Manual and Training Workshops:
The Science on the Fly! Teacher’s Manual provides teachers with an overview of the full Science on the Fly! curriculum. Information about reference materials, learning standards, and additional resources are also included in the manual.
Download the Science on the Fly! Teacher's Manual
BRI’s Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation also offers training workshops to teachers in New York’s Adirondack Park who would like to bring Science on the Fly! to their classrooms. Through the one-day workshop, teachers learn about the design of the curriculum, how to incorporate science inquiry methods, participate in a variety of activities to use for their classes, and obtain ideas and resources for mentoring their students in an environmental service learning project.
To schedule a teacher training workshop in your area of the Adirondack Park, contact:
BRI’s Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation
P.O. Box 195, Ray Brook, NY 12977
888-749-5666x145, adkloon@briloon.org
Website, www.scienceonthefly.org:
For the Loon Migration unit, the Science on the Fly! website supplements and reinforces the information presented through the use of theScience on the Fly! video and classroom activities. The educational objective of this unit of the website is to allow middle-school students to engage in an activity that integrates the use of the scientific process while improving their awareness of wildlife natural history and environmental conservation. The teacher can utilize the website to emphasize the role that scientific methods and procedures have in relation to the loon migration research conducted on the Adirondack loon population. Participating students record information about each step of the process (e.g.: observations, results, or conclusions) in a notebook available to them on any computer.
The objectives of the Mercury and Acid Rain unit of the Science on the Fly! website are to:
- Increase student understanding of the critical ecological concern of airborne pollutants, and
- Inspire students to actively participate in environmental conservation in their home and in their local communities through anEnvironmental Service Learning Project.
Through the Mercury and Acid Rain unit of the website, students review the chemistry of mercury and acidic pollutants, and learn how scientists in the Adirondack Park study the impact of mercury pollution on breeding loons. Students are provided with resources and links to further investigate these issues, and to learn about state, regional, national, and global efforts to reduce pollution. Students record their answers to questions about the topics and their ideas in their Science on the Fly! notebook, enabling educators to evaluate their new knowledge, and review their ideas individually or in class discussions. The website also provides a variety of resources for students to learn about conducting conservation in their own homes and communities. Students are encouraged to directly participate in conservation through designing and implementing an Environmental Service Learning Project.
Teachers! This unique website enables educators to access the Science on the Fly! website separately from the students. Teachers can create classes and add new student users to a class. The teacher can then monitor each student as he or she advances through the application, makes notebook entries, and chooses answers to the hypotheses (Loon Migration unit) or questions (Mercury and Acid Rain Unit). Thus, the website provides teachers with a means for reviewing and evaluating each student’s progress and new understanding of the scientific process or the environmental impacts of pollution.