Initial Publication Date: December 12, 2013

Field and Laboratory Studies of Coastal Processes

Dr. William Slattery
Wright State University

Intended Audience: In-service and Pre-service K12 teachers

Location:

Coastal New Jersey

 

Summary:

This course consists of a one day orientation to the seashore environment, a four-day field trip to the New Jersey shore, and a day of additional laboratory work after the trip.

Context:

Participants: In-service K-12 Teachers and undergraduate level pre-service teachers
Number of Participants: 15

Goals:

This course is designed for K-12 in-service and pre-service teachers. It serves to introduce classroom educators to the seashore environment and allows them to experience the range of possibilities for teaching inquiry-based science that this venue offers. The first class meeting provides participants with background information. The topics covered in the course are:

  • The Origin of Ocean Basins
  • Sediment
  • The Chemistry and Physics of Water
  • Tides
  • The Biology of selected sub-environments
  • The Oceans and the Earth System

Design:

This course consists of a one day orientation to the seashore environment, a four-day field trip to the New Jersey shore, and a day of additional laboratory work after the trip. The course topics are interdisciplinary. Research shows that students (including college students) learn better when the material is presented in context, that is, when real world examples are used. The stage is set for the weekend with some "driving lecture" during the drive back and forth to New Jersey. During the weekend, activities are field-based and include:

  • Salt marsh activities such as seining, sieving plankton, and water quality testing
  • Barrier beach activities including beach profiling, long-shore current measurement, sand analysis, waves, and shell collecting
  • Laboratory activities such as shell taxonomy, bathymetry, fish printing, and identification of plankton and food webs
  • Sea level changes through time
  • Human impact on the shorelines
  • Recognition of sea-level changes through geologic time.

When we gather for our laboratory class we will analyze the material we have collected.

Notes and Tips:

 

Assessment and Evaluation:

The class includes a short pencil and paper evaluation, and there is a requirement that participants develop a lesson plan based on their experiences.

Materials and Handouts:

Activity materials for the field trip are included in the field guides published by The Geological Association of New Jersey (see references). Additional activities can be obtained from the New Jersey Marine Science Consortium collection of lesson plans.

References:

Puffer, J.H (1999). Beaches and Coastal Processes From a Geologic and Environmental Perspective. The Geological Association of New Jersey: Field Guides and Proceedings from Annual Meetings, v.16.

Slattery, W., C. Antonucci, M. Becker (1999). Sun, Sand, and Science: Enhancing K-12 Science Education by Incorporating Inquiry Based Marine Science Into the Curriculum. The Geological Association of New Jersey: Field Guides and Proceedings from Annual Meetings, v.16, pp.144-155.

Talkington, R.W. and C.M. Epstein (1985). Geological Investigation of the Coastal Plain of Southern New Jersey. The Geological Association of New Jersey: Field Guides and Proceedings from Annual Meetings, v.2