Students who are scientifically literate are able to understand and explain natural phenomena. They can take what they've learned in school and apply their knowledge to concepts that see in the real world.
As educators, we don't have to look far these days for topics of natural disasters. Just turn on the news an you can choose between earthquakes, tsunami's, tornadoes, drought, etc.
Although it was considered a "natural" disaster, I have spent quite a bit of time talking about the BP oil spill in the gulf last year. True, the oil spill was caused by human error, but the effect of what has happened to life in the gulf since then, to me is a natural disaster. Although it's only been a year so we can't even see the true impact, we can look to Prince William Sound and how that area is still trying to recover after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989.
I use this topic as a way to discuss food chains and the impact the oil spills have on microscopic organisms that are the base of the food chain. Students tend to only see the effect on sea birds, fish & mammals, but it's these microorganisms that keep the food chain going.
I can understand how you would consider some of the effects of the BP oil spill as a natural disaster. Humans are part of nature and it is definitely evident that humans can make mistakes, especially when it does not happen intentionally. I like how you incorporate the impact oil spills have on food chains. This sounds like a great addition for my food chain / food web lesson next school year.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you brought up the microscopic organisms in your post. It seems like we forget about them when discussing oil spills and instead focus on the birds with oil in their feathers being scrubbed down in dish soap. I think that by discussing the phytoplankton and algae and whatnot, students will have a better chance of remembering that they are the base of the aquatic food chain.
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ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI agree that we have yet to see the "real" effects of the BP Oil spill. I agree with the post above that we often see images of animals covered in oil and forget about the base of the food chain. There is an interesting article about this at
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_oil_spills_growing_toll_on_sea_life_in_the_gulf_of_mexico/2284/
that you might be interested in reading. Amy
Reference:
Biello, D. (2010, June 09). The BP Spill’s Growing Toll On the Sea Life of the Gulf. Retrieved from http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_oil_spills_growing_toll_on_sea_life_in_the_gulf_of_mexico/2284/