Sixth grade science students recently completed a project about the San Francisco Bay Area watershed. Beginning their study on this local level, says teacher Gin Saepharn, allows students to “reflect and share how we are harming the environment [around us] and learn a few tips about proper waste disposal along the way.” In addition to researching the San Francisco Bay watershed, students also studied various types of maps to find out how the watershed and water systems work.

 

Working in small groups, students prepared posters demonstrating their understanding of either water sources or the water systems' uses that may contribute to or damage the water sources. “Students also just finished an exploration of how a watershed works by diagramming miniature cities and modeling how the landscape lets water run around the city,” Ms. Saepharn adds. Further on in the year, the sixth grade will shift its focus to earth processes, and having an understanding of water systems will provide a good foundation for this unit of study. MORE PHOTOS