South Carolina Aquarium Online Curriculum, 6th

Pre-Visit Activities : Introduction to the South Carolina Aquarium
Sixth - Eighth Grade Online Curriculum : Watersheds

THESE ITEMS MUST BE PRINTED INDIVIDUALLY
These materials are necessary for this activity. Click on each link to print.
Map of South Carolina Regions (full-page version)
Map of South Carolina Watersheds (full-page version)

MAIN

Focus Questions
What will you experience and learn at the South Carolina Aquarium?

Activity Synopsis
In preparation for a field trip to the South Carolina Aquarium, students are introduced to the facility through an orientation videotape.

Time Frame
2 hours

Student and Teacher Key Terms:

OBJECTIVES

Learner Objectives
The learner will be able to:

Name the South Carolina Aquarium as the destination for their field trip
Explain that the South Carolina Aquarium teaches visitors about South Carolina’s aquatic habitats and communities
Describe what they will be doing at the Aquarium
Describe basic characteristics of the parts of a watershed found in each major South Carolina region

STANDARDS
Content

BACKGROUND
Research has shown that:

children familiar with a setting tend to learn more than those who are not (Balling and Falk, 1980₁; Wolins et al., 1992)₂.

orientation programs facilitate cognitive learning, especially when conducted by a teacher (Balling, Falk and Aronson, undated)₃.

both cognitive and affective learning can be increased when teachers use structured activities before and/or after a visit to an aquarium to create a context for the experience and link it with classroom work (Finson and Enochs, 1987₄; Koran, Lehman, Shafer and Koran, 1983₅; Wolins et al., 1992₂).

Therefore, the South Carolina Aquarium requires that all students visiting the aquarium as part of a structured school program watch the South Carolina Aquarium orientation video prior to their visit. The video will introduce students to the main message of the aquarium, to the aquarium building and its inhabitants, and to the overall structure of their class visit.

The South Carolina Aquarium helps visitors to understand that from the mountains to the sea, each region of South Carolina is connected, yet distinct. The Aquarium is designed to follow the path of a watershed from the mountains to the sea. Aquatic habitats from each of these regions are represented. Across South Carolina’s regions, the habitats are ever changing. Each habitat has its own character that is shaped by physical and biological conditions and by people, both past and present. The more that is known about each habitat, the better humans will be able to safeguard them and ensure that the habitats are managed in a balanced way. All of the plants, animals, and habitats that students will see at the aquarium can be found in South Carolina. By watching the orientation video, students can build prior knowledge of what the habitats they are visiting will be like. They will also have prior knowledge of what the Aquarium will be like, which will cut down on bewilderment, and increase the amount of time the students can spend focusing on learning.

Bibliography

Balling, J.D., and Falk, J.H. (1980). A perspective on field trips: Environmental effects on learning. Curator, 23, 229-240.
Wolins, I.S., Jensen, N., and Ulzheimer, R. (1992). Children’s memories of field trips: A qualitative study. Journal of Museum Education, 17(2), 17-27.
Balling, J.D., Falk, J.H. and Aronson, R. (undated). Pretrip programs: An exploration of their effects on learning from a single-visit field trip to a zoological park. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institute, Office of Educational Research.
Finson, K.D., and Enochs, L.G. (1987). Student attitudes toward science-technology-society resulting from a visit to a science-technology museum. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 24, 593-609.
Koran, J.J. Jr., Lehman, J.R., Shafer, L.D., and Koran, M.L. (1983). The relative effects of pre- and post-attention directing devices on learning from a “walk-through” museum exhibit. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 20, 341-346.

The basic characteristics of water (as described in the orientation video) in each of the major regions of South Carolina follow:

Mountains: fast-moving fresh water; cold and highly oxygenated
Piedmont
- Rivers: fresh water containing sediment and often reddish-brown (due to Piedmont clays)
- Reservoirs: still, deep water that can get very warm during the summer months
Coastal Plain: slow-moving fresh water subject to tidal influence (although remaining strictly fresh water)
- Brownwater rivers: full of silt and organic matter
- Blackwater rivers: contain less sediment (than brownwater rivers) and water is stained black by tannins leached from leafy organic matter
Coast: fresh water and mixtures of fresh and salt water
- Salt marsh: great variation in salinity and temperature due to tidal influences
Ocean: salt water

PROCEDURES

Materials

South Carolina Aquarium Orientation Video

Map of South Carolina Regions (full-page version)

Map of South Carolina Watersheds (full-page version)

Procedure

Using a map of South Carolina identify the general location of the five major regions of South Carolina (Mountains, Piedmont, Coastal Plain, Coast, Ocean).
Show the orientation videotape of South Carolina Aquarium. Ask the students to listen carefully to the descriptions of water in each major region of the state.
Following the tape, discuss with students how the wildlife communities or each region are related to water quality. They will learn more about the plants, animals, and basic characteristics of water from particular regions of the state.

ASSESSMENT

Can students name the South Carolina Aquarium as the destination for their field trip? If so, assign one point.
Can students explain that the South Carolina Aquarium teaches visitors about South Carolina habitats, communities and watersheds? If so, assign one point.
Can students provide a very general description of what they will be doing at the Aquarium during their structured school visit? If so, assign one point.
Can students describe the basic characteristics of water in each of the major regions of South Carolina? If so, assign one point.

Review materials and previsit activities until students receive the full four points total.

RESOURCES
N/A