South Carolina Aquarium Online Curriculum, 6th

Pre-Visit Activities : Topography : Assessment
Sixth - Eighth Grade Online Curriculum : Watersheds

Assessment

In their models of watersheds and topography of South Carolina students will:

Show that the elevation of the topography in the northwest of the state is higher than the topography in the southeast of the state.
Show that water flows from the northwest mountains to the southeast sea.
Correctly delineate the major watersheds of South Carolina and place elevation to create drainage divides in the approximate location of where they occur in the state.

Scoring Rubric
(Out of five points) In their models of South Carolina:

The elevation decreases from the Mountain region to the Coast region: 1 point
Water flows from the Mountain region to the sea: 1 point
When water is sprayed, four separate watersheds can be observed on the model: 1 point
One to two of the watersheds are in the correct position and roughly the same shape as they appear in the state: 1 point
Three to four of the watersheds are in the correct position and roughly the same shape as they appear in the state: 1 points

Cross-Curricular Extensions
Art Extension
Pass out one piece of art paper and a straw to each student. Have students lightly crumple the paper and then flatten it out again. Put a few drops of ink or paint at the edge of the paper. Have the students come down level with the paper and blow through the straw at the drop of ink. The ink will branch out as it moves over the paper to create a shape that is similar to that of a watershed. After the ink has dried have students compare the pattern of their blown ink with the patterns of watersheds in South Carolina. Are any of them similar? Have them think about how differences in elevation on the paper might have the same effect on flowing water as differences in elevation on land.

Art Extension
Have the students design a T-shirt to promote awareness of one of South Carolina's watersheds. Have them depict aquatic habitats found in the watershed and show some of threats that may be affecting the health of that watershed.

Social Studies Extension
Have the students plot the location of schools that share their watershed, preferably one for each geologic region (Mountains, Piedmont, Sandhills, Coastal Plain, and Coast). Through e-mails or letters students from each school will communicate with each other to describe their local topography and aquatic habitats and how they are used (do students hike to see waterfalls, go white-water rafting, go surfing, etc.). Students may exchange artifacts from their region such as shells or pressed mountain flowers.