A harmful algal bloom affecting the lake and shoreline.
NOAA Great Lakes Region, CC 0
Pathway Summary
Anchoring phenomenon lesson
Students watch a news story about toxic algal blooms and reflect on their own experiences with a local body of water, connecting their personal experiences to the phenomenon. They then examine data showing the number of toxic algal bloom advisory days over time and learn about how algal blooms occur. Using this information, students develop an initial model for why algal blooms are becoming more prevalent. To help refine their models, students identify the parts they feel confident about and the parts where they have uncertainties. They use this reflection to create a Driving Question Board. Finally, to begin investigating how algal blooms affect the local community, students are assigned to interview their families and community members about their experiences with algal blooms in the local lake.
Phenomenon
The number of toxic algal bloom advisory days issued by the Tacoma County Public Health Department is increasing each year.
Community
The Spanaway Lake community is located near Tacoma, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The lake is popular for boating, fishing, and swimming.
Materials Available
Anchoring phenomenon lesson
Key Features
Near water
Suburban
Family connection
Educator Insight
Teacher: Raylene Fowler
Why I chose this phenomenon
I had a few local phenomena chosen and asked students to vote to see which would they would be most interested in, the Spanaway Lake harmful algae blooms was voted for the most. Students cited that they had experience with the algae blooms, and many of them had been to Spanaway Lake or Spanaway Lake park in the past.
How my students responded
Students were engaged with the phenomena and initially showed different levels of understanding of climate change, which made for interesting discussions in class. By the end, students put a lot of effort into their culminating task and almost every student showed a better understanding of climate change in their final submission.
