The Exploring Elwha River Ecosystem video series was designed around an anchoring phenomenon that focuses on the big ideas of science that occur within the Olympic Ecosystem and the Elwha Ecosystem Restoration Project. The video series introduces the natural and manmade phenomenon that contribute the scope of this historic dam removal project to students through real world applications. These anchoring events are intended to engage students and launch a storyline of series of coherent lessons that build towards an understanding of the NGSS Performance Expectations bundled within a topic. A student’s goal within a module should always be to gain information and evidence towards developing an explanation, model, or designed solution for the anchoring phenomenon. As Ranger Josh and Ranger Christeal reveal clues around the anchoring phenomenon, students interact with the “mystery” and generate new questions that lead to next steps in the storyline. The development of a storyline is designed to address all three dimensions of the Next Generation Science Standards.
The videos are divided into several segments that allow various access points for students to interact with the phenomenon. The segments engage students in developing questions that drive the instruction and to guide teachers in aligning lessons that make progress towards an explanation of the storylines guiding question with new concepts arising from the “big” ideas of science. The videos are intended to drive and produce questions - not answers. The videos were created to give teachers a wide variety of topics to build phenomenon based storylines around.
For example, in the module “ Water to Watts”, a physical science teacher may focus on the phenomenon: “How hydroelectric power is generated” and construct a storyline around energy. An earth science teacher using the same video may focus on the phenomenon of the presence of the igneous rock ,basalt, and create a storyline around plate tectonics and related concepts. The series is intended to provide flexibility in content ,as well as, for teachers to incorporate and adapt existing curriculum resources and lessons to the anchoring events within the video series. The first 3 videos in the series, The Mystery of Marine Derived Nutrients (life science) , Sediments:Friend or Foe (earth science), and Water to Watts (physical and earth science) all focus on science based phenomenon. The 4th video in the series, “What’s a River For?” could be used as an integrated unit for English Language Arts, Social Studies , and Science. This could also be used in conjunction with all 3 of the other modules as a culminating project
TheFreeing the Elwha Curriculum is an integrated curriculum that provides a number of engaging lessons that serve as a valuable resource for lessons supporting the Elwha Ecosystem Video Series. This historic project, the largest dam removal project in the world, provides students with opportunities to engage in the science and engineering practices as new pieces of science information are gained and applied towards developing an explanation, model, or designing a solution.
The natural and manmade phenomenon presented in the Elwha Ecosystem Video series are built around the life, earth, physical sciences, and engineering design process. Although not all of the lessons are fully 3-dimensional in nature, they work well in storyline construction around the provided Performance Expectation bundles.
Exploring the Elwha River Ecosystem Video SeriesPerformance Expectation Bundle Overview
MS-LS1-6 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.
MS-LS2-3. Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem
MS-LS2-2. Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.
MS-LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
MS-ESS2-1. Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth’s materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.
MS-ESS2-4 Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth's systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity
MS-ESS2-5 Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses result in changes in weather conditions
MS-ESS3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment
Video 3: “Water to Watts” How do hydroelectric dams harness the energy of moving water and convert it to electricity?
Physical Science
MS-PS3-5 Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.
MS-PS2-3 Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces
How did the geologic characteristics and weathers patterns of the Elwha Valley create conditions to build hydroelectric dams and produce energy?
Earth Science
MS-ESS1-4 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth's 4.6-billion-year-old history.
MS-ESS 2-2 Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.
MS-ESS2-1 Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth's systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.
Video 4: “What’s a River For?” This module provides opportunities for integrated curriculum and cross content teaching for science, English Language Arts, and Social Studies. It could be used to fulfill Washington State Classroom Based AssessmentWhat would you have done if you had to decide to remove, or not remove the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams?
What are the benefits of hydroelectric energy production on the Elwha River?
What are the drawback/negative impacts of hydroelectric production on the Elwha River?
What impacts did the construction of the Glines Canyon and Elwha Dam have on the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe?
What are national parks for? What are Wilderness areas for?
** All NGSS Performance expectations for video 1-3 will apply to this video
Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural World
All human activity draws on natural resources and has both short and long-term consequences, positive as well as negative, for the health of people and the natural environment.
The uses of technologies and any limitations on their use are driven by individual or societal needs, desires, and values; by the findings of scientific research; and by differences in such factors as climate, natural resources, and economic conditions.
Technology use varies over time and from region to region.
