Lesson Title: Rain Garden Suitability Analysis

LESSON TITLE: RAIN GARDEN SUITABILITY ANALYSIS GRADE LEVEL: 7 PREPARED BY: MELISSA KEMM

TEACHER NAME, SCHOOL MELISSA KEMM; DOWDELL MIDDLE MAGNET SCHOOL

GRADUATE MENTOR NAME, DEPARTMENT, USF DR. RYAN LOCICERO, COLLEGE OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, USF

FACULTY MENTOR NAME, DEPARTMENT, USF DR. MAYA TROTZ, COLLEGE OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, USF

Version: July, 2012 1 Lesson Template Subject Area(s): Data Analysis and Probability; Earth/Space Science; Measurement; Problem Solving; Science and Technology Associated Unit: Urban Stormwater Management Lesson Title: Rain Garden Suitability Analysis Time Required: 225 minutes (5-45 minute class periods) Summary Students will gather data at their school site to determine the most suitable place to construct a rain garden. Working in teams, students will observe and measure elevation and slope, hydrology, land use, soil texture, and sun/shade cover for their entire school site and identify areas for rain gardens. Students will then combine all teams’ information to locate the rain garden in the most suitable area on factors that contribute to flooding on the school campus.

Engineering Connection Engineers are involved in analyzing the problems involved in urban infrastructure tasks and then designing solutions and providing guidance for planning and management of water resources. The design process includes characterizing the current site features to determine ideal placement of the engineered design within the constraints of the project. Acting like engineers, students will make measurements and gather data to characterize land areas. The precise measurement of land elevation and slope is essential for a variety of engineering tasks such as building roads, bridges, and other structures. Interpreting maps is another essential skill for many engineers. Maps contain units and symbols to depict data to facilitate the engineering and design process.

Engineering Category = #2 Keywords Environmental engineering, geospatial analysis, green infrastructure, rain garden, site survey, suitability, soil texture

Educational Standards National and State Florida Department of Education. (2012) CPALMS: Standards http://www.floridastandards.org/standards/flstandardsearch.aspx  Middle School Science o SC.6.E.6.1 – Describe and give examples of ways in which the Earth’s surface is built up and torn down by physical and chemical weathering, erosion, and deposition. o SC.7.N.1.1 - Define a problem from the seventh grade curriculum, use appropriate reference materials to support scientific understanding, plan and carry out scientific investigation of various types, such as systematic observations or experiments, identify variables, collect and organize data, interpret data in charts, tables, and graphics, analyze information, make predictions, and defend conclusions.

Version: July, 2012 2 o SC.7.N.1.3 - Distinguish between an experiment (which must involve the identification and control of variables) and other forms of scientific investigation and explain that not all scientific knowledge is derived from experimentation o SC.8.N.2.2 – Discuss what characterizes science and its methods. o SC.8.N.3.1 – Select models useful in relating the results of their own investigations. o SC.8.N.4.1 – Explain that science is one of the processes that can be used to inform decision making in the community, state, national, and international levels.  Middle School Math o MAFS.7.G.1.1 – Solve problems involving scale drawings of geometric figures, including computing actual lengths and areas from a scale drawing and reproducing a scale drawing at a different scale. o MAFS.7.G.2.6 – Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving area, volume and surface area of two- and three-dimensional objects composed of triangles, quadrilaterals, polygons, cubes, and right prisms.

ITEEA Educational Standards (2000)  Standard 2: Students will develop an understanding of the core concepts of technology o N (6-8): Systems thinking involves considering how every part relates to others. o S (6-8): Trade-off is a decision process recognizing the need for careful compromises among competing factors.  Standard 8: Students will develop an understanding of the attributes of design. o E (6-8): Design is a creative planning process that leads to useful products and systems. o F (6-8): There is no perfect design. o G (6-8): Requirements for design are made up of criteria and constraints.  Standard 9: Students will develop an understanding of engineering design. o F (6-8): Design involves a set of steps, which can be performed in different sequences and repeated as needed. o G (6-8): Brainstorming is a group problem-solving design process in which each person in the group presents his or her ideas in an open forum.

Learning Objectives Students should be able to: Know Understand Do Green infrastructure and The role of green Record observations and rain gardens. infrastructure in minimizing measurements. runoff and surface flooding. Analyze data.

Version: July, 2012 3 How identifying existing characteristics of the land is Characteristics of an ideal integral to the design/build rain garden site (elevation, process. Draw conclusion(s). soil texture and infiltration Support claim with evidence. rate, sun/shade). Requirements for design are made up of criteria and constraints.

5-E Lesson Plan Engage (hook, demonstration, free write, brain- Students will discuss the questions “what happens on campus storming, analyze a when it rains?” and compare what happens on campus to what graphic organizer, happens at their homes. KWL, etc) (45 minutes) Students will complete the “Rain Garden Challenge” e-learning Explore module. (45 minutes) (investigation, solve a problem, collect data, construct model, etc.) Students will work in groups to survey the school. Survey teams (135 minutes) will gather information on elevation and slope, hydrology, land use, and sun and shade cover. (90 minutes) Explain (student analysis, structured Students will describe the qualities of the campus that result in questioning, reading flooding. Students will answer the question “which factors are most and discussion, important to determine where flooding will occur on campus?” teacher explanation, compare, classify) Elaborate/Extend (problem solving, Students will determine the best place to build a rain garden on decision making, campus based on the site surveys. Students will work as a whole experimental inquiry, compare, classify, class to display all field surveys on one map, evaluate the data apply) gathered, and compare possible sites. (45 minutes) Evaluate (any of above, Students will write an analysis of the class’s data and their findings develop a scoring tool as a C-E-R (claim-evidence-reasoning) essay. or Rubric, performance assessment, produce Students will also create a short (3 – 5 minute) presentation of the a product, journal results to be presented to school administration. entry, portfolio, etc.)

Introduction / Motivation

Version: July, 2012 4 Ideally the lesson will start during or just after a rain event on the school campus, if that is not possible then compile pictures of the school after a rain event and have students reflect on what they noticed the previous year. Students should be able to name locations on campus that are prone to flooding and the teacher should facilitate compiling all locations into a single list. The teacher should pose another question to the class: “what happens at your homes when it rains?” and students should compare what happens at school and their homes. A list of characteristics that influence flooding should be generated and discussed. Continue the discussion with “what are the effects of flooding – positives and negatives?” Close by telling students over the next week they will work to solve the ‘problem’ of flooding on the school campus by locating the best site for a rain garden.

Lesson Background & Concepts for Teachers The water cycle is altered in urban environments, which can result in increased runoff and stormwater. The management of the increased stormwater is an engineering challenge that many cities face. Green infrastructure can be built to reduce stormwater runoff and restore the natural hydrology of an area. Ideal sites for green infrastructure are near impervious surfaces with gently sloping land.

Vocabulary / Definitions Word Definition An approach to water management that protects, restores, or mimics Green Infrastructure the natural water cycle. A garden that utilizes rainfall and stormwater runoff based on its Rain Garden design and plant selection to mitigate flooding. Examine and record the area and features of an area of land so as to Site Surveying construct a map, plan or description. The draining away of water (or substances carried in it) from the Runoff surface of an area of land, a building or structure, etc. Water that originates during a precipitation event, flows through a Stormwater watershed. Surface water Water on the surface of the planet (rivers, lakes, wetlands, puddles). The branch of science concerned with the properties of the earth's Hydrology water, especially its movement in relation to land. Mainly artificial structures—such as pavements (roads, sidewalks, driveways and parking lots) that are covered by impenetrable Impervious surface materials such as asphalt, concrete, brick, stone--and rooftops. Soils compacted by urban development are also highly impervious. Elevation The ground height above mean sea level (0 m). Slope The change in elevation between two locations. The upper layer of earth’s crust in which plants grow, a black or dark Soil brown material typically consisting of a mixture of organic remains, clay, and rock particles. A classification tool to determine the physical texture of the soil based Soil Texture on the sand, silt, and clay content. Associated Activities  Students will determine the components of soil (sand, silt clay) based on soil separation lab and use the Soil Triangle to determine the type of soil.

Version: July, 2012 5  Students will determine the elevation and slope between points on campus using a handheld GPS and the string method.  Students will determine the area of impervious surface based on real and scale measurements.  Students will determine the percent cover of sun and shade on campus using real and scale measurements.

Assessment Pre-Activity Assessment Students will complete a short multiple choice assessment on green infrastructure, rain gardens, and the components of the field survey. Activity Embedded Assessment Student understanding of site surveying procedures will be assessed during the field surveys. During the whole class discussion, the teacher will monitor for misconceptions and ask clarifying questions to guide students. Post-Activity Assessment Students will complete a short multiple choice assessment on green infrastructure, rain gardens, and the components of the field survey. The ‘evaluate’ portion of the lesson will be used as a post-activity assessment. Students should be able to accurately convey the importance of green infrastructure, the site conditions that contribute to flooding, and where on campus is an ideal spot to build a rain garden. Lesson Extension Activities The completion of this lesson will lead directly into the ‘Guide to Rain Garden Construction’ activity.

Additional Multimedia Support Rain Garden Challenge - http://dgreen11.myweb.usf.edu/RainGarden/RainGardenChallenge_Start/story.html

Supporting Program Water Awareness Research and Education (WARE) - Research Experience for Teachers (RET) at the University of South Florida (USF) is funded by the NSF (proposal #1200682). This project is a proactive and well-structured research, education and professional development experience for middle and high school science and math teachers in Hillsborough County Public Schools and pre-service teachers in secondary science and math education at USF.

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