Science Integration with Wardsboro School

 

 

 
CWDD Operations Manager Janel Roberge paid a virtual visit to fifth and sixth grade students from Wardsboro School in Wardsboro, VT (Windham County) in December 2020. The visit represented the culmination of several weeks of preparation with teacher Samantha Bovat, who had not previously worked with Vermont EPSCoR. The outreach established a connection with a new school and helped the teacher incorporate science into a multidisciplinary curriculum.
 
The event took place over two days. The first, December 15, 2020, featured a presentation on what Vermont EPSCoR is, what BREE researchers do, and why water is so important. The project used the concept of mapping, which students had practiced previously, to explore the concept of land use as it applies to water quality research. On the second day, December 18th, 2020, students presented their findings. To make these presentations, the students created bar graphs depicting nitrogen and phosphorus levels in agricultural and forested streams. The CWDD provided the data for these graphs from the VT EPSCoR Streams Database. Students then asked follow-up questions and got practice in presenting findings as they reviewed the information.