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Instruction required in the use of data loggers. (classroom)
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Instruction required for GPS identification of measurement sampling locations. (classroom)
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Collect measurements of chemical components of water (Phosphates, Nitrates, dissolved Oxygen, pH, etc) along the Field River and research the implications for eutrophication of the river or the creation of a "marine desert" at the mouth. (field trip, library and classroom)
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Instruction required in transect construction, constuction of turbity indicators and digital photography.
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Collect measurements of physical factors about the Field River eg water temperature, water turbidity, water flow rates, transects across the river showing ground slope, photographs of sampling areas. (field study)
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Collect biological specimens and conduct population estimates of plant species within the transects at each of the sampling areas. (field study)
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Collect biological specimens and conduct population estimates of animal species at each of the sampling areas especially the pond life. (field study)
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Instruction required in the use of microscopes and wet mount slide preparations.(classroom)
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Instruction required for Micrsoft Excel for data transfer, graphing, processing and analysis. (classroom)
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Collection and labelling of seeds or cuttings of native vegetation.(field trip)
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Propagation of seeds or cuttings back in the classroom for the purpose of replanting native vegetation along the river. (classroom)
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Research and record the history of housing developments along the Field River catchment. (Local council, local Library, Lands title office)
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Research the change of land use in the Field River catchment area over the last 100 years.(The Happy Valley reservoir wasn't always there)
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Write a letter to the local council identifying areas within the Field River catchment that need weeding to remove non native species and what steps your class are attempting to take to propagate species for replanting.(classroom)
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Create a collage of photographs that demonstrate the changes in land use in the local area over the last 100 years. Photocopies may need to be taken of historical records. Colour and creative display can be at the student's discretion but the collage must be informative.
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Create a dialogue to represent an arguement between a local housing developer and an environmentalist who is concerned about the storm water runoff impact on erosion in the Field River. The task could be in the form of a media interview with a reporter or in front of the local council's town planner who is receiving the developers submission. Try to effectively portray each character's bias within the dialogue. Students can score how effective the dialogue contibutes to each character's viewpoint as well as scoring the actor's proficiency.
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Write a simple EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) about changes to the local river that could be caused by a future housing development storm water runoff. Include what steps need to be introduced if the housing estate is to be allowed to procede.
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Research the concept of developing a wetlands area somewhere along the Field River by applying what information you can find about other successful wetlands already established in Adelaide. Present your findings as an oral (supported by visual aids) or as a powerpoint.
- Conservationists and Industrialists are forever in opposition and attempt to use emotions to support their position. The industrialist uses greed to entice investors and the sadness of jobloss and family hardship to justify establishing or closing factories. Conservationalists employ guilt, sadness and horror when discussing the death of animals (especially fluffy ones) due to habitat destruction or poisoning by industrial waste. Research to find video interviews of conservationists and industrialists. Make a list of emotions and create a table to record how many times each emotion is utilised. Dont forget to pay attention to the background noise or music the editor uses to support any emotion. Score the total emotions utilised by each protagonist for each emotion and briely summarize your results. (emotions you could consider are- guilt, sadness, anger, arrogance, indignation, corruption, frustration, disgust, selfishness.........) This is a great activity for vocabulary development