San Clemente Success!

San Clemente Beach Project Kickoff!

Early Bird Hike

The bluff

This field trip would not have been such a success without those of you who donated items and food, drove, and came along (a thank you to our fearless chaperones, Debbie, Sindhu and Giselle). Our students, Lisa, Luisa and Tony are truly grateful to have had so much support! Field trips such as this one are an excellent way of introducing kids to activities and sights to which they may not otherwise be exposed. They also give kids a chance to get to know each other and interact in a more relaxed environment without the pressure of deadlines or the constraints of classrooms. Field trips accomplish these goals in addition to enhancing the projects and studies with hands-on learning experiences. Many students told us that they became friends with classmates that they rarely spoke to last year. This translates to a much more functional and compassionate environment at school that makes collaborative learning much more effective.

Beach Cleanup
Frequency Table

Groups segmented the beach, performed a cleanup and examined what they found. They then filled out frequency charts that gave them an idea of the most prevalent materials. The students will graph these charts in class. Groups also took sand and water samples which they will analyze. The sand samples came from three separate parts of the beach: the water line, mid beach, and the bluff.

Beach Survey Data Sheet

The students will learn to analyze all of the data in class this week so that they are equipped to collect data and perform similar analysis at the different beaches that they will rate in their groups. As with most lesson plans, we did not get to complete all that we set out to do while we were gone.  This week we will set up a mock beach survey in the park in order to give students the practice they will need when they survey their individual beaches. Next week, students will research individual beaches and pick the beach with will be the subject of this project’s inquiry. Students will display their findings at our December 13^th school exhibition.