The Maine Lakes Conservancy Institute – Student Portal

The Maine Lakes Conservancy Institute – Student Portal Teacher Resource Section: Student Portal Description and Template Development Process By Betsy Bass Template Lake & Lake Watershed: Wilson Pond, Wilton, Maine Wilson Pondby David Karkos

Why have aTeacher Resource Section with a Template? • To simplify the icon population process for the MLCI Student Portal for teachers • To simplify the process of exciting and directing students to complete works to post on (populate) each icon topic area by: A.) Supplying sample answers & resource lists B.) Supplying student activities that direct students towards discovering the answers to questions listed under each icon C.) Supplying teachers with rubrics to coordinate their programs with: - The Maine Learning Results (MLR) & - - The National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for Students Photo by Betsy Bass

Purpose • Topic: Lake Ecology • Grade Level: Middle School – but can be adapted younger or older • Curriculum: Environmental Science/ Ecology, but can be integrated with many other disciplines such as language arts, math, history, art, and others Wilson Pond by Betsy Bass

What is the MLCI Student Portal ? Fish by Katie Haenn, Age 11 • The Student Portal is a site within the MLCI website: http://www.mlci.org/where: • Teachers can retain students enthusiasm about lake ecology and a long-term project • By posting their work on a world-wide website • Where the students can also see other students’ work!

What are the Icons? • 1. Lake History • 2. Aquatic Plants • 3. Lake Life • 4. Lake Log • 5. Creative Expressions • 6. Lake Lore • 7. Unique or Special about Your Lake • 8. Community Initiatives

What Else Does the Student Portal Template Include? • Process Development Document • Icon Introduction • Resources • The Maine Learning Results: Science & Technology Standards and Rubric • The National Educational Technology Standards for Students and Rubric • Acknowledgements Photo by Betsy Bass

Process Development • Goal: What format would most benefit teachers? • Developed Format: • 1. Answer to Icon Question • 2. Resource List: • A. Interviews – people, organizations • B. Written Material – Journals, Books, Newspapers, Published or Unpublished Documents, Letters, Speeches, Other • C. Websites • 3. Student Activities to Help Discover Answers

Icon Introduction • Purpose • How to Use It • Answers • Resources • Student Activities • Standards: ISTE NETS & MLS • Pitfalls and Hints • Information Repository – Your Local Library • Student Activity • Significance to Schools and Lake Communities Photo by Betsy Bass

Icon #3: Animal Life • Who lives on your lake and what do they eat? • Are there any introduced species? • Are there beavers, loons, snapping turtles? • What species of fish have been found? • Can you diagram the basic food web in your lake? Try It! Juvenile Cormorant by Betsy Bass

Icon #1: Lake History 1910 Photo, Wilson Pond Printing Warehouse, Inc. • What is the origin of your lake? • When was your lake likely formed? • Why classify lakes and how is it done? • What type of lake do you have? • What is the geology of the region? • What surrounds your lake – mountain or ice features like eskers or deltas? • Are there any archaeological sites, or hunting or fishing camps?

Icon #2: Plant Life • Can you identify the plants in your lake? • Do you know all the beneficial aspects of the plants in your lake? • Are you on the lookout for invasive species Pond Lily by Betsy Bass

Icon # 4: Lake Log • Who, if anyone, monitors the water quality on your lake? • How long have records been kept? • Are there any trends? • How can you contribute? • Has anyone looked at how property values have changed over time? Photo by Ship Bright, MLCI

Icon # 6: Lake Lore • Interview the residents in your community for stories about your lake. • What historical figures left a legacy? • Are there any famous events that took place? Or, any notorious visitors who paraded the shores? • Can you find the origin of the name of your lake or of any of its major points, islands, or peninsulas?

Icon # 5: Creative Expression Loon Photo by David Karkos • What inspires you about your lake? • Are you a poet, a painter? • Share art about your lake with others… • What are some of the past and current artists and writers in your community? Interview or research them!

Icon # 7: What is Special or Unique About your Lake? Ice House on Wilson Lake Postcard, 1910 • Are there any dams on your lake? • What does the watershed look like? • And what (towns, agriculture, industry, logging) lies upstream and in your lake’s watershed? • Are there any special projects involving your lake – historically or on-going? • Is your lake a drinking water supply? • Has there ever been any ice harvesting – how much and for whom? • Is there any public land around your lake – and, if so, how is it managed? • Are there any conservation easements – if so, what kind and on what much land?

Icon # 8: Community Initiatives • Who’s involved in lake stewardship in your community? • Do you have a lake association? • What do they do? • What could you do to help them?

Resources • A. Interviews – people, organizations • B. Written Material – Journals, Books, Newspapers, Published or Unpublished Documents, Letters, Speeches, Other • C. Websites Books by Wilton Author - Kathy Lynn Emerson

The Maine Learning Results(MLR) • I. 6 Guiding Principles • For Grade Levels: • Elementary Grades • Middle Grades • Secondary Grades • II. Content Areas • * Standards • * Performance Indicators • * Examples

Activity aligned with the Maine Learning Results • Activity: Under Icon # 4: Lake Log • Question - Are their any trends? • “Have students compare and contrast secchi disc readings (water clarity data) from before a municipal septic system was installed to after it was installed. Is there a change from before to after, and if so, what is the change and why might it have occurred?” • Alignment:Science & Technology: B (Ecology):2,3,4; • J (Inquiry & Problem Solving): 2,3,4; K (Scientific Reasoning): 8,9; L (Communication): 1,2,3; M (Implications of Science & Technology): 1,4,6,7 • Also – English Language Arts, Mathematics, & Social Studies Standards are relevant to this activity.

NETS - The National Educational Technology Standards for Students • 1. Basic operations & concepts • 2. Social, ethical, and human issues • 3. Technology productivity tools • 4. Technology communication tools • 5. Technology research tools • 6. Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools

Activity aligned with theNational Educational Technology Standards for Students • Activity: Under Icon # 4: Lake Log • Question - Are their any trends? • “Have students compare and contrast secchi disc readings (water clarity data) from before a municipal septic system was installed to after it was installed. Is there a change from before to after, and if so, what is the change and why might it have occurred?” • Alignment: • Students design tables, graphs, & spreadsheets • Students employ word-processing and graphics for report writing • Standards: All six standards are relevant, however - 5 (research tools) & 6 (problem-solving & decision-making tools) are strongly addressed.

Acknowledgements • I would like to thank the following people and organizations. Unfortunately, not everyone who helped with this project can be listed here – but I thank all of you very much! • Your library is an excellent resource! Thank you to the Wilton Free Public Library and its Librarian, Vaughan Gagne. • Your Lake Association is also a tremendous resource! I would like to thank The Friends of Wilson Lake for their help. • The Contributing Artists and those we remember from the Past – I would like to thank Laurel Bottiggi Dube, Kathy Lynn Emerson, and David Karkos for their contributions and the early poets of Wilton. Wilson Lake Photo by Betsy Bass

The Maine Lakes Conservancy Institute – Student Portal