By Dena Schaeffer
Many of you coming into school recently may have noticed the large vehicle parked outside in the parking lot the past two days.
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| The RiverMobile is hard to miss! |
The Rivers Institute at the University of Dayton has brought a mobile classroom known as the "RiverMobile" to teach
students about various topics revolving around the idea of local water sources
and sustainability through the following four stations:
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| Station One informs students about water shed and water sources located in Dayton, Ohio, and how the water shed in Dayton affects the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico. |
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| Station Two teaches the history of the formation of the water sources in Dayton as well as the Dayton flood of 1913. |
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| Station Three explains how the dams in Dayton prevent flooding and how the Dayton aquifer works. |
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| Station Four informs the students of their role in local sustainability. |
This interactive RiverMobile
also teaches students about the local water formations near Dayton about the
history formation of rivers and aquifers located in Dayton and surrounding
areas, as well as the aquifer below the Miami Valley.
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For the past two days, sixth
and seventh graders have toured the mobile classroom and learned about those
four topics. The US RiverMobile has helped connect what’s happening around the
classroom to local topics.
“For the seventh graders, [the RiverMobile]
has allowed them to connect what they’re currently learning about the weather.
For the sixth grade this fit perfectly into their study of how water shapes our
world, it also tied into our sustainability class through showing students
how our actions have consequences for people “downstream” of us” – Russell
Nelson, Teacher
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Incorporating the mobile
classroom into the lesson plan is fairly new to the students, making it more
interesting for them and creating an initiative for them to learn.
“We learned a lot about
sustainability and the water wells in Dayton. I think it was more interesting
than a normal classroom environment.” – Abby Drewing, Student (7th grade)
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Thanks so much to the Rivers Institute
for visiting our school!
