Lesson Plan – Coastal Land Loss
Grade Level:
MS/HS
Subject:
Coastal Land Loss
Duration:
Five Hours
Location:
Classroom
Phoenix's Vital Effort to Hold Back The Water
Overview:
Students explore the causes of coastal land loss and possible solutions for coastal towns, like Phoenix, LA and nearby communities.
Activities include:
- Identifying the factors that have contributed to coastal land loss near Phoenix, LA and nearby communities
- Using a model to explore the effectiveness of various protections against flooding and storm surge for coastal communities
- Comparing and contrasting the effectiveness of various land loss mitigation strategies
- Designing a project to protect Phoenix and nearby communities from rising waters either from local flooding or storm surge and sea level-rise
- Reflecting on how vulnerable communities are raising their voices in the fight to protect their homes
Applicable LSSS
6-MS-ESS3-4
7-MS-LS2-5
7-MS-LS2-4
8-MS-ESS3-2
8-MS-ESS3-3
HS-EVS1-1
HS-EVS1-2
HS-EVS1-3
HS-ESS2-2
HS-ESS3-3
HS-ESS3-6
HS-LS2-7
Objectives:
Students will identify the specific factors that have contributed to coastal land loss in coastal Louisiana.
Students will evaluate coastal land loss mitigation strategies for effectiveness using evidence from various sources.
Students will design a proposed mitigation project based on best practices from a variety of sources.
Background:
Read "Faces of the Delta: Reverend Tyrone Edwards," a Phoenix resident, the Plaquemines Parish Comprehensive Master Plan, and the following article from The Lens for background on this topic.
"Losing Ground"
Source: CPRA
Overview:
Students will locate Phoenix, LA and create visual representations of the factors that have contributed to land loss near this coastal town.
Objective:
Students will identify the specific factors that have contributed to coastal land loss in Louisiana.
Materials:
Online Tool: CPRA Coastal Resilience Viewer
Reference Material: Coastal County Snapshots
Article: "Losing Ground"
Worksheet: Causes of Land Loss Near Phoenix, LA
Article (for shorter read): "Land Loss"
Paper, colored pencils, rulers, etc
Procedure:
Ask students how far they think the Gulf of Mexico is from where they live? How much land separates their homes from the Gulf? Will the distance ever change? How do they know?
Find Phoenix, LA on the CPRA Coastal Resilience Viewer. Allow students to explore scenarios in the "Land Change," "Flood Risk," and Coastal Vegetation" tabs. What does this data tells us about the town of Phoenix? How far is the Gulf of Mexico from the residents of Phoenix?
Explain that Phoenix is a small town that is in Plaquemines Parish. Share the graphs on the Coastal County Snapshots for the Parish (Select Louisiana and Plaquemines Parish in the drop down menus). What industry employs the most people in this parish? This can be found in the Ocean Jobs Data Section. Remind students that this is the oil industry. If time permits, explore the Wetlands and Flood Risk sections, as well. How do they help us understand Phoenix and the surrounding communities?
Pair up and Read "Losing Ground." How does this article help us understand what is happening in and near Phoenix?
Complete the Causes of Land Loss Near Phoenix, LA worksheet using information from the article. For a shorter article, use "Land Loss."
Create an illustrated map of Phoenix and the causes of land loss that students have identified on their completed worksheets. Encourage creativity and accuracy as to where various causes are happening near Phoenix. Where are the levees? Where were the canals? Where was subsidence most likely taking place? Students can use the maps in "Losing Ground" and the CPRA Coastal Resilience Viewer for information.
Share the finished maps. How is proximity to the Gulf a factor for the residents of Phoenix and nearby communities? Is it a factor for the community the students live in? Will that ever change?
Assessment: Completed worksheets, maps, and observation during discussions.
Source: PC
Overview:
Students will use a model to explore the concept of Multiple Lines of Defense as protection for coastal communities.
Objective:
Students will identify several natural and human made mitigation techniques that can be used to reduce risk from storm surge.
Materials:
Online Tool: NOAA's CCAP Atlas
MLODS (Multiple Lines of Defense) Model or a DIY version of a comparable model
Suggested Directions for MLODS
Video: "Multiple Lines of Defense Strategies"
Reference Material: Multiple Lines of Defense PDF
Online Tool: Interactive Coastal Master Plan Projects Map
Reference Material: Coastal Master Plan PDF
Procedure:
Ask students to recall the causes of land loss from the previous session. Why is the loss of land significant?
Explore NOAA's CCAP Atlas by selecting Louisiana and Plaquemines Parish in the drop down menus. Each tab looks at changes to Land Cover in the specified area. Choose to look at the changes from 1996 to 2010 (choose from drop down menus). Remind students that this is less than twenty years time.
Explain that they are going to use a model to investigate why the loss of land is important to communities like Phoenix, LA particularly during hurricanes. Share the MLODS models and accompanying materials.
Design, build, and test a town protected by human-made and natural defenses against a strong hurricane's storm surge. Ask teams to discuss how to use the MLODS model's included materials to protect their towns. Let the students determine which materials to use and where to place them. See suggested directions for MLODS for this stage of the session.
Reflect on the results of the modeling after the hurricane hits. Did the defenses work to stop storm surge? Which defense was most effective? How does this connect to the idea of land loss and Phoenix's fight to hold the water back?
Share and discuss the "Multiple Lines of Defense Strategies" video. Use the Multiple Lines of Defense PDF to ask students which protections they used? What did they leave out? Why?
Examine the Interactive Coastal Master Plan Projects Map and determine which lines of defense are being funded near Phoenix and the surrounding communities. Are there any wetland projects? How might these projects have been chosen?
Assessment:
Observation during discussions and activities.
Source: CPRA
Overview:
Students will create a matrix to compare and contrast various land loss mitigation projects.
Objective:
Students will evaluate mitigation strategies using evidence from various sources.
Materials:
Coastal Master Plan Projects Map
Reference Material: Mitigation Overview
Coastal Mitigation Matching Game
Worksheet: Coastal Land Loss Mitigation Matrix
Computer and Internet Access
Online Tool: CPRA Coastal Resilience Viewer
Online Tool: National Levee Data Base
Online Tool: Louisiana Beach Nourishment Project Data
Coastal Master Plan Project Fact Sheets:
Breton Landbridge Marsh Creation - West
New Orleans to Venice (Levees)
New Orleans to Venice (Marsh Creation)
Pass Chaland to Grand Bayou Pass Barrier Shoreline Restoration
Phoenix Marsh Creation - East Increment
Plaquemines - Phoenix/Pointe A La Hache Nonstructural Risk Reduction
Shell Island West (Barrier Island Restoration)
Spanish Pass Ridge and Marsh Restoration
Reference Material: Coastal Master Plan Budget Graphs
Procedure:
Reflect on the previous two sessions. What is protecting Phoenix and nearby communities from flooding and storm surge? How do they know? List their answers on the board.
Explore the Coastal Master Plan Projects Map. Find Phoenix on the map. What projects are located in and around Phoenix? Which projects were included in the Multiple Lines of Defense? Which projects were not listed? (Shoreline Protection and Sediment Diversions). Refer to the Mitigation Overview PDF if needed, but do not share the benefits and constraints at this point.
Play the Coastal Mitigation Matching Game (cut the cards out and laminate them if desired). Give a set of cards to each team and have them decide which benefits and constraints go with which mitigation project. Encourage debate and ask how they know.
Explain that they will be designing their own mitigation projects in the next session. What factors would they most likely consider when deciding on what project to propose?
Pair up and complete the Coastal Land Loss Mitigation Matrix. Encourage students to explore the various projects using the CPRA Coastal Resilience Viewer (zoom in on Phoenix and select the Coastal Master Plan Tab), the National Levee Data Base (select Louisiana and Plaquemines Parish), the Louisiana Beach Nourishment Project Data, and the Coastal Master Plan Project Fact Sheets (listed above), as well as the cards from the matching game.
Share and discuss the matrices. How did they rank the mitigation projects? Which was the most cost effective? Why? Ask students to look at the graphs from the Coastal Master Plan. Which projects have received the most money? What might this mean for their effectiveness? Does the budget break down match their own rankings of the projects?
Assessment:
Completed worksheets and observation during discussions.
Source: PC
Overview:
Students will design a project to protect Phoenix and nearby communities from rising waters either from local flooding or storm surge and sea level-rise.
Objective:
Students will design a mitigation project based on best practices from a variety of sources.
Materials:
Completed Coastal Land Loss Mitigation Matrix
Online Tool: Coastal Resilience Evaluation and Siting Tool (CREST)
Worksheet: Coastal Mitigation Project Proposal
Mitigation Project Cost Reference
Mitigation Project Timeline Reference
Mitigation Project Fact Sheets
Proposed Coastal Master Plan Projects (Plaquemines Parish)
Computer and Internet
Colored pencils for sketching projects
Procedure:
Reflect on the mitigation projects that students explored in Session 3. Refer to the Mitigation Overview and their completed Coastal Land Loss Mitigation Matrix. Which projects do they think would be most likely to protect Phoenix and nearby communities? Why?
Explain that they will be designing a mitigation project and comparing their project to actual projects that have been proposed in Plaquemines Parish. Outline the parameters for their project:
- Budget of $30 million
- In or near Phoenix and Plaquemines Parish
- Finished in 5 to 6 years
- Any other parameters you would like to include
Share the Coastal Resilience Evaluation and Siting Tool (CREST). Use the Directions for using CREST to walk students through how to use this tool when deciding where to locate their projects. Explain that they will be printing a map of their proposed site and including the data linked to the site, as well.
Pair up and complete the Coastal Mitigation Project Proposal. What will they name their project? How much will it cost? How long will it take? Can they partner with another proposal to maximize funding? Provide students with the following resources to utilize as they complete their proposal:
- Mitigation Project Cost Reference
- Mitigation Project Timeline Reference
- Mitigation Project Fact Sheets
- CWPRA Project Database
Create artistic renditions of their proposed projects to include in their proposals: a sketch of the new marsh (example) that will be created, elevated houses in Phoenix, restored ridges with healthy trees, etc
Share and discuss each team's proposed project. Did anyone choose similar projects? Who partnered up and why? What was the most common project chosen? Why? Were any projects not chosen? Why? Look at Coastal Resilience Evaluation and Siting Tool (CREST) and determine which areas near Phoenix were not chosen for projects. Why might they not have been chosen?
Compare the student's proposed mitigation projects to the Proposed Coastal Master Plan Projects (Plaquemines Parish). How are they similar? How are they different? Are any of the projects proposed in the same location?
Reflect on the process of deciding which mitigation projects to fund and where to place them. What information is critical when deciding what to fund? What projects may not get funded? Why?
Assessment:
Completed project proposals and observation during discussions.
Darilyn Turner, Director of Zion Travelers Cooperative Center (Source: Darilyn Turner)
Overview:
Students will reflect on how vulnerable communities are raising their voices in the fight to protect their homes from coastal land loss.
Objective:
Students will consider the importance of who shapes narratives concerning vulnerable communities.
Materials:
Article: "Tiny Phoenix, Louisiana, makes a stand against sea-level rise"
Podcast: "Snowballs & Water/Ways in Plaquemines Parish"
Online Tool: CPRA Coastal Resilience Viewer
Reference Material: CPRA Social Vulnerability Index
Worksheet: "Phoenix's Fight to Hold Back the Water"
Procedure:
Read and Reflect on "Tiny Phoenix, Louisiana, makes a stand against sea-level rise." In what ways have these sessions shaped the narrative of the people of Phoenix, LA? What questions should outsiders hold space for as they explore the issues facing communities they are not a part of?
Share the podcast: "Snowballs & Water/Ways in Plaquemines Parish" with the students. How are the residents of Phoenix staying involved in the fight for resilience? In what ways are others determining outcomes for this community?
Explain that environmental justice is a factor that is central to communities that have been historically marginalized. Use the CPRA Coastal Resilience Viewer to explore the social vulnerability factors of this community. What makes Phoenix a vulnerable community (high rural population, etc)?
Ask students to reflect on whether the peoples of Phoenix and nearby communites who are still there or who have already moved may or may not have adequate input into the fate of their communities. How could consultation with the communities alter mitigation projects?
Complete the worksheet, "Phoenix's Fight to Hold Back the Water," as a way to reflect on what each individual student has learned.
Share and discuss students answers. Where can they find out more about this topic? What aspects of this exploration had the most impact on their thinking about this topic?
Assessment:
Completed worksheets and observation during discussions.
