A group of FLOW students from St. Bernard Parish gather water quality data. (Source: Tammy Martin)

Overview:

The first iteration of FLOW was implemented in St. Bernard Parish and was funded by a NOAA BWET Systemic Grant. Ten teachers and one district facilitator were trained throughout the project. Nine series of comprehensive FLOW lesson plans were developed collaboratively during FLOW Workdays. They incorporated local field-based investigations at the Mississippi River, St. Bernard State Park, and a local Wetlands Observatory. The curriculum was integrated and implemented with 7th-grade science students in the parish.

History of Project Location: 

Located in SE Louisiana, St. Bernard Parish was formed in 1807 and is part of the New Orleans–Metairie, LA Metro Area. Ancient alluvial deposits of the Mississippi River created the landscape. The majority of the population of the parish concentrates along a narrow ridge extending along the Mississippi River; much of the parish’s area is unprotected wetlands, and the parish has suffered extensively from coastal land loss. The largest community is Chalmette, the headquarters of the St.Bernard School District. Of the overall student enrollment, 78% are economically disadvantaged.

Year One: 

In year one, nine MWEE workdays took place from August to May (except April due to testing). Teachers spent more than 15 hours of professional development in outdoor, hands-on activities. They designed more than 15 hours of outdoor opportunities for students to participate in MWEE investigations in the resulting curriculum. In this project, kits were developed collaboratively during teacher professional development sessions and were tested on a trial basis in a pilot classroom during year one. The pilot classroom involved one teacher whose role included piloting the STEM-kit-based MWEE investigation each month and reporting to the whole group on the outcomes, strengths, and areas for improvement based on teacher and student experiences

Year Two:

During year two, MWEE Investigations occurred throughout the school year and included teacher-designed outdoor and classroom-based investigations. The students had access to STEM kits, opportunities to reflect, and a chance to share results with the community. Covering nine different topics, there were kits for each topic and far each school site.

FLOW Curriculum: 

Explore the St. Bernard FLOW curriculum here.

Outcome:

This project has trained ten teachers and reached over 600 students at Title I schools in rural St. Bernard Parish in its first two years. The project’s curriculum satisfied standards and helped students understand their natural environment in the context of coastal land loss and restoration strategies, water quality in local waterways, and other timely environmental topics. The resulting inquiry/place-based watershed curriculum is integrated into the 7th-grade science curriculum and will be used with all 7th-grade science classes for years.

Two teachers from St. John the Baptist Parish simulate non-point sources of pollution in a mini-watershed model. (Source: PC)

Overview:

FLOW is facilitating Systemic MWEE Implementation in St. John the Baptist Parish for the entire 8th grade in these marginalized rural communities. This project is underway and providing comprehensive professional development in watershed literacy for all 8th-grade science teachers, followed by ongoing support and mentoring. FLOW: St. John the Baptist is training educators, nine at eight schools. Reaching beyond science class, science teachers are collaborating with math, social studies, and art curriculum specialists. They will develop, test, and implement an inclusive and locally-focused MWEE watershed curriculum, impacting approximately 400 8th-grade students. There will be a series of nine lesson plans based on relevant local topics like climate education and point/non-point source pollution.

History of Project Location: 

St. John the Baptist Parish is located in what is often referred to as cancer alley due to a concentration of toxic pollution from petrochemical factories. It has a high concentration of industries. For more information on this topic refer to this article by ProPublica.

In addition, St. John the Baptist Parish took a direct hit from Hurricane Ida. After experiencing the resulting storm surge, strong winds, and heavy rain, all parish schools were closed for over a month, and when they reopened, sites went through many transitions. Students had to share school sites, attend classes on a platoon schedule, and deal with many interruptions to learning because of the instability of the infrastructure. Sea-level rise is yet another threat to this vulnerable coastal parish and takes the form of an increased storm surge.

Year One:

In year one, the objective is to engage nine educators at eight Title I schools during place-based/hands-on FLOW workdays for watershed literacy professional development and to create a comprehensive curriculum based on MWEE principles. The project features a test class that can test kits and lessons developed in collaboration with teachers, curriculum advisors, and Pontchartrain Conservancy.

Year Two:

In year two, the objective is to implement the MWEE-inspired curriculum with all of St. John the Baptist Schools’ approximately 400 8th graders.

FLOW lesson implementation will occur throughout the school year and include teacher-designed outdoor and classroom-based investigations, including the STEM kits, opportunities to reflect, and opportunities to share results with the community.

FLOW Curriculum: 

Available Summer 2023

Outcomes: 

This project will train nine teachers and reached over 400 students at Title I schools in rural St. John the Baptist Parish in its first two years. The project’s curriculum will satisfy standards and help students understand their natural environment in the context of coastal land loss and restoration strategies, water quality in local waterways, and other timely environmental topics. The resulting inquiry/place-based watershed curriculum will be integrated into the 8th-grade science curriculum and will be used with all 8th-grade science classes for years.