Sixth Graders Collect Scientific Data at Hudson River
Sixth graders experienced “A Day in the Life of the Hudson River” when they partnered with eighth graders and high school students to collect scientific data along the river at Matthiessen Park on Oct. 13.
Throughout the day, the sixth graders rotated though different stations to record the water chemistry, make observations about the physical settings and location of the river. At the fish station, high school students used a large seining net to collect living river specimens and helped middle school students identify and observe them. The students also participated in STEM and theater workshops and yoga to reflect on their experience along the river.
“While at the park, the students worked cooperatively across grade levels to collect current data on our local environment,” said sixth grade teacher and team leader Jessica Doherty, who co-facilitated the day with science teachers Amy Panitz and Karen Bodnar. “The students predicted outcomes and drew conclusions based on data collected about the current state of our local environment and the Hudson River.”
As part of the experience, the sixth graders collaborated with students from eighth grade earth science classes and high school students from Advanced Placement Environmental Science and Advanced Placement Marine Biology classes. The data that they collected will be shared with other communities along the river – from Manhattan to Troy, New York – to draw conclusions about the current state of the environment and record any changes in the health of the river.
“We hope the Irvington School District’s participation in this event will help to develop a lifelong commitment between our students and their local environment,” Doherty said. “Students had a hands-on engaging day where they braved some rainy patches to collect the data.”