WHY LOUISIANA AIN'T MISSISSIPPI... OR ANY PLACE ELSE!

OVERVIEW AND PURPOSE

Students will prove why Louisiana ain’t Mississippi using the Scientific Method. There will be networking involved and teachers may allow students to participate in the networking if you feel comfortable. It will require involving other schools from at least one different area of your own state and at least two schools from Mississippi (or another state) with locations in two different parts of that state. Students will be required to work in groups and present their findings with their groups as well.

EDUCATION STANDARDS: SCIENCE

• Louisiana Science Standards: 8-MS-ESS2-1.2, 8-MS-ESS2-2.6, 7-MS-PS1-2, 7-MS-PS3-4, 7-MS-LS2-5, 7-MS-LS2-4, 6-MS-ESS3-4, 6-MS-LS2-2, 5-PS1-3, 5-LS1-1
• Earth Science: HS-ESS2-5, HS-ESS2-4, HS-ESS3-1
• Environmental Science (Resources): HS-EVS1-1, HS-EVS1-2, HS-EVS1-3, HS-ESS2-5
• Life Science (Ecosystems): HS-LS2-1
• Louisiana Social Studies Standards... 8.4, 8.6, 8.7
  
  

MEDIA RESOURCES & WEBSITES

• Why Louisiana Ain't Mississippi... Or Anyplace Else Video Clip:
  • Mississippi River Facts
• Facetime, Zoom, or Google Meets/Teams
• Handout
  • Prove Why Louisiana Ain't Mississippi
  • Scientific Method Organizer

MATERIALS NEEDED

• Computer, Internet

SUGGESTED TIME

Students will work on this project perhaps intermittently while working on other class topics. Much of the information will be based on the work of students on other campuses.

VERIFICATION

Checks for Understanding-rubric may be used to score students while they present their final product.

ACTIVITY/LESSON

*For schools and districts who may not have or are limited on supplies, grants may be an option to fund this project.

Background Information for the Teacher:

Student groups or teams will locate a partner school from at least one other part of the state where they reside. They will also find at least one (two schools recommended) school in Mississippi (or any other state) to partner with. Water and soil samples should be taken (using proper PPE for safety). Water and soil samples should be compared using whatever means are available to the students (such as test kits which may be purchased online or whatever the school has). Some examples would be- pH levels, color, clarity, smell/odor, numbers of visible particles in a sample taken. Students may also use testing kits to test water and soil samples, if available, for metals and bacteria levels. Students should also keep logs over a period of time, noting: temperatures, rainfall amounts, barometric pressure readings, air quality. These numbers may be acquired from news stations or radio stations, or from students, if schools are equipped with the proper tools. Creativity is welcomed for students to compare other unmentioned elements they may think of. Findings should be placed and presented in infographics- chart/graph/tabular formats and reported properly, based on the requirements of the teachers involved. Teacher may assign specific areas of data collection to each team/group of students.

Student Instructions:

1. Review the Scientific Method and complete the organizer with your group or as a class. Familiarize yourself with the terminology of each step in the Scientific Method.
2. Start by discussing the subject you are setting out to prove, your state is not any other state. Identify the specific question you want to investigate. For example, “The air quality in my state is less/more polluted than the other state.”
3. Your research will begin. Remember that the internet is not your only option for sources. You may initially use it to familiarize yourself with some information. However, newspapers and magazines may be good resources for background knowledge too.
4. Next, using the question you want to investigate, generate a hypothesis about what support you assume your data will provide.
5. To test your hypothesis, you will design an experiment which is where you will tell what data will be gathered and how your data will be collected.
6. Gather your data, remembering to write down and information that will cause your data to be as helpful to you as possible. For example, if I take the barometric pressure, write down the time this information was collected to make a precise comparison to the data from the other state.
7. Remember to network with students from other schools to get the data they collect from their state or other area of your state, to complete your data collection.
8. Data will then be analyzed and placed into charts, graphs, or tables for better understanding of the users of the data.
9. Conclude whether the data supports your hypothesis. Did the data imply any other ideas?
10. Report your findings by electronic presentation, poster, or any other means.

VOCABULARY