Virtual Field Trip: Beverly Woods and Watershed!
Welcome to Change is Simple’s Online Learning Platform!
Overview: Welcome to a Virtual Field Trip with Change is Simple! Today we will be exploring the Norwood Pond area in North Beverly, learning about aspects of the Beverly watershed, the water system, and how we get clean water inside our homes! So join us today for an educational walk through the woods to learn about how our water system works here in Beverly, Massachusetts (and to learn how to explore and research how yours works, no matter where you live)!
Grade Level: K-6
Theme: Earth Systems, Natural Resources
Supervision needed? Yes
Essential Questions:
How does the Beverly Salem drinking water system work?
How much water does the Beverly water tower hold? How long would that last for Beverly and Salem?
List 4 animals that are commonly found in thee woods near Norwood Pond.
How does the pump house at Longham Reservoir help feed and support our water system?
Materials Needed:
Paper
2 Markers
Standards:
Activity one:
On our hike today you will learn some new words. Define or explain each of the words below by writing your answers down on a sheet of paper, or by describing each to your teacher or to an adult in your life.
Water Tower:
Valve:
Gravity-Fed Pipe:
Water Treatment Facility:
Reservoir:
Peninsula:
Ferns:
Watch the video and follow along!
ACTIVITY two:
Now, we want you to get out and explore! That was our fun virtual field trip! Find a wooded area near your home where you and an adult in your life can safely walk (you can look up Norwood Pond and visit there if you are nearby). Look for one that has a river, stream, lake, pond or reservoir nearby. Be sure to be prepared for a hike in the woods (wear appropriate shoes and clothing for the conditions, always have a trail map, plenty of water and a cell phone or emergency radio with charged batteries. And be mindful of hazards to you, for example; poison ivy, ticks, other biting insects or animals, etc.)
We also have a motto on every hike at Change is Simple: Leave It Better Than You Found It. We want to pick up any trash we see (if it’s safe and if you have gloves or can wash/sanitize your hands), stay on the designated paths to avoid disturbing wild life, and be sure to carry out all the trash we brought with us!
When you return from your hike:
Try to identify some of the plants and animals you observed. You might even want to take some pictures while on your hike, so you can remember everything that you saw.
Next, use a map to locate the forest and the body of water where you hiked. Conduct a little research to find out how this area may connect to your community’s water supply.
Create a diagram, like the one we just drew in the video, of the proper connections in your water system. If you have a well at your home, draw the watershed/bodies of water that feed the water in your well.
Reflection:
What did you learn today? / What are some things that you did not know about the process of how we get clean water to our houses?
List 3 ways in which humans can negatively impact the water in a water system.
List 3 ways in which humans can help protect and conserve water.
BONUS: we only explored a portion of the water supply system for Beverly and Salem in our Virtual Field Trip. Can you identify other bodies of water that also connect to this water system? Hint: consider the areas north and west of Wenham Lake.
Below is a diagram of the flow for drinking water in Beverly and Salem. This is another visual of what we talked about in our Virtual Field Trip Today!
Source: check out the link below for the 2016 Water Quality Report for Salem, MA!