Defining Moments

Dauphin is an island off of the coast of Alabama. It is approximately an 11-hour bus ride from MRH. We will be using two 56-passenger charter buses for the trip down and back.  We will be staying at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. The lab has been conducting field research projects for schools and colleges since 1975. 

As with all of the expeditions, this is an opportunity to take our learning into the field and experience first hand what we have only read about. Students will be introduced to estuaries and discover why these areas are so important for marine ecosystems. Coastal Oceanography will be explored at the beach as the students measure the salinity, take water temperature readings, measure wave crests and wind speed. Back at the lab, students will be identifying a variety of marine organisms collected during the day. A trip on the lab's research boat will allow the students to assess different physical parameters: current speed and direction, triangulation, plankton seining and bottom sampling in the open ocean. Next door to the marine lab is Fort Gaines, where the students will spend time learning about the history of the area and the importance of the fort to Mobile Bay. Across the street from the lab is the estuarium. Here the students can explore the four main ecosystems of the area: the Delta, Mobile Bay, Barrier Islands and the Gulf of Mexico. The students will be integrating classroom textbook materials while they learn by doing.

Curriculum Connections

The Curriculum Connection is from the book, “This We Believe…And Now We Must Act,” written by the National Middle School Association (NMSA).  In this book, the design element for  curriculum states,

“Teach a curriculum grounded in the standards, relevant to adolescents' concerns, and based on how students learn best; and use a mix of assessment methods.” Our assessment for the expedition will consist of cross curricular journal prompts, digital story design of the student’s middle school defining moment, and a final MAP- like assessment back at MRH.

The NMSA curriculum is characterized as challenging, integrative,  exploratory, and includes assessment/evaluation that promotes learning.

March 30-April 3, 2008