Riparian Buffers Session 3

Session 3

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Conduct this session in the schoolyard.

Take the class into the schoolyard and have students bring notebooks or journals. Direct students to find places where erosion is evident. Tell them to record their observations, including things such as location, appearance, and apparent reason for erosion.

Continue in the classroom.

Return to the classroom and instruct students to choose one of the cases of erosion and write a paragraph about their observations. Tell students to answer in their paragraph the following questions:
- What factors might contribute to erosion in these places?
- Why should we be concerned about erosion in the schoolyard?
- How does the water that flows over the schoolyard affect streams, rivers, and the Bay?
- What might be done to prevent the erosion from occurring?
When students have finished writing, discuss as a class some of the possible solutions for erosion. If possible, this activity can lead to an extended project in which students carry out one or more of the solutions (see Extensions for Students).