Water Impact
The Task
On August 29, 2005, Hurricanes Katrina made landfall on the central Gulf Coast near New Orleans, and flooded the city. As a result, the city of New Orleans was severely damaged. In this activity, you will learn the impact of water: how water affects in shaping the landform of Louisiana and how it makes New Orleans vulnerable to hurricanes.
The Process
You are divided into groups of three as instructed by your teacher.
The first step is a group activity. Three of you work together using a computer and learn about how water affects the shaping of Louisiana landforms.
The second step is an individual activity. Each of you does research on two ways water can impact landforms.
The third step is a group activity using a poster illustrating the water impact in shaping the landform of Louisiana.
The conclusion activity is to take a picture of the created poster using a Palm One Zire 72 PDA handheld computer. The picture is included in each of your portfolio.
First Step: Group Activities
Three of you work together using one computer.
Print out this First Step Worksheet
for each member of the group.
Visit the following site and watch the following program. After watching the program, discuss what you learned with your partners and complete the web-based activity 1 section on the worksheet.
This program was aired in January 2005. Hurricanes Watch the Segment
Visit the following site and learn about what kind of effort has been made for flood control on the Mississippi River. Work on Step 1 through 3. Discuss what you learned with your partners and complete the web-based activity 2 section on the worksheet.
Flood control on the Mississippi River
Visit the following site and learn about features of the delta. Discuss the main process in the formation of the Mississippi River delta with your partners and complete the web-based activity 3 section on the worksheet.
Visit the following site and learn about two concepts related to water activities: sediments and erosion. Explain what are sediments and what is erosion to your partners and complete the web-based activity 4 on the worksheet.
Second Step: Individual Activity
New Orleans is built on the Mississippi River Delta. Because of its geographical features, subsidence and erosion are serious problems in New Orleans.
In this activity, each of you does research on subsidence and erosion.
Print out this Second Step Worksheet for each student.
In your research, you can use any resources available:
- reading your school textbook
- going to the library
- visiting the suggested web sites on the Internet
Two web sites are listed as references. If you do not have access to the Internet from your home, ask your teacher about your school’s computer lab hours or check the local library for access times.
References :
Third Step: Group Presentation
In this activity, each group creates a poster to present the impact of water shaping Louisiana landforms. Using this poster, make a 10 minute presentation to your partner group. The presentation needs to
discuss the following points.
- How was the Mississippi River Delta formed?
- Subsidence and erosion are serious problems of New Orleans and south Louisiana. Explain subsidence and erosion.
- How the above two problems make the city of New Orleans vulnerable to hurricanes?
- How the city of New Orleans had been protected against hurricanes?
- What happened when Hurricane Katrina made landfall?
Third Step is not a Web-Based Activity, and step-by-step instructions will be provided by your teacher in class. Closely follow your teacher’s instruction.
Conclusion Activity
- Your teacher will instruct you to add the following materials to your portfolio.
- First Step Worksheet
- Second Step Worksheet
- A picture of the poster created
- For taking a picture of your poster, your teacher will provide each group with a Palm One Zire 72 PDA handheld computer.
- Learn how to take a picture and print it out with this PDA handheld computer by visiting PDA Activity
- Take a picture of your poster using the PDA handheld computer, connect the PDA to your school computer and download the picture, and print out the picture.
- Listen to your teacher’s instruction as to how your completed worksheets and the picture should be included in your portfolio.
Landform Blog - Student Questionnaire:
A questionnaire is used to evaluate the progress of the students and the curriculum web.
The students have access to the blog after each unit so that they are able to voice their likes/dislikes or understanding/confusion as they go through the webquest.
Click on the webpage at the right to access the Landform Blog.When you have finished answering the questions for this section, use your browser back arrow to return to the Water Impact webpage.
Resources
Click the Student to go back to index page!
