FishKill

Fish Kill Project Info

In this project, you are investigating a fish kill that happened in the Snake River near the fictional town of Riverwood. This is a CSI style investigation to find the cause of death of the many dead fish that were found in the river last September.

Your class has a pile of data to analyze (workbook page 165-166), and some background information to help figure out what each set of numbers means (workbook page 163-164 and Fish Kill Background Info page)

Each pair of students will be in charge of one of the data sets. You and your partner will prepare a visual aid and make a presentation to explain what their data means.

After everybody presents, the whole class will discuss all of the data and try to figure out what series of events led to the water conditions that killed the fish.

Some questions you might want to address in your presentation:

  • Can your variable cause fish to die?
  • If your data is a chemical, how does that chemical get into the river? Is it added intentionally? Does it occur naturally? Is it a byproduct of some other process? Is it getting into the river by accident as a result of human processes?
  • If you don’t know how the chemical is getting in (or why your variable is changing), what are some plausible reasons that it might have changed? In other words, what are some possible ways that it could have happened?
  • How does your variable relate to the other variables? Does yours cause any of the others to move? Is yours an effect of one of the other ones?

Do some internet research to learn more about your topic. You are expected to include any basic information, found on this website or the textbook/workbook. But you also need additional information above and beyond the basics to add depth to your presentation. Find that info on the internet.

While researching your topic, include two sources of outside information that may help you with your research–try to find reputable sources. (Make sure to include the link in your blog so that other classmates can access it!)

Read all of the info in your workbook pages 163-164  Those have background info on the various citizen groups, and it includes some basic info that has to be in some presentations.

Use the Fish Kill Info page that I gave you, but you need to go beyond that info to get a top grade.

Presentation and Blog Grading Form: check over this form to see how you will be graded. Be sure to look before you present!

4) You will present this assignment in class. You  need a visual aid.

  • No blocks of text (short phrases are better)
  • Visuals must be readable: high contrast fonts, large fonts

5) The class will discuss and debate to figure out how the fish kill happened. It is complex and has multiple strings of events that led up to the fish kill, so prepare to use your thinking skills.

6) Each person will write a summary to describe the events that caused the fish kill. This typed summary will be due approximately two days after the unit test.