ENGAGE, INTERACT, AND INSPIRE: A TWO-WEEK JOURNEY INTO THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE THROUGH INQUIRY DEVELOPED AS PART OF THE NEOGEO PROGRAM

Water is a precious commodity, and there is a limited amount of groundwater (0.61%) and surface water (0.009%) available for human consumption (Fetter, 2001). This being said, it is essential for students to understand the hydrologic cycle and conservation of water at an early age. However, traditional methods of graphical illustration may not be adequate to convey the message of the hydrologic cycle to students. With the addition of Scientific Inquiry into national and state education standards, it is necessary for educators to modify lessons to meet these new standards.

The process of inquiry involves the three phases of student engagement, interaction with materials, and the establishment of content (Wheeler, 2000). Developed as part of the NSF Funded GK-12 Northeast Ohio Geoscience Education Outreach (NEOGEO) Program, this curriculum unit engages students through authentic activities such as discussions, analyses of real data, laboratory activities, model development, and debates of current environmental issues. Such activities accommodate diverse learning styles and encourage student interaction with materials and peer collaboration. Content includes precipitation, evaporation, condensation, sublimation, water transport and storage, and water conservation; learning occurs through students' critical evaluation of activities and results. Through this process, students become more responsive to the subject and begin to ask more critical questions concerning the world around them.

This curriculum unit can be implemented with relative ease due to the utilization of readily available materials in lessons and building upon student observations, resulting in enhanced learning with quantitative and qualitative data. Through the implementation of inquiry-based techniques, students become more engaged in learning than through rote memorization of textbook facts. When previously presented in a seventh grade classroom, the lessons proved successful by providing tactile, visual, and graphic representations that increased student familiarity with subject matter and enhanced students' environmental awareness. Such education is of particular interest because it aids in the development of integral cognitive skills and empowers students to become environmentally conscious members of society.