TEACHER'S GUIDE

Time: 5 days, 30-45 minutes/day

Overview: Students wrap up their simulated expedition, reaching the highest elevation of the climb, and exploring the peak of their distant mountain and their local watershed as sources of life-giving water.

Objectives: To examine the important role that mountains play in supplying water to people.

National Standards Addressed

Related Resources

Related Activities:

• Classroom: Let it Flow

Materials:

• Internet access
  
• Paper
  
• Water
  
• Journals
  
• World map
  
• Map of the United States
  
• Materials for activity

Module Outline:
Day One: Students read Module 5 , Part 1; Conduct watershed demonstration; Students trace path of water from distant mountain peaks.

Day Two: Conduct Classroom Activity: Let it Flow

Day Three: Students read Module 5 , Part 2 and conduct research on hydroelectricity.

Day Four: Students stage debate on hydroelectricity.

Day Five: Expedition de-briefing.

Content Background:
Students continue their expedition by exploring their mountains as sources of water. At high mountain elevations, water is collected in the form of rainfall and melting glaciers, ice, and snow. This water is naturally released into rivers and streams all year long. In this way, mountains supply fresh water to more than half of the world's people.

Day One:
Beginning on the first page of the student materials for Module 5, students can click on their expedition to access the appropriate reading materials. Begin by asking students to read part 1 for this leg of their expedition. Students can read on their own or take turns reading to their teammates. They are asked to conduct activities, brainstorm, and answer questions along the way. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the student materials beforehand. Below we provide additional information to help you effectively guide your students in their explorations.

To demonstrate the concept of a watershed to your students, crumple a piece of 8½" x 11" paper. Smooth the paper out but don't flatten it so much that the "peaks" and "valleys" disappear. Ask students, What could the high points of the crumpled paper represent? The low points? Once they have identified these as mountains and valleys, respectively, pour a small amount of water onto the paper. Ask students to observe where the water begins and ends. Explain to students that a watershed is an area, bounded by land of higher elevation (refer to the crumpled paper mountains), where all water falling within this boundary ultimately flows to a single body of water (refer to the crumpled paper valleys where water is collecting).

Next, have maps of the world and the United States available in your classroom so students can locate their expedition mountains and hypothesize where the water that falls on either side of their peaks flows.

Precipitation that falls on the eastern slope of the Andes flows through streams or rivers into the Atlantic Ocean. Precipitation on the Andes' western slope flows into the Pacific Ocean. The largest river in the world, the Amazon River, is supplied by water from the Andes.

The rivers and streams of the Himalayas feed three major rivers: the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Indus. More than 500 million people depend on this water supply to survive.

Any streams on Blair Mountain would flow down into two larger streams at the base of the mountain, one of which is Pigeonroost Branch. These flow into Spruce Fork, which drains west to the Ohio River and the Gulf of Mexico, ultimately.

Day Two:
Conduct Classroom Activity: Let it Flow where students trace the path of their tap water by mapping your school's watershed.

Day Three:
As students read part 2 of the final leg of their expedition, they are introduced to the idea that human activities may have a negative effect on mountain water supplies. The Himalayan Expedition Team is also confronted with a major hydroelectric development project taking place on the Arun River, a river that the team "crosses" on their expedition.

The Arun III Hydroelectric Project involves the construction of a permanent access road and a dam to create a reservoir. Students on the Himalayan team are asked to briefly explore the concept of hydroelectricity and to consider the effect this project will have on the local people and environment. Consider having students from the Himalayan Team explain the situation to the other teams. Next, divide the entire class into two groups and challenge one group to use the Internet and other available resources to research the pros of hydroelectric facilities while the second group researches the cons. Explain that they will need to compile this information into an organized argument that they will present in a formal debate with the other group. Here are some things for students to consider:

Andes Expedition
and
Himalayan Expedition
At high elevation, students on these two teams begin to be plagued by altitude sickness. They were introduced to this affliction in Module 2, but might need their memories refreshed. The concentration of oxygen in the air is the same at all altitudes, but atmospheric pressure--which determines how much air enters the lungs with each breath--does decrease with altitude. As less air enters the lungs, the body tries to compensate by breathing faster and deeper. This begins a chain of reactions that can result in altitude sickness.

At about 8,000 feet (2,440 meters), climbers may begin to experience symptoms of altitude sickness or Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), including loss of appetite, impaired judgment, nausea, vomiting, headache, shortness of breath, exhaustion, insomnia, and dizziness. Climbers with AMS should remain at the same altitude until symptoms have gone away. If they don't, climbers should descend below where they began to feel sick and allow time for acclimatization. Without proper treatment, AMS may develop into severe AMS or cerebral or pulmonary edema. Serious altitude sickness is rare below 10,000 feet (3,000 meters).

Day Four:
Once students have gathered the necessary information, stage a debate on hydroelectricity between the two groups. Consider making this a formal event. Each group could have 2 minutes to present their side of the argument and then open the discussion up to questions from you or the other group. A good way to end the debate is to ask both sides to develop a plan that strikes a balance between the two sides.

Day Five: Expedition de-briefing
Leave some time at the end of this expedition leg for students to reflect on the day's experiences in their journals. Consider asking students to chose a medium and create a piece of mountain art, something that portrays a lasting image they will have from their expedition.

At the end of the expedition day, ask students to also record in their journals any final evidence they have of the female Incan mummy (Andes team), the yeti (Himalayan team), or damage from mountaintop mining (Appalachian team). This is a good time for the Sacred Mountain Expert, the Zoologist, and the Environmentalist to share with their teammates any last minute information about the Incan mummy, the yeti, and mountaintop mining, respectively. Finally, have students use their journal entries from throughout the expedition to generate a report to send to their expedition sponsor, either the National Geographic Society, The Mountain Institute, or the Environmental Protection Agency. Have them revisit their expedition descriptions before generating this report so they are certain to include all of the information that these sponsors are interested in.

Assessment Opportunities:

• Journal entries: Answers to questions; Reflections on expedition experience.
• Expedition de-briefing: Mountain art project; Report generated for expedition sponsor.
• Other: Collaborative group work; Research skills; Ability to compile and analyze research materials; Participation in activities and debate; Public speaking skills; Student products

Extensions: Students can collect and analyze water samples from a nearby stream or river; Research local threats to water quality and compare to the threats facing mountain water sources; Contribute new data, information, and materials to classroom mountain displays.

Teacher's Page, Module 1 2 3 4 5