John Capozzoli's
eighth grade Earth Science class has been studying Ghana through
the National Gardening Association's Ambassador Club. His students
are studying Ghanaian culture, agricultural practices, and conservation
methods using the curriculum lessons, school stories, pen-pal
correspondence with Ghanaian students, and an online discussion
forum.
At
Queens Intermediate School in Pasadena, Texas, John Capozzoli
is an interactive science teacher who works with his students
to pose questions and find answers about the natural world.
His Earth Science class used their own experiences to formulate
questions and comparisons with Ghana students. The first area
of study was water usage--in their own south Texas classroom
and in Ghanaian home gardens. Students used the Internet, reference
books, and information from their pen-pal correspondence with
students in Ghana to research how Ghanaians got their water,
how they used their water to grow crops, and how they protected
their water supply. "My students wanted to find out how kids
in Ghana used water to grow their food. What they discovered
was how precious potable (drinkable) water was to Ghanian people,"
says John.
The class
decided to monitor their own water usage after realizing most
people don't have seemingly endless supplies of clean water.
The science sleuths removed the sink drains and discharge pipes
in the science lab and set up a small pipe directed into a five
gallon bucket to measure the amount of greywater used (any water
that has been used, except water from toilets, is called greywater).
During their class, they monitored the buckets, measured the
water levels, and recorded the amount of water collected. The
students charted the amount of water used per day over a month's
time; they estimated an average of 400 gallons of water a day
was used in the science lab sink alone!
John's class
discussed ways to reduce their consumption of water at school.
His students designed a series of drain pipes to discharge the
greywater from the lab out to their ornamental flower garden,
thereby combining the use of water inside with the need for
water outside and effectively eliminating the need to water
this section of the garden. The earth science classes also designed
a more drought-resistant garden, using succulent plants which
require less water and represent some of Texas' native plant
species.
"We also
compared our south Texas climate with Ghana's and found some
similarities. We noted our longitude-latitude and Ghana's longitude-latitude
to try and answer student's questions about climate, crops,
and culture," says Capozzoli. "My students were amazed at the
commonalities they found with their own culture and the culture
in Ghana."
Surprising
Similarities
A few of
Texas' major crops are sorghum, corn, rice, and soybeans. These
are land-intensive crops which use a lot of resources and energy
to grow. Ghana's agricultural products include cocoa, rice,
sugar, and palm oil (similarly labor and resource intensive).
Capozzoli's students had either seen most of the Ghanaian crops
being grown or knew what they were and how they were used. "I
think they expected something more tropical in terms of crops,"
he said. "The Ghanaians rely on their crops as a source of income,
just like many of my student's families."
Both
Ghana and Texas have a history of riding the ups and downs of
an oil-based economy. Ghana discovered oil in 1970 and exports
most of its oil production in order to reduce the country's
national debt. Texas drilled its first small oil well in 1921
and has ridden the boom and bust cycle ever since. "Using other
locations on the planet in real-time allows the students to
experience other cultures and environments," says Capozzoli.
The eighth grade science students learned their world was not
that different after all.
Pen-pal letters from students in Ghana to John Capozolli's
Earth Science students can be seen by clicking here.
© 2008
National Gardening Association