Students will locate New Jersey's Outer Coastal Plain, learn the geologic and hydrologic characteristics of the Cohansey Aquifer, and identify and describe a major Pinelands River.
"The New Jersey Pinelands, Our Country's First National Reserve"
"The Cohansey Aquifer - Where is it? What is it?"
1. Duplicate and distribute to your students the background information, "The Cohansey Aquifer - What is it? Where is it?". Draw the Cohansey Aquifer diagram and the wetlands formation diagram on the chalk board. Also, duplicate and distribute copies of the five geomorphic provinces map to each student. Discuss this information with the class and encourage students to take careful notes. Remind them that they will be quizzed on this information in the next couple of days.
2. View the 17-minute audio-visual program, "The New Jersey Pinelands, Our Country's First National Reserve," with your class. Ask students to take notes on all water related facts discussed in the program. Discuss the film's content with students.
3. Map Reading: The Mullica River is a major Pinelands River that has its headwaters in Camden County and flows east to great Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. For a thorough class study of this major Pinelands River, you will need eight New Jersey Geological Survey Maps (scale 1 to 24,000, 7.5 minute series). This will include:
Each
map may be ordered from the Maps & Publications Sales Office located in
Trenton. The on-line address for these maps is:
www. state.nj.us/dep/njgs.
Also, be sure to request a topographic map symbol key.
Upon receiving these maps, fold their edges neatly and tape them to the chalk board so that they fit together. Remember you want students to see the entire course of the Mullica River. Now, have students work together to answer the map study questions on the student worksheet I "The Mullica River." Be sure to duplicate and distribute copies of this sheet to all students.
After students have completed worksheet I "The Mullica River", review the worksheet with the class. Be sure to discuss how gradually land elevations decrease as the river flows along towards the bay. There are no steep cliffs along Pinelands rivers, nor are there any sudden drops in elevation.
EVALUATION:
Duplicate and distribute worksheet II, "Water, Water Everywhere!" to each student. Have students work in pairs or independently. Students may refer to their background information sheets as well as the topographic maps when completing this assignment. Have students write their answers on a separate sheet of paper, collect the answer sheets and grade for accuracy based on the answer key.
FOLLOW-UP:
1. Individual Research: Have interested students select a specific geomorphic province to compare and contrast with New Jersey's Outer Coastal Plain. Some of the factors to research include: geologic information, ground and surface water, vegetation, wildlife, centers of population, and primary industries.
2. Working as individuals or in groups, students may undertake a map project similar to the Mullica River exercise. Student(s) may prepare a written report and/or report findings to the class. Rivers that might be used include Toms River, Great Egg Harbor River, or the Rancocas Creek.
3. Plan a canoe trip down one of the Pinelands rivers like the Wading or the Oswego. Have students keep a journal of what they see including soil type, wetlands, vegetation, and wildlife. They may also want to note the season as well as the day's temperature and weather conditions.
This lesson will introduce the students to the following vocabulary words:(click on the word to see its definition-use your browser's back button to return to this page)
Science standards:
5.1-All students will learn to identify systems of interacting components and understand how their interactions combine to produce the overall behavior of the system.
5.5-All students will integrate mathematics as a tool for problem-solving in science and as a means of expressing and/or modeling scientific theories.
5.10-All students will gain an understanding of the structure, dynamics, and geophysical systems of the earth.
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