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	A DAY AT THE BEACH RMS STUDENTS STUDY THEIR OWN BACKYARD (April 2010) LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: Riverhead is bordered by the Peconic River, the Great Peconic Bay on the south, and the Long Island Sound on the north. Its unique location and glacial origin offers Riverhead students a rich scientific learning experience. Approximately 350 seventh grade students explore the varied geography of Long Island and discover firsthand the forces that created and still shape the Island today. This annual trip called ‘Exploring Long Island’ has become a culminating activity for the 7th grade Long Island Geology unit. It is, however, more than just a science outing, the field trip gives students a hands-on experience which enhances not only the science curriculum, but also the English and social studies curriculum. Students travel from the rocky North Shore beaches on the Sound through the farmlands of the North Fork, across the Peconic River to the sandy South Shore beaches of Ponquogue. At each stop, students work in groups and rotate through different activities designed to fit the unique features of that particular beach. A $1,500 MESTRACT mini-grant won by science teachers Kristen Realander and Claire Yannacone has made it possible for the school to purchase water proof boots and overalls, beach rakes, nets, and other equipment that greatly enhances the learning experience for students as they discover what's on the beach and in the water. Some marine life caught in their nets include: Ribbed mussels Mud Snails Hermit crabs Fiddler Crabs Small crabs Northern Pipefish (Syngnathus fuscus) in Peconic Bay eelgrass Atlantic Silversides Menidia Menidia "We created this field trip when we realized how many of our students had never even been to their local beaches," notes Earth Science teacher Claire Yannacone. "If they have never had the chance to experience their local environment, why should they grow up to care about what happens to it? We do our students a disservice if we allow them to live here without knowing the riches of their community. They need to touch the fish and shrimp that we catch in our local bays and then watch them swim away. They should know where the huge rocks on the North Shore came from. They need to simply enjoy the solace and peace of a spacious, sandy beach." This field trip enables every 7th grade student to experience three different bodies of water in one day, thus allowing them to compare and contrast the wide variety of local geology that surrounds the Riverhead schools. At the conclusion of the field trip, all students should be able to list multiple differences between the north and south shores, discuss the different environments of each beach, identify different bodies of water on a map of Long Island, write about their experiences on the beaches giving specific details, and discuss the role of glaciers in the formation of Long Island. Among the many other learning experiences of the day, as part of the social studies curriculum, "the students investigate why people and places are located where they are located and what patterns can be perceived in these locations". Their day at the beach helps them describe the relationships between themselves and this very unique environment and how where they live can shape their life experience. "Wow, this is great!" is a phrase that could be heard again and again as the seventh graders explored these pristine beaches under beautiful sunny skies. Another phrase could also be heard occasionally, "Ick, I don't want to touch it!" After all, these are seventh graders not fishermen.

onthebeach

A DAY AT THE BEACH
RMS STUDENTS STUDY THEIR OWN BACKYARD

(April 2010) LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: Riverhead is bordered by the Peconic River, the Great Peconic Bay on the south, and the Long Island Sound on the north. Its unique location and glacial origin offers Riverhead students a rich scientific learning experience. Approximately 350 seventh grade students explore the varied geography of Long Island and discover firsthand the forces that created and still shape the Island today. This annual trip called ‘Exploring Long Island’ has become a culminating activity for the 7th grade Long Island Geology unit. It is, however, more than just a science outing, the field trip gives students a hands-on experience which enhances not only the science curriculum, but also the English and social studies curriculum.

Students travel from the rocky North Shore beaches on the Sound through the farmlands of the North Fork, across the Peconic River to the sandy South Shore beaches of Ponquogue. At each stop, students work in groups and rotate through different activities designed to fit the unique features of that particular beach. A $1,500 MESTRACT mini-grant won by science teachers Kristen Realander and Claire Yannacone has made it possible for the school to purchase water proof boots and overalls, beach rakes, nets, and other equipment that greatly enhances the learning experience for students as they discover what's on the beach and in the water. beachtripfishing

Some marine life caught in their nets include:

Ribbed mussels

Mud Snails

Hermit crabs

Fiddler Crabs

Small crabs

Northern Pipefish (Syngnathus fuscus) in Peconic Bay eelgrass

Atlantic Silversides Menidia Menidia

"We created this field trip when we realized how many of our students had never even been to their local beaches," notes Earth Science teacher Claire Yannacone. "If they have never had the chance to experience their local environment, why should they grow up to care about what happens to it? We do our students a disservice if we allow them to live here without knowing the riches of their community. They need to touch the fish and shrimp that we catch in our local bays and then watch them swim away. They should know where the huge rocks on the North Shore came from. They need to simply enjoy the solace and peace of a spacious, sandy beach."

This field trip enables every 7th grade student to experience three different bodies of water in one day, thus allowing them to map compare and contrast the wide variety of local geology that surrounds the Riverhead schools. At the conclusion of the field trip, all students should be able to list multiple differences between the north and south shores, discuss the different environments of each beach, identify different bodies of water on a map of Long Island, write about their experiences on the beaches giving specific details, and discuss the role of glaciers in the formation of Long Island.

Among the many other learning experiences of the day, as part of the social studies curriculum, "the students investigate why people and places are located where they are located and what patterns can be perceived in these locations". Their day at the beach helps them describe the relationships between themselves and this very unique environment and how where they live can shape their life experience.

"Wow, this is great!" is a phrase that could be heard again and again as the seventh graders explored these pristine beaches under beautiful sunny skies. Another phrase could also be heard occasionally, "Ick, I don't want to touch it!" After all, these are seventh graders not fishermen.