Activity Overview
Rainforests at the Crossroads: Collect runoff from two simulated sites: 1) a tray with soil, 2) a tray with soil and vegetation, to see how vegetation affects erosion and to compare and examine the runoff from the sites.
Before the Activity
See the attached teacher document (pdf file) for notes and guidelines for this activity.
Print and copy the attached activity document and research article (pdf files) for your class. The research article is in the during the activity section below.
During the Activity
Students will:
Collect runoff from two simulated sites: 1) a tray with soil, 2) a tray with grass covered sod, to see how vegetation affects erosion
Use a Turbidity Sensor connected to a TI CBL 2™
or Vernier LabPro and a TI-73 Explorer™
to compare and examine the runoff from the sites
Directions
Distribute the activity document and research article to your class
Read and discuss the research article
Follow the activity procedures outlined in the student document
After the Activity
Students complete the data analysis section of the activity
Discuss the results of the data analysis with your students