Summary
This thread of the web of water strings together friends and family as we pass through the Sandhills and Fall Line Zone. The heavy paddle through the undeveloped stretch of the Saluda below Lake Greenwood widened and joined with other tributaries at the mouth of Lake Murray. There I found a familiar sign on a spectacular peninsula saying: "Welcome! Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints" - Hodge Harmon. The ground crew met me there and we were treated to a fire side conversation with Mr. Harmon himself.A paddle through Lake Murray brought us past tiny islands teeming with wildlife and finally to Dreher Island State Park. There we interviewed Chief Louie Chavis from the Beaver Creek tribe. The next day we learned a great deal from Karen Kustafik about the canals, fish ladder, power plants, and the exotic and native plants of Columbia's Riverfront Park. We were even treated to a geology lesson from a chance meeting with David Shelly, Education Coordinator from Congaree National Park.
We then traveled on to Saluda Shoals State Park where the entire 3rd grade class of Nursery Roads Middle School met us near the river's edge to learn about plants from the local rangers and the web of water.
View the Webisode 3: In the Sandhills transcript
Wait! There's more...View the Sandhills chapter of the WOW documentary!
or View the entire documentary!
Landform
Extending across the middle of South Carolina is a narrow, irregular band of rolling hills known as the Carolina Sandhills. These rounded gentle sloping hills are the remains of sandy and clayey sediment deposits left between 55 and 100 million years ago when sea level was much higher than it is today and the newly opened Atlantic Ocean covered a large portion of eastern and southern South Carolina. The Sandhills topography corresponds to the ancient shoreline, which is recognizable today primarily by old sand dune remnants. During that ancient era, weathering and erosion of the Blue Ridge and Piedmont rocks and soils provided clays and sands that were carried by water and deposited at the mouth of rivers. Ocean waves and tides reshaped the sediments to form beaches and sand ridges, the remains of which are still visible today. Marine sediments were also deposited offshore, in the ancient flooded coastal plain, creating the nearly horizontal strata of sedimentary rocks that are characteristic of the present day Coastal Plain region.The Sandhills region, covering 12% of South Carolina, runs diagonally through South Carolina in a band parallel to the Piedmont. This band includes almost all of Aiken, Barnwell, Lexington, Richland, Kershaw, and Chesterfield counties, as well as the northeast tip of Marlboro County. A very small part of the Sandhills region also dips into Allendale, Bamberg, Orangeburg, Sumter, Lancaster, and Darlington counties. Elevation ranges from 250 to 450 feet above sea level and is almost always higher than either the adjacent Piedmont or Coastal Plain regions. The topography is generally rolling to moderately hilly, but in places local relief can be as much as 200 feet. The region varies in width from 5 to 30 miles, however, it is technically absent along some large river systems, such as the Congaree River in Columbia, which has cut completely through the Sandhills deposits to expose the underlying rocks.
SC Maps Teaching Manual, 4th Edition (2000), section 4
Scavenger Hunt
Find the answers to these questions in Webisode 3: Sandhills!1. What 3 rivers come together at a confluence in the Sandhills?
2. How does flooding contribute to a “dynamic system” between the rivers?
3. How does silt deposited along the Broad from upstream help the health of floodplain forests along the river?
4. How is it possible that the water in your body might have been drank by a dinosaur?
Check your answers with the "Scavenger Hunt Master," found in the Resources section of the site! Teachers can use Ian's "Discussion Questions," with standards correlations, for further extension and enrichment - also in the site's Resources section!
Teachers
Look for South Carolina science standards correlations to Web of Water webisodes under "Teachers" and "Standards" in the Resources section of the site! You will also find Ian's "Discussion Questions" for extension and enrichment, also tied to the South Carolina science standards, in the Resources section of the site!Here are some Web resources related to this webisode. Find Web resources to other webisodes on respective pages, or see them ALL under "Teachers" and "Web Links" in the Resources section of the site!
WATER CYCLE, WATERSHEDS, AND WATER SCIENCE
(ALL webisodes)
A 70-page .pdf from the Environmental Protection Agency containing in-depth examination of water resources, the water cycle, and more that includes lessons, conservation tips, worksheets, etc:
http://www.epa.gov/region01/students/pdfs/gndw_712.pdf
Water Source Books for grades k-12 from the Environmental Protection Agency:
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/wsb/index.html
An entire unit on hydrology from the National Park Service about Wind Cave National Park:
http://www.nps.gov/archive/wica/Hydrology_PDF.htm
Lessons and activities relating to groundwater:
http://www.groundwater.org/kc/kc.html
This “Models of the Water Cycle” set contains background information with activities and links to an interactive demo of the water cycle for grades 6-8:
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?BenchmarkID=11&DocID=8
This “Models of the Water Cycle” set contains background information with activities and links to an interactive demo of the water cycle for grades 3-5:
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?BenchmarkID=4&DocID=393
Lessons on hydrology surrounding Bryce Canyon National Park:
http://www.nps.gov/brca/forteachers/hydrology.htm
United States Geological Survey (USGS) site on “Water Science for Schools:”
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/
Create a model of a watershed with the following lesson:
http://sf-rocks.sfsu.edu/SFROCKS_Website/For_Teachers_files/WhenItRains.doc
Lesson dealing with issues relating to water conservation:
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/24/waste-not-want-not/
Lesson materials to help teachers get students to start thinking about water usage; this can be used as a collaborative project in which students can share their results on the Web:
http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/drainproj/index.html
Posters for United States Geological Survey (USGS) outreach, including ones on watersheds, water quality and water use:
http://water.usgs.gov/outreach/OutReach.html
A Discover Carolina lesson about drainage divides and watersheds that involves use of topographic maps:
http://www.discovercarolina.com/html/s05nature09d01.pdf
A series of questions testing knowledge of watersheds:
http://www.bellmuseum.org/distancelearning/watershed/watershed2.html
Resources about ecosystems, including climate, food webs, biogeochemical cycles:
http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/102/ecosystem.html
In-depth explanations of Earth’s cycles, including the water cycle:
http://www.visionlearning.com/library/cat_view.php?c3=&cid=22&l=&let1=
A grade 4 “Land and Water Unit Template” from the Delaware Department of Education:
http://www.doe.k12.de.us/infosuites/staff/ci/content_areas/files/science/4%20Land%20and%20Water%20Unit%20Template.pdf
FOREST ECOLOGY, STREAM ECOLOGY AND THE FOOD WEB
(Blue Ridge, Sandhills, Coastal Zone)
Introductory lesson from Discover Carolina about forest ecosystems including forest layers, and the food chain:
http://www.discovercarolina.com/html/s05nature09b02.html
An introduction to mountain stream ecology from Discover Carolina:
http://www.discovercarolina.com/html/s05nature09a02.html
Discover Carolina lesson including a forest layer diagram and food chain worksheet:
http://www.discovercarolina.com/html/s05nature09b01.html
Discover Carolina lesson about stream ecology and the food web at Carrick Creek in Table Rock:
http://www.discovercarolina.com/html/s05nature09a03.html
Discover Carolina lesson about forest ecology, including habitats, biotic and abiotic factors, food chain dynamics, and transfer of energy:
http://www.discovercarolina.com/html/s05nature02b02.html
A suite of biology lessons from NASA about Earth’s cycles and the food web:
http://astroventure.arc.nasa.gov/teachers/bio_train.html
ROCKS, MINERALS AND MINING/ NATURAL RESOURCES
(Piedmont, Sandhills)
A Discover Carolina lesson for 8th graders on identification of rocks and minerals based on physical properties:
http://www.discovercarolina.com/html/s05nature09d02.html
An overview of the geologic composition of South Carolina, the geologic history of South Carolina, and a map of the “Mineral Resources of South Carolina” from SC Maps:
http://sciway2.net/2001/sc-geology/Overview_of_SC_Geology.htm
The Mining Association of South Carolina has an “Education” section:
http://www.scmines.com/
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) Minerals Information Yearbook – Volume 1 shows in-depth information for specific metals and minerals:
http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/myb/
Education resources from the Mineral Information Institute:
http://www.mii.org/
Images of minerals, organized alphabetically, from a “Mineralogy Database:”
http://webmineral.com/
Natural resources mined by county from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources:
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/geology/images/Mining-pg.pdf
A lesson on mining in South Carolina from SC Maps:
http://www.clemson.edu/scmaps/SCStudies/unit1/ALunit1Day5.doc
South Carolina mining data from SC Maps:
http://www.clemson.edu/scmaps/SCStudies/unit1/unit1Day5-countymine.doc
SC Maps lesson on gold mining in SC:
http://www.clemson.edu/scmaps/SCStudies/unit1/SSunit1Day3.doc
A diagram of the rock cycle from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources:
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/geology/images/Rock_cycle_POSTER.pdf
“The Study of the Earth” booklet is a publication of the Mineral Information Institute, which is full of lessons and activities about where natural resources come from, what they are used for, and how they can be found all around us:
http://www.knowitall.org/naturalstate/html/teacher_resources/lessonplans/StudyoftheEarth.pdf
“Everyday Uses of Minerals” from the Mineral Information Institute:
http://www.mii.org/pdfs/everyday.pdf
Lesson plans from the PBS American Field Guide with video resources about mountain building and the rock cycle:
http://www.pbs.org/americanfieldguide/teachers/rocks/rocks_sum.html#
An interactive rock cycle simulation from ExploreLearning:
http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspView&ResourceID=436&CFID=723466&CFTOKEN=83278373
United States Geological Survey (USGS) materials on rocks and minerals:
http://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/rxmin/index.html
Rock cycle animation from Teacher’s Domain:
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.earthsys.rockcycle/
United States Geological Survey (USGS) activities for teaching "Schoolyard Geology:"
http://education.usgs.gov/schoolyard/index.html
FLOODPLAIN FOREST ECOSYSTEMS
(Sandhills)
A short NatureScene video on “Floodplain and Higher Ground Habitats” with background essay and questions for discussion from South Carolina Educational Television (SC ETV) and Teacher’s Domain:
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/etv08.sci.life.eco.fldplne/
A short NatureScene video on “Diversity of Hardwoods in the Congaree Swamp” with background essay and questions for discussion from South Carolina Educational Television (SC ETV) and Teacher’s Domain:
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/etv08.sci.life.eco.hardwds/
A video segment on wetland productivity called “Nature’s Supermarket,” produced by WOSU and Teacher’s Domain:
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/odc08.scitech.swamps.supermarket/
A video segment on “The Effects of Flooding,” produced by WOSU and Teacher’s Domain:
http://www.teachersdomain.org/asset/odc08_vid_supermarket_ch2/
GROUPINGS OF RESOURCES
(Blue Ridge, Piedmont, Sandhills)
The Discover Carolina program curricula:
http://www.discovercarolina.com/html/s01overview.html
The SC Maps Teacher’s Manual:
http://www.cas.sc.edu/cege/resources/scmaps/scmaps_manual.html
Teacher resources from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), including PowerPoint presentations on rocks and minerals, weathering and erosion, natural disasters, landforms, plate tectonics, etc.:
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/geology/Education.htm
NY Regents Exam Preparation Center on the Web for Earth Science; topics include composition of the earth, topographic mapping, rocks and minerals, weathering, erosion and deposition, as well as earthquakes and plate tectonics:
http://regentsprep.org/Regents/earthsci/earthsci.cfm
A page of Web links to resources about Earth processes:
http://teams.lacoe.edu/documentation/classrooms/gary/earth/web/earth.html
United States Geological Survey (USGS) science education resources with links to further resources for various grade ranges:
http://education.usgs.gov/
An interactive site about various aspects of ecology including lessons on water, streams and mountains, photosynthesis, forest ecosystems, adaptations of animals, co-adaptation of organisms, and more:
http://www.gfawesome.org/~flashVersion=true/school/lessons.html
Knowitall
Use RiverVenture.org to learn about how rivers are connected, and how we are all connected to them:• Learn more about the rivers of the Sandhills and the context of the Fall Line Zone in the Three Rivers module of RiverVenture.
• Learn more about canals, their structure, the canal era, and its contribution to hydroelectricity in the Three Rivers module of RiverVenture.org.
• Learn more about settlement along the three rivers near Columbia at RiverVenture.org.