Field Trips

Water Power: Field Trip

Grade Level:
High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade
Subject:
Social Studies

After completing 3 activities from the Water Power Lesson Plan, students will then prepare for their visit to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. 

In the pre-field study activity students will identify several locations on Virginius Island, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

Student will then complete the field study, where students will

  • perform data collection and analysis related to the Shenandoah River’s effect on the land and industry of Virginius Island
  • compare different groups’ data and evaluate the decision-making processes that led to industry being built on Virginius Island.


The day’s agenda will probably include these activities:

  1. Disembark bus at the Visitor’s Center and ride the park’s shuttle buses to lower Harpers Ferry.
  2. Be greeted by the rangers and BTW staff and move students to the flagpole or perhaps to the grassy area beyond the train tracks.
  3. Once there, rangers will orient students regarding the locations of bathrooms, restaurants, safety issues (very important when working on the river), the day’s time table, and any additional issues.
  4. Divide the class into groups.
  5. Perform the field study.
  6. Bring the students back together for a reflection activity.
  7. Have lunch (this can happen before, during, or after the reflection).
  8. Depart the park via the shuttle buses.

Post field study, students will then complete lessons studying modern-day river use conflicts.  

This field trip is part of the Bridging the Watershed (BTW) curriculum program. BTW is an outreach program of the Alice Ferguson Foundation, in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) and area schools, designed to promote student academic achievement, personal connections with the natural world, lifelong civic engagement, and environmental stewardship through hands-on curriculum-based outdoor studies in national parks and public lands.

For more information on participating in this field study, contact the BTW program.  

Tags: water power mills industry hafe bridging the watershed rivers

Last updated: February 6, 2019