Describe and illustrate your experiment Submit your experimental design to your teacher for feedback Record your observations in your notebook. What did you conclude? _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________
Gathering data on a field trip Introduction: In this activity students help to design a trip and fieldwork activities. It is preferable if students can visit an urbanised site and a more natural site, to see the contrast. Hong Kong with its small size and variety of land- scapes, offers many possibilities. To organise the field trip you will need to: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Identify two locations to visit. How the students will safely arrive at the sites and return back to school. How students will remain safe and the safety procedures they will follow. Who will be responsible for gathering and returning equipment. If there will be any cost to students. To gather fieldwork data: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Decide which data activities students will do (some activities will depend on the availability of equipment) Review and modify fieldwork activities. Collect and make equipment for the activities that will need them. Ask chemistry teachers for training for chemistry equipment. Design data gathering sheets for each activity. Equipment: Thermometers. If your school has the following chemistry equipment for measuring pH, nitrates, phosphates and conductivity would be useful. Stockings and wire coat hangers for making dip nets. Turbidity tube or tin lid, black pen permanent marker, drill, string, ruler to make a secchi disk. Writing materials. Cameras. Safety: Consider doing a safety audit before going on a fieldwork trip. Things that need to be considered include: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. safety policy. Getting to and from the transport you will be Avoiding students falling into the water and having a plan if a student does. Seek locations where students will not be in danger if they were to slip into the water. How to avoid dangerous litter. How to harmful bacteria in the water eg wear rubber gloves, use hand disinfectant after water sampling, no eating food or drinking without cleaning hands with hand disinfectant. Plan for wet weather and a plan B if the weather is really harsh. Waders that are waist high or longer are not suitable for student to use in water half a metre or more. First aid kit.
Location suggestions: Big Wave Bay Pool High Island Reservoir Hong Kong Wetland Park Kam Tin River Kowloon Reservoir Lake Egret Nature Park Lam Tsuen River Mai Po Nature Reserve Plover Cove Reservoir Pok Fu Lam Reservoir Pui O Shek Pik Reservoir Shing Mun Reservoir Shing Mun River Tai Mo Shan Waterfall Tai O Tai Tam Reservoir Tung Chung River Wang Tong River Waterfall Bay Wong Lung Hang Wong Lung Hang Yan Chau Tong Marine Park Beach environment heavily used by people Area rich in geomorphological features of a natural river course Freshwater storage and supply Tourist and information centre with abundance of estuarine birds and animals in a wetland setting River that drains surrounding mountains, with sections that have been channelised Freshwater storage and supply Connected to Tai Po Kau Country Park dotted with streams and rock that are mostly in a natural state. The Lake Egret Nature Park is run as a tourist attraction and information centre out into Tolo Harbour, the river courses change from natural stretches to modified ones Large wetland nature reserve Freshwater storage and supply Freshwater storage and supply Marsh and estuarine environments that have been affected by human activities Large water storage and supply on Lantau Island. Freshwater storage and supply Channelised urban river Highest peak in HK, part of Country Park with natural waterways including Ng Tung Chai waterfall, HK's biggest waterfall Estuarine environment with traditional stilt village, some modified and natural coastline and wetland Freshwater storage and supply and middle courses are more natural with some modifica- tions in the lower course Example of channelisation Waterfall into the sea, lower course runs through villages that discharge into the river affecting water quality Medium sized rocky river, easy access next from roads with some well-known aquatic animals and plants occurring here. Waterfall and streams the river course Some natural and some channelised estuarine environment