UNIT: DAMS

Andrea Hart, Queensland

The Children
This unit was designed for a class of 28 Year 8 students at a rural high school approximately 80 kilometres north-west of Brisbane. As a group, their strongest subjects are Maths and Science, and common hobbies and interests include computers, music, horses, the environment and reading. Approximately half the class live in an urban environment with the remaining residing on farms in the local area. Five students have been identified as gifted. The remainder of the class are very capable and highly motivated students.

 

The Unit
The picturesque Brisbane Valley, known as the Valley of the Lakes, is an area west of Brisbane situated between the D'aguilar and Great Dividing Ranges. It is the major water catchment area for the Brisbane region. Major dams in the area include Lake Wivenhoe (four times the volume of Sydney Harbour), Lake Somerset, Lake Clarendon (currently under construction), Cressbrook Dam, Perseverance Dam and Splityard Creek Dam (hydro-electric station). Being in a rural area, the majority of properties also have their own dams. The dams and dam walls vary in age, construction type, uses and capacity. The region receives plentiful rainfall and is known for its rural lifestyle and cattle industry. However, the lakes have become a major recreational attraction for the Brisbane region.

The South-East corner of Queensland is undergoing significant population growth. The government statisticians estimate an increase of 600,000 people in the region in the next 10 years. The associated demand for an increase in water will necessitate the siting and construction of additional dams in the Brisbane Valley.

The unit is expected to last approximately six weeks and is intended to be incorporated within the Year 8 Science curriculum.

 

OBJECTIVES

Content - students will know:

• the uses of topographical maps, theodolites, staffs and levels;

• the variety of dam construction types available;

• a variety of uses for dams;

• visit a variety of dam sites.

 

Skill - students will be able to:

• read topographical maps;

• use a theodolite, staff and level;

• create a topographical map;

• use three-dimensional computer modelling software;

• calculate dam capacities using given data;

• establish effective note-taking and questioning skills;

• sketch landscapes;

• prepare and present a report.

 

Process - students will be able to:

• interpret topographical maps;

• work cooperatively in small groups;

• compare and contrast various dam construction types;

• explain and compare the roles of particular dams;

• describe a possible plan for a dam;

• predict possible future problems with dams;

• justify the reasons for dams in given areas.

 

Affective - students will:

• appreciate the role of a surveyor in land issues;

• appreciate the roles of the various people employed at the dam sites;

• appreciate the role of computers in land development;

• appreciate the complex environmental issues involved in siting a dam;

• nurture any particular talents they possess;

• appreciate the use of complex mathematical concepts.

 

CONTENT

(Pre-requisite Activities 1 and 2 necessitate visiting surveyor,)

Pre-Requisite Activity 1

Reading topographical maps.

The visiting surveyor will provide topographical maps and explain their interpretation to the students.

 

PRE-REQUISITE ACTIVITY 2

Using a theodolite, staff and level.

The visiting surveyor will demonstrate the use of a theodolite, staff and level to the students, in the creation of a topographical map. The students will then work in small groups, using the theodolite, staff and level, with the surveyor's assistance.

 

TASK 1

Creating a topographical map.

The students, working in small groups, will be assigned an area within the school grounds, of which they are to make a topographical map.

 

PRE-REQUISITE ACTIVITY 3

Field trips to inspect various dams in the area.

Two full day excursions will include visits to five dams in the region. Students will be given a copy of Task 2 and will use this opportunity to gather information on dam construction types, dam capacities, cost of construction and ages and uses of dams.

(Tasks 2 and 3 are based on the Taylor Multiple-Talent Totem Pole Model giving students the opportunity to strengthen each or any of six talent areas: academic ability, creativity, planning, communicating, forecasting and decision making. They also follow Bloom's Taxonomy and challenge higher order thinking.)

 

TASK 2

You are to select ONE of the five dams you have visited and complete the following:

• draw a map showing the location of the dam;

• describe the dam's construction type;

• explain why the dam was constructed;

• develop a plan that you think developers may have followed when constructing the dam;

• what would happen to the dam if it did not rain in the next twelve months?

• what will the dam look like twenty years from now?

• has the dam been a successful addition to the area? Support your decision by outlining the advantages and disadvantages of the dam.

 

PRE-REQUISITE ACTIVITY 4

Students will visit the SUNMAP Centre (formerly Department of Mapping and Surveying) to obtain topographical maps of their region and to view three-dimensional computer modelling.

 

TASK 3

Your community has decided that it wants its own water supply stored in its own dam. You are consulted due to your expertise in this matter. You will need to prepare a report for the 'Dam Committee' which will outline the following:

• where the dam will be sited;

• the reasons behind your choice of site;

• the present usage of the land at the site;

• any plans you have for the relocation of buildings currently at the site;

• the type of dam structure;

• the approximate cost;

• the capacity of the dam;

• the reasons and calculations for your choice of capacity;

• copies of topographical maps of the site;

• copies of any other surveying data you may have collected yourself;

• a sketch of the site before and after dam construction (this may be done on the computer if you wish).

You may find information regarding water consumption and cost of dam construction from the local council and the South-East Queensland Water Board respectively.

 

(Task 4 is designed as a Type III enrichment activity from the Renzulli Enrichment Triad Model. The choices are offered to cater for specific talents of the five students mentioned in the Situational Analysis, however the remaining students should be capable of successfully completing one of the choices.)

 

TASK 4

You are to complete one or more of the following:

A. Make a three-dimensional scale model of the dam, using any materials you think suitable.

B. Write a short story based upon any aspect of dam construction and perform the narration.

C. Write a series of poems based upon any aspect of dams and perform the narration.

D. Write a short play based upon any aspect of dam construction and give a verbal scenario.

E. Compose and perform an impressionistic piece of music, for one or more instruments, around the theme of 'Dams'. The performance is to be on any solo instrument or on a programmable synthesiser for two or more instruments.

 

RESOURCES

• Surveyor - Esk Shire Council

• Topographical maps

• Theodolites, staffs and levels

• Site Engineer - Lake Clarendon

• Caretaker - Atkinson's Dam

• Regional Engineer - Queensland Water Resources Commission

• Site Engineer - Split-Yard Creek Dam

• Chief Ranger - Brisbane and Area Water Board

• SUNMAP Centre - Brisbane

• Computers + three-dimensional modelling computer software

• Constructional materials - boards, chicken wire, paper, glue, paints, string, scissors

• Programmable synthesisers.

 

EVALUATION

The unit has been designed with the main aim being to provide stimulating activities that challenge the imagination and provide opportunities for students to display any talents they possess. With this in mind, I believe the most appropriate forms of evaluation would be self evaluation (Appendix 1) and peer evaluation (Appendix 2).

The unit is designed such that the pre-requisite activities do not need assessing as they are covered in the four tasks.

Task 1 could be assessed for accuracy however the main aim of this task was for the students to appreciate the basics of surveying and mapping and to have their interest in mathematics extended.

Tasks 2 and 3, being written reports, could also be assessed for accuracy however I believe in this type of unit the emphasis should be more on originality, imagination, clarity of written expression and level of motivation.

Task 4 lends itself to peer evaluation of individual pieces of work. It would be difficult to formally assess these due to the variety of choices made available; i.e. how do you compare a three-dimensional scale model with an impressionistic piece of music?

All of the objectives have been met by, and could be assessed by, the four tasks. However peer evaluation, self evaluation and possibly attitudinal comments by the teacher would suffice, due to the motivational intentions of this unit.

 

APPENDIX 1: STUDENT EVALUATION

For the past six weeks you have been completing an enrichment unit entitled 'Dams'. I would like to know some of your feelings about the program. The information you give will help me in using the program in the future.

1. Which part of the unit did you enjoy the most?

2. Why?

3. Which part of the program did you enjoy the least?

4. Why?

5. What could be changed to make the unit better?

6. What did you learn about yourself during the unit?

7. What did you learn about your fellow classmates during the unit?

8. Do you expect to be able to use anything you have learnt in this unit?

9. If so, where and when?

10. Would you like to have more units like this in school?

 

APPENDIX 2: PEER EVALUATION

Choose ONE of the Task 4 presentations you have seen or heard. Please answer the following questions.

1. What impressed you most about the presentation?

2. Was it better than you would have expected?

3. Did you realise that student was capable of that standard?

4. What would you have done differently if it had been yours?

5. What would you give the presentation as a mark out of 10 for:

(a) originality? _____________

(b) imagination?_____________

(c) effort? _____________

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This page updated: 23 January 2006 Webmaker: Howard Smith. hsmith4@une.edu.au