Lesson 6 – Coastal Engineering at North Beach
LESSON SUMMARY
Students prepare for their field trip by exploring the coastal engineering approaches found at North Beach where coastal engineers have used both gray infrastructure and green infrastructure to protect the coast. The students recall the coastal processes and features that influence the shoreline’s shape and how coastal engineers have used infrastructure approaches to control flooding, mitigate erosion, and improve water quality at North Beach, Racine, Wisconsin.
LESSON CONCEPT
The sustainability of human societies and the biodiversity that supports them require responsible management of natural resources. Scientists and engineers can make major contributions — for example, by developing technologies that produce less pollution and waste and that preclude ecosystem degradation.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students can
- Perform calculations related to the amount of water generated from parking lot runoff and the size of a rain garden needed to manage this water.
- Differentiate gray infrastructure from green infrastructure.
- Describe a green infrastructure project at North Beach that manages water quality, quantity, or water movement, specifying what problem the project addresses and the design considerations.
The link below will download a zipped file containing Microsoft Word documents and Microsoft PowerPoint files. Note that Microsoft Word may not consistently hold formatting. The authors chose to provide Word documents rather than Adobe pdf files so the content can be easily updated for your geographic location.
- Detailed Version of Lesson 6 – Coastal Engineering at North Beach
- Educator Background Information No additional information needed.
- Student Handout Public Service Announcement for North Beach
- Slideshow Coastal Engineering at North Beach – Part 1
- Slideshow Coastal Engineering at North Beach – Part 2
- Student Handout Graphic Organizer
- Assessment Answer Key Graphic Organizer Answer Key
- Student Handout Calculating Runoff for Kids Cove Parking Lot
- Assessment Answer Key Calculating Runoff for Kids Cove Parking Lot Answer Key
- Student Handout Calculating Rain Garden Size for Kids Cove Parking Lot
- Assessment Answer Key Calculating Rain Garden Size for Kids Cove Parking Lot Answer Key
- Slideshow Green Infrastructure at North Beach
- Web StoryMap Activity Racine Beaches Quest
- Assessment Lesson 6 Exit Slip
The link below will open a Google form.
| ACTIVITY | TIME NEEDED |
| Lesson 6: Public Service Announcement for North Beach | 5 minutes |
| Lesson 6: Coastal Engineering at North Beach – Part 1 slideshow | 10 minutes |
| Lesson 6: Coastal Engineering at North Beach – Part 2 slideshow | 10 minutes |
| Lesson 6: Calculating Runoff for Kids Cove Parking Lot | 5 minutes |
| Lesson 6: Calculating Rain Garden Size for Kids Cove Parking Lot | 5 minutes |
| Lesson 6: Green Infrastructure at North Beach slideshow | 15 minutes |
| Lesson 6: Racine Beaches Quest | 15 minutes |
| Lesson 6: Exit Slip | 5 minutes |
NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS
MS-ESS3-2 Earth and Human Activity
Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.
NGSS CROSS-CUTTING CONCEPTS
- Scale, proportion, and quantity. In considering phenomena, it is critical to recognize what is relevant at different measures of size, time, and energy and to recognize how change in scale, proportion, or quantity affect a system’s structure or performance.
- Structure and function. The way in which an object or living thing is shaped and its substructure determine many of its properties and functions.
WISCONSIN MODEL ACADEMIC STANDARDS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY & SUSTAINABILITY
ELS.EX3.B.m Explore Natural Systems Emphasis Analyze how new knowledge or technological solutions impact natural resource use, or improve environmental quality.
WISCONSIN MODEL ACADEMIC STANDARDS FOR LANGUAGE ARTS
W.7.2.b Write text in a variety of modes. Write informative text that examines a topic and conveys ideas, concepts, and information through the selection and organization of relevant content by introducing and developing a topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples, organizing ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
WISCONSIN MODEL ACADEMIC STANDARDS FOR MATHEMATICS
M.6.RP.A.3 d. Understand Ratio Concepts Use ratio reasoning to convert measurement units; manipulate and transform units appropriately when multiplying or dividing quantities.
M.8.EE.A.4 Work with Radical and Integer Exponents Choose units of appropriate size for measurements of very large or very small quantities.
WISCONSIN MODEL ACADEMIC STANDARDS FOR SCIENCE
MS-ESS3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
SCI.ESS2.C.m The Role of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes Water cycles among land, ocean, and atmosphere, and is propelled by sunlight and gravity. Water movement causes weathering and erosion, changing landscape features.
SCI.ESS3.C.m Human Impacts on Earth’s Systems Human activities have altered the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere which in turn has altered the biosphere. Activities and technologies can be engineered to reduce people’s impacts on Earth.
SCI.ETS2.B.m Influence of Engineering, Technology, and Science on Society and the Natural World All human activity draws on natural resources and has both short- and long-term consequences, positive as well as negative, for the health of people and the natural environment. The uses of technologies are driven by people’s needs, desires, and values; by the findings of scientific research; and by differences in such factors as climate, natural resources, and economic conditions. Technology use varies over time and from region to region.
WISCONSIN MODEL ACADEMIC STANDARDS FOR SOCIAL STUDIES
SS.Geog5.a.m Human Environment Interaction Analyze how technology interacts with the environment and how increased use of technology affects the burden and use of natural resources.
Great Lakes Literacy Principles
- Principle 1. The Great Lakes, bodies of fresh water with many features, are connected to each other and to the world ocean.
- 1D: Rivers and streams transport nutrients, dissolved gases, salts and minerals, sediments and pollutants from watersheds into the Great Lakes.
- 1E: The Great Lakes are an integral part of the water cycle and are connected to the region’s watersheds and water systems. Changes in water systems affect the quality, quantity and movement of water, including retention time.
- Principle 6. The Great Lakes and humans in their watersheds are inextricably interconnected.
- 6C: The Great Lakes are affected directly by the decisions and actions of people throughout its watershed which includes parts of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Wisconsin, the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and tribal lands.
- 6D: Local and national laws, regulations and resource management affect what is put into and taken out of the Great Lakes. Shoreline development and industrial or commercial activities lead to point and nonpoint source pollution.
- 6E: Coastal regions along the Great Lakes are impacted by land use decisions and natural hazards. Physical modifications (changes to beaches, shores, and rivers) can exacerbate effects of erosion, storm surges, and lake level changes.
- 6F: To ensure continued availability of Great Lakes assets, people must live in ways that sustain the lakes. Individual and collective actions are needed to effectively conserve and manage Great Lakes resources for the benefit of all.
- Principle 7. Much remains to be learned about the Great Lakes.
- 7B: Understanding the Great Lakes is more than a matter of curiosity. Exploration, inquiry and monitoring promote better understanding and protection of Great Lakes ecosystems, resources and processes.
- Principle 8. The Great Lakes are socially, economically and environmentally significant to the region, the nation and the planet.
- 8F: The Great Lakes were dramatically degraded and challenged by human endeavors in recent times. Basic ecosystem processes have been restored through individual and collective efforts. Proper foresight and informed decision making will continue to make the Great Lakes a model of environmental protection, restoration and innovation.
(Source: Ohio Sea Grant. (2013). Great Lakes Literacy: Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts for Great Lakes Learning. OHSU-B-090. National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Sea Grant Great Lakes Network, Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE))
Complete list of Great Lakes Literacy Principles available at: www.cgll.org
Gray infrastructure Structures such as dams, seawalls, roads, pipes or water treatment plants.
Green infrastructure A set of practices that incorporates natural features to manage stormwater runoff.
Nature-based shorelines Coastal projects that incorporate vegetation or other natural features into the protection of the shoreline.
This curriculum was prepared by Adam Bechle, Ginny Carlton, and Anne Moser under award number NA21NOS4290005 from the Great Lakes Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or the U.S. Department of Commerce.