Sixth Graders Study Hamburger Pond Ecosystem

By Assistant Head of School for Academics David Long

One of the many benefits of Galloway’s location in Chastain Park is the access it provides to both teachers and students to expand learning outside of the four walls of a classroom. Marsha Berger’s sixth grade science class recently studied the ecosystem around Hamburger Pond to find out if it was healthy enough to sustain life. 

Students began the project by learning about water quality and then ran tests to learn about the pH, dissolved oxygen, and temperature of the pond to discover if it is healthy or overly polluted. Throughout the process, students learned about the impact that eutrophication has on water sources due to the runoff of fertilizers and how it can cause an algae bloom which robs the fish of oxygen. 

Students also learned about food webs by collecting plankton, searching for dragonfly nymphs, and even looking for fish and pond life - in a canoe! In addition, students had the opportunity to learn about bird life from a member of the Audubon Society. 

To deepen learning, Middle Learning ELA teacher Anna Catherine Fort had the students use scientific research to create a descriptive alliteration. For the culminating project, students worked with Middle Learning art teacher Erin Ray to create a nature guide of Hamburger Pond filled with illustrations of wildlife using watercolor and colored pencils. Copies of the student guides were then placed around Hamburger Pond as a resource for the community. 

In the end, the students not only learned how to think like scientists, but they also had the opportunity to discover more about a healthy and thriving ecosystem right in our backyard!