S-O-S: Fifth Grade Quest Students to the Rescue

Students test a hypothesis about how salinity affects the density of water.

Imagine this: Several bottles have washed ashore on various beaches around the world. The bottles contain distress messages from four stranded families, locations unknown. Fifth grade Quest students at Stratford School must use their science skills to pinpoint where the families are stranded and convince a Global Emergency Travel Unit (G.E.T.U.) comprised of school district personnel to pick up the families.

Last month, the students learned that their mission had been successful: their conclusions about the location of the families were correct, their arguments to the G.E.T.U. were persuasive, and the families had been rescued. Teams of students spent much of the fall tracing the retrieved bottles back to the spot where they had been thrown into the water on the assumption that the lost families would probably be nearby.

"These efforts integrated geography, science, language arts, and the use of technology into a project that was exciting for everyone involved," Quest Teacher Richard Madden said.

Students present their conclusions about the location of the lost families.

Each team performed experiments to learn how ocean currents and the effects of temperature and salinity on water density might influence flotsam and jetsam-as well as the course of the retrieved bottles. The teams also used online and print encyclopedias, atlases, and other reference tools to analyze clues about the flora, fauna, landforms, and climate in the area where the families might be stranded.

Team members worked together cooperatively and appointed specific representatives for certain roles: a supervisor to direct and motivate the group; a reader to read all handouts and clues and to clarify information; a recorder to maintain a Daily Discovery Log where leads were noted; and a manger to collect and return supplies and materials needed for research.

In December, the students gave their classmates a mock presentation of their findings and were videotaped so that they could analyze themselves and make revisions. Mr. Madden also critiqued each team. In January, the teams argued their conclusions before the G.E.T.U., using PowerPoint, pictures, and animation to underscore their points on a large screen. The next day they learned that the families had been located and rescued.

Teacher Richard Madden and students.