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A breath of fresh air....

Sometimes, teaching can be a lonely business.  This week though a series of fieldtrips has lifted spirits. There's nothing like a bit of physical geography to get the mind going!

We've been using a mix of technology and traditional methods this week. One nice activity, especially on cold wet days, is the pebble race.
This involves challenging pupils to prove that Hurst Castle Spit is managed by people, and far from natural in its current state.  Students grab a pebble at the top of the landform and next to the sea. The shingle that has been placed there by engineers is very angular, while naturally placed material is round through the process of attrition.
Field sketching is also a useful activity.  It allows young people to reflect on the features in front of them.  To finish off this week, the students finished by adding clay to their work and making the paper smell of the location.  This resulted in some interesting work!
 And of course, there should always be time for some good teacher talk and personal experience.  Here, the pupils are experiencing a strong on-shore breeze and watching longshore drift and corrasion take place just out of shot. Brrrrr.
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  1. Anne15 September 2011 at 14:09

    Hi David - just wondering - where exactly is Hurst Castle Spit? Never heard of it before. I can tell from the photos that it's a particularly windswept piece of land...!

    ReplyDelete
  2. David Rogers17 September 2011 at 12:25

    It's in Hampshire, just opposite the Isle of Wight. Search for a place called Key Haven. The spit is named after the castle near its eastern end.

    ReplyDelete

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