Water testing along the rivers

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As we went on field trips to Penns Landing and the Fairmount Water Work Museum, water samples were collected and tested.

Water Testing on the Parkway

As we went on our field trip along the Ben Franklin Parkway we collected water samples from each of the fountains. Today we preformed water tests on each of the five samples, testing for pH, NO3-, NO2-, and Ammonia. Here is the map created by the students of where the fountains are and the test results.


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Former Mayor John Street

Yesterday Former Mayor John Street came to talk to BITS! He was very entertaining and taught a good lesson to the BITS participants. His main focus was on staying focused and working hard so that each individual can achieve his/her dream. Being a North Philadelphia resident himself, Mayor Street related to many by telling his stories of his neighborhood, how he grew up, and how his determination lead to his many successes. It was an inspirational speech!

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Yesterday we visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art! The students got a chance to observe some of the paintings and interpret how landscapes were portrayed. Before our trip, the students researched the museum. Here is John's work:

The Philadelphia Museum of Art (built in the early 1870’s, years before the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which was under construction between 1917-1926) is one of the countries largest museums, and holds some of the worlds most beautiful and renown master pieces, although it wasn’t until the early 1900’s that reconstruction was done to make it into the museum which we see today. The museum was built on a hill at the end of the Benjamin Franklin parkway ( the past location of columns of houses) , and although I can’t say for sure why they originally built it there, it is positioned perfectly as the high light of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The design of the museum which we see today was due to the visual genius of architect Horace Trumbauer and Julian Abele (who finished the designs after Trumbauer’s death.)

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://z.about.com/d/philadelphia/1/0/v/W/4/schuylkill_flood_20.jpg&imgrefurl=http://philadelphia.about.com/od/photo_galleries/ig/Schuylkill-River-Flooding/Schuylkill-River-Flooding-20.htm&usg=__5uUWNnW6HvfI2Yjuyp6Sd_dPqIM=&h=375&w=500&sz=100&hl=en&start=11&sig2=0njt4WtRx1bA5K81XoQb1A&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=iCjqhS86wj2OqM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dphiladelphia%2Bart%2Bmuseum%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=CAxHTMeEO8H-8AbprImgAw

A Trip to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Last week our group went on a field trip to the Ben Franklin Parkway, along the Schuylkill River. We observed the statues and the sculptures along the Parkway. As we walked, we picked up leaves from the trees and later identified what types of trees were planted in that area. In Logan Circle the students collected water from the fountain to be tested. After our long walk we got a chance to go into the Rodin Museum, where we observed the sculptures.

Here are some of the maps made by the students that show some of the features that we saw and visited along the Parkway:

Ninaflore's Map:

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John's Map:

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Wissahickon Valley Park

We will be heading to the Wissahickon Valley Park this coming week! Here is some information on the history and current situations within the park:

Find That Building!

On Thursday the BITS participants in my group went on a scavenger hunt on Temple University's campus. The students used the maps of the campus to navigate their way to each building and location. Through this activity the students learned the mapping skill known as "way-finding" and also more information about Temple's campus.

John Hayes

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Shanice Heard

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Nasherra Hinton

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Nasir Hall

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Joshua Hall

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Ninaflore Gbegnon

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"MY" Community!

This week the students worked to make maps of their own communities. We discussed the various parts of Philadelphia and how the city is intertwined with the rivers that run though and around it. They learned how to make cognitive maps and then used Google Maps to create a digital copy of their communities.

Ninaflore Gbegnon

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Shanice Heard

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Nasir Hall

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Nasherra Hinton

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Joshua Hall

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John Hayes

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Last Day of Training

A View of the Wissahickon Valley Park

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3511/4082353659_e0861c1ede.jpg

Today was the last day of training. I will be getting approximately 10 students on Tuesday and am excited to go on the trips that we have planned for this summer! During training today we made our final presentations to each of our individual program coordinators. Everyones presentations were interesting! Mine was about the Wissahickon, which is what I focused my research on. It is posted below!

Wissahickon Valley Park Presentation