Is it just a flood control channel?
Or is it a real river?
What really lives in the water?
Where do the plants grow and the birds land?
Are the chemicals in the water uniformly distributed?
Does the speed of the water flow affect conditions?
How about the water temperature?
Does it matter if you visit a section lined with cement or a soil bank?
How do conditions change throughout the year?
How has the river changed over the years?
What will be its future?

We learned answers to some of these questions during the Target Science Los Angeles River Connection Workshop, and then identified even more topics to explore. We enjoyed interesting presentations from knowledgeable speakers, and did "real science" field work. Taking water samples from various locations along the river on the same day, one group compared our findings on factors such as dissolved oxygen, chlorine, and water hardness.

Another group made a population study of the birds of the L.A. River, comparing several sites along the river. Our hypothesis was that we would find a greater number of birds along the more natural, soil-banked parts of the river as opposed to the concrete-banked, channelized regions of the river bed. Interestingly, we discovered that, although the diversity of bird species was greatest in the natural parts of the river, the channelized portions we studied had significant numbers of birds of the same species. This led us to believe that different parts of the river serve different purposes for different bird species. Each team formally presented its findings to the entire group. Back at school, we shared our data, what we had learned, and supplies from these "hands-on" activities with our students. We tested water samples brought from students' homes, and also school drinking fountain water. The results were of great interest to the class, especially since one fountain showed traces of dissolved chemicals.

Our students live along a part of the river where they seldom see anything other than police chase scenes being filmed by Universal Studios. They were surprised to learn that so many species of birds live and breed in the L.A. River. Our data stimulated class discussion of the diversity of living organisms which exist within the city.

The L. A. River Workshop even included a telecommunications component, which helped us get on-line with the Target Science TELEventure telecommunications network. Since many of us earned modems by participating in the workshop, we've found this to be a great way to get and stay in touch with our colleagues.

Was it educational? Very!
Was it interesting? Exceptionally!
Was it fun? Definitely!

We all agree that this was time well spent, and now that we know more about it, we will never look at the L.A. River in the same old way!

The Target Science Teacher Network is part of the SMART Plan. For more information, or to register for a Target Science workshop, call 1-800-83-SMART.