After a couple of unusual years, I finally managed to get my year 11s out to do some fieldwork. It seemed a little odd sitting in the minibus once again, on our way to a river, equipment in hand. The day had an Autumnal chill to it but it was dry and that was the main thing. There is nothing worse than standing in a river taking measurements while the rain slowly gets you wetter and wetter, colder and colder.
So, what were my Year 11s doing on their fieldwork? Well, they were measuring velocity, width and depth at various places along the River Esk and its tributaries. However, as it had been a wet month the river was too dangerous in places – normally Maybeck is easily traversable but there were some places that were much too deep to even attempt. The class worked where they could, in teams of three and then we went to Lealholm, as I knew the river would be gentler there. It is far wider and offered some good spots for the pupils to get their data. The wind and rain, that had held off for most of the day, then forced us back to school but they all managed to collect the required data with which to work back in the classroom. Cross-sections and dispersion graphs here we come!
Adele Gilmour, Head of Geography