Students in Bangladesh attend school on a boat during floods.

Jonas Gratzer/LightRocket via Getty Images

STANDARDS

NGSS: Core Idea: ESS2.A

CCSS: Reading: 2

TEKS: Science: 3.7C, 4.7B, 5.7A, 6.10D; ELA: 3.9, 4.7, 5.7, 6.7

School or Bust!

These students take three of the world’s wildest journeys to class

February 2018

By Andrew Klein

All Aboard

Jim McMahon

From June to October, monsoons strike South Asia. The country of Bangladesh is pelted by heavy rain. The rains cause massive flooding, and many students can’t get to school. But some kids avoid this problem. How? Their schools are on boats that float around and pick them up!

Bangladesh is especially vulnerable to flooding because of its location. The country lies on a delta where the Ganges River splits into many branches. When it rains heavily, these small rivers overflow.

Monsoons strike South Asia from June to October. Heavy rain falls on the country of Bangladesh. The rains cause major flooding. Many students can’t get to school. But some kids avoid this problem. How? Their schools are on boats! The boats float around and pick kids up.

Bangladesh is very prone to flooding. That’s because of its location. The country lies on a delta. It’s where the Ganges River splits into many branches. These small rivers overflow when it rains heavily.

A nonprofit group began constructing the boat schools in 2002. They’ve built 22 so far. About 2,000 kids, ages 6 to 10, attend the schools.

Each boat is solar powered and has computers with internet access. A layered roof protects students from the rain.

Mohammed Rezwan is the Bangladeshi architect who designed the floating schools. “I thought that if the children cannot come to school, then the school should go to them,” he says.

A group began building the boat schools in 2002. They’ve made 22 so far. About 2,000 kids ages 6to 10 use the schools.

Each boat is solar powered. And each has computers with internet access. A layered roof protects students from the rain.

Mohammed Rezwan is a Bangladeshi architect. He designed the floating schools. “I thought that if the children cannot come to school, then the school should go to them,” he says.

Frozen Trek

Jim McMahon

Madeline Island is in Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes. The island has no middle or high school, so students travel to Bayfield, Wisconsin, for class. There’s no bridge from the island to the mainland, so the trip is an adventure year-round.

During warm months, kids take a ferry to Bayfield. But in the winter, the lake usually freezes. If the ice gets thick enough, cars can drive over it! “We really look forward to the ice road,” says Solomon Schuppe. He graduated from Bayfield High last year.

Madeline Island is in Lake Superior. It’s the largest of the Great Lakes. The island has no middle or high school. Students must travel to Bayfield, Wisconsin, for class. But there’s no bridge from the island to the mainland. So the trip is an adventure year-round.

Kids take a ferry to Bayfield during warm months. But the lake usually freezes in the winter. The ice can get thick. Sometimes cars can drive over it! “We really look forward to the ice road,” says Solomon Schuppe. He graduated from Bayfield High last year.

At times, the lake is only partially frozen. The slushy ice can’t support cars. That’s when students ride a windsled (above). Two big fans push this flat-bottomed vehicle. It can float on water and glide over the ice.

Wisconsin has been warmer than usual the past few winters. The lake hasn’t frozen like normal–which means there’s been no windsled or ice road. “I’ve been pretty bummed out,” Solomon says.

The lake is only partly frozen at times. The slushy ice can’t support cars. That’s when students ride a windsled (above). It’s a flat-bottomed vehicle. Two big fans push it. It can float on water. And it can glide over the ice.

Wisconsin has been warmer than usual the past few winters. The lake hasn’t frozen like normal. That means there’s been no ice road. And that means no windsled. “I’ve been pretty bummed out,” Solomon says.

Cliff Climbers

Jim McMahon

Are you afraid of heights? If so, you wouldn’t want to live in the small village of Atule’er in China. Students there live at the top of a 763 meter (2,500 foot)-tall mountain. They go to school in the valley below. To get to class, they climb down the steep mountainside on ladders.

About 15 students, ages 6 to 15, make the daunting trip. They spend two weeks living and studying at the school in the valley. Then they climb back up the cliff to spend the weekend at home. The climb takes two hours.

Are you afraid of heights? If so, you wouldn’t want to live in Atule’er. It’s a small village in China. It’s at the top of a 763 meter (2,500 foot)-tall mountain. Students from the village go to school in the valley below. They climb down the steep mountainside on ladders to get to class.

About 15 students make the trip. They’re ages 6 to 15. They spend two weeks living and studying at the school in the valley. Then they climb back up the cliff. They spend the weekend at home. The climb takes two hours.

A Dangerous Trek to School

Watch a video about how children in Atule'er, China, get to school.

Atule’er is in the Himalayan mountains. These huge peaks began forming about 50 million years ago. That’s when two massive tectonic plates collided, says Peter Modreski. He’s a scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver, Colorado. The impact thrust pieces of Earth’s crust high into the air (see Building Mountains).

Over time, the cliff will become less steep, says Modreski. Wind and water will gradually wear away the rock, which will fall into the valley below. But this process of erosion will take millions of years, he adds. For now, the kids of Atule’er will have to keep making their extreme journey to school.

Atule’er is in the Himalayan mountains. They are huge peaks. They began forming about 50 million years ago. That’s when two massive tectonic plates collided, says Peter Modreski. He’s a scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey. He works in Denver, Colorado. The crash pushed pieces of Earth’s crust high into the air (see Building Mountains).

The cliff will become less steep over time, says Modreski. Wind and water will slowly wear away the rock. It will fall into the valley below. This process is called erosion. It will take millions of years, he adds. So the kids of Atule’er will have to keep making their extreme journey to school for now.

Building Mountains

The Himalayan mountains formed at the boundary between two tectonic plates. As these giant slabs of rock smashed into each other, some rock was pushed upward to form mountains.

Think: What might happen in places where two tectonic plates move away from, rather than toward, each other?

Building Mountains

The Himalayan mountains formed at the boundary between two tectonic plates. As these giant slabs of rock smashed into each other, some rock was pushed upward to form mountains.

Think: What might happen in places where two tectonic plates move away from, rather than toward, each other?

Rock Reaction

How does water change a mountain?

Observe

The Himalayan mountains are shaped partly by erosion. As part of this process, water can seep into cracks in rocks. As the water freezes and thaws over time, bits of the rock break off. Limestone, a relatively soft rock, makes up much of the Himalayan mountains.

Ask a Research Question

How does water affect limestone?

Form a Hypothesis Based on This Question

Will chalk (a form of limestone) soak up water if you submerge it?

Materials

• scale or balance
• half a stick of blackboard chalk
• cup
• 100 milliliters of water
• paper towel
• stopwatch or timer
• paper and pencil

Procedure

1. Use the scale or balance to weigh your piece of chalk. Record this mass in a data table, along with your observations about the color and texture of the chalk. Think: Why do you need to weigh the chalk before starting your investigation?

2. Fill your cup with enough water to cover the piece of chalk. Place the chalk in the water and start the timer. For two minutes, observe the chalk and record any changes in your data table.

3. After two minutes, remove the chalk from the water and pat it dry with the paper towel. Weigh and observe it again and record your results.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 two more times.

2. Fill your cup with enough water to cover the piece of chalk. Place the chalk in the water and start the timer. For two minutes, observe the chalk and record any changes in your data table.

3. After two minutes, remove the chalk from the water and pat it dry with the paper towel. Weigh and observe it again and record your results.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 two more times.

Results

Did the chalk’s mass change? By how much? Display your results in a graph.

Conclusions

1. What happened when you put the dry chalk in water? Why do you think this happened?

2. Based on your results, did the chalk absorb water? How do you know?

3. How might water change mountains like the Himalayas over time? Use evidence from your investigation and from the article in your explanation.

1. What happened when you put the dry chalk in water? Why do you think this happened?

2. Based on your results, did the chalk absorb water? How do you know?

3. How might water change mountains like the Himalayas over time? Use evidence from your investigation and from the article in your explanation.

Take It Further

Repeat the investigation with a piece of clay. Were your results similar or different? Why do you think that is?

Rock Reaction

How does water change a mountain?

Observe

Ask a Research Question

How does water affect limestone?

Form a Hypothesis Based on This Question

Will chalk (a form of limestone) soak up water if you submerge it?

Materials

• scale or balance
• half a stick of blackboard chalk
• cup
• 100 milliliters of water
• paper towel
• stopwatch or timer
• paper and pencil

Procedure

2. Fill your cup with enough water to cover the piece of chalk. Place the chalk in the water and start the timer. For two minutes, observe the chalk and record any changes in your data table.

3. After two minutes, remove the chalk from the water and pat it dry with the paper towel. Weigh and observe it again and record your results.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 two more times.

2. Fill your cup with enough water to cover the piece of chalk. Place the chalk in the water and start the timer. For two minutes, observe the chalk and record any changes in your data table.

3. After two minutes, remove the chalk from the water and pat it dry with the paper towel. Weigh and observe it again and record your results.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 two more times.