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Key words: snowpack study, snow science,science writing,
science teaching,teaching technicalwriting
ABSTRACT
In thesection I teachof TechnicalWritingat PlymouthState
College in New Hampshire,students learn tohandle the
content,form,andstyleofscientificreportsbywriting
about a snowpack.In this context, snowpackstudy requires
students tolearn and apply onlyelementary concepts of
snowphysics,but itestablishescommonexperiences in
scienceforstudentswithnon-scientificbackgrounds.
During an initial field trip, students examine the layers in
a snowpackandobservethevarious characteristics of snow.
Fortwo weeksafterthe firstfield observations,students
studylocalweatherhistoryandlearnbasicconcepts of
snow science,snow stratigraphy,andsnowmetamorphism.
Based on theirnew understanding of snow, they hypoth-
esizewhatchangeshaveprobablyoccurr edinthe
snowpack, andtheylearn to identifytypes of snowparticles
in the field. Duringa secondfield trip, studentsre-examine
thesnowpack,comparetheirhypotheseswithactual
conditions they observe,and account forpersistence and
change in the snowpack during the two week interval. At
each stagein the snowpack study unit, students keep a log
of their observations and write uptheir findings in a series
oftechnicalreports.Theyalsokeepajournaloftheir
experiencesand write essays in which they examine their
personalexperienceinsnowpackstudyandassessthe
snowpack study unit.Finally, they compile theirreports,
then edit and polish them.
THERATIONALEFOR SNOWPACK STUDY
Considerwinteras a classroom,limited not by walls,but
only the imaginations of those who venture forth.
H a lfpe nnya nd O z a nne- Winte r,a n Ec o lo g ic a l H andb o o k
InformalsurveysamongmystudentsatPlymouthState
College in New Hampshire suggest that many people are
poorly informed about snow. They ignore it,deplore it,or
see it only as an adjunct to a sport orplay.
A student of mine told me he had never thought much
aboutsnow:"Iknewitwas whiteand fluffyandsome-
timesitwascompactible(goodforsnowballfights,and
snowmen)."Hisonlythoughtsaboutsnowwere"how
beautiful it was,how great it was to ski and snowmobile
on,howmuchIenjoyedplayinginthe snow,andhow
muchofapainitwastoshovelthedriveway."Beauty,
play, sport,nuisance--thatsummarizes the experience of
mostpeople withsnow. Snow haslain all around them,
but people have never examinedits structureor the agents
that changeit.
This indifferenceto snowpermeatesour educationalsys-
tem as well.My survey of dozens of school science texts
and scienceprojectsdescribed in print andon the Internet
showthatteaching aboutsnowintheschoolshasbeen
neglected. Typical schoolscience projectshave students
merely draw andcutout snowflakes or determinethe water
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contentofsnowflakesbymeltingacanofsnow.Many
school science textbooksfail to mention snow altogether.
The mottoseems to be,"When the crickets die, bring the
science indoors." I want to help changethat view.
Capitalizing on this neglectof snow science, I haveused
snowpack study four times in my course in TechnicalWrit-
ing(EN309)atPlymouthState College.Thisisajunior-
level course designed to introduce students from various
academic departments to technical and scientific writing.
Although I limit the study to the physical characteristics
ofsnowonflatground,snowpackstudyinthiscourse
providesstudentsampleopportunityforextensive
observation,interpretation, and reporting.
THEAIMS OF SNOWPACK STUDY
Atthebeginningofthecourse,Istatetheaimsofthe
snowpack study unit as follows:
Aim1.Learn and use scientific procedures. Students
conduct scientificinvestigation through aseries of field
tests.
Aim 2. Learn andapply scientific knowledge. Students
quickly learn the fundamentals of a new science.
Aim 3.Learn to interpret data. Students integrate their
knowledge and experience.
Aim4.Createand participatein ascientific commu-
nity. Students work individually and collaboratively.
Aim 5Communicate about science to the wider scien-
tific community. Studentscreate written texts and visu-
als in various modes forvaried audiences.
Aim6.Develop personal qualities.Students develop
skills, attitudes, values, and goals appropriate for a sci-
entist.
THEBENEFITS OF SNOWPACK STUDY
Snowpack study makes students more aware of their envi-
ronment.Because ourstudentsliveonthethirdofthe
earth's surface where snow falls,they can study a snow-
pack on their own college lawn with a minimum of equip-
ment;theycan studyit individuallyorina group.And
because snowpack study has not been widely used in our
schools,itis a fresh topic.Students discoverthings they
hadlittle suspected.Althoughsnowpackstudy is presented
in this course as pure science and as a subject forwriting,
it also prepares studentsto understandapplicationsof snow
scienceinglaciology,avalanchestudies,ecology,or
hydrology,as well as to participate more safely in winter
sports. Whetherviewed as pure scienceor appliedscience,
snowpack study encourages widerunderstanding of one
of nature's most interesting materials.
Onevalueofsnowpackstudyinatechnicalwriting
course is that it provides a common experience in science
amongstudentswith limitedtechnical backgrounds.No
memberof the class is likely to know anything about the
subject,soeveryonestartsoffeven.Snowpackstudyis
suitableforthesestudentsbecausemeaningful studyof
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