Stream Ecosystems
Pre-Trip Notes

Overview

Students take a field trip to a nearby stream to analyzie stream ecosystems. The will use observations and mathematics to measure currents, look for living things, and classify and communicate items found.

Before the field trip

1. Prior to the field trip the teacher should review the safety rules with students. A class discussion of how five senses are used in daily life should be held. Discuss previous trips students have made to natural areas how their senses were used to gather information in the visits.
2. Visit the stream first to determine if it is safe for students to visit. Check stream depth, velocity, and temperature. Also look for walking conditions, potentially dangerous wildlife, poisonous plants, etc.
3. Bring along a first-aid kit.
4. Define stream walk boundaries; make sure students understand that staying within the boundaries protects wildlife and students.
5. Locate a place where students can wash hands after the visit.
6. Have a buddy system in place where students are paired and are responsible for each other at all times.
7. Practice viewing objects through a hand lenses or low power microscope in the classroom or on the playground. Students will be using the lenses at the stream and practicing ahead of time will help them feel more comfortable with this tool.
8. Practice taking the temperature of water in the classroom. Give students a thermometer and let them put it into a bucket of water for a 3 minute period, and then read the number. The teacher or student records the temperature depending on ability level. Use warm and cool water samples so the students can record a variety of different temperatures.
9. Have students fill a cubic foot container with a variety of objects. Use marbles, rocks, dirt, snap cubes, or anything you have to fill the container. Estimate and then count how many things fill the container. Is it more than they expected? Less? Did they change their guess after the counting was 1/3 of the way finished, 1/2 finished? Have students record their guesses and then compare to the actual number.
10. Find sticks for every student. Students can color, make designs, patterns, or use letters to indicate their stick. These sticks will be used in a stream flow activity.
11. Find a bucket for gathering large water samples and smaller containers about one cup in size for students to view smaller water samples.

1. Upon arriving at the stream review the stream walk safety rules again. Review the five senses with students and discuss how they will use them today to study a stream.

2. Review the Stream Walk Safety Rules.

3. Distribute touch and feel bags. These should be made ahead of time by the teacher. Students should identify what is in the bag by touch. Ask where they might find these items around the stream. Examples: smooth rock, piece of wood, needles from a fir tree, moss. Students stay within the boundaries defined by teacher and stay with their buddy.

4. Use the Sensory Observation Sheet to record things they see, hear, smell, and feel. Have students sit quietly from 2-15 minutes depending upon their sitting capacity and write or draw their sensory experiences.

EXAMPLES: When looking at things they should describe shapes and colors. A red feathered bird with a round tail. When they hear things write an imitation of the sound. peep, gurgle gurgle, swish, swoooosh.

5. Collect a water sample from the bottom of the stream near the bank. Material from the bottom can also be collected. Pour some of the water into smaller containers for each group of children. Use hand lenses to look into the water. What do you see? Draw what they see in the hand lenses on a paper. Is there life in the water? animals or plants? What other objects can be found in your sample?

6. Look at rocks and stones that are in the stream bed. Are the rocks in the stream smooth or rough when you touch them? Is any life on or around these rocks? Do you think rocks would be smooth or rough in any stream? Why do you think so?

7. Measure the temperature of the water with a thermometer. Check different locations around the stream. Record the information on teacher sheet. Are the temperatures the same or different? Make a class graph of the information.

8. Have students use pieces of wood, one per student. Place wood in a box. Release them simultaneously from a designated starting point on the stream. Step off or tape measure about 100 feet along the stream. Time the movement of the wood and record the time each takes to flow the 100 feet. One adult can be the official timer and call off the elapsed time as each ball crosses the finish line. Have students and adults at the finish line. Find out whose stick crosses the finish line first. Repeat the activity and record the times of each trial.

9. Fill a 1 cubic foot container with water from the stream. Let the children hold and estimate how much it weighs. Record their estimates. Bring an empty gallon milk jug. Fill it with water and pour into the empty 1 cubic foot container. Ask students if they would like to change their estimates. Record the estimates and the actual measurement of groups.

10. Look for signs of pollution or litter around the stream? Where does the water from this stream go? What is the water used for? What happens to the stream if there is pollution? What can you do to clean it up?

Assessment Ideas

1. List examples of sights, sounds, smells and textures of a stream environment.
2. Create a mobile that includes things perceived through their senses at the stream site.
3. Create a sensory guide sheet to educate others about what they might see, hear touch and smell at a stream.