Stream Ecosystems
A Teacher's Lesson Plan

Stream Overview

Students take a field trip to a nearby stream to analyze stream ecosystems. They will use observations and mathematics to measure currents, look for living things, and classify and communicate items found. Students then use resources from the WWW to observe phenomena farther from school.

Learner Outcomes

By completing this class activity, the learner will:

recognize how their senses provide details about stream ecosystems;
time the movement of floating objects that are released;
use lenses and/or microscopes to look for and draw living things in the water;
classify rocks found in the stream as rough or smooth;
measure and record the water temperature in the stream;
gather water plants to create aquatic pictures;
estimate and measure how many gallons comprise 1 cubic foot of water and
student will use WWW resources to observe phenomena farther from school.

Exploration

Write a story about water using the words from the Aqua words activity. Examples:

Adventures of a rainbow trout. The story of a fish who travels upstream and returns home to tell of his travels.
Ways I use water.
Plants around a stream.
A day without water.

Concept Introduction: Field trip to a local stream

BEFORE LEAVING

Check out some experience-proven suggestions for preparing for the field-trip.

PROCEDURE

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.

Rules for students

1. Students should stay with their assigned buddies.

2. Students should wear old athletic shoes or boots because they will likely get wet and muddy.

3. Students should not enter the stream without supervision.

4. Students should not touch wildlife or taste anything (plants or water) unless permitted by the teacher.

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

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? Have the students draw what they see in the hand lenses on paper. Is there life in the water? Is the life animals or plants? What other objects can be found in your sample?

6. Look at the 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 a teacher's sheet. Are the temperatures the same or different? Make a class graph of the information.

8. Have the students use pieces of wood, one per student. (Note: Ping pong balls can also be used.) Place wood in a small paper box. Release the boxes 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 piece crosses the finish line. Have students and adults at the finish line. Find out whose "boat" crosses the finish line first. Repeat the activity and record the times of each trial.

CALCULATION:
Divide the distance by the time to see how fast the object is moving.
EXAMPLE: 21 seconds to travel 100 feet is a speed of 100 feet ÷ 21 seconds = 7.76 feet per second.)

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. Now, using 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?

Concept Application

1. The teacher will use the information gathered from the field trip portion of the activity, along with plotting the estimates and actual measurement of 1 cubic foot of water on a class graph. Students should be able to tell that l cubic foot contains about 7 l/2 gallons of water. This weighs a lot. This activity gives the child the experience of what one cubic foot of water looks like and feels like.

2. Students will use the times recorded from the stick activity to create a class chart. Students should analyze the information and come up with general observations. This activity is to increase the child's understanding of how fast water can move something.

3. Students list the 3 water temperatures taken at different spots on the stream, and then answer the following questions: Was there any difference in temperature? If so, why did the temperature change at different spots? Have each group compare data. Create a class list and compare groups. Write about what you learned.

4. Collect the water lens drawings. Display these on a bulletin board at school. Take a look at what other students found in streams near their homes.

5. Have the students sort the rocks found at the stream site, classifying them as rough or smooth. How many rocks were rough? How many rocks were smooth? Were there more smooth rocks or rough rocks? Why is this so?

6. Students will gather water plants to create aquatic pictures. The students should put the plants between newspapers and wax paper, then place books on top. Wait until the plant is completely dried (drying time will vary) and then create a picture from the pressed plant. A flower press would be very handy if one is available for this activity. Make a display of the pictures.

7.Students will access the WWW to get current stream flow conditions in their state through the slow, but effective, Northwest River Forecast Center site. Additional tables of Montana information can be found on USGS maps. The graph or table of stream flow conditions gives updated data on an hourly basis.

Background water flowing through stations is measured in cubic feet per second. (CFS) There are 7.48 gallons in a cubic foot. How fast a cubic foot per second may be confusing for an elementary student without the experience of the cubic foot container and stick time trials at the stream site.

NOTE: Changing cubic feet per second into gallons per second may make more sense to the students and the teachers. Multiply CFS by 7.48 to attain gallons per second of water flow.

Look at the map of the stream flow conditions for your state. Stations are recorded in red, green, or white buttons. Red is above average stream flow, green is average stream flow, and white is below average stream flow. Average stream flows are the medians for the last 65 years of stream flow data at a particular measuring station on a stream or river on a given date (Montana site).

How many stations are red? (recording stream flow above average) today?
How many stations are green today?
How many stations are white today?

8. In Montana there are three major river drainage systems. One flows into the Atlantic Ocean, one flows into the Pacific ocean, and a small area of Montana has water that flows into the Arctic Ocean. Use this clickable map focus in on your stream. Follow the stream on a national map until it joins another stream. Where is your stream headed? For the Atlantic, Pacific, or Arctic Ocean? How do you know?

Extensions

Find the boundaries between the watersheds of the three major river basins in Montana.
Analyze the history of stream flow by your county.
What does this map say about your stream?

Assessment Ideas

PART 1

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

PART 2

What river system does your stream flow into?
Which ocean does the water from your stream flow into?
Write two things you learned about the stream on field trip.
As rivers move toward the ocean do they contain more or less water? Why?
What are some things that would increase of stream flow ?
What are factors that would decrease stream flow?

Note: Portions of this activty are adapted with permission from Aqua Words (an activity from Project Wild Aquatic Education Activity Guide. Pgs. 2-3) Email: natpwild@igc.apc.org

Stream Ecosystems A Teacher's Lesson Plan

Stream Ecosystems
A Teacher's Lesson Plan