Field Trip Program
Shoreline Discovery
Description
Who lives in the mudflats? What is a mudflat, anyway? What causes the tides? How are plants and animals adapted to living in a tidepool? What challenges do trees along the coast face? These questions and more will be answered during this 3½ hour outdoor program.
As we hike along the Ship Harbor Trail, we'll stop to study and enjoy the mud flats, tidepools, and forest. Students will compare and contrast these three ecosystems. We'll pay special attention to adaptations and interrelationships. We'll spend most of our time in the rocky intertidal zone. Here small groups will use transect lines, quadrants, and cameras to inventory and record the diversity and abundance of algae and animals they find. These activities are tied to understanding why and how the National Park Service monitors the intertidal environment.
When exploring the intertidal zone, safety is the highest priority, for people and the fragile organisms. Students will learn skills to safely explore the intertidal zone with the least impact to the environment.
Contact
Cynthia Ocel
207-288-8812
Details
- Grade Levels:
- Fifth Grade
- Subject:
- Biology: Animals, Biology: Plants, Conservation, Ecology, Marine Biology
- National/State Standards:
- Maine State Learning Results 2007
Career and Education: A3 Interpersonal Skills
Science and Technology: A1 – 4, B1 Skills and Traits of Scientific Inquiry, D1 – 4, E1 Biodiversity and E2 Ecosystems - Keywords:
- marine biology, adaptations, Maine coast, resource protection
Experience More
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- "Chaos to Order" Everglades ABCs: 3rd Grade
- Grand Canyon Natural History
- Bird and Seashell Creatures: Who They Are and Where They Live At Cape Lookout National Seashore