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Monitoring Creek Health
What Can We Expect on Our Field Trip
to the Creeks of Point Reyes?
Students explore aquatic ecosystem health by building an aquatic food pyramid and creating aquatic insect field guides.
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Student Outcomes
At the end of this activity, the students will be able to:
- Use field journals in conjunction with a creek visit.
California Science Standard Links (grades 6 – 8)
This activity is linked to the California Science Standards in the
following areas:
- 6th grade:
- 7b - appropriate tools and technology to perform tests,
collect data, and display data;
7h - identify changes in natural phenomena over time. - 7th grade:
- 7a - appropriate tools and technology to perform tests,
collect data, and display data;
- 7c - communicate logical connections.
- 8th grade:
- 9b - evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of data.
National Science Standard Links (grades 5 – 8)
This activity is linked to the National Science Standards in the following areas:
- Content Standard A - Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry.
- Content Standard A - Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data; understanding about scientific inquiry
- Content Standard G - Science as a human endeavor; nature of science: students formulate and test their explanations of nature using observation, experiments, and theoretical and mathematical models.
Materials
To be provided by the teacher:
- Colored paper, pens, binding materials, graph paper and laminated covers
- Field Journal Sheets for each student and chaperone (72K PDF document)
Vocabulary
anadromous fish, aquatic insects, creek ecology, salmonids, stewardship
Procedures
- Construct field journals
Distribute photocopies of Field Journal Sheets for the students to assemble and personalize. Refer to Tips for Constructing Field Journals following this lesson.
REMINDER: students should include Water Data Analysis Information and The pH Scale activity sheets in their journals (from What Can We Learn about Water? pre-visit lesson).
Also, if students created Aquatic Insect ID Cards (from Who is in the Aquatic Food Pyramid pre-visit lesson) these should become a part of the journal or a separate field guide to be brought on field trip. - Review field journals
Once journals are completed, review field activities by having students turn to appropriate pages in their journals as you review expectations. Students should also record their names and school name at the bottom of each journal sheet.- Things to remember
This sheet will be used following the next lesson Safety and Stewardship Challenge. - Site information
Students will record information relevant to their particular creek visit. - Creek observations
These questions will facilitate observations prior to drawing a creek map. - Creek map
Students will draw a bird's-eye view of their creek section. - Tests on water samples
Students will record temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen of two water samples. - Creek testing
Water clarity and velocity will be determined and recorded. - Aquatic insect survey
Students will identify and count the numbers of individual aquatic insects found in the creek. - Field journal summary
Students will draw conclusions about the creeks' suitability for salmon habitat based on their field measurements.
- Things to remember
- Field trip preparation
Review the list of what students should bring with them on the field trip.
Extension ideas
- Preview the website, www.mywatershed.org, for testing results collected by other school groups in Marin County.
- Research the role of fish biologists and creek ecology specialists. What organizations currently work to protect creek/stream habitats for anadromous fish?
- Compare a rural creek's water quality with an urban creek. Discuss the similarities/differences.
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