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Kid Friendly Stream Survey - Leader's Guide
This survey will help young people fourth grade and up learn a
lot about streams as part of our urban environment and, at the same time,
provide valuable information for planning how to continue to enhance this
habitat.
How
To Use This Survey (Survey link below)
This flexible learning tool has five components from which to choose,
depending on learning objectives, developmental level, time, and degree of
supervision:
-
Cover
sheet -- surveyor identification and site location
-
Observations
-- observing and recording basic information
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Plant
Identification -- identifying and recording which plants were
found
-
Animal
Identification -- identifying and recording which aquatic animals were
found
-
Conclusions
-- describing in writing what was found
For
students capable of collecting basic information:
Use the cover sheet, Observations, and Conclusions to help them learn
-
How
to pinpoint their location on a map
-
How
to identify the parts of a stream
-
How
to make scientific observations about a stream and record them
-
How
plants and animals live together in and around a stream
-
What
makes a stream healthy
-
How
to describe what they saw
For
students capable of collecting more information:
Add Plant Identification to help them also learn
-
How
to observe aquatic and streamside plants
-
Which
plants are in and around this stream
-
What
their presence indicates about the health of the habitat
For
students who will have close adult supervision:
Add Animal Identification to help them also learn
-
How
to observe aquatic animals without disturbing their environment
-
Which
animals are in and around this stream
-
What
their presence indicates about the health of the habitat
Close supervision is critical with this
component because it requires carefully picking up, examining, and
replacing rocks and wood in the stream, without disturbing the habitat.
Working in Teams
This survey is designed to encourage teamwork. Divide your class or group
into teams of two to four students, as appropriate for their developmental
level and team skills, plus how many adult supervisors you have available.
Teams should be small enough so that each youngster is involved.
Adult supervisors are to guide students
through the activity, as well as assure that they -- and the environment
-- are safe. Therefore, the larger the total class you are managing and
the younger the students, the more adult supervisors you will need. A
fifth-grade class of 32 students working in teams of four, for instance,
will require eight adult supervisors.
Teams may survey adjacent 50-foot portions
of the stream, a variety of sites, or smaller portions that total 50 feet,
as you see fit.
Equipment Checklist for Each Team
___ Copy of survey pages to be
used ___ Clipboard
___
Yardstick
___ Pencil
___ Sheet of blank
paper
___ Watch
___ Magnifying
glass
___ Thermometer
___ A 50-foot length of yarn
Choosing a Site
We ask that you coordinate your choice of site with us. We will help you
select an area that matches your teaching objectives and that is
accessible for all your students. We will also provide wooden planks, if
necessary, so students can get their measurements without walking in the
stream or damaging stream banks by jumping across.
Timing
-
Choose a dry day to do your survey or,
if that is not possible, a day with only light rain. Wet weather will
muddy the water and make stream banks hazardous.
-
Some plants and animals may be harder to
find or identify in the winter, so you may want to do the survey in a
warmer season.
-
Plan on at least 1 hour streamside to
complete the basic survey, with an additional 1/2 hour each for plant
and animal identification.
Before You Leave School
-
Review what the project is and why the
class is doing it.
-
Go through the questions that students
will be answering so they understand terms and procedures. (You may
wish to copy survey sheets for overhead projection.)
-
Divide students into teams.
-
Pinpoint on the watershed map where
teams will be surveying.
-
Review the "Streamside Do's and
Don't's" so students understand what behavior is expected and
why. (You may wish to copy this list for overhead projection.)
-
Remind students to dress for the weather
and a close brush with nature (warm and washable).
When You Are Finished
We ask that you call within four weeks of your visit to arrange a time
to pass along either a photocopy or original of each survey form and
discuss how your field trip went.
Whom To Contact
To ask questions, schedule a planning visit, or discuss an alternate or
additional streamside activity, contact Judy
Pickens.
Link to
Survey
This survey was prepared
and produced by watershed residents with generous feedback from
teachers and students. Funded by a Community Action Grant from the
King County Department of Metropolitan Services, 1995. Permission to
reproduce plant illustrations granted by the University of
Washington Press from Flora of the Pacific Northwest: An Illustrated
Manual by C. Leo Hitchcock and Arthur Cronquist, 1973. Permission to
reproduce animal illustrations granted by the Save Our Streams
program of the Izaak Walton League of America. This survey is not
copyrighted.
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