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Challenge your students to collect macroinvertebrate samples to assess water quality.
A special thanks to Sue Parnell for contributing this lesson plan to the Teacher e-News. Sue is a seventh grade science teacher at Sells Middle School in Dublin, Ohio. Thank you, Sue!
With access to a local stream, you can really make your water quality studies relevant and get your students all wet! In this hands-on activity, students collect macroinvertebrate samples from a local stream to assess water quality. This simple activity can be the springboard to a more in-depth water quality investigation of physical, chemical and biological factors. If you do not have access to a stream, try this creative alternative using M&Ms.
Materials: kick seine (purchased or homemade), tweezers, white ice cube trays, hand lenses, macroinvertebrate pollution sensitivity charts (download & copy yours), rubber boots, optional white plastic sheet.
Instructions:
1. Locate an area in the stream with a gravel bed, fast-moving water, and a 15 cm. depth.
2. Place the kick seine in the water facing upstream and stretch to its full width. making sure the bottom of the seine touches the stream bed.
3. Move slowly forward for a distance of one meter, gently kicking up the bed to dislodge macroinvertebrates.
4. Lift the seine from the stream with a forward scooping motion.
5. Lay the seine on a large flat rock or plastic sheet. Use tweezers to separate macroinvertebrate specimens into ice cube trays by type.
6. Use the hand lenses and pollution sensitivity charts to identify and count the types of macroinvertebrates collected, then make a basic assessment of stream quality.
Analysis: Macroinvertebrate organisms have varying tolerances for pollution. By identifying the macroinvertebrate organisms living in their local stream, students can make a preliminary assessment of the water quality. The presence of pollution-sensitive species indicates a clean, oxygen-rich stream, while the presence of mostly pollution-tolerant species indicates poor water quality.
Relevant Ohio Science Content Standards: Earth & Space Science: 5.6, 7.4
COSI resources to teach Earth & Space Science:
All Grades: Space & Ocean exhibition areas (COSI Level 1)
Grades K-6: Current Conditions COSI On Wheels Program
Grades K-6: Investigating Energy COSI On Wheels Program
Grades K-6: What's Wild COSI On Wheels Program
Grades K-12: Grand Canyon Adventure Extreme Screen Movie
Grade 2: Grade Level Days, 2/3/2010 and 2/24/2010
Grades 2-8: Weather LIVE! Show (COSI Level 1, offered daily)
Grade 4: Grade Level Days, 1/27/2010 and 2/17/2010
Grades 4-8: Wild Weather Field Trip Workshop & Show Combo
Grades 4-9: Garbology Field Trip Workshop
Grades 6 & 7: Grade Level Days, 1/20/2010 and 3/3/2010
Grades 9-12: Astronomy Field Trip Workshop
New Earth & Space Science resource coming soon: COSI's new Lily Pad watershed exhibition, is now being installed on Level 1. Opening this fall, Lily Pad will showcase hands-on activities and native Ohio aquatic life. Details coming soon.
Video Lesson Plans: Be sure to also check out Lessons in Matter and Energy, a series of eight learning modules that demonstrate physical science concepts and phenomena featuring COSI Team Members.
Bring a COSI workshop to your central Ohio school for $125
You can now bring several of COSI’s popular hour-long K-8 workshops right into your central Ohio classroom. These workshops are for up to 35 students at a time and are conducted in your classroom by a COSI educator. See details.
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