Field Session

Engagement

30 minutes

Show students the tools to be used during the field session: magnifiers, buckets, net, thermometer, science notebooks, and camera within a backpack, pulling them out one at a time. Have students brainstorm how they will use each tool. Have a conversation with students about how to care for animals they find. Use role play to demonstrate carefully holding and returning animals to their habitat, and to model how to notice specific traits of the habitat.

Science notebooks: Have students make predictions in their science notebooks prior to the field trip (the day before or morning before leaving). What type of habitat do they expect to see? What creatures might be living in that habitat? How do you know? What kind of evidence will we be looking for?

Exploration

3-4 hours

Prior to the field trip students will have a discussion of field trip etiquette and their habitat needs during the field trip (i.e., food, water, shelter). Upon arrival at the field site, gather students together and give boundaries, reminders of etiquette, and a signal for gathering as a group (i.e., whistle). Let them know they will have 30 minutes to explore before a more focused activity begins.

Students will explore in the chosen freshwater or saltwater habitat (e.g. pond, stream, bog, marsh, beach), using skills of observation. They should notice animals and plants that are in the specific area. After 30 minutes, bring students back together to share what they found. They may use thermometers to compare the temperature of the aquatic habitat on the field trip with that in the classroom.

Encourage them to share habitat descriptions, names of specific species identified, and other observations. Guide students to ask more questions: What else do they now wonder about? What will they be exploring during the next observational period of time? How will they find out more information?

Science notebooks: After the initial discovery/awareness time, have students again draw one animal or plant they noticed. What is significant about where it is? Describe and draw the habitat. If students do not take their science notebooks into the field, they can use a clipboard and paper instead, and cut and glue their drawings and descriptions into their notebooks once they are back in the classroom.

Guide students to choose one area in which to gather data using a timed count of a selected species. When given a starting signal, students will count every individual of that species they can count in 5 minutes. After the signal to stop, students go to their science notebooks to record the information they found.

Students will be instructed to choose one small area to draw, write, and describe a specific habitat. Labels, descriptions, and data (size, color, shape, etc.) will be encouraged. Let students know they will be sharing their information with other students around Alaska.

Visit each student to assist with documentation of local habitat through a digital photo, recording number of photo taken, or other information to allow students to access their photo back in the classroom.

Science notebooks: After the timed counts, students will have time to go back and draw more creatures and their habitats. Students could draw species they counted during the measurement activity or other creature they noticed. Expect students to draw three more creatures and their habitat. Be sure to use labels or other descriptors to document animal or plant. Students could begin to share their drawings with each other as they finish.

Have group gather together before going back to bus. Ask for a quick share—one feature of the habitat they noticed that supports an animal (e.g., insect, worm) they could see.

Explanation

40 minutes

Prior to the field trip students will have a discussion of field trip etiquette and their habitat needs during the field trip (i.e., food, water, shelter). Upon arrival at the field site, gather students together and give boundaries, reminders of etiquette, and a signal for gathering as a group (i.e., whistle). Let them know they will have 30 minutes to explore before a more focused activity begins.

Students will explore in the chosen freshwater or saltwater habitat (e.g. pond, stream, bog, marsh, beach), using skills of observation. They should notice animals and plants that are in the specific area. After 30 minutes, bring students back together to share what they found. They may use thermometers to compare the temperature of the aquatic habitat on the field trip with that in the classroom.

Encourage them to share habitat descriptions, names of specific species identified, and other observations. Guide students to ask more questions: What else do they now wonder about? What will they be exploring during the next observational period of time? How will they find out more information?

Science notebooks: After the initial discovery/awareness time, have students again draw one animal or plant they noticed. What is significant about where it is? Describe and draw the habitat. If students do not take their science notebooks into the field, they can use a clipboard and paper instead, and cut and glue their drawings and descriptions into their notebooks once they are back in the classroom.

Guide students to choose one area in which to gather data using a timed count of a selected species. When given a starting signal, students will count every individual of that species they can count in 5 minutes. After the signal to stop, students go to their science notebooks to record the information they found.

Students will be instructed to choose one small area to draw, write, and describe a specific habitat. Labels, descriptions, and data (size, color, shape, etc.) will be encouraged. Let students know they will be sharing their information with other students around Alaska.

Visit each student to assist with documentation of local habitat through a digital photo, recording number of photo taken, or other information to allow students to access their photo back in the classroom.

Science notebooks: After the timed counts, students will have time to go back and draw more creatures and their habitats. Students could draw species they counted during the measurement activity or other creature they noticed. Expect students to draw three more creatures and their habitat. Be sure to use labels or other descriptors to document animal or plant. Students could begin to share their drawings with each other as they finish.

Have group gather together before going back to bus. Ask for a quick share—one feature of the habitat they noticed that supports an animal (e.g., insect, worm) they could see.

Elaboration

2-30 minutes

Help students use their digital photos and the information they collected during their individual focused exploration, to produce a small poster for a hall display or a posting on the statewide “At Home in the Water” forum on this web site.

Evaluation

40 minutes

Assess class responses during the OWL discussion.
Use a rubric to assess depth of understanding shown in students’ descriptions of the “timed count” animal.

Curricular Connections

Math. Timed counts provide opportunities for practicing reading and adding time.

Language Arts. Writing and communication skills are practiced throughout the investigation.

Ideas for adapting to different local environment or context:
For freshwater:

• River environment: Look at essential ingredients of the habitat such as cutbanks that provide shade and plants that offer nutrients to aquatic animals of that habitat.
• Creek or stream: Look at places where the water flows or pools, other areas where there may be only mud or gravel. How would this change from season to season?
• Lake: What do we notice around the lake? By the edge of the lake? In the lake? This is where a net and bucket may be very valuable!
• Puddle: Is this noticeable all year long? What can we find out about a puddle that might not have water year-round?
• Beaches – Do we see different types of animals on the upper, middle, and lower parts of the beach? Do different animals live in areas with mud or sand or where there are small rocks or big rocky areas?
• Tidepools – Notice the different types of animals within a tide pool. Watch for awhile to see if any of the animals are hard to see (camouflauged).