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Improving biodiversity
Learning about water bugs – An Early Years investigation into freshwater environments as special places; assessing water quality by learning about macroinvertebrates and making site improvements.
Contents
Big idea / Page 1Overview / Page 2
Essential questions / Page 2
Goals / Page 2
Links to the South Australian Teaching for Effective Learning Framework – Domain 4 / Page 2
Links to the Australian Curriculum / Page 2
Key words / Page 3
Learning activities / Page 3
Activity 1: Beginning the water discussion (classroom) / Page 3
Activity 2: Taking the discussion outside (classroom and outside) / Page 4
Activity 3: The Story of Danny the Drip (classroom) / Page 4
Activity 4: Healthy or unhealthy? Exploring the health of a waterway through ‘natural clues’ (classroom) / Page 5
Activity 5: Exploring freshwater creatures and what bio-indicator creatures are (classroom) / Page 6
Activity 6: Collecting and observing macroinvertebrates from a local site (outside and/or classroom) / Page 6
Activity 7: What is the quality of the water? Is it healthy or unhealthy for water bugs? (classroom) / Page 7
Activity 8: How healthy is our site and taking action to improve the quality of our local freshwater? (classroom) / Page 7
Extension activities / Page 8
Resources / Page 10
Attachments / Page 10
Attachment one - Make your own net / Page 10
Attachment two: Danny the Drip teacher notes and story / Page 11
Attachment three: Creek diagram / Page 13
Attachment four: Macroinvertebrate cut outs / Page 14
Attachment five: Macroinvertebrate recording sheet / Page 16
Attachment six: Local wetlands / Page 18
Big idea
Local waterways are special natural sites and need to be cared for. How healthy is a local pond, wetland, creek or river system? By undertaking a macroinvertebrate survey you can assess the health of a local freshwater habitat. The range of water macroinvertebrates is a good indicator of the health of a freshwater environment. In this series of lessons R-2 students undertake investigations, report their findings and plan actions to improve the freshwater quality of their chosen site. Learning activities are selected to engage head, heart and hands and for students to connect with and care for local freshwater habitats. Teachers are encouraged to adapt the investigation to suit the interests and needs of their students.
Overview
This investigation aims to build upon children’s intrinsic curiosity and assist them to make discoveries about their local freshwater environments. It aims to incorporate many of the valuable resources available on the education pages of Natural Resources Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges’ website in a sequential and supportive way for teachers. Teachers and students discuss and select a local freshwater habitat to investigate for water bugs. Students share local knowledge, observe and research sites which will inform discussion. This website provides you with further local resources and information. Once the freshwater invertebrates have been investigated it is important to return them to the site.
Essential questions
· How are waterways special places and how can we care for them?
· What does bio-indicator mean and why are fresh water macroinvertebrates bio-indicators?
· What are some of the freshwater macroinvertebrates living in our local freshwater habitats?
· What can freshwater macroinvertebrates tell us about the health of a freshwater environment?
· Why are freshwater water macroinvertebrates important and why do we care about them?
· What can be done to improve local, special places such as waterways?
Goals
Students will understand / Students will know / Students will be able toThe diversity of macroinvertebrate species in a freshwater habitat is an indicator of biodiversity health.
The importance of fresh water quality.
Actions can be taken to improve freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity. / What a bio-indicator is.
What biodiversity is.
What an ecosystem is.
The connection between freshwater water quality and macroinvertebrate types.
Some local macroinvertebrate species.
What is needed for a range of macroinvertebrates to live in local freshwater habitats.
Why we need to care for special places and macroinvertebrates. / Identify some local freshwater macroinvertebrates.
Discuss ways to improve freshwater water quality in their local area.
Take action to improve special places such as waterways.
Links to the South Australian Teaching for Effective Learning Framework – Domain 4
Personalise and connect learning / 4.1 build on learners’ understandings / 4.2 connect learning to students’ lives and aspirations / 4.3 apply and assess learning in authentic contexts / 4.4 communicate learning in multiple modesLinks to the Australian Curriculum - (teachers to determine specific links for year levels)
Learning areas / Science / English / Mathematics / GeographyAustralian Curriculum - science links
Click here to go to the Australian Curriculum website:
It shows Foundation to Yr 2 Science with the General Capabilities and Sustainability cross curriculum filter applied. It provides content descriptors for each strand and year level, along with achievement standards and science portfolio work samples.
This lesson sequence reflects many of the content descriptors from the Biological Sciences in the Science Understanding Strand and also within the Science as a Human Endeavour and Science Inquiry Skills strands.
Science assessment samples
At the above link there are science portfolio work samples at the end of the year level achievement standards.
The following pages from each year level provide some assessment ideas related to this inquiry you may choose to use with students.
· Foundation, pg 3 Living Things are affected by their Environment
· Year 1, pg 11 Minibeasts
· Year 2 Daintree Pond Wetland.
Cross-curriculum priorities
Sustainability / OI.2 All life forms, including human life, are connected through ecosystems on which they depend for their wellbeing and survival. / OI5. World views are formed by experiences at personal, local, national and global levels, and are linked to individual and community actions for sustainability. / OI7. Actions for a more sustainable future reflect values of care, respect and responsibility, and require us to explore and understand environments. / OI.9 Sustainable futures result from actions designed to preserve and/or restore the quality and uniqueness of environmentsGeneral capabilities
Literacy / Numeracy / Information and communication technology capability / Critical and creative thinking / Intercultural understandingKey words
Key word / UseBio-indicator / Biological indicators are animals, plants and other life-forms used to monitor the health of an environment or eco-system. If an animal is an indicator, it is the first to respond to change; e.g. frogs indicate the health, or otherwise, of a waterway, as they are one of the first species to be impacted by pollution.
Biodiversity / All living organisms (trees, plants, genes, ecosystems).
Diversity / The number of different types (e.g. types of water macroinvertebrates) not the total number of individuals.
Habitat / A habitat is an area where a species lives and gets everything it needs; e.g. a pond is an ideal habitat for frogs.
Ecosystem / An ecosystem can consist of multiple habitats. A forest ecosystem may have a pond (for frogs), large trees (for nesting birds), and logs (for lizards).
Habitat diversity / The number of different types of different habitats in an ecosystem.
Habitat condition / The overall health of a particular habitat for a certain species.
Aquatic macroinvertebrates / Aquatic = lives in water. Macro = can be seen with the human eye. Invertebrates = animals without a backbone.
Species / Different types of an animal or plant etc are considered different species. For example magpie, kookaburra and pigeon are three different species of bird.
Learning activities
Where does the water go when it rains?
This series of lessons is designed for R-2 students. It aims to build upon the children’s intrinsic curiosity and assist them in making discoveries about their local freshwater environments. It aims to incorporate many of the valuable resources available on the NRM Education website in a sequential and supportive way for teachers.
Preparation
· Make copies of a map of your school, about 14 per class, including buildings and grounds.
· A glass aquarium or large clear glass bowl for Danny the Drip interactive story.
· Borrow a free macro monitoring kit from NRM Education which contains 10 nets, macro-viewers, trays, and other useful equipment. Ideally you want one net per two students.
· Or, Make your own nets (see attachment One) and use 6-7 white ice-cream containers, plastic spoons and print off the macro identification charts.
· Or, purchase nets from a known supplier.
· Watch an instructional video by clicking here.
· Optional: Videoflex TV Microscope or Smart Board microscope.
Activity 1: Beginning the water discussion (classroom)
Materials: pencils, paper cut in the shape of a cloud for writing ideas, and a smart board.
Duration: 20-35 minutes.
Divide children into small groups for the purpose of a discussion and sharing. Pose the question ‘Where does water go when it rains?’ Children work in small groups to share what they know about rain and where it goes when it falls.
Groups of 3 or 4 are given paper from a roll cut out in a cloud shape. They draw, write and share ideas in their groups for 5-10 minutes. Each group shares one idea with the rest of the class and they can circle an idea once it is shared. Do 2 or 3 rounds until all their ideas are recorded on a Smart Board.
Providing students with knowledge about where rain goes is a good starting point for your inquiry. Display the clouds in the classroom. Explain to the students that next lesson you will be finding out where the water goes when it rains at school. Suggest they may want to talk to their families about where water goes at their house and street. Encourage them to investigate and share what they find.
Tip: the clouds could be made into a learning piece that can be put on display around the classroom
Activity 2: Taking the discussion outside (classroom and outside)
Materials: map of the school and the grounds that children can record on, clipboards, recording sheet, chalk
Duration: 5 minutes to set challenge leading up to the activity which will take between 20-35 minutes.
Set students a challenge called ‘where does the water go when it rains?’ the day or week before the lesson to find places on buildings and in the school grounds where water collects or runs when it rains. In the classroom before you explore the school grounds, put a copy of the map on your Smart Board.
Before heading out explain they are going to be detectives searching for anywhere that water travels through or is stored (such as down pipes or gutters). It doesn’t matter if it hasn’t rained, there will be clues. Identify some of the possible clues (such as gutters and low points in the school).
Together help students to orientate their map so they know where they are before you leave the classroom. On the hunt mark these clues with a cross or a line on the map as you walk around. Allow students to take turns to share their knowledge and any recess or lunch research they have done. When they get back to the classroom count how many different rain collection points they found. They can do a simple recount of what they did using the map. Once this has been done students can add the water collection points they found to the school map on the Smart Board. This can be saved and printed off for your classroom display.
Tip: to assist students, you can do some research before the lesson to find down-pipes, water channels, underground pipes and any low lying wetland areas.
Activity 3: The Story of Danny the Drip (classroom)
Materials: Danny the Drip teacher notes and story (Attachment 2), large see-through bowl or aquarium to fill with water, props such as dirt, dye, chip packets, and plastic. Or click here for teachers’ notes and here for the story pack. The activity requires a letter for parent/caregiver (Attachment 2) to encourage students to bring in something for the lesson and to begin the discussion at home. Ensure all can contribute by having spare ‘props’.
Duration: Reading time in preparation for lesson 20 minutes, sending a letter home prior to lesson for students 15 minutes, lesson 45 minutes to 1 hour.
This story helps students understand what makes freshwater healthy and unhealthy. Prepare the class for Danny the Drip by discussing with students the concepts of water catchment areas and pollution. Display the Water, Learning and Living poster or a map of your local catchment and explore the definition of a catchment i.e. an area of land that catches water and drains it to the lowest point; usually a creek, river or ocean.
Ask students to name things we will find in the local catchment. List these as NATURAL, such as plants, animals, hills and creeks or ARTIFICIAL/HUMAN-MADE, such as, buildings, roads, cars and boats.
Explain that rain travels across or past all these things on its way to the river; some things may become polluted as they get washed along with the rain water. Organise students to bring in the pollutants for the story (refer to the accompanying pollution preparation notes)