Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

Earthworks
Earth System Science for Secondary Teachers

Suzette Mulé (Earthworks 2000)
sumule@yahoo.com

Pond Study

Who: Mrs. Mule's Ecology Class

What: Pond study

When: Spring 2001

Why:
Learner Objectives

1. Students will understand pond ecology
2. Students will collect and identify pond invertebrates.
3. Students will measure water quality (dissolved oxygen, CO₂, pH, water temperature)

How: Materials and Equipment: LaMotte DO and CO₂ kit, HACH pH meter, D-ring net, scopes, laminated I.D. charts, CBL with temperature probe, goggles, gloves, deionized water, rubber boots, collecting bucket, aerator, sorting trays, forceps, eye droppers, petri dishes

Background: Students will learn pond ecology through lecture, Internet, video, and LaMotte Pond Study Kit. When the time is right we will do 2 field trips to a nearby pond.

Procedure:

1. Remind students of safety issues and safe disposal techniques.
2. Day one. At pond. Model kit use. Separate students in groups. Have them collect the water quality. Record data in student notebooks. Return to school.
3. Day two. Back in class have students predict (based on water temp. and air temp.) trends they might find among the DO, CO₂, pH values. Have students analyze the data and see if their hypotheses were correct. Have class discussion to assess student's understanding.
4. Day three. Return to pond. Using D-ring have students collect macroinvertebrates. Explore. Make observations in student notebooks. Keep critters alive in collecting bucket.
5. Day four. Give each group of students the materials to I.D. the bugs. Have them assess the quality of the pond by noting the ratio of tolerant/intolerant species.

Student-Based Avian Research
Suzette Mulé (Earthworks 1999)

Why: Increase student awareness of local ecosystem

Who: 12th grade ecology

When: Late spring

Equipment:

• Binoculars

Guidance:

• I'll locate nests and ideal observation points
• Students will choose or be assigned what behavior they are to observe among the particular bird species.
• Students will work alone and collect data for exactly 1/2 hour
• Student will present their finding in an oral and written presentation to the class.