Coastal Ecology—Tidal Flat Exploration Summary: This field lesson provides a structured experience for students to investigate the life of the tidal flats of the estuary and explore the relationship between sediments, elevation, and the life beneath surface. Concepts to teach: Marine and coastal ecosystems, habitats, estuaries, benthic organisms Goals: Students will collect and use evidence […]
Coastal Ecology—Salt Marsh Mania Summary: In this activity, students will explore the range of diversity of salt marsh plants. As an introduction, students will learn how to draw and describe key characteristics of familiar plant samples in the classroom. In the field, students will work to observe salt marsh diversity through a variety of sampling […]
Coastal Habitats & Species—Bountiful Birds Summary: Estuaries support an abundance of life, and a diversity of habitat types. How have birds adapted to survive in estuary habitats? This curriculum from the NOAA/NERRS Estuaries 101 website contains two exercises that address this question. In the first exercise, students engage in a role-playing activity to model different […]
Coastal Habitats & Species—Life in the Waters Summary: These lessons are fun, hands-on activities designed to give students a better understanding of how salty ocean water and fresh water interact and mix in an estuary, and how temperature affects this process. Concepts to teach: Density, turbidity, salinity, dissolved oxygen Goals: To demonstrate the influence of […]
Coastal Habitats & Species—Tides of the Estuary Summary: These lessons are designed to give an introduction to how tides and tidal cycles work by having students visualize, act out, reading and graph how tidal cycles work. Context is given to tides by way of discussing and understanding how they influence life around the estuary and […]
Coastal Ecology—Riparian Areas Summary: Much of the health of the total watershed depends on the health of the uplands and riparian areas. In the activities below, students collect and interpret data from classroom models or through field investigations to discover how physical parameters of riparian areas may affect adjacent aquatic environments. Concepts to teach: Riparian, […]
Introduction—Welcome to the Estuary! Summary: Estuaries are unique and often fragile coastal ecosystems that connect aquatic and marine ecosystems. This topic guide provides definitions and images that orient students and promote a sense of place and understanding. Concepts to teach: Estuarine ecosystems and habitats, tidal cycles, productivity, ecosystem balance Goals: Students understand components of an […]
Coastal Ecology—Making the Connection Summary: Students explore food chains and food webs to discover interconnecting relationships among organisms in an ecosystem. Concepts to teach: Food webs, different ecosystems Goals: Students will learn about ecological relationships by constructing a simple food chain or food web. Standards: 6.2L.2,7.2L.2 Specific Objectives: Describe the difference between various roles in […]
Coastal Habitats & Species—Salmon Studies Summary: Through the study salmon habitats, students learn the importance of watersheds to salmon, and how salmon are connected to both inland watersheds and the ocean. Concepts to teach: Adaptations, survival, migration, freshwater vs. saltwater habitats Goals: Students will learn about the unique life cycle and migration habits of salmon […]
Coastal Habitats & Species—Macroinvertebrates Summary: Students will examine different aquatic habitats, collect macroinvertebrates from each and use an index to determine water quality based on the relative presence and absence of tolerant and intolerant species of macroinvertebrates found in each sample. Concepts to teach: Aquatic habitats and species, biomonitoring Goals: Students will understand how macroinvertebrates […]