Rocky Shore Survivors

Coastal Habitats & Species—Rocky Shore Survivors

Summary: Students become intertidal organisms and role-play various tidal situations to understand how they adaptations for survival are necessary and effective.

Concepts to teach: Adaptations and Survival; Rocky Shores Habitat

Goals: Students will learn about the challenges and benefits of living in the rocky shores and the adaptations inhabitants use to survive such a dynamic environment.

Standards:
6.2L.2, 8.1L.1

Specific Objectives:

  1. Identify with intertidal organisms and role play various adaptations for survival
  2. Become familiar with invertebrates of the Oregon Coast
  3. Introduce various tidepool creatures to peers
  4. Demonstrate an understanding of the pros and cons of rocky shore living

Activity Links and Resources:

Assessment:

  • Assessments are included in the OCEP Summary.
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Salinity and Tides

Coastal Habitats & Species—Salinity and Tides

Summary: Students learn about tides and salinity in estuaries. Based on observations of time-lapse models of tides and salinity distribution in an estuary, students make predictions about salinity changes, and use salinity data to generate graphs to explain salinity patterns in an estuary.

Concepts to teach: pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, conductivity

Goals: Students identify several factors that determine why salinity changes are different depending on your location within the estuary.

Standards:
H.2E.1, H.3 S.1, H.3S.2, H.3S.3

Specific Objectives: Students will be able to:

  1. Analyze different forms of data and synthesize information to develop a hypothesis.
  2. Explain how tides and the geology of the estuary affect water circulation in an estuary.
  3. Describe daily patterns of salinity changes in an estuary.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Salinity and Tides in York River – from the NOAA Estuary Education website [pdf] 
    • Consider adapting this exercise to a local Oregon estuarine environment such as South Slough NERR.
    • Compare and contrast the conclusions made about salinity in the Chesapeake Bay with salinity patterns in an Oregon estuaries
  • Rhythms of Our Coastal Waters—This interactive NANOOS exhibit helps learners discover how salinity fluctuates in the Yaquina Bay estuary in Newport, OR.
    • Use real-time LOBO data to answer one or more of the four posed questions about salinity in Yaquina Bay.
  • Background information and activities dealing with salinity can be found in the middle school Life in the Waters topic guide.
  • Visit an estuary and measure salinity at a variety of points to generate that can be used to describe patterns and processes.
    • Measure salinity at several points along a transect perpendicular to the ocean and see to what degree the data show a gradient of inland fresh water to ocean salt water.
    • Measure salinity at the surface and at depth to determine whether a salt water wedge can be detected.
    • Measure salinity at different points in the tidal cycle.
    • If possible, compare student-collected data with existing data sets.

Assessment:

  • See the Check for Understanding section in the Salinity and Tides lesson for suggestions on how to assess student learning.
  • Level 5 of the Rhythms of Our Coastal Waters “tests” your LOBO abilities.
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Salmon Studies

Coastal Habitats & Species—Salmon Studies

Summary: Through the study salmon behavior, anatomy, and life cycles, students learn how salmon are connected to both inland watersheds and the ocean. Students discover some of the challenges salmon face during migration.

Concepts to teach: Adaptations, survival, migration, freshwater vs. saltwater habitats

Goals: Students will learn about the unique life cycle and migration habits of salmon and how they find their way back to their freshwater breeding grounds.

Standards:
3.1L.1, 3.2L.1, 4.2L.1, 5.2L.1

Specific Objectives:

  1. Construct a mnemonic device as a way to remember the stages of the salmon life cycle.
  2. Investigate salmon anatomy and adaptations.
  3. Use sense of smell to locate a home stream.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Smelling like a Fish adapted from Salmon Watch
  • The 550-page Stream Scene curriculum is available in .pdf format on the ODFW website, and covers a variety of watershed topics. The chapter Aquatic Organisms contains several lessons having to do with salmon, including:
    • Riffles and Pools, p. 357—“Students will apply concepts learned about habitat needs of salmonids during their life cycle by completing a work sheet analyzing riffles and pools.”
    • Coming Home, p. 373—“Students will investigate, write, and produce an advertising campaign, in a poster format, that features reasons for salmonids to migrate to a specific stream to spawn.”
  • Salmon Life Cycle Hexaflexagon from the Bonneville Power Administration—Paper craft project sequences a salmon life cycle
  • Salmon dissection
  • Consider rearing salmon in the classroom. For more information, visit the Animals in the Classroom topic guide in OCEP Module 2.
  • Visit the Oregon Hatchery Research Center or a hatchery closer to your school
  • Do the self-guided OHRC Quest, which is a clue-directed interpretive hunt created by 8th graders at Crestview Heights School in Waldport
  • Make your own Quest or other interpretive guide that helps the public learn about salmon and salmon habitat

Assessment:

  • Draw and label the external and internal anatomy of a salmonid.
  • Construct and explain the salmon hexaflexagon as it relates to salmon life cycles.
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Salmon Studies

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 and how they find their way back to their freshwater breeding grounds.

Standards:
6.2L.2, 6.3S.1, 7.3S.1, 8.3S.1

Specific Objectives:

  1. Describe the importance of watersheds to salmon life cycles.
  2. Identify adaptations that enable salmon to inhabit and navigate watersheds.
  3. Define the term “anadromous”

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Salmon Watch curriculum—Lessons in Unit 4 cover salmon anatomy, life cycles, adaptations and habitat requirements.
  • The 550-page Stream Scene curriculum is available in .pdf format on the ODFW website, and covers a variety of watershed topics. The chapter Aquatic Organisms contains several lessons having to do with salmon, including:
    • Riffles and Pools, p. 357—“Students will apply concepts learned about habitat needs of salmonids during their life cycle by completing a work sheet analyzing riffles and pools.”
    • Home Wet Home, p. 393—“Students will recognize the habitat components necessary for salmonids in a stream, and analyze and describe how each stream structure contributes to salmonid habitat needs.”
    • See the chapter Field Investigations for protocols of complimentary outdoor investigations.
  • StreamWebs—This student stewardship network from OSU Extension provides open-source, web-based tools for watershed data management, analysis, and networking for teachers and students. Includes data sheets students can use to assess the health of salmon habitats.
    • StreamWebs Data sheets
      • Water Quality
      • Riparian & Aquatic Survey
      • Riparian Transect
      • Photopoint Monitoring
      • Streamflow
      • Canopy Cover Survey
      • Soil Survey
      • Pebble Count
    • Post results on SteamWebs and seek out similar data collected by others
    • Identify habitats that are suitable for salmon
  • Salmon dissection resources available in the Elementary level Salmon Studies topic guide
  • Visit the Oregon Hatchery Research Center or a hatchery closer to your school
    • Do the self-guided OHRC Quest, which is a clue-directed interpretive hunt created by 8th graders at Crestview Heights School in Waldport
    • Make your own Quest or other interpretive guide that helps the public learn about salmon and salmon habitat

Assessment:

  • Post sampling data on StreamWebs and seek out similar data collected by others.
  • Determine whether your study site is suitable for salmon, and use data to explain why or why not.
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Salmon Studies

Coastal Habitats & Species—Salmon Studies

Summary: Through water quality monitoring, assess habitat suitability for salmon.

Concepts to teach: Adaptations, survival, migration, freshwater vs. saltwater habitats

Goals: Students will learn about the unique life cycle and migration habits of salmon and how they find their way back to their freshwater breeding grounds.

Standards:
H.2L.2, H.3S.1, H.3S.2, H.3S.3

Specific Objectives:

  1. Describe the importance of watersheds to salmon life cycles.
  2. Define the term “anadromous”
  3. For three measurable indicators of watershed health, determine the parameters within which salmon may survive and thrive.
  4. Collect and analyze water quality data to determine the degree to which a body of water is suitable for salmon.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • StreamWebs—This student stewardship network from OSU Extension provides open-source, web-based tools for watershed data management, analysis, and networking for teachers and students. Includes data sheets students can use to assess the health of salmon habitats.
    • StreamWebs Data sheets
      • Water Quality
      • Riparian & Aquatic Survey
      • Riparian Transect
      • Photopoint Monitoring
      • Streamflow
      • Canopy Cover Survey
      • Soil Survey
      • Pebble Count
    • Post results on SteamWebs and seek out similar data collected by others
    • Identify habitats that are suitable for salmon
  • The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) website provides background information on how Watershed Assessments are conducted and used.
  • The 550-page Stream Scene curriculum is available in .pdf format on the ODFW website, and covers a variety of watershed topics.
    • The chapter Aquatic Organisms contains several classroom lessons having to do with salmon habitat, including:
      • Riffles and Pools, p. 357—“Students will apply concepts learned about habitat needs of salmonids during their life cycle by completing a work sheet analyzing riffles and pools.”
      • Home Wet Home, p. 393—“Students will recognize the habitat components necessary for salmonids in a stream, and analyze and describe how each stream structure contributes to salmonid habitat needs.”
    • See the chapter Field Investigations for protocols of complimentary outdoor investigations.
  • Salmon dissection resources available in the Elementary level Salmon Studies topic guide
  • Visit the Oregon Hatchery Research Center or a hatchery closer to your school
    • Do the self-guided OHRC Quest, which is a clue-directed interpretive hunt created by 8th graders at Crestview Heights School in Waldport
    • Make your own Quest or other interpretive guide that helps the public learn about salmon and salmon habitat

Assessment:

  • Post sampling data on StreamWebs and seek out similar data collected by others.
  • Determine whether your study site is suitable for salmon, and use data to explain why or why not.
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Salt Marsh Mania

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 techniques using the skills learned in the classroom. While botany, the study of plants, is a complex and expansive discipline, marshes are accessible and excellent starting points for students to begin to appreciate the subtle diversity of structure and the purpose of adaptation. The marsh is generally accessible without specialized footwear or boats. Marsh plants are typically low enough that the entire community of plants can be viewed and examined easily and a sampling transect and plots can be established without difficulty.

Concepts to teach: Marine and coastal ecosystems, salt marsh communities, cycles, adaptations, classification, data collection.

Goals: Students will discover the many different types of plants that have adapted to life in a tidal marsh through careful observation and discovery.

Standards:
4.2L.1, 5.2L.1, 4.2E.1, 3.3S.1, 3.3S.3, 5.3S.2, 5.3S.3

Specific Objectives:

  1. Students will be able to define: adaptation, characteristic and salt marsh
  2. Students will understand in a simple way to test diversity within one zone of the estuary.
  3. Students will gain experience making careful observations to distinguish physical difference and characteristics between species of marsh plants
  4. Students will understand how sampling a subset is used to make observations about a larger area.

Activity Links and Resources:

Assessment:

  • Examine student field journals and data graphs for completeness.
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Salt Marsh Mania

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 techniques using the skills learned in the classroom. While botany, the study of plants, is a complex and expansive discipline, marshes are accessible and excellent starting points for students to begin to appreciate the subtle diversity of structure and the purpose of adaptation. The marsh is generally accessible without specialized footwear or boats. Marsh plants are typically low enough that the entire community of plants can be viewed and examined easily and a sampling transect and plots can be established without difficulty.

Concepts to teach: Marine and coastal ecosystems, salt marsh communities, cycles, adaptations, classification, data collection.

Goals: Students will discover the many different types of plants that have adapted to life in a tidal marsh through careful observation and data collection.

Standards:
6.2L.2, 6.3S.1, 7.3S.1, 8.3S.1

Specific Objectives: Students will understand that:

  1. Students will be able to define: adaptation, characteristic and salt marsh
  2. Students will understand in a simple way to test diversity within one zone of the estuary.
  3. Students will gain experience making careful observations to distinguish physical difference and characteristics between species of marsh plants
  4. Students will understand how sampling a subset is used to make observations about a larger area.

Activity Links and Resources:

Assessment:

  • Examine student field journals and data graphs for completeness. Students may present their findings in a PowerPoint presentation or report.
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Sea Level

Science Concepts—Sea Level

Summary: One consequence of climate change is sea level rise. In order to determine whether global sea level is changing, scientists must be able to understand natural temporal and spatial sea level variability. In this topic guide, students will use online data to learn about how sea level is measured, and how to determine sea level trends. Students then use tidal data to demonstrate how storm events affect water levels.

Concepts to teach:

Goals:

  1. Scientists measure water level to determine patterns and trends.
  2. Ocean water levels vary depending on scale and geographic location.
  3. Overall, global sea level is rising.

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • MS-ESS3-2. Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Access and interpret sea level data
  2. Describe the effects storms can have on local water levels
  3. Use online or collected data to describe water levels for an coastal area in Oregon

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Understanding Sea Level Using Real Data from Data in the Classroom
    • Level 1: Reading Sea Surface Height
    • Level 2: Finding the Mean
    • Level 3: Reading Tide Data
    • Level 4: Measuring Storm Effects
    • Level 5: Designing Your Own Investigation
  • Regional sea level trends – Visit Sea level maps and graphs from NOAA Tides and Currents to find out how sea level changes in the Pacific Northwest compare to other parts of the world.
  • Local Sea Level is measured by tide stations, which refer to the height of the water as measured along the coast relative to a specific point on land. Invite students to explore online water level data.
  • Visit a coastal or aquatic site to determine current and historic high water level based on:
    • available data sets (local, online, etc.)
    • historical photos (contact the local historical society)
    • landscape indicators (identifying plant communities, erosion effects, etc.)
    • proximity of human infrastructure
    • direct measure with a meter stick, repeat measurements over time if possible

Assessment:

  • Assessment questions are included in the Data in the Classroom lessons
  • Obtain or collect data and use it to characterize sea level trends for a particular location
  • How does measuring tide height patterns help managers forecast impacts of storm events?
  • What evidence exists to indicate that sea level is rising?
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Sea Level

Science Concepts—Sea Level

Summary: One consequence of climate change is sea level rise. In order to determine whether global sea level is changing, scientists must be able to understand natural temporal and spatial sea level variability. This topic guide includes resources related to global sea level measurements and trends. Students compare global sea level trends with regional and local sea level measurements using online data and/or through a coastal field experience.

Concepts to teach:

Goals:

  1. Scientists measure water level to determine patterns and trends.
  2. Ocean water levels vary depending on scale and geographic location.
  3. Overall, global sea level is rising.

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • HS-ESS3-5 – Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth systems.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Define global, local and relative sea level
  2. Use online sea level data to determine global and regional trends
  3. Use online or collected data to describe water levels for an coastal area in Oregon

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Reading: What is sea level? From NOAA Tides and Currents
  • Global sea level—Long term changes in global mean sea level is measured by satellite altimetry. View trends from the NOAA/NESDIS/STAR Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry.
  • Regional sea level trends—How does the sea level in Oregon compare to other parts of the world?
  • Local Sea Level is measured by tide stations, which refer to the height of the water as measured along the coast relative to a specific point on land. Invite students to explore online water level data.
  • Visit a coastal or aquatic site to determine current and historic high water level based on:
    • available data sets (local, online, etc.)
    • historical photos (contact the local historical society)
    • landscape indicators (identifying plant communities, erosion effects, etc.)
    • proximity of human infrastructure
    • direct measure with a meter stick, repeat measurements over time if possible

Assessment:

  • What happened to the water level as the temperature increased?
  • What caused the water level in the flask to change over time?
  • Would salt water react the same way as fresh water? How could you design an experiment that would test your hypothesis?
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Shoreline Structure

Planning—Shoreline Structure

Summary: What different kinds of shorelines exist in Oregon? How do different types of shoreline react to flooding and sea level rise? In this topic guide, students learn about different kinds of natural and human-created shorelines, and map a coastal area to show where different types of shoreline are found. They also create a model that demonstrates how water interacts differently with “hard” and “soft” features.

Concepts to teach:

Goals:

  1. Shoreline features vary in different places along coastlines
  2. “Soft” shorelines absorb wave energy and water, and “hard” shorelines reflect or redirect wave energy and water, often causing erosion nearby.
  3. Soft shorelines such as coastal wetlands can help protect communities from damaging sea level rise and storm surges.

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

  • 4-ESS2-1. Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Identify different types of shorelines on the Oregon coast
  2. Experiment with a model to show how different types of shoreline interact differently with waves.
  3. Understand that coastal wetlands can help control flooding and erosion.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Activity: Plan a visit to a coastal area that has a variety of shoreline features and provide students with a simple map of the shoreline. Ask the students to notes the types of shoreline they observe on the map and make a key to their notation so that others can understand their map.
    • Example: Hatfield Marine Science Center Nature Trail mapping worksheet—Walk the HMSC Estuary Nature Trail and draw on the map different symbols and colors to indicate shoreline features. Create a key to the symbols and colors.
    • Which types of shoreline will absorb water and wave energy? Which types will reflect water and waves? If possible, observe how waves come ashore in different areas. Is there evidence of erosion at the field site?
    • Using the map scale and a ruler, calculate the distance of the shoreline on the map (this is easier on a straight shoreline). Determine the proportion of shoreline that is “natural” vs. “human-made”, or “hard” vs. “soft”.
  • Activity: Experiment with a wave tank to see how different structures interact with waves.
    • Visit the wave tank in the HMSC Visitor Center
    • Create your own wave tank in a large pan or sink, and create model shorelines from sand, gravel, bricks, sponges, etc and generate a wave that travels toward the ‘shore’ and see what the water does
  • Review: How Do Trees Affect Erosion? topic guide from OCEP Module 2 which focuses on how vegetation helps stabilize shorelines.
  • Activity: Wetlands and their ecological services—in this Lesson 1.3 of the Bringing Wetlands to Market curriculum, students learn about the different types of wetlands and their ecological roles, and they identify one or more local wetlands.

Assessment:

  • Observe and map the hard and soft shoreline features of a coastal area
  • How does water interact with different shorelines in your model?
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