Field Research
Field Introduction
Overview: students are going to have the opportunity be active researchers- in this way they can see the workings of a wetland biologist.

Location: Outdoors

Learner Outcomes:

1. Students will be able to describe the steps of the scientific method.
2. Students will be able to define a healthy water habitat.

Vocabulary:

1. Water
2. scientific method,
3. field researcher.

Materials

1. Diagram and explanations of the scientific method.
2. Plastic bottles
3. Mini Microscopes
4. Collection containers.
5. Waders

Preparation

1. Gather and organize visual aids describing the scientific method.
2. Gather and Organize field scopes, trays and containers .
3. Have students make predictions prior to collection.

Discuss

1. Macro- invertebrate populations and how their presence indicates a healthy water ecosystem and how they provide life for other plants and animals in the wetlands
   

Welcome to the National Wildlife Refuge

Do. . .

• Organize students into a seated circle, inside or outside depending on the weather.

Explain. . . Water World :Using the tools provided students will investigate their water habitat, They will decide on a research problem, forma hypothesis, collect and disseminate their data and finally draw a conclusion.

Ask. . .

• What tells us whether or not the body of water is healthy?

Field Research

Explain. . .

• Today at the refuge we will be doing what's called field research. To do field research we need to learn about a very important tool called the scientific method.
• What is the scientific method? A process used by scientists to learn more about the world. Prior knowledge/Observations, Research Question, Hypothesis, Methods, Data Collection, Analysis and Conclusions.
• To help us learn more about the scientific method we are going to do some field research right now. Our research question is: From our water sample can we tell if this is healthy body of water?
• First we need to explore what we already know or our prior knowledge about both water and water habitats or ecosystems. What types of healthy water are there?

Do. . .

• Choose two students (girl and boy) to be Sir and Madame Biologists- these students will record the numbers of organism found in the samples. Have them make a prediction about how many organisms they think they will find in the water samples The students will take observations and record number of organisms.
• Divide the rest of the students into groups of two. One two to collect the sample from pond or stream and the other to prepare sample for viewing.
  • Have the collection agents write down any observations they make about surrounding- water depth, speed, etc.
  • Have the group describe the water sample it self ( color, visual content).
  • Finally analyze the sample (remove a small sample from container place in a Petri dish and describe the organisms- draw and write about them in journals)
    
• Have the biologists report on what they observed?
• Collect samples from at least three sites, so all researchers have a chance to all parts of process.
• Correlate data in some way using graph or table.

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