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~Teaching Outline~
Focus: A stream is a rich ecosystem characterized by moving water, plentiful nutrients, and a variety of plants and animals (HON pgs. 107-113).
What would it be like to live in a stream?
Dream a Stream: imagine the various habitats within a stream.
Puppet Show: meet some common stream insects and discover a few adaptations for survival in a stream.
Stream Sam and Sally: identify some important adaptations necessary for survival in a stream.
Study a Stream: explore the variety of ecosystems in a stream and discover the life that each supports.
Upper Grades Challenge – Critter Clues to Stream Health: evaluate the health of a stream based on the kinds of macroinvertebrates found.
Release Ceremony: carefully collect, inspect, and then return critters to their homes while modeling respect for all living things.
Journal Activity: observe and record a section of a stream ecosystem.
Stream Critter Dance: experience moving like a stream macroinvertebrate.
Closing Thoughts: review what has been learned by studying the stream.
SUGGESTED OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Dream a Stream, Study a Stream (as in Supplementary Materials) , Upper Grades Challenge;
Release Ceremony, Journal Activity, Sharing Circle
Unit Concepts/Ideas:
A.
An ecosystem consists of all the living and non-living things in a specific place. A stream is a dynamic, ever-changing ecosystem in which the speed of the water current determines the texture of the streambed and in turn, the distribution of organisms.
B.
Different areas in a stream provide habitat for distinct groups of plants and animals.
C.
Animals living in a stream have specific adaptations that make it possible for them to survive in moving water.
D.
Stream organisms collected for study should be handled carefully and then gently returned to their habitat.
Unit Vocabulary: Habitat, Predator, Prey, Stream, Current, Insect nymph, Insect larva, Adaptation

Science Grade Expectations:
Grades PK-K A stream is “home” for a variety of plants and animals. Plants and animals that live in a stream need water, food and air to live.
Grades 1-2 A stream as habitat provides water, food, shelter and space for plants and animals that live there. Living things are made up of body parts that enable them to get the food water and air they need to live and make it possible for them to survive in a moving water environment.
Grades 3-4 An ecosystem consists of all the living and non-living things in a specific place.
Organisms that live in a stream have physical and behavioral characteristics that help them to get what they need to survive in their environment. There are many different kinds of aquatic insects.
Plants and animals in a stream interact with one another in various ways including providing food.
Grades 5-6 A stream is habitat for plants and animals that are adapted to the conditions there.
Aquatic invertebrates found in a stream can be sorted into basic groups according to the microhabitat they occupy in a stream. Food webs model the interdependent relationships that organisms engage in as they meet their food and energy needs. The number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the kinds of organisms present and the availability of biotic and abiotic resources.
Science Skills:
A.
Active listening to learn about the various habitats in a stream and creating a model using markers/crayons and paper to illustrate these habitats.
B.
Identifying adaptations needed to survive in a stream through active listening and observation of stream insects.
C.
Using tools to measure and compare water flow, temperature and bottom texture, and investigating how these factors affect stream habitat.
D.
Recording observations made while investigating a variety of stream habitats and the life each place supports.
E.
Collecting, observing, identifying and releasing creatures from a variety of stream habitats.
Vermont Standards: Inquiry 7.1
, The Living World 7.13, Universe, Earth and the Environment
7.15
, Natural Resources and Agriculture 7.16
, Listening 1.13
, Questioning 2.1
, Sustainability 3.9
,
Understanding Place 4.6
New Hampshire Standards: Science Process Skills SPS1 , SPS3 , SPS4 , Life Science LS1, LS2,
LS3, Earth Space Science ESS1, ESS2
Four Winds Nature Institute – 7/08.