What better way to learn about stream ecology and water pollution than to collect and identify the fascinating insects, crayfish, and shrimp-like scuds living in streams? ICPRB provides presentations, hands-on activities, and resources to help teachers (middle through high school classes) start stream ecology or monitoring programs. The presentations can be done as a series or as stand-alone lessons.

Bilingual lessons in English and Spanish are available here.

Overview: Introducing Stream Monitoring

This presentation can be used to introduce stream ecology and stream monitoring to students.

• Introductory Presentation (PowerPoint | PDF with notes)

Water Chemistry

• Stream Chemistry Monitoring Presentation (PowerPoint | PDF with notes)
• Chemistry Inquiry and Lab (Teacher Instructions | High School | Middle School)

Biomonitoring with Benthic Macroinvertebrates

• Biomonitoring Presentation (PowerPoint | PDF with notes)
• Data Sheet
• Supply List

Resources

Kindergarten-Middle School Teachers

• The Cacapon Institute – The Potomac Highland Watershed School provides a game-like approach to learning about benthic macroinvertebrate identification and collection.
• Audubon Naturalist Society – Green Kids provides complete lesson plans and PowerPoints for grades 4-5, covering stream habitat, monitoring procedures, and equipment.
• Izaac Walton League of America – The Creek Freaks Program provides comprehensive teacher and student guides for extensive hands-on inquiries of stream ecosystems for grades 5-8.

High School Teachers

• Explore and Restore Maryland Streams, Maryland Department of Natural Resources Biological Assessment of Stream Health.
• Forms for doing biological and other surveys:
  • Overall Student Data Sheet for All Stream Activities
  • Coastal Overall Student Data Sheet (for streams in the coastal plain geographic province)
• Maryland Streamwaders Macroinvertebrates by Tolerance Levels, KEY
• Maryland Stream Health Map – view data collected on a stream near your school, using interactive maps and charts of the results
• Resource Guides:
  • A Guide To Common Freshwater Invertebrates of North America, J. Reese Voshell, Jr. – Covers life habits and basic anatomy, color illustrations.
  • Guide to Aquatic Insects & Crustaceans, Izaac Walton League of America – includes diachotomous key, descriptions of functional groups (feeding methods of different benthic macroinvertebrates)