We’re Going on a Species Hunt

Question(s)

What species live in specific habitats within my watershed?

Overview

This activity guides students through a scientific investigation to prove or disprove the hypothesis they formed in What Lives Here about the different species that may or may not live within their watershed habitats. Students work together to plan a method, investigate, analyze data, and reflect on their findings. Did they find the species they expected to see? Why or Why not?

To help prepare students to locate and count the number of different species in their habitat, students play a Spot the Difference game. They build the careful observation skills they need to look at similar species within the same category (different types of trees, bugs, birds, etc.) and determine how many from each category they see. This activity does not ask students to identify species, just to determine how many different species they see.

During this fun, outdoor habitat exploration, students may become interested in a certain species or category of species. This helps them choose one species they want to study in depth for their Species Investigation .

To prep for this activity, visit Taking Students Outside for tips on how to create a successful outdoor learning experience for your students and yourself.

Standards (MLR)

Learning Objectives

• Students will be able to design, develop, and create a plan to investigate a scientific question
• Students will be able to implement their scientific investigation plan
• Students will be able to reflect on their experience and recommend changes/improvements that could be made
• Students will be able to work successfully in teams and as a large group
• Students will be able to compare their data and observations to their hypothesis, and reflect on their findings

Materials

• Paper & Writing Materials
• Poster Paper & Markers
• Field Guides
• Access to Internet
• Materials needed for Investigation such as:
  • Hand-lens
  • Measuring tools
  • Camera
  • Notepad/pencils
  • Timer
  • Quadrats
  • Shovel
  • Binoculars
  • Nets
  • etc…

Time Needed

3 (40-minute) class periods:

1. Plan your Method
2. Investigation
3. Analyze Data & Reflect on Your Findings

Activity Procedure

This activity is divided into four sections to guide students through the scientific method as they prove or disprove their hypothesis from What Lives Here.

1. PLAN A METHOD: students are provided with some ideas and structure to guide them in planning an investigation to test out their hypothesis.
2. INVESTIGATION: students follow through with their investigation plan and collect data that will inform them about their hypothesis.
3. ANALYZE YOUR DATA: students will compare data they collected with their hypothesis.
4. REFLECT ON YOUR FINDINGS: students will prove or disprove their hypothesis

An overarching goal of All My Watershed Neighbors is for students to become familiar with local habitats within their watershed, the resources they provide, and the species that live there. The outdoor component of this activity gives students a first-hand experience in these environments and throughout their investigations they are encouraged to explore, discover, and have fun!

PLAN A METHOD:

Note: The procedure for student’s investigations will differ depending upon the habitats that you or your students chose to study.

1.   Brainstorm with your class: How could you locate species in different habitats (in the habitats they will be investigating)? You may need to focus on one habitat at a time. Record the brainstorm so that students can refer to it as they plan their method. Here are some or our ideas:

• Bird Watching
• Kick-Nets in Streams
• Dig a Hole, sift through the dirt
• Look Up…and Under
• Animal Tracks/Signs
• State the Obvious, what do you see

2.  How many habitats will your class be investigating? Divide your class into that many teams. Set up stations around the room, one for each habitat. Each station will need one of the Plan your Method Worksheets (depending upon the habitats you are studying you may want to make modifications to the worksheet), post-it notes, pens, as well as students hypothesis for that habitat from What Lives Here.The goal is for students to create a plan to investigate what species live in their watershed habitats. The worksheets will focus their ideas.

3.  Each group will start at a different habitat station. Give them 10-15 minutes to answer the worksheet’s guiding questions about how they would explore that habitat to locate different species and to prove or disprove their hypothesis. Students will write their answers and ideas to the worksheet’s questions on post-it notes (not the worksheet). Make sure that they (or you) number their post-its with the corresponding question number. Students will leave their post-its at the station for the next team.

4.  Students switch stations. They have 10-15 minutes to answer the worksheet’s guiding questions and either build upon the previous group(s) ideas or to come up with a new one of their own.

5.  Once each group has had the opportunity to visit each habitat, have them return to the habitat they started at. That group is responsible for creating a plan to investigate that habitat that incorporates ideas from the all groups. Students can write their final plan on the worksheet.

6.  Students present their plans to the class. The class (and you) can ask questions and/or make comments to help guide student plans into something that is doable. Give student groups time to discuss comments and make changes to their plan.

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Student Worksheet (click to download)

Plan Your Method

Habitat:___________________________________

Hypothesis: We think that____________________________________________________live

within____________habitat because______________________________________________.

Guiding Questions

1. Where in this habitat might animals, plants, and/or fungi live?

2. Some species don’t stay in the same place all the time, what evidence might they leave behind?

3. How could you use multiple senses to find species and/or evidence of species (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell)?

4. What tools would be helpful to locate different species and/or evidence of species and what would you use them for?

For example: a shovel for collecting dirt/mud, binoculars for looking at birds, etc.

5. What data would you want to collect to help prove or disprove your hypothesis?

Habitat Investigation Plan

Materials List:                                                            Jobs/Roles:

Step-by-Step Investigation Instructions:

Data Collected

# of Insects:

Comments:

# of Birds:

Comments:

# of Trees:

Comments:

# of Grasses:

Comments:

# of other Plants:

Comments:

# of Mammals:

Comments:

# of Fungi:

Comments:

# of Aquatic Invertebrates:

Comments:

# of Fish:

Comments:

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INVESTIGATE

Before going outside with your students, review the Taking Students Outside page and discuss with students: How can they contribute to having a successful outdoor lesson? Record ideas students share (add your own too), and have students sign the document as a “contract” for their participation in an outdoor lesson. You can revisit this once you return inside and students can reflect on how they participated and if they held true to their “contract”.

1. Gather materials needed for each habitat’s investigation. Have the groups of students who wrote up the final investigation plan go over their plans with the class again, demonstrating how the materials will be used and assigning roles to students.
2. Visit each habitat with your whole class, or divide your class into smaller groups and have them visit each habitat as a station (may need adult volunteers) and rotate through to visit each habitat.
3. At each habitat, review your class’s hypothesis and investigation plan (on the Student Worksheet: Plan your Method). And allow students time to investigate. You may want to put time restrictions on how long they have at each habitat.
4. After each habitat investigation, ask your students to reflect on how they did.

• Did they follow their investigation plan?
• Did each person play a role in the investigation?
• Did they collect the data they needed?
• Is there anything that they could improve upon?

ANALYZE YOUR DATA

Have students compile a list of the number of different species that they found at each habitat. Compare these lists to those students generated as their hypothesis What Lives Here. Student Questions:

1. Did you find any of the species that you hypothesized you would see in this habitat?
2. Did you find any species that you did not expect to see?
3. Did you hypothesize that you would find any species that you did NOT see during your investigation?

REFLECT ON YOUR FINDINGS

Student Questions:

1.  If you hypothesized that you would find a species that you DID NOT see or find evidence of during your investigation:

• Why did you think you didn’t see these species?
• Does this prove that the species doesn’t live here?
• Why or why not?

2.  Did you prove your hypothesis to be right, wrong, or a little of both?

3.  How would you modify your investigation plan to better prove or disprove your hypothesis?

Reflection/Formative Assessment Ideas

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Extension Ideas

Return to your study site at a different time in the year or even just a few weeks later. Have students complete the same investigation and think about the following question: Did my findings change? Why or Why not?

Use species identification books to figure out the name of other basic facts about one of the species you found in each category (insects, birds, plants, mammals, etc.).

Resources

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References

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