LESSON 2 Activity 3

Much Ado about Macroinvertebrates

Grades:

4th - 9th

Objective:

Students will become familiar with some of the macroinvertebrates they may find in local streams. This activity will provide the opportunity to learn specific traits about certain macroinvertebrates: where they live, what they eat, how they move, etc.

Method:

Students will choose or be assigned a macroinvertebrate, and they will work in groups to look up information about the macroinvertebrate. They will share the information they find with the rest of the class, emphasizing points that students find interesting.

Materials:

Several copies of The Catskill Center's Guide to Freshwater Animals Without Backbones (or similar books) and cutout sheets Page 1 and Page 2 of the macroinvertebrates.

Time:

Class Time: 20 minutes

Procedure:
  1. Divide the class into groups. The number of student groups should equal the number of copies you have of the Guide to Freshwater Animals Without Backbones. Give a copy to each group of students.

  2. Have each group choose a macroinvertebrate (starting on page 46 in the guide) that they are interested in, or use the cutouts to have students randomly pick bugs out of a hat.

  3. After each group has chosen a macroinvertebrate, instruct them to write down the following information:

    What is their macroinvertebrate called?
    Where does it live?
    What does it eat?
    What kind of water does it live in?
    Write one more interesting fact about the animal.

  4. After every group is finished, have one person from each group share their information with the rest of the class.

  5. When everyone has shared their information, you may wish to compare and contrast some of the macroinvertebrates, emphasizing differences in how they survive, or ask students to pick their favorite and tell why. For an extension of this activity, ask students to draw the invertebrate and how it lives in its natural habitat.

NYS Learning Standards:

English
Standard 1 - Language for Information and Understanding: Listening and Writing; Speaking and Writing

Math, Science, and Technology
Standard 4 - Science: the Living Environment 1,5


Source: Activity devloped by MJ Reiss and Aaron Bennett.