4th Graders Explore Regional Water Sheds
4th Graders explore, test and learn about our local watersheds.
Our 4th grade crew spent all day studying the Truckee River. We made many stops along the way between Tahoe City and Truckee. The crew was super excited to find macroinvertebrates and had a blast conducting a variety of scientific test. The crew is starting to get a handle on what the tests mean and how variances can affect the streams.
To prepare for this outing, we read about a scientific study investigating the effects of living in space and discussed how studies and investigations are carried out accurately, making connections to the science we are doing with water quality.
With this trip in the rear view mirror we’re now starting to do some work toward or final product this semester, a field guide. We will be identifying some of the most important parts of field guides by looking at master texts. The guide we will use most is The Laws field Guide of the Sierra Nevadas, John Muir Laws. This is a kid friendly guide that has the majority of the plants, animals and insects that can be found in the Sierras. It is really fun to work with because it is simple to use and allows for easy identification of most things found in nature.
Students will be assigned a macroinvertebrate and a plant that they will investigate and make a page for that will go into our guide. If you’ve never heard of John Muir Laws check out his website. John worked with our students in-person and in a wrap-up event he had these amazing words to share with us. He was taken back by our students and struggled to find the words to express that. Watch this video and enjoy.
Great photos!