Date: May 1, 2009
Time: (Eastern Daylight Time) -- Time Zone Converter
Program Title: A Tour of Biological Diversity
Suggested Grade Level: Upper Elementary (may also be of interest to younger and older students)
Field Trip Overview:
Who lives in Padilla Bay? What kinds of plants, fish, crabs and clams can survive the predators and shifting tides of this Pacific Northwest estuary? This EstuaryLive program will highlight the biological diversity of an estuary mud flat and eelgrass meadow in the Salish Sea. The broadcast will take place at Bay View State Park on the eastern shore of Padilla Bay in Skagit County, Washington. Fourth grade students and undergraduate college scientists will show, discuss and compare 5 pairs of organisms found in Padilla Bay. For each pair they will discuss differences in adaptations, food web linkages and ecological relationships.
Field Trip Outline:
- Introduction by Glen Alexander (2 minutes)
- In this section you will learn where Padilla Bay is located in the Salish Sea and how it fits the definition of an estuary. There will be a brief description of local tides and topography.
- What questions do you have? (1 minute)
- Participating students will be invited to ask questions about Padilla Bay and the specific organisms (plants and animals) to be highlighted on this program. These questions will be answered later in the program. The organisms to be included are: Dungeness crab, shore crab, lug worm, polychaete worm (Nerius spp.), eelgrass and rock weed (Fucus spp.)
- Meet fourth grades students and researchers as they show and describe three pairs of estuary organisms commonly found in Padilla Bay. (8 minutes)
- You will learn about Dungeness crabs, shore crabs, lug worms, polychaete worms (Nerius spp.), eelgrass and rock weed (Fucus spp.). How are they the same and different? Each has special adaptations for survival in this harsh and rich ecosystem. Each has a special role to play.
- Questions? (3 minutes)
- Some of the questions submitted earlier will be answered and participants will be asked to submit suggestions about the specific things they can do to help.
- What can you do to help? (4 minutes)
- We all have some kind of relationship to estuaries. Some like to eat the animals that live there. Some enjoy visiting and playing in or near estuaries. We all live in the watershed of an estuary. And we all play a role in keeping these valuable places healthy. You’ll hear how the Salish Sea is important to our fourth graders and what they do to help.
- Learn what college researchers have learned about another pair of interesting estuary organisms. (5 minutes)
- Students and researchers respond to questions and suggestions submitted by participants. (4 minutes)
- Beach seine (3 minutes)
- Fourth graders will pull a net through the water and we’ll get to see the catch!
Student Learner Objectives:
| Define estuary |
Students will understand how Padilla Bay and the Salish Sea fit the definition of an estuary. Students will be able to describe an estuary as a body of water with one, saltwater from the ocean; two, diluted by freshwater from the land; and three is partly surrounded by land. |
| Locate an estuary on a map, distinguishing it from rivers, oceans and land |
Students will be able to recognize Padilla Bay, Puget Sound and the Salish Sea as an estuary by seeing a map of the area. |
| Identify tides as a daily event in an estuary |
Students will understand that an estuary has a tide and this has an affect on estuary organisms. |
| Describe at least two important functions of estuaries |
Students will be able to identify two functions of an estuary. |
| List at least three plants or animals that live in an estuary for at least part of their life cycles |
Students will be able to list at least 3 organisms that live in Padilla Bay. |
| Describe how at least one plant or animal has adapted to live in an estuary |
Students will be able to describe ways in which at least one organism is adapted to the special conditions of an estuary. |
| State two human activities that might cause an estuary to become unhealthy |
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| Describe how runoff into an estuary might affect the plants, animals, and people |
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| Identify food webs of estuary plants and animals |
Students will be able to tell who eats whom in Padilla Bay. |
| Describe what they can do to maintain or improve the health of an estuary |
Students will be able to state at least two things they can do to help keep estuaries healthy. |
| Students will be able to describe at least one way that global climate change could affect estuaries |
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| Students will be able to describe at least two activities of estuary scientists |
Students will be able to describe how and why estuary scientists learn about estuary organisms. |
Program Vocabulary:
- Adaptation
- Dungeness crab
- Eelgrass
- Estuary
- Estuary scientist
- Interdependence
- Lugworm
- Phytoplankton
- Plankton
- Polychaete worm
- Rockweed
- Shore crab
- Tide
- Zooplankton
Frequently Asked Questions:
- What is eelgrass?
- How is eelgrass different from algae? HINT: Eelgrass has some things in common with the grass in your backyard!
- Why is there so much phytoplankton in an estuary?
- What kinds of fish and other life need eelgrass? See who is in our eelgrass meadow http://padillabay.gov/pdfs/eelgrass.pdf. Choose a critter or plant or plankton and write a paragraph to share with everyone on http://estuarylive.pbwiki.com. That way we can share in the learning and teaching process.
Links to Supporting Materials:
National Education Standards Addressed:
Grades K-4
- Understanding about scientific inquiry
- Characteristics of organisms
- Organisms and environments
- Science as a human endeavor
Grades 5-8
- Understanding about scientific inquiry
- Structure and function in living systems
- Populations and ecosystems
- Diversity and adaptations of organisms
- Populations, resources, and environments
- Science as a human endeavor
- Nature of science
Grades 9-12
- Understanding about scientific inquiry
- Interdependence of organisms
- Organization in living systems
- Behavior of organisms
- Natural resources
- Science as a human endeavor
- Nature of scientific knowledge
Contact Information:
Please contact Glen "Alex" Alexander, Padilla Bay NERR Education Coordinator for more information about this program or visit the Padilla Bay Reserve's web site.