4. Pond Water - Assessments

Assessment
Research one of the organisms you observed. What does your organism eat? Where is it found? What does it need to survive? Describe its life cycle.

Going Further

1. At the creek, students can write down their observations in a notebook. Encourage them to write down 3 observations for each of their senses.
2. To extend the sense of place activity, students can draw a picture of the creek or write a poem that may be shared with the rest of the class or turned in for homework.
3. Monitor the population of pond water organisms in your water sample over time. Create a class data table with the names and observed numbers of all live species identified on the first day. At regular intervals, repeat the observation and add a new column with new observed population counts. Although this is a very rough measure of the population of organisms over time, certain species will die out over time, an excellent springboard into a discussion of extinction, endangered species, and the causes of population change.