Biological Assessment - Other Resources

Bridging the Watershed is a program of the Alice Ferguson Foundation (AFF) in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) and area schools, designed to promote student academic achievement and environmental stewardship through hands-on curriculum-based outdoor studies in national parks and public lands. Lesson modules with background information are available online as well as park-specific curriculum units, to prepare students for their field studies and provide guidance for data analysis after a field study. AFF provides lesson plans, in-school visits, guided field experiences, and teacher professional development opportunities. Curriculum modules; Stream macroinvertebrate identification.

• Bridging the Watershed interactive macroinvertebrate study for elementary students, and the lesson plan. This can be done in the classroom before a field study experience to introduce the concepts that will be practiced in the field.
• Bridging the Watershed correlations to state standards; Hard Bargain Farm grade 3-5 correlations to state standards.

Montgomery County Public Schools Stream / Pond S​tudy: Students investigate the local watershed and work in groups to assess the health of a nearby stream or pond using various indicators. Stream study lesson plan, data collection sheet (includes chemical and physical parameters), and macroinvertebrate identification key from Save Our Streams.

World Water Monitoring Challenge – World Water Monitoring Day helps watershed leaders, educators and trained volunteers to educate students and citizens how the actions of individuals in a watershed can impact environmental quality and human health.

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Portal for learning about and identifying stream-bottom macroinvertebrates, from the Cacapon Institute.

NASA GLOBE Program (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) Students and scientists investigate hydrology through the collection of data using measurement protocols and using instruments which meet certain specifications in order to ensure that data are comparable. Learning activities aid in the understanding of important scientific concepts, the understanding of data and data collection methodologies. Includes macroinvertebrate sampling.

For brackish or salt water streams and creeks

Monitoring Estuarine Water Quality – NOAA Data in the Classroom – chemical water quality testing for brackish water/estuaries – includes five activities designed for grades 6-8 that incorporate real data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

EPA Volunteer Estuary Monitoring Manual. Unit 3 covers Biological Measures.

Resources for Teachers