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Wetlands
Classroom
Connections

The Wolf Ridge Wetlands class provides many extension possiblilites for the classroom. Tie-ins can be made to a variety of topics including biodiversity, landtypes and forms, the values of wetlands, and more. Visit this page periodically as we will add new activities and links suggested by Wolf Ridge visiting school teachers, and eventually our own interactive on-line activities.

Pre-Visit Activities

1. Plant Identification Skills
Work on identification skills using all types of field guides from simple picture keys (Peterson Field Guide Series, Golden Guides, etc.) to dichotomous keys (see Trees and Keys lesson plan). Plan to identify only a few plants with your students. Students will better understand local diversity and characteristics which differentiate species from species without being overwhelmed.

2. Soil Characteristics
Study soil formation and components. Separate the different components of a soil sample into mineral, plant, animal, water, air. Take samples from different sites to compare and contrast. In addition, take a soil sample and put some of the material in a jar and fill with water. Shake the sample. Allow to settle and then visit the sample 24 hours later. Observe the various layers of different materials from coarse grains on bottom to fine grains on top.

3. Drainage Basins of North America
There are three levels to this activity: local, regional, or continental. Simply make copies of maps at the appropriate level. The maps must have detail enough to see rivers, streams, etc. Each student must study the map and then highlight from the mouth of a selected river up until it meets with another stream or river. Then, the highlighting continues in tree-branch fashion until all possible parts of the drainage basin have been identified and highlighted. With this done, it should be possible to encircle the entire basin with another color to mark the ultimate limits of drainage from the land. For example, we have identified the drainage basin for the Baptism River from Lake Superior to the upper reaches which include bogs and marshes. A copy of an unmarked map of the Baptism River drainage can be obtained by calling Wolf Ridge.

Post-Visit Activities

1. Government Protection of Wetlands
Research wetlands protection in the United States. Where are most of our protected wetlands? What organizations are responsible for that protection? What exactly are they doing? Information can be found on the internet (MN Dept. of Natural Resources, www.dnr.state.mn.us; National Wetlands Inventory, www.nwi.fws.gov; US Geological Survey, www.usgs.gov).

2. Wetlands at Home
Make a map of your local area (near school, the entire town, county, any size will work) with major roads, developments, and wet areas including marshes, ponds, rivers, bogs, lakes, storm ditches, and whatever is possible. Take pictures of the various wetlands and paste onto the map. Completion of this project could lead in a million directions. Some of the most obvious projects stemming from this map are (1) labeling locations with altered wetlands, (2) identifying possible nearby polluters, (3) extending the map to relate the small area to the larger drainage basin in which it is located, (4) estimating the original size of wetlands before the community altered them.

3. Extended Community Project
Organize a Frog Watch, Dragonfly study, watershed monitoring or similar long range project which requires study of your local wetlands. Literature for these studies exists at Wolf Ridge and other organizations. Contact the naturalists at Wolf Ridge for information regarding these or other possible studies.

Links

Under construction.

Wolf Ridge Class Information

Class Description:

After establishing a common vocabulary in the study of wetlands, students will gather data regarding the vegetation, hydrology, and soil composition of several wetland types including swamps, marshes, and peatlands. After returning from the discovery hike, students will analyze their data.

Total time: 3 hours (two hours outdoors)
Audience: 6-20 students, 4th grade through adult
Activity level: strenuous
Travel: 1 1/4 mile
Total uphill travel: 320 feet

Outcomes

Upon completion of the Wetlands Ecology class students will be able to:

Minnesota Graduation Standards

The Wetlands class will provide students with guided practice, in an authentic setting, to support the following Graduations Standards. We have chosen one to three “major focus” standards per grade level. Due to the holistic nature of environmental education, several other standards, not listed here, are addressed as well.

• H.S. Sciences : Earth and Space Systems (B2, D)
• H.S. Sciences : Environmental Studies (A)

• 6-8th Sciences: Living Systems (2)
• 6-8th Sciences: Earth Systems (1-3)

• 4-5th Sciences: Living and Non-Living Systems (A1,3,4,5, B1-4)
• 4-5th Inquiry: Media, Observation and Investigation (A)

Wolf Ridge Curriculum Concepts