Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Citizen Science Monitoring
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Provided by: Grand Valley State University|Published on: February 21, 2026
Lesson PlansScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This resource includes the necessary resources for teachers to implement a citizen science project in their classroom.
- The project will take about 17 class periods, including time for fieldwork in a riparian area.
- Teachers will find a presentation to walk them through the process, a lesson plan, supporting resources, and examples of student work and successful implementations of the project.
Subjects: Biology
Authors: Groundswell Stewardship Initiative
Region: Southwest Michigan
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The lesson suggests that students develop an understanding of their role in an expert group so they can help their working group. This gives each group member a sense of responsibility and purpose within the group.
- Students will love getting outside to do field work and participate in an investigation with an authentic purpose.
Prerequisites
- Teachers can find the lesson plan and other supporting materials here.
- To implement this lesson, teachers will need many materials, such as a kick net, sorting pans, forceps, and ice cube trays. They will also need to set aside time for outdoor field work.
- Teachers should check their state regulations to determine if a fishing license is needed for collecting macroinvertebrates.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Teachers can present the Slides presentation or have students download or print it to use as a field guide.
- While researching macroinvertebrates, students may benefit from having a list of pre-approved and vetted websites. Teachers may want to teach a mini-lesson on what makes a website suitable for research purposes.
- For teachers extremely low on time and resources, students can perform a virtual investigation, using pictures of macroinvertebrates instead of actual organisms.
- Older or advanced students can use this similar lesson.
This resource is a wide-ranging citizen science project that uses aquatic macroinvertebrates to assess the health of a stream ecosystem. The Inquiry Lesson on Stream Ecosystems PDF and all presentations on the site are exceptionally well-sourced, with numerous peer-reviewed articles cited. This resource empowers students to engage in citizen science and is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
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Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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