Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Citizen Science Monitoring
Provided by: Grand Valley State University|Published on: February 21, 2026
Grades: 6, 7, 8
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Biology
Authors: Groundswell Stewardship Initiative
Region: Southwest Michigan
Languages: English
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 →
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.
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
Standards
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.
Learn about our review process →
