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Projects >> Kū‘ula>> Curricula >> K-6 | 7-9 | 10-12 >>
Grades 7-9 Curriculm: Phase 2 : Student Preparation Species Identification Before students can start a benthic survey, they must be familiar with the species that they will be counting. Students will have to memorize each organism since taking reference books into the water is not practical. The easiest way to accomplish this is by memorizing one phylum at a time, one organism at a time. Start with one phylum, showing students each organism and then giving them the organism's common name. Repeat the process until all organisms in that phylum have been memorized, then move onto the next phylum. Students may be intimidated by the number of species that they will have to memorize but will be amazed after they successfully memorize them all. Ensure the students that the data sheets will have the common, Hawaiian and scientific names of each organism to help them but they will still need to recognize differences between species of the same phylum in order to correctly identify organisms. They will most likely become frustrated as they move through each phylum, but keep pushing them through. The more familiar students are with the organisms, the easier the survey will be and the more accurate the data will be. Survey Techniques There are three different techniques that can be used to conduct the benthic field survey. You may choose to stick to just one technique or you may decide to use all three. Your decision will be based on the type of site you will be surveying, the age level of your students, and the level of difficulty you and your students are comfortable with. Practicing each technique on land from start to finish helps students envision what they will be doing in the water. If you decide to use all three techniques, make sure that the students are comfortable with each and understand the difference between the three. You can add another twist to the project by surveying each site using each technique, then comparing the results of all three techniques. By doing so you can discuss with the students the effectiveness of each technique.
Transect Line Technique When you arrive at your survey site split the area into three divisions, one close to shore, one in the middle of the site and one in the outer depths of the site. Surveying the three sections will give you a more complete and accurate picture of the ecosystem.
Transect lines are laid parallel to the shoreline from one end of the site to the other at each section (inner, middle, & outer). Start with the inner transect line and work your way out. To lay each transect line, decide first from shore where the line will start. Select 4 students (2 students per end) to lay the line. Each line should be laid from left to right. All 4 students will proceed into the water to the designated starting point. To secure the front end of the line, grab the metal clip and secure it under a nearby rock. Once that end is secure, the other 2 students can begin to pull the line parallel to the shore in as straight a line as possible. The 2 students who secure the front end can help guide the other 2 students. When the line has been extended as far as it can go, find another rock to secure the line. Do not use any coral to secure either end of the line. Check to make sure that the line is taught all the way across. Do the same for each of the remaining sections; middle and outer. The outer transect line will be the most difficult because of the increased depth of the water. Use your judgment in deciding where each section will be. If you do not have enough transect lines, do one section at a time. Students should collect data in pairs with one observer and one recorder. To collect data, place the quadrat on the shoreline side of the transect line at the 1 meter mark. The upper left corner of the quadrat should be in line with the 1 meter mark. Count the number of organisms within the quadrat and record on the data sheet. To record percent cover, first estimate the percentage of rock, sand and coral in the quadrat. The recorder needs to check to make sure that the three numbers add up to 100%. Students should use the percent cover key on the data sheet as a guide to estimate. To make estimating easier, students can just use the high percentage end of each category (0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 75%, 100%). Do not leave any quadrat block on the data sheet empty. If there is no rock in a quadrat, put a zero in the block. Then take a closer look at the coral, estimating the percentage of each coral species within the quadrat in the same manner that you estimated percent cover of rock, sand and coral. The percentages for each coral species should also add up to 100%. You can have students collect benthic organism data as well as substrate data at the same time or you can have one pair collect only organism data and another collect only substrate data. If you opt to do the latter, have 2 pairs of students working on the same line. The students collecting organism data should go first along the line followed by the substrate pair since estimating substrate percentages takes longer than counting organisms. Students may lift up rocks gently to look for organisms but must remember to gently return it to its original position. Continue to collect data along the transect line by moving the quadrat along the line. Place it at every meter mark to collect the data.
If the transect line is not long enough to span the entire length of the site, have the students collect data up until the last meter mark. After data has been collected, leave the quadrat in place. Roll up the transect line and reposition using the upper left corner of the quadrat as the starting point for the new line. Once the line is secure, move the quadrat to the next meter mark and continue to collect data. Repeat the same procedures for each section; middle transect line and the outer transect line. The outer transect line will require the most effort especially if the water is deep. Place your most experienced swimmers at the outer transect. Point-Intersect Technique The point-intersect technique is very similar to the transect line technique with one slight change. Transect lines are laid in the same way and students move along the transect in the same way, the only difference is in the way that data is collected using the quadrat. Instead of collecting data within the entire area of the quadrat, the intersecting points of the quadrat's strings and corners are used as the sampling area. Students count the number of organisms under each of the 16 points. They do the same to estimate percent cover of substrate.
Coordinate Technique This survey technique is very similar to plotting coordinates on a graph in a math class. The first thing you need is an X axis and a Y axis. Instead of laying the transects out in three sections as done in the first two techniques transect lines are laid as axes line on a graph; one transect is used as an X axis and another one used as a Y axis.
Prior to going out to the site, random coordinate points (5m, 11m) should be made and recorded on the data sheet to save time at the site. Once at the site and the lines are laid, students can begin to collect data. Students should be grouped in teams of 4; one person for each transect line, one recorder and one observer. The two team members on the transect lines act as guides for the data collecting pair, moving to their point on the transect line.
Once the two transect line team members are standing behind their meter marks on the transect line, the data collecting pair in the water must line themselves up with both team members to become the point on the coordinate plane. Once at that point, the quadrat is placed on the ground and data is collected in either the transect technique or the point intersect technique. After the data has been collected for that first quadrat, the students repeat the procedure to find the next coordinate. This takes the longest out of all three techniques. Ocean Safety & Etiquette Working near or in the ocean always raises the concern of safety. Recreation in the ocean such as swimming and surfing demand certain safety considerations and certain unwritten rules of etiquette. Conducting a survey in the ocean is a whole new ball game because your attention is directed at collecting data and it therefore becomes easy to become unaware of what's happening around you. Observational skills and sheer ocean experience play major roles in conducting coastal surveys. The sites you choose to survey dictate what level of safety preparation your students will require. Enclosed sites with a water depth of just a couple feet are fairly simple sites to survey and the safety considerations are minor. Open ocean sites with a water depth of 10 feet or more is difficult to survey and the safety considerations increase. The teacher is the expert on each survey so it is important that you are very familiar with the sites that you choose to survey. Look specifically for sites that you are familiar with or find resources in the community who know the sites well and include them as part of the survey team. We have had students of varying ocean skill levels survey both types of sites with great success. The key is preparation. In The Classroom Before undertaking this project, you must become very familiar with the abilities of your students in the water. Find out what kind of ocean experience each student has from sunbathing to deep sea scuba diving. This will help you decide how in depth you may want to take this project and will also help you form survey teams. You can use the background information and sample lessons on coral reefs to introduce this ecosystem to the students. Emphasize coral as a living thing that is damaged easily especially when it is stepped on or kicked with fins. While the students are memorizing their organisms, point out specific organisms that are dangerous like the banded sea urchin, the fireworm, eels, etc. Identify the safety hazard associated with each organisms and talk about what to do in case they come into physical contact with the organism, what to do in the water and how to administer first aid. Swim Test
This is also a good time to talk with the students about what to do if they do get into trouble. What should the student that is in trouble do? What is the kuleana of that student's partner? What is the kuleana of the rest of the survey team? In any emergency situation, all data collection stops. Everyone must know what to do in a worse case scenario? Some areas will have lifeguards on duty but others will not. If you can afford it, contract a lifeguard when you decide to survey a high-risk site. If your budget does not allow for that, try to find members of your community who are certified lifeguards and see if they will kōkua their services for the day. At The Site When you arrive at the site, take about 10 – 15 minutes as a survey team to check out the area. This is a time for students to observe ocean conditions and red flag possible safety hazards. Ask students to share any personal knowledge that they may have about the site. You want them to take in as much information as possible before starting to collect data so that when it's time to devote most of their attention to the data, they have a better idea of what's going on around them. They should also fill in the preliminary information (weather and water conditions, tide, etc) on the data sheet. Make sure they have answered the following questions:
All team members should have all the necessary equipment before going out. Discourage students from wearing baggy or heavy clothes and shirts. These articles make a water rescue more difficult. The standard dress should be a swimsuit and surf shorts for girls and surf shorts for boys. Determine, as a group where each transect line is to be set. Before getting in the water make sure that everyone understands where each survey team member will be positioned. While students are conducting the survey, the recorders are above water and should be looking around periodically to monitor ocean conditions. The teacher functions as a floater, checking in with each survey team to make sure data is being collected correctly and that all students are doing okay in the water. More of your attention will be given to the teams at the outer transect because it is the deepest area. The teacher must also monitor how long it is taking the students to collect the data. Collecting a large sample size is the optimum but sometimes you may have to cut the sample size down in the interest of time.
Nā ‘Aumakua Teachers are encouraged to incorporate Nā ‘Aumakua. This very simple oli calls upon one's ‘aumakua requesting protection while the survey team is in the water. Students memorize this oli and recite it together right before the team enters the water to begin data collection.
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If one survey team is done, they are to notify the teacher and
help the other teams to finish. Once all teams are finished the
transect lines can be rolled up and the quadrats collected. Any
rocks that have been moved to secure the transect lines should
be returned. Once all the equipment is collected the survey team
can now exit the water. It is important that everyone enter the
water together and exit together. Once out of the water all of
the equipment should be rinsed thoroughly with fresh water before
putting them away. 
Projects >> Kū‘ula>> Curricula >> K-6 | 7-9 | 10-12 >> Grades 7-9 Curriculm
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