Lesson Summary
Students are engaged by creating mental maps of their local watershed or the larger watershed they live in, such as the Ohio River basin.
They briefly share their maps with each other, then the teacher shows a GIS-created map of the area, explaining that the students will next be able to help to create a map using GIS technology.
Students submit their crayfish data if they have not yet done so, then analyze it and compare to other groups visually.
Alex Towne looking up to the sky, piloting her drone for GIS use. Photo Credit: Grand Ronde Model Watershed
Background
The Invasive Crayfish Collaborative (ICC) and partners have been using GIS tools from iNaturalist and Esri to collect and analyze crayfish population data and water quality to measure the health of our watersheds. As explained in previous lessons, scientific protocols are followed to reliably collect data from such a large area. It can then be submitted with the online tools. See the “American Crayfish Atlas” linked in materials to identify species near you and where you might find them. The ICC can help provide your class with equipment. Email invasivecrayfishcollaborative@gmail.com to ask about available resources.
ArcGIS and ArcGIS Online
ArcGIS is the leading Geographic Information System (GIS) software, used by professionals, such as urban planners and scientists, to create maps, which model data visually in countless ways. ArcGIS Online is a simplified version of the software that works in any modern web browser and integrates with the desktop version, if desired. It retains the software’s core functionality and a subscription is free for schools, by request. It is surprisingly easy to use for such powerful software with so many data visualization tools. The website “Get Started with ArcGIS Online”, linked in materials, is a good place to begin if you are unfamiliar with the software:. Additional resources are listed in the Expand Knowledge + Skills section at the end of the lesson.
Objectives
Students will accomplish the following goals upon completing this lesson:
- model the crayfish data they collected and share it with researchers, wildlife managers, other school groups, and the community at large.
- create mental maps about their region.
- use powerful GIS software to better understand the scientific study they have been participating in and its findings.
- understand the native and invasive crayfish found in their watershed and increase environmental awareness.
Students will meet the following objectives upon completing this lesson:
- submit data collected (see previous lessons), analyze it with ArcGIS Online, and compare it to data collected by other groups.
- create mental maps related to their watershed and compare it to a map created with GIS software.
- express orally and/or in writing what they have learned about native and invasive crayfish through the activities in the lesson and the others in this unit about crayfish and freshwater ecosystems.
Lesson Alignment
Next Generation Science Standards: Building Toward: MS-ESS3-3, HS-ESS3-4, HS-ESS3-6, HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-7
Next Generation Science Standards: Crosscutting Concepts Stability and Change
Next Genertion Science Standards: Science & Engineering Practices Asking Questions and Defining Problems, Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information.
Common Core State Standards
Speaking and Listening Standards for Gr. 6- S1, S4, S6 (Similar standards exist for Gr.4-5 and 7-12)
Math Standards: Measurement & Data (Represent and interpret data)
Math Standards: Statistics & Probability (Summarize and describe distributions, Develop understanding of statistical variability)
Materials
Access printed copies or electronic versions of lesson materials below.
- Pencils, Paper (or student field journals)
- Markers, crayons, or colored pencils for students to share
- Data projector, computer and screen
- Optional: Document Camera
American Crayfish Atlas
Identify Crayfish Species
Contact the Invasive Crayfish Collaborative
Request equipment and assistance.
Get Started with ArcGIS Online
Learn about ArcGIS free resource for schools.
ArcGIS Online Access
Web Resource
ArcGIS for Schools Bundle
Free resource for schools
“Career Connections: Alex Towne, GIS Specialist”
Optional Resource
“Could you work in GIS?”
Optional Activity
“Exploring Data with ArcGIS Online”
One per student
iNaturalist Crayfish Form
Submit data
“A Basic Introduction to ArcGIS Online”1
Video Resource
“Introduction to ArcGIS Online”1
Video Resource
Invasive Crayfish Collaborative Website
Additional Resources
Investigating Crayfish and Freshwater Ecosystems
Full Curriculum
1 Disclaimer: The linked YouTube video below may contain advertisements that can interrupt viewing. These ads are typically placed by content creators or YouTube and may vary in length and frequency.
Time Required
Completion of this lesson may require multiple class periods to complete.
Activity Set-Up
Ensure the software and other materials listed above are ready for student use.
Optional: You can get support from partners by contacting the Invasive Crayfish Collaborative. Website and contact information are provided in materials.
ArcgisSS.png
An ArcGIS Online map of the rivers and lakes of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio. Major cities, lakes, and rivers are labeled on this map.
Optional: Review more information about crayfish and freshwater ecosystems to prepare to answer student questions. Good sources include those listed at the end of the lesson in the Expand Knowledge + Skills section.
Partner with an Expert: Identify an expert partner to work with your class. Contact invasivecrayfish.org/contact-us for possible recommendations.
Lesson
Engage
- Engage students by asking them to draw a map of the Great Lakes region or a river in your area, from memory. They should use a full sheet of paper and make their maps as accurate as they can without looking at any references. Ask them to try to include the details such as those below:
- State and/or country boundaries
- Rivers and streams
- Boundary line of an entire river basin: the area of land that drains into it
- Labels and/or a map legend
- The Center for Great Lakes Literacy recommends the lesson called “How Well Do You Know the Great Lakes?”. Use the “strings” activity to accomplish this particular engagement. | LINK
- Pass out materials, if necessary, and circulate through the room to answer (and ask) questions. After about five minutes, or whenever students start to run out of ideas to add to their maps, ask the students to show their maps to a neighbor and discuss them briefly. After a minute, ask for a volunteer to share their mental map with the class using a document camera if one is available, or a digital image of it displayed via a computer/device and a data projector.
Explore
- Show students an ArcGIS Online-created map of the Great Lakes region, or you could choose a map of a local watershed. Lead an interactive discussion about the states and/or provinces shown, rivers shown, etc. Then explain that the students will be able to add their own data points on a similar interactive map to help professional researchers, wildlife managers, and the community at large.
- Demonstrate for students how they submit their data through the iNaturalist form for the Crayfish Study, linked in materials, if they have not yet done so. Explain that once all of the groups submit their data, they will be able to use the online map to help compare their data with that of other groups.
Explain
- Show students how to access the data using your ArcGIS Online account, as shown in the “Exploring Data with ArcGIS Online” handout linked in materials.
- You can download the data from iNaturalist and add it to your ArcGIS Online maps:
- Go to the iNaturalist Great Lakes Crayfish community homepage | LINK
- Scroll down just a bit and click Export Observations > CSV on the right side of the screen. “CSV” is in smaller type.
- When the data has been exported, extract the data from the zip file in your file explorer.
- Go back to ArcGIS Online, click the “+” symbol, then “Add layer from file.” Click on the downloaded iNaturalist CSV file. Click “Next” for the next few screens and then “Create and add to map.”
- Demonstrate how students can work with their group to analyze the data and present it visually. If they have never used the software, you should either provide them with a brief tutorial, or you might suggest they work through one or more tutorials online, such as those presented here: | LINK.
- Students can change base map layers, customize symbol styles, or use the Find Hot Spots tool to identify areas with higher crayfish sampling activity. See more ideas here: | LINK
- Tell students they should be able to share at least two interesting visualizations of the crayfish data and be ready to discuss them with the class. For example:
- How did their observations differ in different parts of the waterbody where they sampled?
- How far away they are from a larger waterbody.
- They could also calculate distance from the school or see how it compares with the other crayfish found in the area (according to the iNaturalist page or the American Crayfish Atlas).
- Circulate through groups, answering (and asking) questions to help students better use the software and arrive at their own conclusions. After about 15 minutes, or whenever groups start to finish, tell students they will have two more minutes to work. Ask them to be prepared to show and explain their best data visualization(s). If time allows, you can also ask students to explain their visualizations in writing.
- Allow groups to share and close with a discussion about how the crayfish your class found compares with those found by other groups, such as other classes, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and/or the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Include what students have learned about native and invasive crayfish, as well as freshwater ecosystems, in the complete unit. You could also discuss additional research that might add to your understanding of the health of the watershed.
Extend
- After doing the mental maps activity, allow students to use sources to create more realistic maps of your local watershed or regional watershed. They can add your city/town, research site(s), etc. Satellite photographs available via ArcGIS Online or sites like Google Maps can also be used for reference.
- Ask students in grades 6–12 to read the “Career Connections: Alex Towne, GIS Specialist” article, linked in materials, and then complete the “Could you work in GIS?” activity that follows it in discussion with a partner.
- Show one or more short videos inked in materials about ArcGIS Online, such as:
- “A Basic Introduction to ArcGIS Online”
- “Introduction to ArcGIS Online”
- Ask students to write in journals or notebooks about what they learned about your area, ArcGIS Online, native and invasive crayfish, etc. throughout the lesson and unit.
- Have a more robust discussion about the concept of a watershed (basin). For instance, discuss how each term describes an area of land that drains precipitation to a river, lake, ocean, etc. Ask questions to get students thinking more about their role in the watershed, such as:
- Where do oil and trash go after it rains?
- How are organisms impacted by humans?
- What can we do for a future with more life?
- Obtain maps of a smaller watershed around your school and ask students to color in the watershed. Good sources of this information include your local soil and water conservation districts and USGS.
- Do one or more of the ArcGIS lessons listed in the “Expand Knowledge + Skills” section below.
Evaluate
- Review student mental maps related to their watershed and those they created with the software, their analyses of the crayfish data, etc.
- Review completed “Could you work in GIS?” activities and provide feedback.
- Assess levels of oral participation and student understanding of the concept of a watershed, how ArcGIS Online can be used to visualize and interpret data about it, etc.
Resources
Expand Knowledge + Skills
- Esri GIS Education Instructional Materials | LINK. Search and/or browse the many lessons, maps, and other resources, including these lesson plans:
- “Where does the water go? (watersheds)” | LINK
- “A river runs through it” | LINK
- “Investigating biodiversity” | LINK
- “Down to the last drop” | LINK
- “Get Started with ArcGIS Online” | LINK
- ArcGIS Skillbuilder Activities for Education | LINK
- DiBiase, D. “The Nature of Geographic Information: An Open Geospatial Textbook.” Penn State University | LINK
Education Standards
This lesson is part of a larger curriculum, Investigating Crayfish and Freshwater Ecosystems.