and air/water temperature. Three to four weeks later these bags
are retrieved from the water and carefully examined for mac-
roinvertebrates that have taken up residence in this ‘trap’. The
identification and sorting is made easy with the use of a number
of resources included in the Leaf Pack kit, including sorting place
mats, full color identification cards, magnification loupe, and a
dichotomous key. Once sorted, a tally of each type of macroin-
vertebrates is recorded for later analysis. Stream conditions and
air/water temperature are noted for comparisons, and then the
aquatic critters are returned to their stream.
The first time a class of mine attempted to run the Leaf Pack
experiment was a true learning experience for all involved. My
personal learning curve had to be a steep one, as I was learning
just one step ahead of the students. Worries that we might not
find anything in our packs to analyze turned out to be un-
founded. As the day progressed excitement built. I found myself
saying many phrases like “I don’t know- what do you think?”
or “good question- we will have to research that further”. The
engagement of the students was perhaps the most exciting part.
Forest Grove Community School student taking a closer look at
They seemed to feed on their discoveries and the challenges
macroinvertebrates living in a stream near the school.
they presented, eventually making some deep connections and
observations. Those that had expressed hesitance to work so some new directions. We are now collecting steam water qual-
closely with these ‘ugly bugs’ soon lost their inhibitions and fully ity data on an ongoing basis for Hyla Woods, a local “sustain-
participated. able” harvest timber company. As part of their efforts towards
Back in the classroom, the excitement continued. The col- restoring a creek after a period of several flooding, we are
lected data analyzing macroinvertebrates populations in the fall and the
I have found that some of my
became more spring. We plan to continue this for at least three years with
meaningful, the goal of complying comparison data to help determine the
best teaching has been when I
as we up- effectiveness of their overall restoration efforts. The fact that
didn’t know the exact outcome in
loaded it into student work can provide usable information for a real world
the Leaf Pack situation, adds meaning and authenticity to their efforts, as
advance and learned something
Network data well as a sense of pride and value.
new right along with my
base. The The opportunity to be frequent visitors to Hyla Woods has
students.
results were deepened our connection to the land and has developed into
magically a real sense of place. This last year, Peter Hayes (Hyla’s owner
transformed and former school teacher/principal and Clearing contribu-
at the web tor) helped us explore his forest for signs of past impacts of
site into colorful graphs, with “biotic index” numbers and “EPT man. Our discoveries revealed a dramatic history of pioneer
ratings” that indicated that the stream water quality was healthy. farming attempts and periods of extensive logging. By the end
The whole process clearly showed us that it was not just the of the year, our work at the water’s edge had expanded into an
quantity of macroinvertebrates that mattered, but the variety. It exercise of “reading the land” for signs the history of the area.
turns out that not all macroinvertebrates are of equal value and In collaboration with our art teacher, we eventually created a
each species has different pollution tolerance values that are used wall sized mural as an exhibit of our findings. This interactive
to indicate the overall water quality. The fact that our data was display includes student writing describing what they found
now published and easily could be compared to other streams and its significance.
and rivers throughout the country added pride to what we had
accomplished. In order for education to be most effective, what we do
must be alive and genuine. Sometimes the best way to do this
Leaf Pack has now become a mainstay in my yearly cur- is to venture into new directions with your students. Be open
riculum. I am now able to add more to background information and willing to try what is unknown to not only your students,
and pre-trip activities that enhance student learning. Students but to yourself as well. Seeking out collaborative relationships
seem to naturally make connections between our studies of trees with the community can add authenticity to whatever you
that produce the leaves. Leaves eventually feed nutrients to the study. The adventure of learning is greatest when discoveries
streams, which in turn feed the macroinvertebrates, and become are yours as well as your students.
the food base of the salmon and trout. Our study of trees, stream
ecology, and the raising of fish are all designed as ‘hands on’ ex-
periences. The effectiveness of teaching through these projects is
Charles Graham has been a classroom teacher for 23 years teach-
clearly demonstrated through the student’s depth of understand-
ing all disciplines for grades 4-6. He currently teacher at the Forest
ing of this energy flow and the interconnections in nature.
Grove Community School in Forest Grove, Oregon.
This past year, our work with Leaf Pack opened up into
Clearing - 2009 Compendium Edition http://www.clearingmagazine.org Page 23
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