• Pictures
• Contents - equipment and supplies
• Activities - information and download
• Resource Folder Contents
• Specific Aquatic Insect Fact Sheets
• Academic Standards Covered
• Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Websites
• Reserve This Module

AQUATIC MACROINVERTEBRATE MODULE CONTENTS

Book Resources Box
BOOKS / BOOKLETS / FIELD SHEETS / VISUAL AIDS / VIDEOS
__ 1 Aquatic Entomology by W. Patrick McCafferty
__ 1 Pond and Stream Safari by Cornell Cooperative Extension
__ 1 How to Know the Aquatic Insects by Dennis M. Lehmkuhl
__ 6 Freshwater Invertebrates by J. Reese Voshell, Jr.
__ 1 Guide to the Study of Freshwater Biology by Needham and Needham
__ 1 Pond and Brook: A Guide to Nature in Freshwater Environments
__ 1 An Anglers Guide to Aquatic Insects and Their Imitations by Hafele and Roederer
__ 3 Pond Watchers: Guide to Ponds and Vernal Pools
__ 1 Monitor's Guide to Aquatic Macroinvertebrates by Loren Larkin Kellogg
__ 1 VIDEO - S.O.S. For America's Streams: A Guide to Water Monitoring
__ 1 Leaf Pack Flash Cards by LaMotte
__ 1 Pond Life (Golden Guide) by George K. Reid

__ 3 A Volunteer Monitor's Field Guide to Aquatic Macroinvertebrates by the Isaak Walton League of America (blue and white folded, laminated brochure)

__ 1 Insects in the Pond by Hidetomo Oda (green book)

__ 1 Giant Water Bugs by Kathleen Pohl (green book)
__ 1 CD- Aquatic Macroinvertebrates PowerPoint Presentation

EQUIPMENT / ACTIVITY SUPPLIES BOX
__ 12 Pond and Stream Study Guide by PA Fish and Boat Commission (laminated 11x17 color sheets)
__ 6 Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Match Games with accompanying envelope
(yellow posterboard)

In Bucket
__ 8 Multi-Plate Samplers (MPASS)
__ Bundle of Leaf Pack Bags (onion sack bags)
__ Ziploc Bags
__ Rope, String, Flagging
__ Garbage Bag Twist Ties

Carry Case of Macroinvertebrate Sorting/Viewing Equipment
__ 12 BioQuip forceps (red tape with yellow strings)
__ 12 Magnifying Glasses
__ container of eye droppers
__ container of spoons and a small ruler
__ Magnifying Boxes (square and round bug boxes)
__ Petri dishes

Near Bucket
__ 3 White Sorting Trays
__ 1 Small, Plastic Tackle Box to use for bug sorting
__2 Stacks of Bug Cups (cups with bug pictures used for sorting and identification)
__ 3 White, Plastic Tableclothes (for putting under kick nets)

In the Middle
__ 1 Plastic Shoe Box - Macroinvertebrates Reference Collection (identified)petri dishes
__ 1 Plastic Shoe Box
__ 12 Macroinvertebrate PlastoMounts
__ Small box of Mosquito (Culex) Microscope slides and Life Cycle PlastoMount
__ Dragonfly Life Cycle PlastoMount
__ 1 Small Plastic Box - Macroinvertebrates Unidentified Collection
__ 2 Brock Microscopes in brown boxes

In White Sweater Box
__ Macroinvertebrate Mayhem Game Materials
__ Colored, Laminated Game Pieces to wear around neck
__ Paper Plates
__ Orange, Predator vests
__ 3 Burlap Sacks
__ Field Markers
__ Whistle

Activity Envelopes
o Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Life Cycle Activity - Envelope 1 of 2
__ Connect Four or Three Game Boards
o Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Life Cycle Activity - Envelope 2 of 2
__ Small envelopes of Life Cycle Stages Game Pieces
o Life at the Surface - 1 Envelope
__ Forks and Paper Clips
o Pollution Tolerance Index - Bag of Bugs Activity Envelope - 1 Envelope
__ 4 bags (at minimum) of bug scraps of paper and Answer key chart
o Aquatic Insect Parts and Pieces - 1 Envelope
__ Blank art pages, examples, visual aids
o Aquatic Insect Lab Practical Activity - 1 Envelope
__ Station # cards, Question cards
o Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Creek Geek Knowledgy (Jeopardy) - Envelope 1 of 2
__ 3 columns of paper version of game
o Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Creek Geek Knowledgy (Jeopardy) - Envelope 2 of 2
__ 3 columns of paper version of game

ADDITIONAL LOOSE EQUIPMENT
__ 3 Kick nets
__ 3 D-frame nets

AQUATIC MACROINVERTEBRATE ACTIVITIES
Click on underlined activities to download now!

Aquatic Insect Parts and Pieces
· Students will create real or fictitious aquatic insects to illustrate and label main body parts.

Create an Aquatic Macroinvertebrate
· Students create imaginary macroinvertebrates with special physical and behavioral adaptations.

Life at the Surface
· Students can do a few things to learn more about surface dwelling aquatic insects: catch them at the stream, keep and observe them in an aquarium, conduct demonstrations on surface tension, and review water walkers under the microscope.

Pollution Tolerance Index - Bag of Bugs
· Students will interpret a fictitious macroinvertebrate sampling to determine water quality using a biological assessment and pollution tolerance index classification.

How Sensitive are They?
· Students will identify, study, and categorize preserved specimens according to their pollution tolerance index group classification.

Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Sampling
· Using kick nets, students sample aquatic insects to discover the diversity that exists in waterways, learn how to identify the creatures, and determine the water quality based on the organisms caught.

Microhabitats #1 - Quantitative Study of Microhabitats
· In a quantitative procedure, students examine and compare microhabitats in an aquatic ecosystem, recording physical and biological data.

Microhabitats #2 - Qualitative Study of Microhabitats
· In a qualitative method, students observe the aquatic life in a stream area and then create a simple field guide of their microhabitat from what they observed.

Multi-Plate Sampling
· Students will install multi-plate samplers in various stream conditions and locations to collect aquatic insects and then identify them.

Artificial Leaf Packs
· Students will install artificial leaf packs in various stream conditions and locations to collect aquatic insects and then identify them.

Macroinvertebrate Match Game
· Students will identify aquatic macroinvertebrates by matching illustrations of aquatic insects with the correct name on a game board. Students can use illustration guides or dichotomous keys. Play the on-line version of the game.

Aquatic Bug Background Research
· Students will conduct academic research on an aquatic macroinvertebrate and give an oral presentation highlighting some of the important identification characteristics, behaviors, food and habitat needs, life cycle, and pollution tolerance.

Aquatic Insect Creek Geek Knowledgy
· Students work in teams to play Creek Geek Knowledgy (Jeopardy) to review concepts from the entire aquatic insects unit. Go to on-line game.

Aquatic Insect Lab Practical
· Students will participate in a lab practical - a hands-on, investigative examination or review of many topics pertaining to aquatic insects. Includes identification, examining body features, classifying insects into functional groups, and making connections between insects and their habitat and water quality needs.  

Sections

PA Fish Commission Information Section
Includes the Educational Aquatic Field Study Permit Application that you will need to fill out in order to do legal aquatic insect studies.

PowerPoint Section
Includes the script for the Aquatic Insect PowerPoint Presentation enclosed with module.

Fact Sheets Section
A variety of fact sheets about aquatic insect in general that you can COPY and use in classroom.

Articles Section
A selection of articles about aquatic insects that you can COPY and use in the classroom.

Specific Aquatic Insect Fact Sheets
Creek Connections created fact sheets on over 25 specific aquatic insects.

Illustration Pages Section
Includes illustration pages of aquatic insects that you can COPY and use. Included is the Creek Connections bug cups worksheet with illustrations and descriptions of what to look for on each bug.

Identification Keys Section
Includes a selection of identification/dichotomous keys that you can COPY and use. Some are simple; some are complex.

Reference Collection Section
Includes lists of the contents of the module's Identified Reference Collection (Petri dishes) and Unidentified Reference Collection (petri dishes) and Plastomount (plastic blocks) specimens.

Pollution Tolerance Index Section
Includes the Pollution Tolerance Index that we encourage you to use with your students to determine the health of your stream. This version is the version adopted by the state for citizen stream monitoring groups.

Instructions / Procedures Section
Includes How To sheets for various sampling methods and for preserving aquatic insect specimens.

Activities Section
Has the activity write ups for over a dozen activities included in the module.  

Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Websites

Aquatic Ecology Page - Insects
Key to Aquatic Macroinvertebrates
River Continuum Concept
Photographs of Aquatic Life
New York State DEC- Macroinvertebrate Key (great pictures)
Aquatic Insect Resources (Links)