High Schools & Middle Schools
Academic Adventures
Programs for Middle Schools and High Schools
Each Academic Adventure is a field-based education program built around the Middle School and High School Core Learning Goals. The Adventures are designed to give students first hand experience in inquiry-based investigation and scientific research and to broaden their understanding of scientific concepts.
Academic Adventures require cooperation between staff naturalists and teachers. Prior to the Adventure, teachers are encouraged to work with their students to design experiments to be conducted under their supervision at the Sanctuary.
Background information, data, and activities are provided prior to the trip. Teachers and students are also encouraged to take advantage of the educational exhibits at the McCann Wetlands Center.
Once the Adventure begins, students are divided into groups that rotate between activities led by staff naturalists and their teacher. Time for lunch will be scheduled.
Topics include:
Biology
Jug Bay is an ideal setting for the study of many biological concepts including:
* Classification
* Species diversity and richness
* Plant and animal adaptations
* Ecological succession
* Food webs and trophic levels
* Research methods
Staff naturalists instruct students on the topics above as they lead students in data collection. Students can participate in macroinvertebrate monitoring, forest surveys, wetland plant transects, a turtle census, fish survey, or other ongoing Sanctuary research studies. Students can also observe the special adaptations of wetland and upland organisms. Once they return to the classroom, students can further analyze their data under the direction of their teacher.
Chemistry
* Species diversity and richness
* Plant and animal adaptations
* Ecological succession
* Food webs and trophic levels
* Research methods
Staff naturalists instruct students on the topics above as they lead students in data collection. Students can participate in macroinvertebrate monitoring, forest surveys, wetland plant transects, a turtle census, fish survey, or other ongoing Sanctuary research studies. Students can also observe the special adaptations of wetland and upland organisms. Once they return to the classroom, students can further analyze their data under the direction of their teacher.
Chemistry
Chemistry students can use Jug Bay as an outdoor laboratory to investigate the impact of chemistry on the environment and society. Students can investigate:
* Soil and water pH
* Water quality parameters
* Water pollution
* Impact of wetlands on water quality
* Methods of data collection and analysis
Students can further analyze the data collected during the field trip and compare it with other data sets for the same sites when they return to the classroom.
Earth Science
Students can learn about earth science at the Sanctuary, which is comprised of tidal and non-tidal wetlands and upland areas as well. Topics investigated might include:
* Tidal action
* Erosion and deposition
* Soil formation / rock cycle
* Climate change
* Stream channel morphology
* Research techniques
Using topographical maps and global positioning systems, students delineate wetlands based on soil type. Students can also observe the tide in action and the effects of tidal erosion and deposition of sediment on the landscape of Jug Bay. Students will return to the classroom with data that can be further analyzed under the guidance of their teacher.
Equipment available for program use:
Seines, D-nets, Soil Augers, Microscopes, Plankton Nets, Water Chemistry Tests, Water Quality Probes, Radio Telemetry (in season), Binoculars and Spotting Scope, Digital Camera, Field Guides, GPS unit
Download the Academic Adventure brochure.
Resources related to water quality programs